Air Fryer Eggplant Fries (Keto, Low Carb, Gluten Free)
Can you fry eggplant in an air fryer? You sure can! These air fryer eggplant fries are made with delicious pork panko and only have 6.9 grams of net carbs per serving.
Ingredients
- 2 baby eggplants (12-14 ounces/340-397 grams total)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pork panko
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)
- warmed marinara sauce (for dipping)
Instructions
- Cut the stem and blossom ends from the eggplants. Peel the purple skin from the eggplants.
- Slice the peeled eggplant into ½-inch (1.27 cm) thick slices that are about 4-4½ inches (10-11 cm) long. Try to make them all about the same size for more even cooking. Cutting thicker or thinner eggplant sticks will alter the air frying time.
- Whisk two eggs in a medium-sized bowl.
- In a second bowl, stir together the pork panko, ¼-cup Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley, oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary.
- Dip each eggplant fry in the eggs and then coat it in the pork panko mixture. Put the fries in a non-touching single layer on your air fryer trays. Cover all of the fries.
- Tip: Don't crowd the fries on the air fryer trays! Cook them in multiple batches if needed.
- Put the eggplant parmesan fries in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Then switch the position of the trays in the air fryer oven and cook an additional 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C). You shouldn't need to flip the fries.
- If the eggplant fries are not tender enough in the middle at this point, switch the position of the air fryer trays one more time. Air fry them 2-3 more minutes at 375°F (190°C).
- Sprinkle the eggplant fries with the remaining 2 teaspoons of Parmesan. Let them cool a bit before serving with warm marinara sauce.
Notes
This is a level 3 recipe (weight maintenance and active lifestyles). There are probably no surprises here, but breading things in crushed pork rinds really bumps up the calories. Even though it is a low carb keto recipe, these breaded eggplant fries are not your best bet for a food that supports a healthy weight.
If you want low calorie eggplant fries, I recommend air frying eggplant without breading. Try them with different seasonings, such as Everything but the Bagel Seasoning, chili powder, Cajun spice, or lemon pepper. These won’t taste like classic eggplant fries, but I bet you could come up with something pretty tasty!
Instead of having these as a snack, I incorporate them into a meal with lots of high-volume, low-calorie veggies. Serve them with big side salads filled with non-starchy veggies. Alternatively, serve them up with spiralized squash noodles and marinara sauce. Both of these ideas will help you to create a low-calorie meal that also happens to be keto friendly.
The combination of pork panko and parm in these eggplant fries provides more protein than you get in classic eggplant fries. That’s why I’m not recommending adding more protein to the meal. That said, some grilled chicken breast might be another tasty meal addition here to help fill you up.
For the carb lovers who want a high calorie meal, add some whole grain pasta and pasta sauce on the side. You could also throw in some garlic bread if you really wanted to carb load. Make it a full Italian-inspired feast!
Nutrition information is for one serving of the air fryer eggplant fries only, without marinara dipping sauce. Carbohydrates listed are net carbs (total carbs minus fiber).
Nutrition
Calories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 6.9gProtein: 37.1gFat: 30.2gSaturated Fat: 11.2gSodium: 551.9mgPotassium: 525.4mgVitamin A: 81.2% DVVitamin C: 7.5% DVCalcium: 46.3% DVIron: 6% DV
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