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Aubergine

The versatile aubergine for numerous recipes!

You can breathe a sigh of relief. You don’t have to be a foodie to elevate your everyday meals with aubergine.
Think of buttery soft oven-roasted aubergine, a stuffed aubergine with ground meat and herbs, or a perfectly grilled aubergine with a delicious smoky flavour. Whether you're craving comfort food or a light salad, aubergine effortlessly adapts to your taste.

Did you know there’s an incredible variety of aubergines? From round to elongated and egg-shaped, in stunning colours like white, purple, striped, and even fresh green! Their flavours range from mild to a subtly bitter note.

Ready to explore the versatility of this purple gem? Get inspired and give your dishes a colourful upgrade with the irresistible hue of aubergine on your plate! Once you master the art of cooking aubergine, you’ll never want to go without it again. Aubergine can be prepared in many ways—grilling, roasting, frying, or stuffing—you name it! A great bonus is that it absorbs all the flavours of your dish. The result? A silky, creamy texture full of flavour.

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How to Prepare Aubergine

Frying Aubergine

Should you salt aubergine before frying or not? The answer is... well, it depends!

Team Salting: Have time and want maximum control? Salting helps draw out excess moisture, preventing the aubergine from soaking up too much oil and giving it a beautiful golden crust. Just sprinkle with salt, wait for 15 minutes, pat dry, and fry away.

Team No-Salting: No time but still hungry? No worries! Just use dry, unoiled aubergine slices and a sizzling hot pan. You’ll still get that perfect buttery-soft inside and golden-brown outside—without the extra step.

Aubergine bakken

Stir-Frying Aubergine

You can also prepare aubergine quickly in a wok. The trick is in the amount of aubergine you stir-fry. Cook the aubergine in batches—this might seem like extra work, but it ensures the aubergine turns golden brown and remains soft and juicy inside. It takes about 3-4 minutes per batch. Remove the cooked aubergine strips, add a new batch, and repeat until all are done. Then return all the aubergine to the pan and stir in your sauce of choice—this method works beautifully with teriyaki, miso sauce, or a sweet-and-sour sauce.

stir fry

Deep-Frying Aubergine

Slice the aubergine, dip it in a batter, and deep-fry in oil for about 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until you see a crispy, golden-brown crust.

deep fried

Roasting Aubergine

You can also cook a whole aubergine! Preheat the oven to 200°C and poke holes in the aubergine with a fork. Roast until soft, about 30-40 minutes. Roasted aubergine is the base of the famous Lebanese dip baba ghanoush, where the soft flesh is scooped out and blended with lemon and tahini into a velvety dip.

roasted

Delicious
recipes
with aubergine

Spicy miso-aubergine with crunchy vegetables and rice
Cook time
30 minutes
Tomato salad with grilled Aubergine (eggplant) and cinnamon
Cook time
(Oven-baked) stuffed aubergine and pointed pepper
Cook time
50 minutes
Loaded hummus with cooked aubergine and hot butter
Cook time
75 minutes
Pasta Alla Norma with Grilled Aubergine
Cook time
25 minutes
Vegan stuffed aubergines with chickpeas
Cook time
60 minutes
Aubergine rolls with prosciutto, mozzarella and almond pesto
Cook time
40 minutes
Stuffed aubergine with bolognese sauce and mozzarella
Cook time
60 minutes
Aubergine rolls with bulgur and tahini dressing
Cook time
35 minutes
Aubergine satay
Cook time
15 minutes
More delicious recipes

Know your veg

Buying and Storing Flavour pairings hacks and tips Aubergine in Season

Buying and Storing Aubergine

A good aubergine has smooth, firm skin and a glossy appearance.
Got the perfect aubergine? Here’s how to keep it fresh until you’re ready to cook. The golden rule: aubergines don’t like the fridge! Cold temperatures make them spongy and bitter. Instead, store them in a cool, dark place, like a kitchen cabinet or a paper bag.

aubergine smaak combinaties

Best flavour pairings with Aubergine

Looking for a tasty aubergine recipe or your own killer combo? These ingredients will never let you down:

  • Vegetables: tomato, bell pepper, courgette, chili pepper
  • Nuts & Seeds: cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds
  • Herbs & Spices: garlic, parsley, basil, dill, cumin, oregano, ginger
  • Fruits: lemon, pomegranate
  • Dairy: feta, goat cheese, Parmesan, ricotta, yogurt
  • Other: tahini, miso, soy sauce
aubergines bewaren

Aubergine hacks

Don’t store aubergines next to bananas. Bananas release ethylene gas, which makes aubergines ripen too quickly.

aubergine season

When is Aubergine in Season?

Aubergines are available year round but are in their prime and most frequently available from July to September in the UK.

FAQ
aubergine

Technically, yes, you can eat aubergine raw. However, before you enthusiastically pop a slice in your mouth, there are a few things you should know. Raw aubergine contains solanine, a natural substance that can cause stomach discomfort in very large amounts. But don’t worry! In a fresh, ripe aubergine, the amount of solanine is so small that you really won't have any problems, unless you were to eat kilograms of it. 
But is it tasty? Meh… not really. Raw, aubergine is quite tough, a bit bitter, and lacks the creamy, soft texture you get from grilling, baking, or roasting.
 

Aubergine is not fattening. In fact, it's a great choice if you're watching your weight. This is mainly due to its nutritional content. Aubergine is made up of 93% water, making it a low-calorie vegetable. In 100 grams of aubergine, there are only 20 calories. For comparison, to consume 2,000 calories, you would need to eat 10 kilograms of aubergine — that's about 25 pieces. 
Moreover, eating vegetables like aubergine helps you feel full. The fibre in aubergine absorbs water and slows down its passage through the digestive system, helping you stay full longer. This not only helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable but also reduces your feelings of hunger — important if you don't want to gain weight.

Foods can claim to be "high in fibre" if they contain at least 3 grams of fibre per 100 kcal. Aubergine doesn't carry such claims, but according to this guideline, aubergine, with 10 grams of fibre per 100 kcal, easily meets this standard! Aubergine contains both soluble and insoluble fibres. Soluble fibres help you stay full longer after eating and support stable blood sugar levels and healthy cholesterol. Insoluble fibres are important for healthy digestion. 
The recommended daily fibre intake is 30-40 grams. Adding more fibre-rich vegetables like aubergine can help you meet this recommended amount.