Crispy fried eggplant rounds coated in Parmesan cheese and pork rind breadcrumbs make a fun low carb appetizer or snack when served with Marinara sauce.
I’m enjoying Summer’s bounty this year thanks to the generosity of my neighbors. I’m typically gifted with zucchini, squash, tomatoes and citrus but this past week I received some eggplant. While I don’t often buy eggplant, I do like to cook and eat it in dishes like ratatouille, rollatini, eggplant Parmesan or baba ganuoush.
And speaking of Summer, the kids and I have been cooped up in the house together due to the hot (and humid!) weather. We’re getting a little stir-crazy as we wait for school to begin in two short weeks. My husband took my kids the the community pool on Saturday and I stayed in the quiet house.
While they were gone, I made-up this crispy fried eggplant rounds recipe. And, ate some crispy fried eggplant rounds. And made more crispy fried eggplant rounds to share with my family. My goodness, they were good!
Just so you know, this is a low carb eggplant recipe. The coating I used is a combination of Parmesan cheese and crushed pork rinds. I bet you thought I used panko bread crumbs, right? The combination of Parmesan cheese and crushed pork rinds is the low carb version of panko and makes a beautiful crisp crust. It’s the same coating I used on my popular Parmesan crusted pork chop recipe and cast iron skillet chicken Parmesan. Yum!
(If you aren’t following a low carb diet, sub Panko for the crushed pork rinds and you will be fine.)
I served the fried eggplant rounds with store bought Marinara sauce. Jarred pasta sauce can be full of added sugar so read the label. I’ve found that Rao’s Marinara sauce is delicious and has the lowest carb count. For a spicier sauce, try the Arabiatta sauce.
[OVEN METHOD] I have not cooked this particular recipe for crispy eggplant rounds in the oven, but here is what I have done in the past: Heat the oven to 400 degrees F and place a sheet pan(s) in the oven to heat. Prepare eggplant. Spray the sheet pans with oil and place the egg plate on the sheet pans. Bake 10-15 minutes per side or until crisp and golden brown.
These crispy eggplant rounds are great as keto Eggplant Parmesan Stacks.
Crispy Fried Eggplant Rounds With Parmesan Cheese and Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound eggplant (cut crosswise into 1 cm – 1/2 inch rounds, 453.6 g)
- 1 cup crushed pork rinds (1 oz/ 28.35 g)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1 oz/ 28.35 g)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Prep. : Slice the eggplant into 10-12 rounds, sprinkle them with salt and put in a colander to drain for 15 minutes. Dry completely on paper towels. Meanwhile crack the eggs in a shallow bowl (cereal or soup bowl) large enough to hold an eggplant round and scramble with a fork. Mix the pork rinds, cheese, and seasoning together in another shallow bowl. Ready a small sheet pan.
- Procedure: Pick up a round with a fork and flip it back and forth in the egg until completely covered. Pick up with a fork and let the egg run off. Place into the crumb mixture and cover the top with crumbs. Press the crumbs onto the top. Then, flip the round over with the fork and do this again. Lift the eggplant round out and shake off the excess crumbs. Lay on a sheet pan. Repeat the process on all of the rounds. You should have enough for 10-12 rounds depending on how big they are.
- Cook: Heat an iron skillet or a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Alternately, you can use a big pancake skillet and fit all on the skillet at once. When hot, add the oil (you will need much less oil in a non-stick skillet). When the oil is hot, add 3-4 round to the pan and let cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove to a paper towel to drain then to a cooling rack. As you go, you may need to add a little more oil to the skillet or adjust the heat down just a bit. The eggplant will be brown and very crispy. Serve with tomato sauce, spicy mayo or eat as is!
- Net Carbs per serving: 3.15 g.
Notes
Nutrition
How come my pork rinds never sticks to the eggplant?
Hi Mila. Make sure to dry the eggplant rounds well with paper towels before dipping in the egg. Also, very finely ground or crushed pork rinds works better than coarse. I hope this helps. -Kim
I Made this into eggplant parmigiana and of course added cheese ontop motts and Roas and it was delicious.
Delish. I only used almond meal instead on pork rinds. I cooked in converction oven at 400 for 25 min
Peel the skin for pete’s sake.
Hi Arty, your comment sounds like something my mom would say. Lol. While peeling the eggplant is an option, I prefer them with the skins on. But, you do you. -Kim
Well this is my new favorite dish for sure !!
Lol. I’m so glad, KC! -Kim
OMG..I made this and it was delicious. Ty for the recipe.
These are awesome!! The only thing I would change next time is to ditch the salt in the breading mix..just a bit salty for my liking. Otherwise amazing!
Delicious! My husband doesn’t care for Eggplant, but he LOVES this recipe
That’s fantastic, Ruth. Thanks for sharing. -Kim
I loved this recipe! My only question was about the oil. Did anyone actually only have to use 2 tbsps oil? I had to use way more in order for the eggplant to cook.
I added about a tablespoon of oil in between each batch and used a non stick pan and they came out crispy and delicious!
I had already crushed homemade bread crumbs when my diet conscience kicked in and led me to a low carb version of eggplant Parmesan thus this recipe. I must say this is better than my breadcrumb recipe! The fried eggplant was crispy and more flavored with the pork rind coating mixture. I made partial homemade marinara with a can of diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, peppers, lots of garlic and seasonings blended and it was amazing!!! Will repeat over and over. Thank you!!!
Great! I’m so happy you liked it. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Hi Kim I am new to keto just a few weeks, doing well. Lost close to 20 lbs in looking at my food diary its been exactly 3 weeks. Not bad! I am 60 years old so weight is more stubborn now. So for the side step. My question is, I don’t do face book, strange I know but what can I say. I would like to know servings on eggplant for now but actually on all of it. You told one lady that serving and such was posted on face book. so if you could put it here it would save me the trouble of looking each thing up and doing the math. If not it’s fine as I can do it . Mahalo from Rose in Hawaii
Hi Rose. I think what I meant about Facebook is that the person asked the same question on facebook and I answered her there. The recipe calls for 1 pound raw weight of eggplant and the recipe serves 4. The number of rounds are going to depend on how big the eggplant is and how thinly or thickly you slice them. I divide by eye and try to make the servings about equal. I hope this helps. -Kim
wow..could you share your eating exercise plan. I am in my 50’s not doing as well.
Made this tonight and ate some as intended with this recipe but used the extra eggplant in a casserole, (eggplant parmesan style). The pork rinds made the coating a perfect consistency. Thanks so much for the great recipe!
I’m so happy you liked the eggplant, Kim. Your casserole sounds divine! Have a nice day. -Kim
Great recipe! I have to save for future use. I made for my dad tonight. He had a stroke 3 months ago and I have put him on a keto diet and is doing well. To his surprise, he greatly enjoyed his crispy eggplant tonight. But was reluctant to eat at first because he thought he was a going to eat carbs. He couldn’t believe it was the pork rinds.
Thanks again for helping me help my dad.
I’m so glad your father enjoyed the eggplant, Kris. It’s so important to me that people enjoy their meals. What a great daughter you are to help him recover after his stroke and find a new way of eating. Enjoy the rest of your week. -Kim
Made this Amazing recipe with fresh eggplant from my garden — and Oh Boy is it Good! Thank You for another Amazing recipe!
This was absolutely delicious. I added a small piece of mozzarella cheese to eat round after turning. Delicious w or w/o marinara sauce. Thanks You!
I’m so glad, Jackie. These are one of my favorites. -Kim
This is soooo good! I had one large eggplant which I intended to eat half of for dinner and the other for lunch tomorrow. Well, I only have two pieces left…..not enough for lunch and I’m too stuffed to eat them tonight.
I will be making this again soon. Thank you for sharing!
You amaze me! Crushed pork rind – I have never heard about using that instead of breadcrumbs or even being able to buy that before!!! I am not much into the low-carb scene so to say (although I should, I am not as healthy as I would like to be), so I don’t know how other low carb blogs are, but your blog amazes me with every recipe, I cannot imagine it getting any better. And I don’t want to just flatter you in vain, I really mean it.
Adina, thank you so much, I am very flattered with your kind words. Of course, you know how I feel about your beautiful blog and the food and storied you share. Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. Have a wonderful weekend. – Kim
Thank you I am going to try this. Thanks again
Can you please for the eggplant how many pieces can you have for an carb count
Hi Zee. I answered your question on Facebook today. Thanks for reaching out. -Kim
I have breaded using egg, then parmesan cheese, deep fry low, so it doesn’t burn. If you don’t like the mushy eggplant inside, cut the slices very thin before frying and they will taste great and not mushy.
Thank you for your tips, Linda. Have a great week. -Kim
I’m going to try this. Looks so good! Can I use this recipe with yellow squash? If so, how much squash should I use? I want to keep the carb and fat count as close to the eggplant as possible. I am new to this woe and so excited. Thank you.
I’ve done this with zucchini and it’s great! Yellow squash would work just as well. I do remember that I double dipped my zucchini. Enjoy! -Kim
Hi Kim. These look amazing. I wondered if they would work in a low carb version of eggplant Parmesan? I’m dying to make one. Thx Mizzy
I haven’t tried that Mizzy, but it sounds good! -Kim
Hi, Want to make these but can’t find the nutritional break down – have found it easily on your other recipes but not on this one. Even did a Ctrl F and entered in key words like carbs, nutrition and even protein & fiber to help locate it. No luck – any help is appreciated Thanks!
Hi Liz. I responded to you on Facebook, too. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I believe I accidentally forgot to add a special code to the bottom of the recipe to show the nutritional information. I will make sure to add it tomorrow. So sorry for the confusion. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Looks delicious! I am a big eggplant fan.
Thank you, Kalyn. I appreciate it. -Kim
These were soooooooooo good! The “breading” had a perfect flavor and a texture that was very similar to panko breadcrumbs. I’ve been browsing your site, and I think this is the third recipe of yours that I’ve made this week, lol. I’m going to make your steakhouse burgers again tonight (love them!), and I cannot wait to try your skillet chicken parmesan this weekend! Thank you for all you do! I love your recipes so much!
Alli, I like this recipe a lot, too. Thank you! I’m so glad you are finding some recipes that you enjoy! The chicken parm is so easy. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Have a wonderful weekend! -Kim
I’m not even much of an eggplant fan but these look fabulous! I am definitely going to have to try these out as a tasty low carb snack. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks, Candice. I hope you enjoy them and they inspire a creation you love! Have a nice day. -Kim
You mention that a serving is 6 Net Carbs, but on the text box it says 0 net carbs. Which is it please?? I am assuming 3 to 4 servings. Can’t wait to try. These look yummy.
Hi Dita, good catch! That was totally an trans-positional error on my part going from my recipe program to the blog recipe card. Sorry! I have changed it to the correct information. Thank you and have a great day! -Kim
I don’t eat pork, what could I use in place of it???
Hi Danielle. Great question! You can use almond flour, coconut flour, or any ground nut of your choice, as well as ground golden flax, or a combination of flax and nuts. Your carb counts will be higher, but it should be very tasty! Just know that nut flours have a tendency to burn so watch them. Please let me know what you tried and how it went. Have a great day. -Kim
i think there is something wrong with the Nutritional Information with this recipe. It says that it serves 12, and that the serving size is 3-4 rounds, meaning you are cooking between 36 and 48 slices if eggplant. Also, just above it you say that each serving is 6g of net carbs, but the Nutritional info says there are 3 g of carbs and 3 g of Fiber per serving, or ZERO net carbs.
Other than that, it looks and sounds terrific! I see eggplant Parmesan in my future.
Hi Eric! That is a product of weird wording on the recipe plug-in. It asks me the “yield” of the recipe and I say 12. Then it asks how much is a serving and I say 3-4 and it comes out saying that it serves 12! I will correct the issue. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! Have a great day! -Kim
Are these crispy on the outside, only?
Eggplant always looks so good to me, but every time I’ve eaten it, it has this soggy, mushy texture that I just can’t get past.
Janice, yes, they are crispy on the outside. When eggplant is cooked, it does become softer in the middle. Thanks for your question. Have a nice day. -Kim
Wow, sounds delicious Kim. Eggplant is one of my favorites. I’ve never tried to bread them with pork rinds. Need to try!
Thanks Mary Ann. It’s so good this way, but feel free to sub Panko for the pork rinds if you aren’t low carb. Thanks for the comment and have a great week! -Kim
I’ve never cooked with eggplant before and have actually only eaten it on a few occasions. I think I need to jump in and start using it. This crispy version looks delicious and full of flavor.
Kathy, these are soooo good and you could use panko crumbs instead of the pork rinds – they sub 1:1 for each other. Thank you and have a great week! -Kim