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Baked Eggplant Fries with Lemon Dill Dipping Sauce

June 14, 2011 By Jennifer 52 Comments

 

DSC_0427-1

My children love french fries, what kid doesn’t? Okay, and I confess so do the adults around our house. I prefer to make mine at home so I can make sure they are not deep fried in unhealthy oils and loaded with sodium.

I have been dreaming about making these eggplant fries for a couple of weeks now. I have had zucchini fries at restaurants in the past and considered making that – I will definitely be trying those out since these came out perfect. If you have had zucchini fries at a restaurant you know that they are deep fried and definitely not healthy. I hate to think all the nutritional benefits of vegetables are just destroyed by deep-frying and dumping huge amounts of salt on them. I personally don’t think that even tastes good anymore. I want to taste my food and not salt, butter, or oil – how about you?

I love eggplant because it is downright delicious and it’s such a versatile vegetable that can be cooked in so many ways. It is also an important antioxidant vegetable that makes a wonderful addition to your diet. It is loaded with vitamin A, B, C folate and minerals like potassium. It is rich in dietary fiber, contains no fat and is low in calories. How perfect, right?

I did a quick search for eggplant fries to see what delicious recipes were out there. Most were deep fried like I thought they would be, but I did find a great one at Dianne’s Dishes. I used her method for cutting the fries because I definitely needed a visual on that – check it out. Thank you Dianne for this and for my recipe inspiration.

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Baked Eggplant Fries with Lemon Dill Dipping Sauce
Author: Virtually Vegan Mama
Recipe type: Appetizer, Side
Prep time:  10 mins
Cook time:  15 mins
Total time:  25 mins
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • For fries:
  • 1 eggplant, cut into strips
  • ⅓ cup unsweetened plain soy yogurt
  • 1 tbsp. dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp. paprika
  • ¼ tsp. ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp. onion powder
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups whole-wheat seasoned breadcrumbs
  • For dip:
  • 1 cup unsweetened plain soy yogurt
  • 1 tsp. dill
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • Fresh black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. For fries:
  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper. Cut the top and bottom off of your eggplant. Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and then into quarters. Next, cut the eggplant quarters into slices roughly ¼ in. thick. Now cut the eggplant slices into strips roughly the size of French fries. Combine yogurt, parsley, garlic powder, paprika, ground cumin, onion powder, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Toss eggplant fries in soy yogurt mixture, coating evenly. Place breadcrumbs on a plate and lightly coat eggplant fries with breadcrumbs. Spread out evenly on trays making sure they don’t touch. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Turn halfway during baking to brown evenly. Serve immediately with lemon dill dipping sauce.
  3. For dip:
  4. Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour to chill and allow flavors to combine.
Notes
Without dip: 141 calories, 4.7 grams sugar, 1.3 grams fat, 28.3 grams carbohydrates, 5.9 grams protein For dip: You can add cut up cucumber to this to make it traditional Tzatziki Sauce.
2.2.6

 

Here’s a great review of Baked Eggplant Fries done by Healthy Girl’s Kitchen check it out!

Have you tries Baked Eggplant Fries before, what do you think?

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Related

Filed Under: Appetizers, Sides, Snacks Tagged With: appetizer, eggplant, fries

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Comments

  1. Jennie says

    June 14, 2011 at 8:37 am

    Wow! French fries are definitely a weakness but with this recipe, it seems like I can indulge! YUM!!!

    Reply
  2. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:18 am

    Thanks Jennie =)

    These are really yummy!

    Jen =)

    Reply
  3. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 14, 2011 at 10:17 am

    p.s.

    I am going to try this without breading, but I was feeling naughty 😉 the kids really love this one!

    Reply
  4. Dianne says

    June 14, 2011 at 11:49 am

    Glad I could help! Your eggplant fries look amazing!

    Reply
  5. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:02 pm

    Thank you Dianne!

    Reply
  6. Miriam @ Sometimes I Veg says

    June 14, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Last time I tried to make eggplant fries they dried out too much and became eggplant chips. Good job on your success.

    Reply
  7. Junia says

    June 15, 2011 at 12:03 am

    LOVE this idea!! i've been eyeing those eggplants at whole foods…. mebe i'll get some next time. i wish they had organic though~

    Reply
  8. VegSpinz says

    June 15, 2011 at 3:22 am

    My husband loves eggplant, and would love this!

    Reply
  9. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 15, 2011 at 5:52 am

    Miriam,

    I think dipping them in the soy yogurt mixture probably helped keeping them moist. I've even reheated for a couple minuts @450 and they got a litle more cripsy, but stil remained moist. try 'em out and let me now =)

    Junia,

    That's where I got my eggplant the other day 😉 I have another eggpant here think I will make some more!

    VegSpinz,

    Let me know how they turn out for you. I think they would be yummy with some vegan cheese melted on top and marinara sauce for dipping also.

    Eggplant Pizza Fries! YUM!

    Reply
  10. Katie says

    June 15, 2011 at 2:07 pm

    These look and sound wonderful. I found you via Tastespotting! Great photo!

    Reply
  11. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 15, 2011 at 5:59 pm

    Thanks for stopping by Katie!

    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  12. Jen H says

    June 16, 2011 at 7:56 am

    What a creative take on a fry. I love it and once my eggplants start growing in the backyard I'll be making these.

    Reply
  13. Tiffany says

    June 16, 2011 at 8:10 am

    What a great alternative to potatoes! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  14. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 16, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    Thanks Jen and Tiffany!

    If you make these definitely let me know how they turn out for you!

    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  15. Cooking Rookie says

    June 16, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    I've been looking for eggplant fries for a while now. And yours look so perfect, and they are not deep fried :-). Just what I need! So glad I found this recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  16. Aggie says

    June 16, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Never would think to use eggplant like this! what a great recipe! looks delicious!

    Reply
  17. Celia says

    June 16, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    Yum! I love fries as much as your kids do, and am always trying to figure out ways to get my fry fix from, e.g., sweet potatoes, zucchini, etc. This sauce looks like an awesome addition, and I love the spices in your breading!

    Reply
  18. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 17, 2011 at 10:05 am

    Cooking Rookie, Aggie and Celia,

    Thanks for stopping by, glad you like this recipe, we are loving the way it came out at our house! Let me know if you make it!

    (((hugs)))

    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  19. Joanna says

    June 17, 2011 at 10:29 am

    Your eggplant looks so yummy and crispy. Really great recipe 🙂

    Reply
  20. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 17, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Thanks Joanna 🙂

    (((hugs)))

    Jen 🙂

    Reply
  21. Natalia says

    June 17, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    I'm definitely trying these out soon!

    Reply
  22. sarah says

    June 19, 2011 at 7:05 am

    What a great idea. I'll try them with plain yogurt tonight and hopefully have the same success. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  23. VegSpinz says

    June 22, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    My husband's favorite food- looks so crispy and good!

    Reply
  24. Wendy (Healthy Girl's Kitchen) says

    June 24, 2011 at 6:41 am

    Making them tonight for company!

    Reply
  25. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    June 24, 2011 at 6:44 am

    Hi Wendy,

    Awesome, let me know how they come out!

    Jen

    Reply
  26. Alicia@ eco friendly homemaking says

    June 26, 2011 at 12:38 pm

    These look so delicious. I have an eggplant and I know what I am going to do with it now!!

    Reply
  27. Laurie says

    July 1, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    Going to buy eggplant at the farmers market tomorrow and fix these! Thanks

    Reply
  28. Anetka says

    July 7, 2011 at 5:13 am

    thank you for wonderful recipe! here is the photo of eggplant fries and the recipe in my blog: http://anetagoesyummi.blogspot.com/2011/07/pecene-baklazanove-hranolceky-s.html . I translated it to Slovak:-)

    Your blog is simply amazing!

    Aneta from Slovak republic

    Reply
  29. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    July 7, 2011 at 7:55 am

    Hi Anetka!

    It looks like the eggplant fries turned out wonderfully! Your pictures looked great, looking to translate your blog so I can read the post! 😉

    Thanks for the lovely compliment =)

    (((HUGS))))

    Jen =)

    Reply
  30. Anetka says

    July 7, 2011 at 8:09 am

    http://translate.google.sk/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=sk&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=sk&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fanetagoesyummi.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fpecene-baklazanove-hranolceky-s.html — click here to read the translated version:-)

    anetka

    Reply
  31. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    July 7, 2011 at 9:38 am

    Thanks Anetka! 😉

    Reply
  32. Anonymous says

    July 19, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    This looks YUM! I will try it when my eggplants are grown! Or they don't get fried in the heat we've been having.

    Reply
  33. Virtually Vegan Mama says

    July 19, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    Thanks, this heat is insane and it's only going to get hotter! ugh!

    Reply
  34. Cindy Marsch says

    August 10, 2011 at 9:24 am

    Jennifer, thanks so much for the inspiration. You’re helping me deal with the zucchini crop in our garden. 🙂 Here’s my leap from your jumping-off place:

    http://nutritarianrecipes.blogspot.com/2011/08/zucchini-fries.html

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      August 15, 2011 at 2:34 pm

      Awesome Cindy, I can’t wait to try it with zucchini and lots of other veggies…yum!

      Reply
  35. kelly says

    October 20, 2011 at 2:50 pm

    I’ve been looking for a good baked breaded eggplant recipe! THANK YOU!

    Reply
  36. Imwaytoobusy says

    October 20, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    Oh, wow. These look wonderful. It takes a lot to make me crave eggplant and you’ve done the trick!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 21, 2011 at 9:47 am

      awesome! Thank you for stopping by!

      xoxo

      Jen

      Reply
  37. zelda says

    October 23, 2011 at 7:05 pm

    the Aubergine looks delicious! I am trying it out tonight. My Grandchildren will love it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  38. Asya says

    October 24, 2011 at 10:34 am

    Can I use a normal yogurt in this recipe

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 24, 2011 at 10:39 am

      Yes modify to your liking Greek yogurt would be great!

      Reply
  39. JJ says

    April 19, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    Hi Jennifer,

    I am trying this recipe tonight, but could only find vanilla flavored soy yogurt. Do you think it will affect the eggplant fries? (I am making a different dipping sauce.)

    Thanks!

    JJ

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      April 19, 2012 at 3:48 pm

      Hi JJ,

      I think that will change the flavor with the vanilla…what type of dipping sauce are you making?

      Jen

      Reply
  40. Danielle says

    July 31, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    Love this recipe. What type of breadcrumbs are best? Thank you

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      August 1, 2012 at 4:05 am

      Hi Daniel,

      I use the whole foods brand of whole wheat breadcrumbs 🙂

      Jen

      Reply
  41. Jennifer says

    December 5, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    WOW! This sounds and looks amazing! MUST try at some point! Great post!

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      December 5, 2013 at 12:18 pm

      Thanks Jennifer! I love this recipe….let me know if you try it!

      Jen

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to Make Easy, Crispy Eggplant Fries | RecipeLionBlog says:
    October 29, 2011 at 6:47 pm

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Hi, I'm Jennifer, Welcome to Pure Thyme! This is my recipe blog where I share my love for food that is healthy, simple and delicious. Here is where you will find inspiration to have fun, live well, and find balance in your life!

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