Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
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Crispy panko-coated eggplant, marinara sauce, and an easy homemade cashew mozzarella bake together in this irresistible Vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe. It’s a crowd-pleasing family dinner that will turn any eggplant skeptic into a fan!
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
A 5-star vegan dinner recipe! Everyone—vegans, meat eaters, and picky eaters—loves this eggplant parmesan recipe! Like my lentil lasagna and mushroom pasta, it’s one of the most popular vegan recipes on my blog.
The best way to eat eggplant – If you’re like me and are a little skeptical of eggplant, this recipe will convert you into a fan.
Topped with homemade cashew mozzarella – One of my readers, Lindsey, says, “I’m usually hesitant about vegan “cheese” fillings, dips, etc. but this vegan cheese topping was awesome.” So, try not to skip the homemade mozzarella if you can help it!
Table of Contents
This Vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe is, hands down, my favorite way to eat eggplant.
Between the salted and crispy panko-breaded eggplant slices, the marinara sauce, and my homemade cashew mozzarella cheese, there’s so much to love about this epic family dinner. Everything is layered together in a baking dish and baked until the sauce is bubbling and the “cheese” gets all gooey and stretchy.
Fun fact: I wasn’t really a fan of eggplant before I created this recipe. But now, I love it! I don’t even mind that it takes a little longer to prepare than my other vegan dinner recipes. Just like my creamy vegan pasta bake and these lentil meatballs, it’s officially earned a permanent spot in my weekly rotation.
Made this a month ago and knew immediately it would be a staple. Making it again tomorrow for friends. Absolutely delish!! I kept nodding at my fork with each bite.
– Jenine
Eggplant Parmesan Ingredients
Eggplant – One large eggplant is all you need to make enough eggplant parm for the whole family.
Flour + almond milk – AKA the “egg wash” for this vegan eggplant parmesan recipe. Dipping the eggplant slices in a flour-milk mixture before the breadcrumbs helps them stick.
Panko breadcrumbs – They’re the lightest, crispiest breadcrumbs. If you’re all out, use regular breadcrumbs instead.
Marinara sauce – I love love love Lucini and Rao’s marinara, but you can use any store-bought brand you like.
Homemade vegan mozzarella cheese – Topping the eggplant parm with globs of cashew cheese is the best part! This vegan mozzarella dupe is easy to make in a blender with raw cashews, non-dairy milk, plain dairy-free yogurt, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, vinegar, and simple seasonings.
This list is to provide further clarification on a few of the ingredients. See recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Variations
- Gluten-free option – Replace the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour and use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs.
- Vegan mozzarella substitute – Some readers have made this with store-bought vegan mozzarella shreds and/or vegan parmesan cheese and had great results. It’s faster, too!
- Nut-free option – If you can’t have cashews or nuts, use store-bought vegan cheese instead of making your own.
- You can also omit the breadcrumbs. You’ll still have to salt and bake the eggplant before layering it with the sauce and cheese, though. Just bake until the slices are tender, then layer it in the baking dish as normal.
How to Make Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Step 1: Prepare the eggplant. Slice the eggplant, sprinkle salt over the slices, and place them in a strainer for 10 minutes. Afterward, pat the slices dry.
Step 2: Set up your dredging station. Whisk the milk and flour together in one bowl, and combine breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and oregano in another.
Step 3: Dredge. Dip the eggplant slices (one at a time) into the milk mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. Arrange them on a baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake. Spritz the breaded eggplant with nonstick spray, then bake until crispy.
Step 5: Make the vegan mozzarella. Meanwhile, blend the vegan mozzarella ingredients until smooth. Pour the cheese sauce into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until it thickens. Set aside.
Step 6: Assemble. To assemble eggplant parmesan, spread some of the marinara on the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of crispy eggplant, top with more marinara, and spoon some of the vegan cheese on top. Repeat once more.
Step 7: Bake, then serve. Bake until the cheese is gooey and the sauce is bubbling. Garnish with fresh basil, then serve with vegan garlic bread on the side. Enjoy!
Erin’s Tips and Tricks
- This recipe makes enough eggplant parm for 3 people. If you’d like to serve it with pasta, it’s more like 5 or 6 servings.
- Don’t forget to spritz the breaded eggplant with a little nonstick spray before baking so it gets nice and crispy.
- Do you have more eggplants to use up? The char-grilled slices in my grilled eggplant recipe are SO good dipped in garlic sauce, and this roasted eggplant pasta (or Pasta alla Norma) is easy to make vegan.
My Pro Tip
Eat It The Day You Make It
Personally, I find that eggplant parmesan is best when eaten right away. If it sits for too long, the breaded eggplant slices will get soggy.
Eggplant Parmesan FAQs
Yes, I think that should be fine. Just assemble it as normal, cover the casserole dish with foil, and store it in the refrigerator overnight. It should freeze well ahead of time, too.
Thaw the frozen eggplant parmesan overnight in the fridge before baking.
Eggplant gets its bad rep from its naturally bitter taste, but salting helps with this! Salting the eggplant and leaving it to drain tempers its bitter flavors and removes a lot of its extra moisture. In the end, you’re left with tender baked eggplant you’ll love.
Serving Suggestions
I like the cheesy, saucy baked scoops of eggplant parm on a plate with a side of these garlic broccoli steaks and a refreshing arugula salad. Oh, and freshly baked vegan garlic bread, of course! It always makes for an unforgettable family dinner.
For a more filling meal, serve the eggplant parm on top of cooked pasta noodles, a bed of vegan polenta, or with cooked rice.
More Vegan Dinner Ideas
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅔ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano
- 24 oz. marinara sauce, 3 cups
- Fresh basil, for garnish
For the vegan mozzarella cheese:
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- ½ cup almond milk
- 5 oz. plain dairy-free yogurt
- 2 ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Slice the eggplant into 1/2″ slices, then salt them and place them in a strainer for 10 minutes, which will help to release some of the liquid. Transfer eggplant onto a baking sheet or large plate, then use a towel or paper towels to press down on the eggplant to release leftover moisture.
- Set up two shallow bowls: in one bowl, whisk milk and flour together and in the other bowl, combine breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, Italian seasoning, and oregano. Dip the eggplant one at a time into the milk mixture, then into the breadcrumbs and place it onto a baking sheet. Repeat this process until all the eggplant slices are coated in breadcrumbs, then spritz with a little nonstick spray and bake it for 25-30 minutes until crispy.
- While the eggplant is baking, make the vegan mozzarella: place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer “cheese” into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously until the cheese thickens; remove from heat.
- Assemble the eggplant parmesan: Spread 1/2 cup marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Then, add a layer of eggplant, top it with 1 cup marinara and then spoon ⅓ of the vegan mozzarella on top. Repeat this process one more time. For the third and final layer, there will only be ½ cup sauce left, and that’s ok. Add the eggplant, ½ cup sauce and remaining cashew cheese.
- Place the dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I don’t like too much pasta. Might you have some vegan pasta substitutes?
This is a great option if you want something Italian-inspired without the pasta!
Made this a month ago and knew immediately it would be a staple. Making it again tomorrow for friends. Absolutely delish!! I kept nodding at my fork with each bite
Thanks so much Jenine! Glad you liked the recipe so much!
This dish turned out well. The only thing I would have changed on my end is adding the cashew cheese on the outside and the vegan parmesan cheese on the inside. The vegan parmesan was a bit hard on the outside.
Thank you for discovering this Erin. I am so excited as this is delicious. 😋
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Barbara!
I followed the recipe just to make air fried eggplant and it was delicious! Nice and crunchy!
YUM, that sounds so good! Thanks for the positive review 🙂
I see the comments on freezing this, but can you freeze the Mozzarella Cheese mixture and then just add on top when you go to bake it? Ty
Yes I think that should work!
I made this recipe vegan and gluten free. It was so good my best friend licked her bowl clean. I added extra sauce but otherwise didn’t divert much from the recipe. Great job!
I’m so happy you + your friend like it so much — thanks for the comment!
I am thinking of trying this for Thanksgiving. Can it be prepared ahead and baked a day later? Would it be better to bake it and reheat it?
I think either would work fine — you can prep it the day before, cover the dish with foil and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Or, prep and and bake it, then microwave to reheat.
I never post comments on recipes like this, but this was very tasty!
I really appreciate the comment, Hannah! Glad you liked the recipe 🙂
No parm in this eggplant parm. I found vegan parmesan at the store and used instead of mozzarella to make a little quicker!
How are you calculating your numbers? To say that one serving os 3097mg of sodium is 2x the recommended daily allowance. I’m trying to figure out what I’m the recipe is so high in sodium that 1 serving has that much in it, especially when all together there is only 2 servings.
Hi Jen! You’re right — that’s probably NOT accurate. I use a nutrition calculator tool that automatically calculates the nutrition info. While the calorie count is fairly accurate, that amount of sodium doesn’t seem correct. You may want to input the ingredients into a different app (like my fitness pal). Apologies for that!