How to Cut Eggplant with Step-by-Step Instructions

There are so many delicious dishes you can make with eggplant, but if you’re not familiar with this purple vegetable, you might not be quite sure how to prepare it. Don’t worry, though, learning how to cut eggplant is super simple! This guide will tell you everything you need to know.

What parts of eggplant are edible?

Before you cut into your eggplant, it’s a good idea to understand what parts of the vegetable are edible and what you can do with them. In addition to the inner flesh, eggplant also has seeds, skin, leaves, and flowers. Here’s a closer look at each part.

Eggplant skin

While most people choose to remove an eggplant’s skin, it’s actually perfectly safe to eat. When cooking a small, young eggplant, it’s fine to leave the skin on when you’re braising or frying it. As the eggplant gets older, though, the skin will become tough and bitter. In this case, it’s usually better to peel it before preparing it.

Eggplant seeds

Unlike some plants, the seeds of eggplant are also edible. You can remove them and cook them separately for a snack similar to pumpkin seeds, or leave them in the eggplant while cooking it. They have a bit of a bitter taste, so if you cook them separately, you’ll want to add some salt and other spices.

Many people find that the seeds taste best when eaten with the eggplant’s flesh since the bitterness it adds will give your dish more of a unique flavor.

Leaves and flowers

It should be noted that the leaves and flowers of an eggplant can be toxic, so you’ll want to be careful to dispose of them when preparing your meals. Also, wash your hands after handling them.

How to peel an eggplant

If you don’t want to eat your eggplant with the skin on, it’s easy to peel it! Start by thoroughly washing your eggplant with cool running water and drying it with a clean paper towel. Then, place the eggplant on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut off the stem end, just below the stem. 

This will expose the flesh of the eggplant, making it easier to see where you should start peeling. While it’s not necessary, you may also want to cut off the other end. It can be difficult to peel the skin off at the very bottom, so this will make the process easier.

Peeler method

To peel an eggplant with a vegetable peeler, start by holding the eggplant in your non-dominant hand at an angle so the bottom corner is touching the cutting board. Place the blade of the peeler between the skin and flesh at the top of the eggplant and draw it down the length of the vegetable, taking off a strip of skin as you go.

Peeling the eggplant lengthwise will speed up the process, and it’s also easier to handle an eggplant when you hold it vertically. This can help prevent you from accidentally cutting yourself. As you peel, keep the eggplant tilted away from you, and be careful not to draw the peeler towards you.

Partial peel

If you want to get some of the nutritional benefits of the eggplant’s skin without having the texture ruin your meal, you can peel part of the skin. To do this, follow the method above, but instead of removing strips side-by-side, skip strips in between. This will give you a striped-looking eggplant with pieces of skin evenly spaced around the outside.

Knife method

If you don’t have a vegetable peeler handy, you can also peel eggplant with a small paring knife. To do this, position the knife’s blade just below the skin on the top part of the eggplant. Carefully draw the knife down the side of your vegetable, taking care not to cut yourself and to avoid removing the flesh of the eggplant.

How to cut eggplant

Deciding how to cut eggplant really depends on what you plan to do with it. For example, if you’re planning to grill eggplant, you’ll likely want to cut it into thick rounds. Other recipes may call for diced cubes, wedges, or thin slices. Here’s a quick look at how to create the most popular cuts.

How to cut eggplant for eggplant parmesan

When making eggplant parmesan, you’ll want to cut the eggplant into ¼in rounds. To do this, start by laying your eggplant on a cutting board horizontally. Cut across the eggplant, making slices about every ¼in until you’ve cut the entire vegetable.

How to cut eggplant for grilling

Since most people prefer to grill eggplant rounds, the method is basically the same as above, except that you might want to leave the skin on. This makes grilling easier. 

Also, whenever you’re cutting eggplant, it’s a good idea to make the thickness about twice the size you want it to be when it’s done. This will compensate for the shrinkage that occurs during cooking.

How to cut eggplant into cubes

If you’re preparing a recipe that calls for diced or cubed eggplant, start by cutting rounds as described above. Then, stack 2 or 3 of the rounds together and make 3 to 4 cuts across them. Turn the pile the other way and make 3 to 4 cuts crossing over the other cuts. This will create diced pieces of eggplant. The number of cuts you make will determine the size of the cubes. In most cases, there’s no “correct” size. It’s really just a matter of preference.

How to cut eggplant slices

To create long, thin eggplant slices, start by cutting both ends off. Then, use your knife to cut the eggplant lengthwise into slices that are the thickness you desire.

Add eggplant to your grocery list

Now that you know how to cut eggplant, you’re ready to start enjoying some new recipes. When you use Instacart, it’s easy to try new dishes. Simply add all the ingredients you need to your shopping list and a professional shopper will take care of everything for you. With Instacart Express, you’ll even enjoy free delivery on orders over $35. Check it out today!

Instacart

Author

Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.