Spicy Grilled Eggplant
This Spicy Grilled Eggplant with red pepper sauce, parsley, and mint is a perfect summer side dish for anything that’s cooked on the grill! And if you think you don’t like eggplant, I’m urging you to give this spicy eggplant a chance.
PIN the grilled spicy eggplant recipe to try it later!
Spicy Grilled Eggplant is a recipe I first made when I had a garden that was overflowing with eggplant, and I made it every summer for a while when I was growing eggplant. My brother Rand must have been visiting Utah regularly in those days, because this got to be his favorite way to cook eggplant, and he’d tell me he was making it it over and over!
Now fast forward a few years, and an eggplant recipe even became one of the most popular recipes on my blog. But sadly I don’t have a garden with eggplant any more and I had to buy eggplant at the store to make this favorite spicy eggplant recipe again.
But I do still absolutely love this recipe, and this week I’m choosing it as my Friday Favorites pick to encourage you to give grilled eggplant a chance! Of course spicy grilled eggplant is perfect for a meatless dinner, but this eggplant recipe is also a fabulous side dish for anything cooked on the grill! I know eggplant is a tough sell for some people, but I promise that this spicy eggplant is really delicious.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)
- globe eggplant
- salt, to remove water from eggplant
- olive oil
- chopped parsley
- chopped fresh mint
- red wine vinegar
- fresh lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link) from a jar or minced fresh fresh garlic
- Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link) or other spicy red pepper flakes
- Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or other all-purpose seasoning blend
Do you have to use Aleppo Pepper for the Spicy eggplant recipe?
Aleppo Pepper is a type of mild red dried chile pepper that comes from Aleppo, Syria. It’s used all over the middle east as a flavor-enhancing addition to many dishes. I really love the flavor of Aleppo Pepper, but you can also use regular red pepper flakes, or use a smaller amount of Cayenne Pepper (affiliate link).
How spicy is this grilled eggplant recipe?
I used the word “spicy” in the title because of red pepper flakes. You’ll want to adjust the amount of spicy red pepper to your personal preference, and the one teaspoon of Aleppo pepper I used in the original recipe is pretty spicy for me now. Maybe it’s because I had fresh Aleppo Pepper that I bought in Istanbul!
How low in carbs is the grilled spicy eggplant?
Eggplant does have some carbs but it also has fiber, and this grilled eggplant with spicy flavors has about 11 net carbs per serving.
Want more ideas for vegetables on the grill?
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Grilled Vegetables for more tasty options for vegetables on the grill. You can use Eggplant Recipes to see all the ideas with eggplant on my site.
How to make this Spicy Grilled Eggplant Recipe:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Cut the eggplant into slices about 3/4 inches thick; lay the slices out on paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and let water drain out for about 20 minutes.
- Then turn the eggplant over, salt the other side, and let more water drain out.
- Then press down on the eggplant pieces with paper towel to absorb the liquid.
- While the eggplant drains, chop the mint and parsley, and mix the spicy sauce.
- Preheat the grill to medium high, and brush both sides of the eggplant slices with a little olive oil.
- Grill eggplant pieces about 4-5 minutes per side, rotating them after a few minutes if you want to get those criss-cross grill marks.
- When the eggplant is done, put in a glass baking dish and spoon a little sauce over each piece. Let the eggplant sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb the sauce.
- Serve Spicy Grilled Eggplant warm or room temperature, sprinkled with the chopped mint and parsley.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Grilled spicy eggplant would be great with Effie’s Cottage Cheese Salad with Za’atar for a low-carb meatless meal. Or you could serve the eggplant as a side dish with any of these low-carb main dishes:
- Grilled Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar
- Marinated Beef Kabobs
- Very Greek Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Sausage and Peppers
- Sanpete County Grilled Turkey Kabobs.
More Delicious Recipes for Eggplant:
Check out my round-up of Amazing Eggplant Recipes for lots more ideas for using eggplant!
Spicy Grilled Eggplant
This Spicy Grilled Eggplant is a perfect recipe when you have eggplant in the garden, but this is so delicious it's worth buying eggplant to make it. And you can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to make it less spicy if you prefer!
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 large globe eggplant (see notes)
- 2 tsp. salt, to remove water from eggplant
- 2 T olive oil, to brush eggplant for grilling
- 2 T chopped parsley (see notes)
- 2 T chopped fresh mint (see notes)
Spicy Sauce Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. garlic puree (from a jar) or finely minced fresh garlic
- 1 tsp. Aleppo Pepper (or less, to taste; see notes)
- 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Remove stem end and wash eggplant, but do not peel.
- Cut eggplant into slices about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, being careful to make all slices the same thickness.
- Arrange eggplant in single layer on double-thick paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
- Let liquid ooze out for 20 minutes, then turn over and sprinkle other side with salt and let drain 20 minutes more.
- While eggplant drains, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic puree, Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link), and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link). Chop mint and parsley.
- Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high. (You can only hold your hand there for 3-4 seconds at that heat.)
- After the second 20 minutes has finished, cover the eggplant pieces with another layer of paper towels and press down with your hands to squeeze out water.
- Wipe eggplant dry. Lay them out on a baking sheet (or paper towels) and brush both sides with olive oil.
- Place eggplant on grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side, rotating after a few minutes on each side if you want to get nice grill marks. Watch them carefully because they go from nicely browned to overly dark quite quickly.
- When eggplant is done, remove from grill and place in a single layer in a baking dish (or use the same baking sheet you used to oil them.)
- Spoon some of the spicy sauce over each piece of eggplant, and let sit 10-15 minutes so eggplant can absorb sauce flavors.
- To serve, assemble eggplant on serving plate and sprinkle with mint and parsley.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
You can also use or 2 small eggplants or 2-3 long Asian eggplants. Cut Asian eggplant on the diagonal to get bigger slices. Asian eggplants don't need to be salted.
You can use all mint or parsley if you don’t have both, and you can use more herbs if you prefer.
Use whatever kind of red pepper flakes you have. I would start with a small amount and taste before you add all the red pepper.
Adapted from a recipe in Williams-Sonoma Complete Grilling Cookbook.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1/4 of recipeAmount Per Serving Calories 185Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 11.5gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1140mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 4.7gSugar 5.61.7g
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Spicy Eggplant recipe is a good side dish for any low-carb or Keto diet, including any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Eggplant Recipes or Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This grilled eggplant recipe with spicy flavors was first posted in 2007 when I had lots of eggplant in my garden. I’ve been making it ever since and the recipe was featured for Friday Favorites in 2022 and last updated with more information in 2025.
51 Comments on “Spicy Grilled Eggplant”
Wow, such bold flavor! I had to mix a few things together to fill in for the Spike seasoning, and I added more garlic, and this turned out so good.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it and were able to adapt for what you had!
This recipe turned out great! I used a mixture of zucchini and eggplant and also topped with diced garden tomatoes and pine nuts. I will be making again this weekend.
So glad you enjoyed it and I think your variation sounds fantastic!
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Double the spicy sauce recipe, your eggplant will thank you for it.
I used Japanese eggplant (the long style) and only made minor modifications. I didn’t have aleppo pepper but took the advice from Google of substituting ancho pepper with a dash of salt for it. Not too spicy at all. Also increased the amount of red wine vinegar and fresh lemon juice to 1 T. each (half a lemon) just because I butterfingered my measuring skills. Still, needs more sauce. Absolutely tasty, but next time will use dried parsley instead of fresh to match the dried mint I used, and double the spicy sauce recipe to ensure plenty of coverage for each slice. I also mixed ALL the ingredients together, parsley and mint as well, and spooned some onto each slice. The Japanese eggplant made for very nice tidy individual bite-sized appetizers and highly recommend using that variety for anyone else who is thinking of making this (as opposed to the much larger globe varieties.)
Glad you enjoyed it! And more sauce sounds good to me!
What a yummy recipe. We have a bunch of my neighbor's eggplant right now and I'm making this tonight. Have to go over their again for mint but we have Aleppo pepper with us here in Hood River. f
Hope you enjoy Letty! This is one of my all-time favorite eggplant recipes.
I'm pretty sure I've never had eggplant grilled before. Definitely need to try this one!
Sandra, so glad you have enjoyed it!
This is an absolute yummy recipe, the best way to have eggplant as a side dish if you ask me. I made it many times after I spotted it on you blog. Thank you!
Sandra
I do agree, love the mint in this!
Mint is a great addition to eggplant, they go perfectly together in my opinion. I'll definitely give this a try!
Shawn, in that case you MUST try this recipe. So, so good!
Wow! This sounds fantastic! I love eggplant and I love spicy!
Stephanie, glad I was timely.
Pille, that's the same problem I'm having myself!
That sounds utterly gorgeous, Kalyn! I've got four eggplants in our greenhouse, and obviously it'll be a while before I can eat any of those. Will have to decide whether I'll use supermarket eggplants or whether I wait and savour this recipe in August 🙂
My mom loves eggplant! Thanks!
Housigirl, I agree, I love Aleppo pepper!
Excellent! I think the aleppo pepper adds a certain something…smokiness? Yesterday I snipped mint from a friend's garden, so I used all mint…scrumptious! Will definitely make again. (My grill ran out of gas, so today's meal was stovetop grill. Can't wait to try on the gas grill)
Jenny, thrilled to hear you liked it so much. This is definitely one of my favorite eggplant recipes. (And I love it that the photo got youto try it!)
This was my first attempt at grilling eggplant; so after searching online for ideas and how to's I settled on this recipe. The deciding factor, I am sorry to say was the pic that was included with blog – which looks delish. This was the first time anyone in my group ever grilled and ate roasted eggplants so this was a new venture. I received so many compliments on this dish, along with request for the recipe. This was a week ago, here I am grilling eggplant again, unfortunately didn't save recipe so I had to search for it again. I have never posted a feedback on a recipe I found online, but this recipe was awesome. Thanks.
Jeff, thanks for the update as to how this worked with smoked paprika. And I think the idea of using the extra marinade in cauliflower is brilliant!
Kalyn,
I did try this with pimenton (smoked paprika) instead of the spicier pepper and it was terrific. A good alternative for those that don't like the spicy stuff, and even for those that do.
Since I also did some grill-roasted cauliflower at the same meal, I used the "extra" marinade and poured it over the hot cauliflower, and let it sit for a bit. Not quite as stunning as the eggplant (the cauliflower doesn't absorb as much), but still a nice flavor boost to something lots of people think of as bland.
Wow, I see I got way behind on replying to comments here. Sorry about that, but I do appreciate all the nice comments.
Eggplant recipes, sorry but I don’t do link exchanges. I only link to blogs that I read regularly.
Nice blog, very informative content. Would you mind if I ask you for a link exchange? Regards…
I have to try this soon and btw your new header image is looking stunning are they the produce from your garden?
This sounds good. I have been seeing mint show up in a lot of interesting dishes lately. I will have to try using it more.
What a coincidence–I’m just about to post a grilled eggplant recipe, too. It’s definitely the season for it! I’ll have to include a link to your recipe so that everyone can find all the others you’ve linked to.
Oh yumm! That looks so wonderful. Aren’t eggplants wonderful?
homegrown eggplants and herbs and spices… that looks absolutely delicious Kalyn.
If any of you out there are eggplant challenged like I am you are going to LOVE this recipe. Kalyn just warmed up the leftovers for Bradley and I and it was DIVINE. I take back all the bad things I’ve said about the eggplant I’ve cooked over the years. Thanks Kalyn.
Rand (& Bradley)
I am impressed, Kalyn. I love eggplant, but had bad luck trying to grow it last year. This does look good!
I love eggplant, but the rest of my family is not so open. Usually I have to hide it in some pasta sauce.
Perhaps I can find one recipe from your awesome list that will appeal even to them.
Thanks for the fantastic roundup.
I simply love eggplant, especially if it is grilled! Your dish looks delicious. Yummy!
A friend of mine loves eggplant so much and I don’t understand why (because I don’t like eggplant that time) but when she made me taste the eggplant she cooked with a bit of spices added, I love it. Right now, I love eating those spicy eggplants she made. I’ll tell her about this recipe and let see if she can cook it for me. This is exciting.
This looks delish! Maybe I’ll try to grow some eggplant next summer too.
I haven’t cooked with eggplants in quite a while now, Kalyn – this would be a wonderful recipe to try!
I had no idea there were so many eggplant lovers out there. I do hope I get more (right now I only see one more on the plant!) I will admit, this is the first time I’ve tried the salting step, but it worked well.
Mmm, ’tis the season for grilling. Looks great and carmelized. I wish I could grow things.
Eggplant is my favorite!! Especially grilled…it looks like you know what you are doing with it! That recipe looks great!!
The mint I have by the ton! I won’t be able to get a home grown eggplant but it will be a good one. Short break there while I ordered the Aleppo Pepper! So then I’ll be making this! I do enjoy eggplant!
I love eggplant and it is on my list of things to try to grill. Funny thing though I find it quite difficult to get the consistency right at home. Thanks for this.
I am slowly becoming a fan of eggplant. This could push me over the edge. Looks and Sounds wonderful… And I will try the salting. Not salting could be what has my only a partial fan….
I’m just always in a hurry…
wow, that looks so delish. My eggplants are so far behind but I am looking forward to the moment when I can grill a couple.
Hooray for growing (and cooking!) your very own garden-fresh eggplant. I’ve got the mint and parsley in my herb garden….now I must find a friend with an eggplant! This dish looks delicious, and with feta and olives it sounds even better.