I’ve always had a love hate relationship with eggplant. It’s one of those foods that is pretty hit or miss for me. But let me tell you, this pan fried eggplant has absolutely blown my mind.

This quick 20 minute pan fried eggplant recipe is soft, tangy, and sweet. There is no residual bitterness or gumminess. It’s phenomenal. Keep reading to learn how to pan fry eggplant!

How to cook eggplant in a frying pan

First, you’re going to want to slice your eggplant into discs and score the discs without cutting all the way through (like in this Tik Tok video). This will allow all the delish flavours from the sauce to seep in.

Then, in a shallow dish, mix together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and water. Coat both sides of eggplant slices with the soy sauce mixture, either by dipping in soy sauce mixture or using a kitchen brush. 

Finally, heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium high-heat. Add eggplant slices and cook 4-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and top with sriracha, if desired.

The result is soft, caramelized, no breading required pan fried eggplant!

If you want more easy pan fried eggplant recipes please let me know! In the meantime, check out this link to 23 delish vegan eggplant recipes for dinner (plant-based).

And, if you make this pan fried eggplant be sure to leave a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me on Instagram so I can feature you.  I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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