Roasted Eggplant Salad with Sweet Chili Sauce (Video)
Roasted Eggplant Salad is quickly broiled eggplants and peppers that are tossed with garlic, parsley and a jar of sweet chili sauce, then chilled until everything settles into itself. It is spicy, sweet and and garlicky, it takes five real ingredients plus a jarred sauce, and it is better on day two than on the day you make it.
If this is your kind of eggplant, you will probably also want my Grilled Eggplant in Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce for the grill-season version, and Ikra, the eggplant caviar spread, for the days you want it blended and spreadable instead.
Why I stopped frying the eggplant
The original way to make this is to fry the eggplant rounds in a skillet, in batches, in a lot of oil. Eggplant is basically a sponge, so it drinks the oil, and then you add more oil for the next batch. It works. It also takes forever and the finished salad ends up heavier than it needs to be.
The broiler does the same job with a fraction of the oil. You get the browning, you get the collapse from firm to silky, and you get it on one sheet pan while you do something else. The flavors the frying version was after are all still here, because the sweet chili sauce and the raw garlic are doing most of the talking anyway.
Here’s why you’ll love this eggplant salad
Five reasons this one has stayed in my summer rotation instead of getting made once and forgotten.
- The sauce is already made –Â One jar of sweet chili sauce does the sweet, the heat, and most of the seasoning. No dressing to whisk, it’s all done.
- Way less oil than frying – About 4 tablespoons total for the whole pan, instead of pouring more in for every batch.
- It’s make-ahead –Â It needs at least a couple of hours in the fridge, and day two is the best it ever tastes. That makes it a perfect make-ahead party dish.
- Mostly hands-off –The broiler does the work. You are chopping and tossing, not standing at the stove flipping rounds.
- Vegan and naturally gluten-free as long as your chili sauce is (most are – check the label).
Ingredients for Sweet Chili Eggplant Salad
See the ingredient amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Short list and each thing on it is doing a specific job. Here is what to buy and what you can swap.
- Asian eggplant – the long skinny ones. They have thinner skin and fewer seeds than globe eggplant, so they go silky instead of bitter, and you do not have to peel them. Substitution: medium globe eggplants work, but cut them into half-moons and expect to salt them first (see the FAQ).
- Bell peppers (3 to 4) – red, orange, and yellow are sweetest and look best against the dark eggplant. Green will taste sharper. Broiling concentrates their sugar, which is half the point.
- Onion Рsaut̩ed, not raw. Cooking it first takes out the bite and leaves a soft, sweet, savory base. Yellow or sweet onion both work.
- Oil – I use light olive oil. Any neutral oil with a decent smoke point is fine. Do not use extra virgin olive oil under the broiler – it will smoke.
- Sweet chili sauce (1 cup) – the whole flavor engine. I use Mae Ploy. It is sweet first, mildly hot second, and already carries vinegar and garlic, which is why there is no separate dressing.
- Garlic – added raw at the end so it keeps its edge. If you love garlic, go to 3.
- Fresh parsley – stirred in at the end for freshness and color. Cilantro works if that is your household.
- Kosher salt and black pepper  – the salt goes on the vegetables before broiling, not on the finished salad. The chili sauce is already salty, so taste before adding more.
How to Make Eggplant Salad with Sweet Chili Sauce
Everything gets broiled on the same sheet pan in two rounds; the onion goes in a skillet while that happens, and then it all lands in one bowl. Read step 1 before you start – the preheat matters more than it sounds like it should.
- Preheat the broiler properly
- Move an oven rack to the top position, closest to the element.
- Turn the broiler on and let it run for a full 10 minutes. A cold broiler steams eggplant instead of browning it.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, or skip the liner and oil the pan directly. Do not use parchment under a broiler – it can scorch at that heat.
- Broil the eggplant
- Cut the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds and spread them in a single layer – crowding is what makes them pale and soggy.
- Drizzle or spray with about oil and sprinkle with the kosher salt.
- Broil until the tops are golden, about 15 minutes, then flip each round and go another 5 to 10 minutes until golden and completely soft. Flip them as necessary so that all eggplants are the same deep golden color.
- Transfer to a large bowl. Watch the last few minutes – broilers vary enormously and the line between golden and burnt is short.
- Broil the peppers
- Core and seed the peppers and cut them into 1 to 2 inch strips.
- Spread them on the same pan, drizzle with oil and toss to coat.
- Broil about 12 minutes, tossing halfway or until softened and lightly charred at the edges.
- Add them to the bowl with the eggplant.
- Saute the onion
- While the vegetables broil, heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium.
- Cook the diced onion until translucent and lightly golden. Do not rush it on high heat.
- Scrape it into the bowl with everything else.
- Dress it and chill it
- Add the pressed garlic, chopped parsley and black pepper to the warm vegetables.
- Pour in the full cup of sweet chili sauce and stir gently until everything is coated. Dress it while it is still warm so it absorbs instead of sitting on top.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Taste for salt only after it has chilled.
When it is right, the eggplant looks glossy and collapsed rather than dry, and the pepper strips still hold their shape.
Marina’s Pro Tips for
the Best Roasted Eggplant
Most of what can go wrong here happens in the first fifteen minutes, at the broiler.
- Pick the right eggplants – the long skinny light purple eggplants are the ones you want to use. the don’t carry the same bitterness the regular globe eggplants do, which eliminates one extra step of salting and extracting the bitterness out of them.
- Give the rounds room. A crowded pan traps steam, and steamed eggplant goes grey and floppy instead of golden. Use two pans if you have to.
- Preheat the broiler the full 10 minutes. The whole method depends on immediate high heat hitting the surface. Going in early is the single most common reason it comes out pale.
- Stick to 1/2 inch rounds. Thinner slices dry into chips, thicker ones stay spongy in the middle after the outside is done.
- Stand there for the last five minutes. Broilers are wildly inconsistent between ovens. Golden to burnt takes under a minute at that distance from the element.
- Sauce the vegetables while they are warm. Warm eggplant pulls the sauce in.
- Do not skip the fridge time. Two hours is the minimum for the flavors to come together. Overnight is better.
- Add heat at the end. If you want it spicier, stir in sriracha after it has chilled, a teaspoon at a time, so you can actually taste what you are doing.
Ways to Serve It
It is cold, it is sweet-spicy, and it cuts through rich food, which makes it a useful thing to have in the fridge.
- Next to anything grilled – the sweet chili plays off char the way you would hope.
- On a zakuski spread with bread, cheese and pickles. It holds at room temperature all evening without wilting.
- Piled on toasted bread, with a spoonful of the sauce from the bottom of the bowl.
- With rice or noodles as a light vegetarian dinner.
How to Store It
- Fridge: airtight container, 4 to 5 days. It is at its best on days 1 and 2 and still very good after.
- Freezer: NOTÂ recommended. Thawed eggplant goes watery and loses the silky texture that makes this worth making.
- Serving after storage: let it sit out 20 minutes so it is not fridge-cold, stir it back together, and add a pinch of fresh parsley.
- Do not drain it. The liquid at the bottom is sauce, not water. Stir it back in.
Make It Ahead
This is the rare salad that wants to be made early. A day ahead is ideal, and two days is completely fine. If you are prepping further out than that, broil the vegetables and refrigerate them undressed, then let them come to room temperature and add the sauce, garlic, and parsley on the day you serve. Cold vegetables do not absorb the sauce the same way.
Eggplant Salad FAQ
Why is my eggplant salad bitter?
Bitterness comes from the seeds, and big seedy globe eggplants are the usual culprit. Asian eggplants have far fewer seeds, which is why this recipe calls for them and why it does not ask you to salt and drain anything. If you are using globe eggplant, pick smaller, firm, heavy-for-their-size ones and salt them first.
Why did my eggplant turn out mushy instead of silky?
Almost always a crowded pan or a cold broiler. Both trap steam, and steamed eggplant collapses into mush without ever browning. Spread the rounds in a true single layer and let the broiler run the full 10 minutes before the pan goes in. Cutting the rounds thinner than 1/2 inch will do it too.
Do I need to salt the eggplant first?
Not with Asian eggplant. Salting draws out water and some bitterness, which matters for seedy globe eggplant, but is wasted effort on the thin-skinned long ones. If you do swap in globe eggplant, salt the cut pieces in a colander for 20 minutes, then pat them dry before oiling.
Do you peel eggplant for this salad?
No. Asian eggplant skin is thin; it softens completely under the broiler, and it is what holds each round together once the inside goes silky. Peel it, and you get pieces that fall apart in the bowl. Globe eggplant skin is tougher, and you may want to peel that.
Which sweet chili sauce should I use?
I use Mae Ploy, which is sweet first with mild heat behind it. Any Thai-style sweet chili sauce works, but they vary a lot in sweetness and salt, so taste yours before you commit the whole cup. If yours is very sweet, a splash of rice vinegar brings it back into line.
Can I use regular globe eggplant instead?
Yes. Use medium globe eggplants in place of the Asian ones. Cut them into half-moons rather than full rounds so the pieces stay a similar size, and salt them for 20 minutes first. They hold more water, so they may need a few extra minutes under the broiler.
How do I make it spicier?
Sweet chili sauce is mild by design. Stir in sriracha a teaspoon at a time after the salad has chilled, or add red pepper flakes to the eggplant before broiling if you want the heat baked in rather than sitting on top. A fresh sliced chili stirred in at the end works too.
Can I make this in an air fryer or on the grill?
Both work. In an air fryer, do the eggplant at 400F for 12 to 15 minutes in batches, shaking halfway, then the peppers for about 8. On the grill, you are closer to my grilled eggplant in sweet chili garlic sauce, which is built for exactly that.
Is this eggplant salad vegan and gluten-free?
The recipe itself is both – it is vegetables, oil, garlic, herbs, and sauce. The one thing to check is the chili sauce label: most Thai sweet chili sauces are vegan and gluten-free, but a few contain fish sauce, and some are thickened with wheat. Read the jar, and you are fine.
How is this different from ikra or eggplant spread?
Texture and intent. Ikra and eggplant spread are cooked down and blended into something you scoop onto bread. This one stays in distinct pieces you eat with a fork, and the sweet chili sauce takes it somewhere else entirely.
More Eggplant Recipes to Try
If a box of late-summer eggplant has landed in your kitchen, these are the other three I make on repeat.
- Grilled Eggplant in Sweet Chili Garlic Sauce – the same flavor family, done on the grill in whole logs and served warm.
- Ikra (Eggplant Caviar Spread) – the Soviet classic. Blended, savory, made for bread.
- Eggplant Spread – creamy, garlicky, and dangerous to leave near a fresh loaf.
- Roasted Bell Peppers in Sweet Onion Marinade – peppers on their own, sweet and silky.
Broil a pan tonight and it will be waiting for you tomorrow, better than it was today.
Watch Marina Make This Eggplant Salad
Made this recipe?
Please leave a star rating and a comment below.
It helps other readers find it, and I love reading every single one.
Eggplant Salad with Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
For the Vegetables
- 4 Asian eggplants the long, skinny kind; cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- 3-4 bell peppers cored, seeds removed, cut into 1-2 inch strips
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 Tbsp oil light olive oil or any neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For the Sauce
- 1 cup sweet red chili sauce I use Mae Ploy brand
- 1-2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
Broil the Vegetables
-
Prep:
Preheat the broiler for a full 10 minutes with the rack in the top position. A properly hot broiler chars the vegetables instead of steaming them.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil, or skip the liner and oil the pan directly.
Do not use parchment paper under a broiler - it can scorch at that heat.
-
Broil the eggplant:
Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer, drizzle with about 2 Tbsp of the oil, and sprinkle with the salt.
Broil until the tops are golden, about 15 minutes. Flip each round and broil another 5-10 minutes, until golden and softened. Transfer to a large bowl.
Tip: Keep a close eye on the broiling process at first, because each oven is different and it might take your oven a lot less to get the same result.
-
Broil the peppers: Spread the pepper strips on the same baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and toss to coat. Broil until softened and lightly charred, about 12 minutes, tossing halfway through. Add to the bowl with the eggplant.
Finish the Salad
-
Caramelize onions: Meanwhile, saute the diced onion in a couple tablespoons of oil over medium heat until translucent and golden. Add to the bowl with the vegetables.
-
Add the flavors in: Add the pressed garlic, chopped parsley, black pepper, and sweet chili sauce. Stir gently - you want the eggplant coated, not mashed.
-
Refrigerate: Cover and refrigerate until ready to eat, at least a couple of hours. This salad tastes even better the next day.
Recipe Notes
- Eggplants: Asian eggplants stay creamy and never bitter. If using regular globe eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch half-moons, season generously with salt, and let sit for 20 minutes. Then, rinse with water, pat dry, and continue on with the recipe.Â
- Sweet chili sauce: Mae Ploy is my go-to for this one - it brings the sweet heat and the glossy coating in one step.
- Storage: refrigerate, covered, up to 4-5 days. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Thank you for following me on Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest!
Hashtag your photos #LetTheBakingBeginBlog so I can see your creations and for a chance to be featured!
Marina | Let the Baking Begin
