Miso Grilled Eggplant

Grilled until crispy and drizzled in a flavorful miso ginger sauce, this miso grilled eggplant is the perfect way to use an abundance of eggplant and goes well with any Asian-inspired meal.

I nabbed the first eggplants of the season at my local farmer’s market a few weeks ago and immediately started workshopping this recipe.

Of course, I knew that I had to throw them on the grill because, hello, it’s still a million degrees outside and the oven is firmly staying off for the foreseeable future.

A little miso magic later and I think we’ve got a summer side dish winner.

Even if you think you don’t like eggplant I DARE you to try this recipe and still have that same opinion! The grill works its magic on this underrated summer vegetable and transforms it into crisp, tender little slices of heaven.

This Eggplant Features…

• Crispy grilled eggplant slices
• A quick miso ginger marinade
• More miso sauce drizzled on top after grilling

Making the Grilled Eggplant

(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)

Ingredients You Will Need

• Eggplant
• Vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• Miso
• Rice wine vinegar
• Honey
• Sriracha
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Cornstarch
• Green onions

Choosing Your Eggplant

This recipe works great with both full-sized eggplants and mini Japanese or Chinese eggplant.

Prep will remain the same with slicing the eggplant into thin 1/4-inch thick slices, however, you may want to slice circles in half if the eggplants you’re using are particularly large.

Additionally, if using a smaller eggplant you may want to grill eggplant on a grill pan to reduce the risk of smaller slices falling through the grates.

Tips for Perfect Grilled Eggplant

1. Oil, salt, and pepper eggplant slices – a light layer of oil, salt, and pepper will keep the eggplant from sticking while grilling and add flavor.
2. Use fresh garlic and ginger in sauce – these ingredients add an unmatchable flavor to the sauce.
3. Marinate slices in miso sauce – a quick 20 minute marinade infuses the eggplant with the savory miso flavor. Flip slices halfway through marinating to coat the other sides.
4. Grill eggplant at a high temp – preheat the grill to 400F prior to adding eggplant. The eggplant will only take a few minutes to cook at this high temp which caramelizes and crisps up the outsides.
5. Reserve marinade – save the marinade for making into a sauce to drizzle over the eggplant after grilling for extra miso flavor.

Recipe Variations

Try these ideas for a different twist on this eggplant.

• Adjust heat level – this eggplant is very mild as-is, but you can add more sriracha or red pepper flakes to taste to up the heat level.
• Grill more veggies – try pairing a sliced sweet pepper, whole mushrooms, or zucchini alongside eggplant.
• Pair with meat – try grilling chicken breasts or thighs, steak, or pork alongside eggplant and drizzling with sauce afterwards.

Stovetop Instructions

You can easily convert this recipe to a stovetop version if you don’t own a grill. I recommend using a lightly-oiled large cast iron grill pan (or just a regular cast iron if you don’t care about grill lines) and working in batches to sear eggplant slices in a single layer over medium-high heat until golden-brown and tender.

The miso adds such an incredible umami flavor and the slices cook up so tender and crispy around the edges you just can’t help but pluck them right off the serving plate.

Trust me, this is how you’re going to want to do up that summer eggplant! Get yourself a whole bunch and put this recipe on repeat.

More grilled veggie recipes to make next!

• Marinated Grilled Tofu and Zucchini
• Soy Grilled Mushrooms and Peppers
• Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms