How to Cut Eggplant for Grilling – Few Ways You Can Try

Eggplant is a versatile vegetable you can enjoy in various ways; from serving it as an appetizer to using it as a pasta topping, the possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite ways to devour this spongy veggie is to grill it. You just can’t beat grilled eggplant. The smoky charred flavor and the earthy, sweet notes create a delicious combination. But how do you cut eggplant for grilling?

Read my blog post to learn about dicing, chopping, and slicing eggplant for your favorite recipes!

Ways that you can try

Cutting this large, oddly-shaped vegetable may seem intimidating initially, but with a cutting board and sharp chef knife, you will have your round or sliced eggplant ready for grilling in no time.

But before we get to the cutting methods, let’s shed some light on choosing the right eggplant for grilling.

How to Choose Eggplant for Grilling

Seedy and bitter? Or sweet and silky? Picking the right eggplant makes all the difference in making grilled eggplants.

The vegetable should have a dark purple hue and smooth and shiny skin. You can test the ripeness of the eggplant by pressing it. If it feels firm and your finger leaves behind an indentation, the eggplant is ripe and good to go. Avoid those that turn mushy when you press them or have brown spots or wrinkled skin.

Eggplants should not have soft spots or bruises since this means that the veggie is old and past its prime. It will taste bitter. Thinner, smaller eggplants are always preferable since they taste better and have fewer seeds.

How to Prep Eggplant Before Cutting

Prepping the eggplant before the cutting has two steps: washing and trimming.

Start by rinsing the eggplant under tap water, washing it with a vegetable cleaning spray or mild soap, and then patting it dry. This step is essential as it removes dirt or bacteria from the transport or farm, ensuring it does not enter your body.

The next step is to trim your washed eggplant. Trimming an eggplant is pretty simple since there is not much to trim off. First, using a sharp knife, cut off the leafy top right under the stem. Then, cut off about a ¼ inch of the bottom.

How to Cut Eggplant: 4 Simple Ways

It is important to note that cooking or grilling eggplants can cause them to shrink in size. Hence, cutting your pieces twice the desired thickness in your end dish is recommended.

Follow along as I cover four simple ways to cut eggplant for grilling.

Eggplant Rounds

Eggplant rounds are great for making eggplant parmesan, pizza toppings, and much more. And it is super easy to cut them into rounds.

Wash and clean your eggplant according to the abovementioned steps, then lay it horizontally on the cutting board and slice off the ends. Then, cut through the entirety of the eggplant into round slices.

Typically, ½ inch is a pretty good thickness for grilling recipes, but you can easily adjust the size according to your needs and preference.

Eggplant Slabs

You can cut your eggplant slabs thin or thick according to what your dish calls for. Thinner slabs are great as pasta alternatives in lasagna or rollatini. Thicker slabs are excellent for frying, roasting, and grilling.

Again, you will want to begin by washing, drying, and trimming your eggplant. Then, find the flattest side of the eggplant and nestle it against the cutting board.

If your eggplant is very round, you can make a shallow cut along one side to create a more flat and stable plane so that it does not wobble around as you cut it.

Now, cut the eggplant vertically every ½ or ¼ inch until you have completely cut through it.

Eggplant Cubes

People mainly use cubes of eggplant for grilling, stir-frying, and curry recipes. You can choose between the size of the cubes depending on what you are making and how long the dish needs to cook.

Start by cutting off the upper and lower part of the eggplant. Cut slightly deeper on the bottom part, as it helps get a flat base.

Now, slice the vegetable vertically into four to five long strips while keeping the eggplant upright, then lay the slices face-down on the cutting board.

Finally, cut the vegetable in a criss-cross pattern by slicing in and against the lengthwise slices. Continue doing this until you have achieved your desired cube size and quantity.

Eggplant Slices

You can also chop the eggplant lengthwise into four sections, like cutting it in wide slabs. This cutting technique is mainly used when using the veggie in parmesan sandwiches and other light snacks.

Once again, you must start chopping off the top and bottom areas. Ensure that the bottom is flat and your knife is clean and sharp.

Cut the eggplant straight down the middle while keeping it standing. Now, slice each part into two more sections by cutting each half lengthwise. Do this until you have reached your desired width and quantity of slices.

Conclusion

I listed four different and easy methods of cutting eggplant for grilling. Try these slicing techniques yourself and choose which works for you depending on your cooking style and the shape of the eggplant your recipe needs. I hope our article helps you prepare the most delicious meal with a slight touch of eggplant’s mild sweetness and bitterness. Happy cooking!

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