Eggplant Parmesan is classic Italian comfort food, where roasted eggplant slices are baked in a rich Pomodoro aka tomato sauce topped with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. So we took the authentic Italian recipe and turned it into an absolutely fantastic, rich, and creamy Vegan Eggplant Parmesan. Once you try it, you’ll make it again and again. We show you how with step-by-step photos and a quick video.
If you can’t get enough of eggplants, try our Vegan Moussaka with Creamy Bechamel or our 30-minute One-Pot Ratatouille or our delicious Eggplant Meatballs. We love making this yummy Smoky Roasted Eggplant and Bell Pepper Dip, which we spread on a toast for a perfect savory breakfast. Ot Check out our MUST-TRY Vegan Eggplant Recipes list. They are full of absolutely delicious stuff including a chocolate cake with roasted eggplant puree.
How to make Eggplant Parmesan vegan?
There are not only several names (Eggplant Parmigiana or Parmigiana di Melanzane) but there are also several versions of this dish as you can imagine. You most probably heard about the one with breaded eggplant slices, which is more of an American take rather than an authentic feature. Also in Italy, there is still an ongoing debate about its origin. Although the one thing they agree on is that you need
- fried or roasted eggplant (aka aubergine),
- tomato ragu, and
- a cheesy topping of mozzarella and parmesan.
So is it easy to make a vegan alternative? Yes and no.
- The pomodoro sauce is already vegan, so check.
- The roasted or fried eggplant slices are also vegan, so check again.
- The only thing missing is how to make a cheezy, creamy, melted mozzarella top.
I have to tell you that it is ain’t easy to make the last item on the list to perfectly mimic its dairy version. Mozzarella has quite a neutral taste compared to other cheeses, and it gets quite gooey when it melts. Parmesan cheese is an aged cheese with quite a unique, tangy taste. So what do we do?
We invent a creamy, rich cheezy sauce that will turn our vegan eggplant parmesan into a truly satisfying, comforting, and delicious dish to eat. We could have use cashews as everybody. Or we could have used store-bought vegan cheese that is usually soy or coconut oil-based. But we didn’t. We opted for a more whole foods plant-based approach and we used CANNELLINI BEANS. Yeap. And it turned out awesome.
But first things first to make vegan eggplant parmesan that looks like the one in the below picture, let’s start with preparing the eggplants.
How to roast eggplant slices
Wash and slice eggplant lengthwise very thin (less than 1/4 inches or 0.5 cm). Sprinkle them with salt and let them sit for at least 20 minutes or until it releases moisture. No need to peel them as without it the eggplant slices might disappear in your casserole after baking. 🙂
You can also let the salted slices rest overnight. Don’t worry if they get brown, as they will get brown anyhow after cooking. For more info about why you need to salt and how to prepare them, read our Cooking with Eggplants Guide.
We recommend roasting them on a baking tray with grill rack*. For one, you need less oil, as the slices will not stick to the tray. Second, it is easier to get rid of any excess moisture as any liquid the eggplant releases will drip down the rack and will not stay with the slices. Pre-heat the oven for 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) and roast them for 10 minutes. When ready, leave it to cool on the rack.
Easy pomodoro sauce
Have you seen our Marinara Sauce recipe? Well, while marinara is a chunky tomato sauce, pomodoro is its smooth friend. It is super easy to make this sauce, not to mention it is ready in less than 10 minutes.
Peel and chop the onion and cook it lightly in olive oil until it turns glossy (photo #1). Add peeled and chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (photo #2). Add the tomato sauce (photo #3) and the seasoning (fresh or dried basil, salt, and black pepper) and cook for 5 minutes (photo #4). You’re done!
A quick tip: If you have any picky eater family member or friend, you can use an immersion blender to make the fresh basil thoroughly and invisibly incorporated. 🙂
Vegan melted cheese using cannellini beans
Here comes the fun. This mixture will not give you sliceable mozzarella (you need a recipe with agar agar in it), but it will give you a rich, creamy, melted cheese texture. I would even say way richer and more delicious than melted mozzarella. But let us know what do you think.
So, how to make cheezy, gooey vegan melted cheese out of cannellini beans? Let’s see.
Peel and chop the onion and cook it lightly in olive oil until it turns glossy (photo #1). Add peeled and chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (photo #2). Add canned cannellini beans and bring to boil (photo #3). Then, add dairy-free milk (photo #4). Whisk until combined and bring to boil. Add apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper (photo #5).
The next step would be to blend it into a smooth, creamy sauce (Use an immersion blender or for an extra smooth sauce use a high power blender like Vitamix). Now, add the mixture back to a saucepan and add tapioca starch (1 Tbsp at a time) to really thicken the sauce into a consistency of melted cheese (photo #6). When you are ready, layer up your eggplant parmesan.
Troubleshooting tips to make melted vegan cheese
- Not thick enough? -> Add more starch (1 Tbsp at a time) directly to the sauce and stir vigorously with a whisk to avoid any lumps. The bean puree so to speak helps with the thickening a lot.
- Too thick? -> If the beans make the sauce too thick, just add more milk (1 Tbsp at a time).
- Can you use any other flour or starch? -> Yes, you can make it with any type of flour or starch, but the thickening power of each and every one of them is different. The measurements I gave in the recipe card may not be the same if you use wheat flour, or almond flour or corn starch, etc.
Layering and baking Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Now you have the roasted eggplant slices, the pomodoro sauce, and the vegan cheezy beany sauce. You are ready to assemble your veganized Eggplant Parmesan.
To ensure that the eggplant slices do not stick to the bottom of our 9 x 7 x 3 inch (23 x 18 x 8 cm) oven-safe dish, we started with a bit of pomodoro sauce (photo #1). The next layer is roasted eggplant slices (photo #2). Then comes the pomodoro sauce again (a more generous amount this time) (photo #2). Last but not least the gooey vegan mozzarella (photo #4). Now, repeat this: eggplant – tomato sauce – cheese. We recommend doing 3 layers of eggplant.
When ready, bake it in a pre-heated oven of 390 F (200 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes. See the results in the below photo.
A quick tip: Bean-based sauces can dry up, so that is why the baking time is short. However, we roasted the eggplants, cooked the pomodoro and the melted cheese sauce, so there is really nothing needed to be baked for long.
FAQs and Substitutions
How to store eggplant parmesan?
All casserole-type dishes are great for batch cooking. You can easily store it in the fridge for 3-4 days without any problem.
Can you freeze it?
Store any leftovers per serving (in an air-tight container) in a freezer and thaw whenever you need it.
Can you use other flours/starches for the vegan mozzarella?
Yes, you can make it with any type of flour or starch, but the thickening power of each and every one of them is different. The measurements I gave in the recipe card may not be the same if you use wheat flour, or almond flour or corn starch, etc. Add your choice of thickener 1 Tbsp at a time and watch how it goes.
This Vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe is meat-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, not to mention gluten-free.
This recipe is WFPB-friendly 1) if you cook the onions in water or in veggie broth or directly in the tomato sauce and 2) if you roast eggplant slices without oil (coat it with a bit of dairy-free milk).
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More vegan casserole recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dinner Recipes or our Quick Vegan Meals collection or check out
Rich Creamy Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
Ingredients
Roasting eggplants
- 3 Eggplant / Aubergine (medium)
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- Salt
Pomodoro sauce
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 3 cup Tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup Fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Vegan melted cheese sauce
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 14 oz Cannellini or White beans
- 1 Onion (medium)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 3/4 cup Dairy-free milk (homemade cashew milk)
- 3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 3-4 Tbsp Tapioca starch
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Initial preparations
- Wash and slice eggplant lengthwise less than 1/4 inches thin (0.5 cm). Salt them and let them sit at least for 20 minutes. (You can do overnight and don't worry if you turn brown. The slices will be brown after roasting and baking. For more info visit our Cooking Eggplant Guide)
Roasting eggplant slices
- We recommend roasting them coated thinly with olive oil on a baking tray with grill rack. Pre-heat the oven for 390 Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celcius) and roast them for 10 minutes. When ready, leave it to cool on the rack.
Making pomodoro sauce
- Peel and chop the onion and cook it lightly in olive oil until it turns glossy. Add peeled and chopped garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and seasoning (basil, salt, and pepper) and cook for 5 minutes.
Making vegan melted cheese sauce
- Peel and chop the onion and cook it lightly in olive oil until it turns glossy.
- Add peeled and chopped garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add canned cannellini beans and bring to boil.
- Add dairy-free milk and whisk until combined and bring to boil. Finally, add apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper.
- The next step would be to blend it into a smooth, creamy sauce (Use an immersion blender or for an extra smooth sauce use a high power blender like Vitamix).
- Now, it is time to thicken it to a consistency of melted cheese. Add the mixture back to a saucepan and add tapioca starch (1 Tbsp at a time). When you are ready, layer up your eggplant parmesan.
Layering and baking eggplant parmesan
- To ensure that the eggplant slices do not stick to the bottom, we spread on the bottom of our 9 x 7 x 3 inch (23 x 18 x 8 cm) oven-safe dish a splash of pomodoro sauce.
- The first layer is roasted eggplant slices (not overlapping). Then comes a generous amount of pomodoro sauce. Then the cheezy beany white sauce.
- Now, repeat: eggplant – tomato sauce – cheese. We recommend doing 3 layers of eggplant.
- Pre-heat oven for 390 F (200 degrees Celsius) and bake it for 15 minutes.
- A quick tip: Bean-based sauces can dry up, so that is why the baking time is short. However, we roasted the eggplants, cooked the pomodoro and the melted cheese sauce, so there is really nothing needed to be baked for long.
Notes
Troubleshooting tips to make a vegan melted cheese sauce
This sauce will not give you sliceable mozzarella, but it will give you a rich, creamy, melted cheese texture. I would even say way richer and more delicious than melted mozzarella. But let us know what do you think.- Not thick enough? -> Add more starch (1 Tbsp at a time) directly to the sauce and stir vigorously with a whisk to avoid any lumps. The bean puree so to speak helps with the thickening a lot.
- Too thick? -> If the beans make the sauce too thick, just add more milk (1 Tbsp at a time).
- Can you use any other flour or starch? -> Yes, you can make this vegan bechamel sauce with any type of flour or starch, but the thickening power of each and every one of them is different. The measurements I gave in the recipe card may not be the same if you use wheat flour, or almond flour or other starch, etc.
Kylie Archer
Yum! This is an amazing recipe! Everyone enjoyed it!
Erica
I never think of cooking with eggplant but this looks delicious and needs to go on my menu plan for next week!
Beth
Yum! This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make this!
Shelley
How wonderful that this cheese-filled comfort food classic can still be so satisfyingly rich and creamy even though it’s vegan! Brilliant! Your technique for creating the cheese sauce is so easy – and I can for sure think of so many other delicious ways to use it, besides just on this eggplant parmesan – yum! Thank you so much!