Crispy Eggplant Sliders
Simple and easy, these crispy eggplant sliders are perfect for summer! Featuring lightly breaded eggplant rounds topped with juicy tomato, mozzarella and spicy fresh basil. Vegetarian.
Note: This recipe is NOT dairy free. It was published before Cook Nourish Bliss transitioned to dairy free recipes and remains popular with long time readers. You can try using substitutions to make it dairy free, however I have not tested this myself and can’t say how it will turn out.
True story. The week after I tell you about how awesome my tomato plant is doing is the week that a hoard of bugs decide to come eat the majority of my tomatoes.
I should have known I would jinx myself by being so confident.
There are a few tomatoes that I managed to save (and a few that are still growing okay), so I’ll take what I can get for now. But I do still plan to pout every time I go outside and look at my poor planter.
It’s only fair. I also usually mutter a few choice words at the bugs. Because they completely understand what I’m saying right?
And looking at these photos is not making it any easier because I used one of my delicious pre-bug eaten tomatoes for these crispy eggplant sliders. And gosh was it good.
About These Eggplant Sliders
So I thought these fun sliders would be a great vegetarian option for any summer gatherings you have coming up.
Or a weeknight meal.
They are fairly simple and come together pretty quickly, plus they are full of fresh summer flavors.
Crispy, lightly breaded eggplant rounds? Summer tomatoes? Fresh basil leaves? Check, check and check! And of course some cheese for good measure. Obviously.
They are plenty filling but also still feel light – which is exactly the balance I love this time of the year.
Additional Eggplant Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Eggplant Parmesan Pasta Skillet
- Kale and Eggplant Baked Ziti
- Baked Eggplant Rollatini
- Eggplant Rollatini Quinoa Casserole
- Mediterranean Hummus Bowls
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.

Crispy Eggplant Sliders
Simple and easy, these crispy eggplant sliders are perfect for summer! Featuring lightly breaded eggplant rounds topped with juicy tomato, mozzarella and spicy fresh basil. Vegetarian.
Ingredients
For the eggplant:
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup flour (I use whole wheat)
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
For assembling:
- 8 slider rolls
- 8 slices mozzarella
- 8 slices tomato
- 8 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
To make the eggplant:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and then set an oven-safe cooling rack inside the baking sheet. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Cut off the top of the eggplant and then cut lengthwise into ½ inch thick slices. Using a round, about 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter, cut out about 16 rounds from the eggplant slices (depending on the size of your eggplant this may vary slightly). Set aside.
- In a small bowl, beat together the egg and milk. In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, panko, salt, pepper, basil and parsley.
- Dip each eggplant round into the milk mixture then into the panko mixture, using your fingers to press the breadcrumbs onto both sides. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Once all the rounds are on the baking sheet, mist lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until the coating is nice and crispy and the eggplant is tender. Maintain the oven temperature.
To assemble:
- Stack two of the eggplant rounds on the bottom of each bun. Top with a slice of mozzarella and a slice of tomato. Cover with the top of the bun and then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes, until nice and warm, the cheese has melted and the buns are slightly toasted. Remove from the oven.
- Remove the top of the bun, place a basil leaf on top, re-cover and serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t care about the eggplant being round, you can just cut out squares with a knife instead of using the biscuit cutter.
I cut thicker-sized slices of both the tomato and the mozzarella, but use whatever you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 120Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 245mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 4g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice. Nutrition info is ONLY for the eggplant as the rest will vary widely depending on your rolls / sliced mozzarella.
So sorry the bugs got your tomato plants. Eggplant is one vegetable I really need to cook with more. These sliders sound like just the way to do it. Delicious!
I’m sorry about the tomato plant…! Those sliders look delish though!
I feel for you with your tomatoes, if you are looking for a good organic way to battle them try planting marigolds (scientific name – Tagetes) all around them I know they battle a lot of the pest problems tomatoes can suffer from especially whitefly, always worked for me! And I love the idea for these burgers, being vegetarian I am always hunting out and testing veggie burgers. I adore the goats cheese on them, I love it!
These crispy eggplant sliders look insanely delicious, seriously, I HAD to pin it to remind myself to make these later…yum! So sad to hear about your tomato plants! What I do is have a little net over the plants, that way little rodents or bugs don’t get in-they get stuck in the net!
I’ll have to look into a net!
Oh man, I have terrible luck with tomatoes, but when we were in DC, I still tried to grow them year after year. Love this idea for a veggie summer option, Ashley – yum!!
I haven’t had eggplant in forever!!! I really need to change that 😉
Oh your poor tomato plant. I had a wonderful basil plant growing and one day it looked a little wilty and the next it was dead. So much for that!
Love these sliders! Crispy is always good 😀
Eggplant sliders sound like they would totally hit the spot right now. I’m sorry to hear about your tomatoes being eaten by bugs! I’m still waiting on my tomatoes to come in, so I can’t hep you there. Lots of green, not a lot of actually food. Good luck!
These drew a gasp from me when your email came through! They look amazing. I’ll be honest, I don’t bake must with aubergine but you may have swayed me otherwise….;-) Have a great 4th July!
stupid bugs. Don’t they know you need those tomatoes to make amazing eggplant sliders?! They do look lovely though, Ashley. I love eggplant (can’t get enough of it really) and these sliders sound great! 😀
Love these for a healthier option this weekend! Have a lovely fourth of July Ashley!
I always love a veggie burger recipe that’s really easy to put together. I’ve had crispy eggplant fries before and they were amazing so I can imagine how good crispy eggplant is in slider form! I wish I could offer you bug avoidance tips but I’m no expert gardener myself. Sigh.
Eggplant fries! I must try these!
I need these in my life! Preferably with those adorable skewers! Love that kind of thing. Eggplant sliders sound like my kind of meal and the tomatoes in the photos look gawgeous! I am no expert gardener, so I have no advice 🙁 But I would totally make someone else kill the bugs too. Blech!
haha oh gosh me too. I got so excited when I got to use them again for these!
Very nice! I really like the idea of using whole bits of vegetable as veggie burgers rather than mashing lots of things together to make a burger.
As for your tomatoes … oh noooo! This happened to me too a few years ago when I tried to grow some red peppers on my balcony in Greece. They got infected with something horrible very quickly and I had to throw the whole plant away. Sorry, that isn’t very helpful at all, is it? How about asking Pamela from Brooklyn Farm Girl? I bet she’ll know what to do! 🙂
That is the worst! I am so sorry about your tomato plant 🙁 And I have a black thumb so no advice here! These sliders are so creative and fun! Love them! Pinned. Hope you have a great holiday weekend 🙂
Ugh! Those dang bugs ruin everything! So far I haven’t had any probs with my tomatoes, but my squash and zucchini are taking a MAJOR hit from squash bugs. Booo…On a brighter note, these sliders look totally FAB. For real, I’ve got a ton of eggplant coming up in my garden and pretty soon I’m gonna need to find recipes to use it all up! These sliders are going to the top of that list. 😉 GORGEOUS photos too! Pinned.
Booooo for bugs! And thank you!
Oh no, I’m so sorry about your tomato plant!! Mine aren’t doing to well either so maybe our tomato plants will meet each other in tomato plant heaven. 😉
How do you come up with such incredible recipes?! Breaded eggplant and mozzarella AND basil???? Count. me. in.
Yes! I like that – they can be friends 🙂
Bugs. haha darn things!
I love how crispy and healthy these eggplant burgers look! I’m sure they would be amazing also on their own and would make for a great and effortless weeknight dinner! Recipe saved!
xo, Elisa
These sliders look amazing, Ashley! Love aubergines, so delicious! Definitely got to try these out, thanks for sharing!
I don’t know how organic gardeners do it. Then again, I don’t know how any gardeners do it! I wish I had good advice! But I will say that these sliders look HEAVENLY! Thank you for sharing them love!
I’m afraid to even talk about my tomato plants because I might jinx myself. I planted 4 different types of plants this year and the only ones that are doing well are the cherry tomatoes and a form of roma tomatoes. We can never keep the bugs away either. Last year I grew eggplant and had a ton. But this year our plant is struggling. Love these little sliders!
Aw, I’m sorry about your tomato plants! But at least you got to enjoy a few in these gorgeous sliders! We’re growing eggplant, tomatoes, and basil this year so hopefully I’ll get to make them soon 😉
I love it! I wish I was growing eggplant!
I am always looking for new vegetarian meals, one of my good friends is a vegetarian and we have her over for supper a lot! Thanks for the yummy idea!
Oh, no — poor tomatoes! I wish I had some advice…but I have no garden. (sigh) I LOVE eggplant, so I’m loving these sliders! This looks fresh, crispy, and oh, so good! 🙂
Love these eggplant sliders, they sound delicious and perfect for a summer meal! Oh no, I’m sorry to hear about your tomatoes, I have a black thumb so have no advice but hope you find a solution to get rid of the little buggers.
Aw, I’m so sorry about your tomatoes! I had to laugh at the visual of you outside cursing the bugs, haha. I’d be doing the same thing!
I’m glad you were able to save one for these sliders because they look awesome! I think they are perfect for summer too.
haha my husband laughs when I do it but whatever, it makes me feel better!!
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten eggplant before. Is that weird? Haha. I feel like it kind of is. But I would probably love it, especially if it’s crispy and covered with all those toppings. Love this as a lighter version of summer/cookout food! 🙂
Eggplant….one of the best nature has to offer! Great recipe … would love to bite one slider now!
ela h.
Great idea to make sliders out of eggplant! Love those honey yeast rolls, too!
I am JUST starting to get two little baby tomatoes. I’ve never planted them before so I have no idea what I’m doing but I feel like only having two little babies is so far behind! I’m sorry you lost so many plants! But it really is fate because these eggplant sliders look amazing! Almost worth the loss, I’d say. 🙂
Worth the loss – I love that. Much better way at looking at it than I’ve been doing! haha
these sound fab. what a great party food!
What beautiful veggie sliders!
I have no advice for your tomatoes – I’m just as cursed in the garden! These sliders on the other hand – delicious!! What a perfect summer meal!
haha I really do wish I had a green thumb – but I don’t know if that’s ever going to happen!
Hahaha ” I’m coming for you – you nasty little things!
Correction. I plan to make my husband kill the bugs. They gross me out.” Thanks for a good morning chuckle, Ashley!
Homegrown tomatoes are the best! Sorry to hear your tomato plant was attacked! Depending on what bugs they are – dish soap works well!
That panka breaded eggplant sounds so good paired with fresh tomatoes! YUM!
haha happy to provide some morning entertainment 🙂
And good to know on the dish soap! I’ll try anything!!
I would be so sad too if my tomato plants went away! But I’m glad you managed to save a few because these sliders look amazing! What a great idea to use eggplant…definitely jazzes it up a bit!
Wow! This sounds good. Dad and I recently were at a party and there was something similar. The difference was it had pesto sauce and arugula. I couldn’t eat it because of the bread. I think it was ciabatta bread. Yours sound great and I will have to try it on a gluten free bread.
haha thanks mom! Make sure you also use gluten-free breadcrumbs and flour!
Definitely my kind of summer meal. Yum!
I like these a lot. We always get a ton of eggplant through the summer from one of our relatives who grows it, so I’m always looking for new ways to eat it! Thanks!
Ooo I’m jealous! I need to find a neighbor who grows eggplant! haha