Teriyaki Eggplant
This sticky-sweet and savory Teriyaki Eggplant recipe is a delightful way to shake up your Meatless Monday routine. Featuring tender eggplant bathed in a yummy sauce made with soy, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar, this eggplant teriyaki stir fry is the healthy, veggie-forward Asian-inspired dinner you’ve been looking for!
Servings: 4
Calories: 183kcal
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant or 2 medium
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Teriyaki Sauce
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons liquid honey
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Serving
- Cooked white rice
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped green onions
Instructions
- Prepare the rice according to the package instructions.
- Cut the eggplant into small chunks and set aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, honey, and cornstarch until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the eggplant and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour the teriyaki sauce into the skillet and cook until the sauce has thickened and the eggplant is coated. About 4 to 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Video
Notes
Optional Variations:
- Soy-Free - If you have a soy allergy, swap in either coconut aminos (GF) or Bragg’s liquid aminos (not GF) for soy sauce.
- Gluten-Free - Swap in tamari or coconut aminos for regular soy sauce to make this a celiac-friendly meal.
- Corn-Free - Other starches like tapioca starch, potato starch, arrowroot flour, or rice flour can all be used to thicken the sauce instead.
- Add More Vegetables - In the last few minutes of cooking add your choice of onions, shallots, sliced bell peppers, shredded carrots, broccoli florets, and/or snap peas. Consider doubling the sauce recipe depending on how much extra bulk you’re adding.
- Add Protein - Add some cubed, cooked chicken breast or thighs, pork, shrimp, salmon, pressed firm or extra firm tofu, or your favorite protein to give your meal more heft.
- Extra Sweet - For a sweeter teriyaki sauce add more brown sugar or honey, 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons sweet chili Thai sauce, and/or crushed/chunked pineapple. You can also drizzle some extra honey (or hot honey!) over the top of your final dish.
- Extra Spicy: Add a teaspoon of chili pepper flakes, a diced fresh jalapeno pepper, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the teriyaki mixture to imbue heat into the dish. You can also add a teaspoon of our homemade hot pepper sauce, or your favorite hot sauce, to the mixture.
- Vegan - Make a vegan teriyaki sauce instead, substituting honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.
- Bake It - You can also make this dish in the oven by baking it at 375°F for 20 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
- Garnish Ideas - Sesame seeds, sliced scallions or green onions, diced red or purple onion, crushed peanuts, pistachios, almonds or cashews all make an excellent finish.
- Marinate the eggplant in the teriyaki sauce for at least 20 minutes before cooking to add flavor.
- Make sure to cook the eggplant until it is lightly browned or golden and tender to ensure perfect eggplant texture, not overcooked (mushy) or undercooked.
- Depending on the size of your eggplant, you may need to cook it in batches and then add it all to the skillet before adding the teriyaki sauce.
- Taste the teriyaki sauce before adding it to the pan to see if extra ingredients like grated ginger or garlic are needed to achieve the perfect flavor.
- Cook the eggplant just until the sauce has thickened so you don't overcook the eggplant and make it too soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 1629mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg