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    Home / Main Dishes

    Sweet & Spicy Grilled Eggplant

    Last updated: Jan 17, 2021 · Published: Aug 27, 2018 by Elizabeth Shah. This page may contain affiliate links.

    4649 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Eggplant is one of those foods I was in love with long before I became vegan, whether in baba ganoush, ratatouille or my favorite vegetable lasagna recipe. After going vegan, I started looking for new ways to let this versatile aubergine beauty shine as a main dish. Sweet & Spicy Grilled Eggplant is the latest result of my quest. It's definitely become a favorite at our house—so much so that I served it when my mother-in-law came to visit.

    You might also like my spicy grilled Thai-Style Vegan Kebab recipe.

    How to Make Grilled Eggplant - Sweet & Spicy

    In this recipe, the marinade doubles as the sauce, which keeps the number of ingredients and prep time reasonable. And since I recently moved and have no longer have an outdoor grill, I simply cooked mine on my new grill pan.

    It’s plenty spicy as is, but if you’re craving a Jamaican flavor profile—maybe you have a few bottles of Red Stripe in the fridge?—I include a Jerk eggplant variation using your choice of store-bought or homemade Jerk seasoning.

    Sweet Spicy Grilled Eggplant

    I’m not going to lie, this sweet & spicy grilled eggplant packs a little heat—probably more than young kiddos could tolerate. But most of the fire comes from the BBQ sauce. So if you want to tone things down a bit, just adjust the sauce to a heat level you and your family can live with.

    Plus, I always serve this dish with Easy Coconut Lime Rice. Its mild flavor, slight richness and hint of citrus will cool your palate between spicy bites of eggplant. When you pair these dishes, each bite leaves you wanting more of the other—More heat! More cool! More heat!

    Sweet Spicy Grilled Eggplant

    Who says vegans can’t rock the grill? While there’s still a wee bit of summer left, throw some sweet & spicy grilled eggplant on the barbie and grab a cold adult beverage, my plant-eating friends.

    If you like this whole food plant-based recipe, you might also like:

    • Oven-Roasted BBQ Mushroom Sandwich
    • Vegan Barbecue Sauce - Easy & Homemade
    • Easy Coconut Lime Rice
    • Crispy Spicy Sushi Bowls
    • Roasted Eggplant Tomato Stacks
    • Vegan Farro Salad with Roasted Vegetables
    Sweet & Spicy Grilled Eggplant

    Sweet & Spicy Grilled Eggplant

    Sweet & Spicy Grilled Eggplant is a hot and saucy recipe where this versatile aubergine veggie shines as a main dish. 
    5 from 4 votes
    Print SaveSaved! Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 67kcal
    Author: Elizabeth Shah
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    Ingredients

    • 1 large eggplant or 2 small, sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

    Marinade/Sauce

    • 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
    • 3 green onions, chopped into thirds (+ more for garnish)
    • 1 jalapeno pepper, quartered and seeded
    • 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
    • 1 cup Vegan BBQ Sauce plus more for serving, if desired (see notes)
    • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 ½ limes, plus more for garnish)
    • 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce (recipe)

    Optional

    • Serve with Easy Coconut Lime Rice
    • Garnish with sliced green onions and lime
    • For a "Jerk Eggplant" variation, add 1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk seasoning to the marinade/sauce (or make your own - see notes)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Heat the grill to medium-high--about 400 degrees. (OR cook on a non-stick grill pan on medium -igh heat on the stove top, OR broil on high heat on a non-stick sheet pan.)
    • To make the marinade/sauce, add the dry ingredients-garlic, cayenne, chopped ginger, thyme, jalapeno, green onions (and Jerk seasoning, if desired) to a food processor. Process until finely chopped and blended. Add liquid ingredients (BBQ sauce, lime juice, and soy sauce) and process for about 30 seconds or until the ingredients are thoroughly blended into a slightly chucky sauce.
    • Divide the marinade/sauce in half. Brush half of the marinade on each side of the eggplant, and reserve the rest as a sauce for serving.
    • Cook the eggplant (on the grill, stove top or under the broiler) about 5 minutes per side, or until browned and tender.

    Notes

    • To reduce the sodium in this recipe, use low sodium tomato paste in the BBQ sauce or buy low sodium BBQ sauce. This recipe works well with either homemade or store-bought vegan BBQ sauce, like Amy's (brand) Sweet & Spicy.
    • Jerk seasoning is readily available at most stores, or this simple version works well with this recipe: I teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon each of ancho chili powder, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon sweetener like erythritol (Swerve), maple syrup or date paste. 

    Nutrition (approximate)

    Calories: 67kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 171IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this Recipe? Please share it!Mention @HealthyMidwesternGirl or tag #HealthyMidwesternGirl!

    More Main Dishes

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    4649 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Suzy

      September 24, 2019 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve now made this several times and it’s a huge hit with everyone. We make extra sauce and put it on other stuff too. Tonight we cut the eggplant into chunks and grilled them with pineapple chunks with the sauce. We then put all of it over rice and beans with chopped onion and some extra sauce on the side.

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Shah

        September 25, 2019 at 9:17 am

        Hey Sue! Love hearing that this has been a hit with your fam. Sounds like you're really rocking your veggies, and how great is that? I'm going to try your BBQ eggplant-pineapple combo; sounds amazing. Take care! -E

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Elizabeth Shah

    My husband calls me his "healthy Midwestern girl," because I LOVE TO EAT! Fortunately, I also love to cook. I'm so excited to share my 100% vegan, whole food, plant-based, no oil recipes with you! MORE...

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