Keto and low carb eggplant parmesan is a delicious way to enjoy eggplant while it’s in season and abundant in gardens. It totally screams summer, but let me be real, I’ll make this anytime I can find a good eggplant at the grocery store. You’re going to love this veggie-packed, healthy eggplant parmesan. Roasted eggplant is the star of the meal! It’s one of the best keto vegetables to enjoy in the summer and early fall months, and is perfect for making keto friendly vegetarian meals like this one.
What Is Eggplant Parmesan?
Eggplant parmesan is an Italian casserole with layers of breaded eggplant, marinara, and mozzarella cheese. It has similar flavors to chicken parmesan.
How To Make Keto Eggplant Parmesan
Wait until you see how easy low carb eggplant parmesan is to make! It does have several steps, but none of them are difficult at all.
Sweat eggplant. This is optional, but recommended! Arrange the sliced eggplant in a single layer on cutting boards or baking sheets and sprinkle with salt. Leave off to sweat for about 1 hour.
Setup breaded eggplant ingredients. You’ll need three shallow bowls: one with coconut flour, one with the beaten eggs, and one with the “breading” mixture of almond flour, pork rinds, grated parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper.
Bread eggplant slices. Dredge the eggplant slices in a thin layer or coconut flour, then dip in the egg, and press into the breadcrumb mixture.
Roast. Once the eggplant is breaded, roast in the oven until soft and slightly golden.
Assemble low carb eggplant parmesan layers. Spread marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer and top with more marinara and mozzarella slices. Repeat with a second single layer of eggplant, marinara, and mozzarella slices.
Bake. Your healthy eggplant parmesan is done when the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.
To serve, use a spatula to cut between the stacks, then slide it underneath and remove from the pan.
Is eggplant Parmesan keto?
Regular eggplant parmesan is not keto friendly, because the breading usually isn’t. Fortunately, since this is healthy eggplant parmesan without breadcrumbs, it’s keto friendly! Each serving has 12.3 grams net carbs. (The carbs come from the marinara sauce, eggplant, breading, and cheese.) While that’s a bit on the high side for some keto meals if you are strictly under 20 or 25 grams net carbs per day, you can definitely still fit it into most macro requirements. It’s filling enough to be an entire meal, and getting most of your carbs from veggies is always a good idea.
Why do you need to sweat the eggplant?
By sprinkling the eggplant with salt and letting it sit for an hour, you remove some of the bitterness. Don’t skip this step!
Can you make it without breading?
Yes, but the breading is so delicious! That being said, you’d reduce the carbs by a couple grams per serving by skipping it. If you want to skip the breading, it would also be very similar to eggplant lasagna.
Can you make it nut-free or coconut-free?
Yes. You do get the best results by making this eggplant parmesan recipe as written, but if you have to make substitutions, it’s possible.
If you can’t have almonds, you can replace the almond flour with more pork rinds. However, I find the breading sticks better with the combination! If you can’t have coconut, you can use protein powder for dredging in place of coconut flour. (Don’t replace the coconut flour with almond flour – the texture is not fine enough for that.) This does work, but the coconut flour does work a bit better because it’s great for absorbing any extra moisture from the eggplant, leading to a better breading on the outside.
What kind of marinara should you use?
Any kind that does not have sugar added is great. Check the ingredients for hidden sugars!
Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan Storage Instructions
Can you make keto eggplant casserole ahead?
This keto eggplant parmesan casserole recipe is best served fresh, but can also be frozen before baking to save for another time. (More details on that below.) If you want to do some prep ahead, you can slice the eggplant ahead of time and store it in the fridge. You can also pre-mix the breading in advance. If you make the whole casserole ahead of time, the breading does get a bit soft/wet, but it’s still quite good!
How to store healthy eggplant parmesan
If you have leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Can you freeze keto eggplant parm?
Yes, after you assemble the eggplant parmesan recipe, but before baking, freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to reheat low carb eggplant parmesan
Reheat the keto eggplant parmesan in the oven at 350 degrees F (the preferred method) or in the microwave, until hot.
What Goes With Eggplant Parmesan?
Eggplant parmesan is quite filling, so you really don’t need anything else to go with it. It’s a great one-dish meal! That being said, if you are still wondering, “what should I serve with eggplant parmesan?”, here are some ideas:
Caesar Salad – Simple and delicious! This version has chicken, but you can probably skip it if you already have eggplant parm as your main meal. Keto Garlic Cheese Bread – Cheesy and easy to pull apart! Italian Marinated Artichoke Salad – If you’re looking for a light salad pairing, this is it. Spaghetti Squash – A simple pasta replacement. Just add some olive oil, salt, and grated parmesan. Keto Garlic Breadsticks – Get the recipe in my Easy Keto Cookbook!
More Keto Eggplant Recipes
If you like this eggplant parmesan keto recipe, you might also like some of my other keto low carb vegetable recipes:
Oven Roasted Eggplant – So simple and so delicious! This healthy side dish is made in just 2 steps. Keto Eggplant Lasagna – 20 minutes to prep this cozy comfort meal with similar flavors to healthy baked eggplant parmesan! Mini Eggplant Pizzas – For the pizza lovers! Just 6 ingredients to make this 30 minute meal.
Tools To Make Keto Eggplant Parmesan Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
Mandoline Slicer – This keto friendly eggplant parm recipe comes together really quickly with the help of a mandoline slicer – which also ensures that the eggplant is evenly sliced, so it cooks evenly, too. Baking Casserole Dish – Use a 9×13 inch baking dish for this low carb eggplant parmesan. This is a favorite of mine.
Healthy Keto Eggplant Parmesan Recipe Pin It For Later!
Bowl 1: Coconut flour Bowl 2: Beaten eggs Bowl 3: Pork rinds, almond flour, grated Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and black pepper Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I’d love to see it!
