Eggplant

Eggplant has a special place in Japanese home cooking. It soaks up flavour beautifully, turns silky when cooked properly, and works just as well in simple everyday dishes as it does in more comforting, sauce-based meals.

This collection brings together our favourite Japanese eggplant recipes, all made vegan. You’ll find dishes inspired by the way eggplant is commonly used in Japan, from pan-fried and braised preparations to crispy curries and easy rice bowls.

Vegan Japanese Eggplant Recipes for Everyday Cooking

Many traditional Japanese eggplant dishes are naturally plant-based or easy to adapt, which makes eggplant a great starting point for vegan Japanese cooking. Its mild flavour and soft texture pair especially well with miso, soy sauce, ginger, and sesame.

If you’re in the mood for something comforting, our aubergine katsu curry is a good place to start. For simpler, everyday cooking, the beer and eggplant stir fry is quick to pull together and relies on very little beyond good eggplant, a bottle of beer and a hot pan. And when you want something lighter, miso aubergine makes an easy side that's still properly Japanese.

More Ways to Cook Eggplant, Japanese-Style

If you’re browsing for Japanese aubergine recipes that feel achievable at home, this is a good place to start. Below you’ll find all of my current vegan Japanese eggplant recipes. I’ll add new dishes here as we keep cooking and testing them at home.