Balsamic Italian Grilled Eggplant

Tender sliced eggplant ready in less than 15 minutes, drizzled with a delicious balsamic. I always make Italian Grilled Eggplant when I'm looking for an easy vegetable to grill alongside my Chicken Spiedini and other Italian grilling classics.

Need more easy grilling sides? Try our Grilled Zucchini alla Scapece or Grilled Polenta with Marinara and Pesto.

A Quick Look at The Recipe

• ✅Recipe Name: Italian Grilled Eggplant
• ⏲️Ready in: 15 minutes
• 👪Makes: about 8 servings
• 📋Main ingredients: Baby eggplant, garlic, balsamic.
• ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This eggplant is perfect for a summer dinner and easy to make alongside burgers, steaks, or grilled chicken!

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Why This Recipe

The Summer is all about ingredients like eggplant, zucchini, and other fresh seasonal ingredients. Fresh Eggplant in the summer is always more tender and sweet, especially when you can pick some up right at a local farmer's market, or better yet, out of your backyard garden!

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing like Eggplant Parmigiana in the Winter, but I love the fresh, sweet flavor of eggplant, grilled with just a few simple ingredients. This grilled eggplant on an Eggplant Caprese Grilled Cheese is the perfect lunch or late Summer dinners with a bowl of Creamy Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup!

I love how simple this recipe is because, I don't have to shop for a recipe, I just use my pantry staples and a seasonal vegetable of choice, in this case, baby eggplant. I prefer baby eggplant for grilling, because it's a bit more tender and sweet. The flavor can stand on it's own!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Eggplant: I love to use baby eggplant for grilling because they're already tender and sweet and don't require a lot to bring out the flavor. Whereas a standard eggplant in the Winter, would more likely turn into an Eggplant Parm Sandwich.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic steals the show in a recipe like this. A little goes a long way with a simple marinade.
• Balsamic: I love to drizzle these grilled eggplant with balsamic glaze, but you can also use balsamic vinegar, if it is thicker. I like to find a nice artisan balsamic to pair it with.

*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.

How to Make Grilled Eggplant in 15 minutes

*Follow the steps with the corresponding numbered images below!

Step 1: Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Step 2: Slice eggplant, lengthwise, into ½-inch thick slices.

Step 3: Brush both sides of the eggplant with the olive oil marinade.

Step 4: Place the eggplant on the grill and close the grill. Cook for 3-4 minutes and flip when the eggplant has browned grill marks. Cook for 3 minutes and remove from the grill.

Step 5: Drizzle the eggplant with balsamic glaze and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately. Grilled eggplant or vegetables in general should always be served fresh. Leftovers can get soggy.

I serve these along with other Italian grilling classics, like Grilled Beef Spiedini and Grilled Foil Potatoes (3 Ways)!

Pro-Tips

1. Don't slice eggplant any thinner than a ½-inch. They will almost disintegrate if they get too thin.
2. Evenly brush the eggplant with olive oil to give it a golden-brown color across the entire slice.
3. If you start to see grill marks through the eggplant, flip them immediately.

FAQs about Grilled Eggplant

How thick should you cut eggplant for grilling?

Whenever I'm grilling eggplant, squash, or zucchini, I make sure they're all cut into pieces over ½ inch so they can grill without disintegrating. Any smaller than that and they will burn quickly.

How do you reheat grilled eggplant?

The best way to reheat is to place them on a piece of aluminum foil in the oven at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Why are my eggplant slices sticking to the grill?

They're not ready to be flipped, or they weren't properly brushed with olive oil.

Serving Suggestions

These grilled eggplants go well with any of the other classic Italian grilling recipes below, or just serve them right on some Cast Iron Focaccia Bread and some Spicy Marinara Sauce!

• Chicken: Try it with Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs, Gorgonzola Grilled Chicken Burger, or a Mediterranean Chicken Wrap.
• Pork: This classic side is a great side for Italian Ring Sausage (Chevalatta), Baked Italian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, or Italian Cast Iron Pork Tenderloin.
• Vegetables: Add these to your sides with some other easy summer sides like Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad, Italian Green Bean Salad, or Caprese Tortellini Salad!

More Grilling Dishes

• Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops with Spinach and Feta
• Garlic Parm Chicken Skewers
• Grilled Italian Sausage and Peppers
• The Big Fat Greek Chicken Burger