Harissa aubergine is an easy and simple way to prepare eggplant that highlights its unique flavor and texture. This recipe bursts with amazing Middle-Eastern flavor, thanks to harissa paste, and it makes for an excellent side dish or centerpiece for any vegan meal. The combination of flavor-packed harissa paste with tender, delicate and juicy baked aubergine and the 5-min tangy garlic yogurt sauce is absolutely worth trying!
Harissa aubergine is such a great way to serve this vegetable that often lacks in popularity.
I hear people all the time telling me that they just don't know what to make with eggplant. It used to be my case too!
Actually, I used to pretty much only make vegan eggplant rollatini or a simple Spanish ratatouille when aubergines were in season. But now, eggplant regularly gets the spotlight when making vegan tikka masala sauces or vegetable miso ramen soups. Or simply when making pesto roasted vegetable sandwiches, eggplant is a must! It is surprisingly a very versatile vegetable that should get more attention.
This time, I used harissa paste to flavor the eggplants, which gave it such a wonderful taste and helped it to roast nicely in the oven. Plus, similarly to this miso eggplant recipe, this recipe is ultra easy: alI you have to do is half the aubergine, spread the simple harissa dressing over and bake in the oven until golden brown.
As highlighted in this easy no tahini baba ganoush dip, roasting eggplant in the oven brings out its natural smoky and rich flavor!
The result is soft, tender and juicy aubergine that has tons of caramelized bits and amazing Middle-Eastern harissa flavor.
Let me know if you give it a try! ❤️
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❤️ Why you will love this recipe
- Very easy to make, perfect if you are new to preparing eggplant!
- Simple list of ingredient
- Great as a side dish or turn it into a full meal
- Amazing late summer dish during harvesting season
- Shockingly flavorful with the most addictive tender and juicy texture
- Fully vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free
🗒 Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Eggplant: you will need 2 small eggplants (as seen in the picture above) or one extra large. My grocery generally offers the globe type of eggplant (or dark Italian aubergines), but this recipe will work with other kinds, such as Asian eggplants. I think zucchini would also work well, although if they are small, you might need to cook them less.
- Harissa paste: there is a wide variety of harissa paste you can find on the market. Some harissa pastes are much spicier and thicker than others (often come in tubes, looks like tomato paste) while other brands of harissa look more like a sauce that's sweeter and not very much spicy (usually comes in a jar, looks like marinara sauce). I use the harissa sauce from the brand Mina (I used the mild one, there is also a spicy one if you prefer).
- Tahini paste: similarly to harissa paste, tahini comes in a wide variety of textures. Some look like peanut butter and others are pourable. I used the tahini from the brand 365 which has a drippy consistency (drippy tahini brands often have a more smooth and pleasant flavor that's less bitter). If you don't have any tahini, then you can use almond butter combined with a little water until saucy.
- Dairy-free yogurt: I have tried many vegan yogurts, and my favorite by far is the plain cashew milk yogurt from the brand Forager. It has the best texture of all brands and carries an amazing tangy flavor without any background of nut taste at all. The best one for making savory sauces!
⭐️ See the recipe card down below for the full list of ingredients and quantities!
📝 Variations
- If you want to use harissa seasoning instead of the paste or sauce, then you could try mixing some of the spice with tomato paste plus a little water until saucy to get a similar flavor profile.
- Spicy: some harissa are not spicy at all. If desired, you can easily add some heat by including a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the harissa sauce.
🍴 Step-by-step instructions
➡️ Preheat the oven to 375º F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make the harissa sauce
In a medium bowl, combine the harissa sauce or paste, tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and a pinch of salt. Taste and feel free to add more lemon juice or salt if needed. Set aside.
Prepare the eggplant
Clean and pat dry the eggplant carefully.
Then, remove the stem and slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh in a grid pattern without going through the skin. Place the halves over the prepared baking sheet facing up and spread about half of the harissa sauce over (keep the other half for later).
Bake
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Then, spread the rest of the sauce over the eggplant and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the eggplant is tender.
Prepare the yogurt sauce
While the eggplant is baking, combine the yogurt sauce ingredients in a small bowl (yogurt, grated garlic, lemon juice and salt). Taste and adjust the flavor to your preference, and feel free to add a little water for a thinner result.
Serve
If serving as a full meal, then you can place the halved eggplant over rice for a beautiful presentation and a tasty filling meal.
To serve, drizzle the baked eggplant with some of the yogurt garlic sauce and sprinkle some fresh parsley over. If you have fresh pomegranate seeds, then add a few over as well.
💡 Helpful tips
- Cooking time: you might need to adjust cooking time depending on the size of your eggplants. For example, if you end up using one large eggplant instead of 2 small ones as I did, then plan on baking for a little longer since the thicker vegetable will need more time in the oven to become tender.
- Harissa paste: as mentioned above, your harissa paste might look different than mine (see video). If you have a thicker paste, then feel free to add a little water to reach a spreadable and saucy consistency.
🌱 More Middle-Eastern vegan recipes you might like
- Loubia
- Lemon herb tahini dressing
- Vegan falafel gyro
- Dairy-free tzatziki
- Zesty harissa potatoes
- Harissa tofu
- Creamy harissa dressing
- Falafel buddha bowl
I hope you like this harissa aubergine recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Harissa Aubergine with Yogurt Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 small-medium aubergine - or one extra large
- 2 tbsp harissa sauce - see notes
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp tahini - or olive oil
- ½ tbsp maple syrup
- pinch of salt
Yogurt garlic sauce (to serve)
- ½ plain dairy-free yogurt - I used the cashew milk yogurt form Forager
- 1 small clove of garlic - grated or very finely chopped
- ½-1 tbsp lemon juice - or to taste
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl combine the harissa, tahini, lemon juice, sweetener and salt. Taste to adjust flavor and set aside.
- Remove the stem on the eggplants and slice them in half lengthwise. Then, slice the flesh into a grid pattern without going through the skin.
- Place the eggplant facing up on the prepared baking sheet and spread half of the tahini-harissa sauce over. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Spread the rest of the tahini harissa sauce, then bake for another 5-10 minutes or until tender to your taste.
- While the eggplant is baking, combine the yogurt, garlic, lemon and salt in a small bowl. Taste and add more lemon/salt as necessary.
- To serve, drizzle the eggplant with some of the yogurt sauce and garnish with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cooking time: you might need to adjust cooking time depending on the size of your eggplants. For example, if you end up using one large eggplant instead of 2 small ones as I did, then plan on baking for a little longer since the thicker vegetable will need more time in the oven to become tender.
- Harissa paste: there is a wide variety of harissa paste you can find on the market. Some harissa pastes are much spicier and thicker than others (often come in tubes, looks like tomato paste) while other brands of harissa look more like a sauce that's sweeter and not very much spicy (usually comes in a jar, looks like marinara sauce). I used the harissa sauce from the brand Mina (I used the mild one, there is also a spicy one if you prefer). If your is thicker, then you can add a little water to help make the sauce thinner.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
My husband and I loved this recipe! Thanks!
Great! So glad you liked it! 😊