Baked Vegan Katsu with Eggplant Recipe
This baked vegan katsu is made with eggplant coated in panko for a crispy crunchy exterior, with a soft tender interior. Super delicious with my chipotle lime dipping sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 lb eggplant Japanese, Chinese, Italian eggplant
- 3 tbsp olive oil or use cooking oil spray
Wet Batter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch or potato starch
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup water
Panko Coating
- 2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika optional
Spicy Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan mayo see note 1
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika substitute with paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp water add more if needed
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 1-2 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C)
- For the wet batter, combine all-purpose flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and water. Mix well.
- For the panko breading, combine panko bread crumbs, salt, paprika, and black pepper in a deep plate or dish. Set aside.
- Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch pieces. Dip eggplant into the wet batter until fully coated.
- Next, place the eggplant in the panko coating. Press the bread crumbs into the eggplant to help the breading adhere better. Once you’re done, line the eggplant on a baking sheet. Brush them with olive oil or spray them with cooking oil spray.
- Bake the eggplant for 40 to 50 minutes. Flip them halfway and brush the other side with oil so both sides are crispy and golden brown.
- For the spicy chipotle lime dipping sauce, combine vegan mayo, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, water, lime zest, and lime juice. You can also adjust the amount of water according to your preferred consistency.
- Serve the crispy eggplant with the chipotle lime dipping sauce or sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For the sauce, I used my vegan mayo recipe but you can also swap it for Greek yogurt.