Roasted Eggplant Salad is a perfect summer salad full of bright colored vegetables and rich flavors. This as an ideal side for summertime grilling!
Make sure to add this Shredded Carrot Salad and Cucumber Radish Salad to your menu as well this summer. Such a great way to add more vegetables to your diet!

This recipe was originally posted October 3, 2018, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
To many Slavic people, this Roasted Eggplant Salad a well-known dish that can often be spotted at Slavic weddings. Being Ukrainian and Bulgarian myself, I’m over the moon over it! It’s fresh and vibrant flavors are so delicious!
- TASTE: Fabulously flavorful, this Roasted Eggplant Salad has a delicious array of veggies mixed with a homemade garlicky dressing.
- TEXTURE: Tender eggplant is mixed with crunchy and crisp vegetables for a pairing that can’t be beat.
- TIME: This dish takes just under an hour to make.
- EASE: This chilled salad is not hard to make. The longest part of the process is roasting the eggplant, so it’s really a breeze.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Chinese Eggplants– Unlike American eggplant, these are skinnier and longer, with less seeds. They are less bitter and have a mildly sweet flavor.
- Onion– For some crunch and pungent flavor.
- Bell Peppers– We use orange, red, and yellow in this salad, but you can use any variety you like. They add a sweet note to the salad.
- Carrots– These are sweet and crunchy.
- Cabbage– Crisp and mild in flavor, this pairs nicely with the roasted eggplant.
- Parsley– This fresh herb adds peppery and earthy flavors.
- Olive Oil– This is the base for the dressing.
- Salt– Just enough to counter the sweetness in the dressing. This is also used for salting the eggplant.
- Garlic Cloves– Adds delightfully pungent flavor.
- Sugar– This sweetens the acidity of the dressing.
- Vinegar– The acid will work well with the sweet elements and the vegetables.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Add cheese- You can make this salad with feta cheese or goat cheese for some extra flavor.
- Substitute another dressing- Any dressing you like can work with this Roasted Eggplant Salad, though a vinegar-based one is best. Try Italian dressing or this Greek Salad Dressing.
- Add spices- Add some sumac, paprika, or cayenne pepper to this salad for some flavor variation.
- Make it with beans- You can make this dish more filling by adding some garbanzo beans (chickpeas) to it.
How to Make Roasted Eggplant Salad
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the grated garlic cloves, light tasting oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt using a whisk. Set aside.
- Soak the eggplant. Slice the eggplants into thick julienned sticks about 1 inch long. Place them into a colander and sprinkle salt over them, letting them sit for 20-30 so they release their juices.
- Roast the eggplant. Place the eggplant in a single layer on a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Toss the eggplant chunks around to evenly coat, then bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
- Prep the onions. Meanwhile, slice the onion into thin slices and submerge it into a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes to reduce their strong taste. Then drain the water as best you can.
Pro Tip: Be sure to put a plate under the salted eggplant to catch all the juices.
- Prep the other veggies. Chop the cabbage into shreds. Then julienne the carrot and bell peppers.
- Assemble the salad. Combine the chopped cabbage, carrot, bell peppers, sliced onion, and cooked eggplant in a large bowl and set aside. Then add the chopped parsley to the bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss and serve chilled.
Recipe Tips
- Salt the eggplant- This step is important because it removes a lot of excess water from the eggplant that will otherwise come out while it roasts and make it mushy.
- Coat the eggplant with oil- Make sure to evenly coat the eggplant pieces with oil before roasting so that they cook well and become tender.
- Soak the onions- Soaking them in cold water will help reduce that strong oniony flavor that they have so they don’t overpower the salad.
- Chill the salad- This Roasted Eggplant Salad tastes best when served chilled, so cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to cool.
FAQs
You don’t have to soak the eggplant in water before roasting it, but it’s best to cover it in salt and let it sit for about 20-30 minutes to let the excess water release from the vegetable before cooking. Place the eggplant in a colander and put a plate underneath to keep clean up easy.
Your roasted eggplant can turn out mushy if you forget to salt it beforehand to get out excess moisture. It also may be the result of cooking it at too low a temperature, or from adding too much oil.
Serving Suggestions
This Roasted Eggplant Salad is versatile and great for serving at get-togethers and barbecues. Its delicious mix of flavors works well with grilled meat, soups, and sandwiches.
- Meats/Seafood: Serve this side dish with Smoked Chicken Thighs, Air Fryer Pork Chops (VIDEO), Grilled Chicken Kabobs, or Cedar Plank Salmon.
- Salads: Pair it with other cold salads, like this Pesto Pasta Salad (VIDEO), Cabbage Cucumber Salad, Tri Color Pasta Salad Recipe (VIDEO), or Chicken Pasta Salad.
- Soups: Serve it with a bowl of Potato Leek Soup, Chicken Wild Rice Soup, Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, or She Crab Soup.
- Sandwiches: This Roasted Eggplant Salad makes a nice side to a Brisket Sandwich, Chipotle Burger with Avocado Sauce, Caprese Sandwich Recipe, or Classic BLT Sandwich.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: You can roast the eggplant ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salad. You can also prepare the dressing days ahead of time.
Storing: Store this Roasted Eggplant Salad in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: While you can freeze the roasted eggplant once cooled in a freezer ziplock bag for up to 6 months, the salad itself does not freeze well.
More Tasty Eggplant Dishes!
Full Recipe Instructions
Roasted Eggplant Salad
Ingredients
Ingredients for the salad
Ingredients for the dressing
- 6 garlic cloves grated
- 1/2 cup light tasting oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing first. In a small bowl combine the grated garlic cloves, light tasting oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt using a whisk. This will be the dressing.
- Slice the eggplants into thick julienned sticks about 1 inch long. Place them into a colander and sprinkle 1 tsp salt over them. Let the cut eggplants sit for about 20-30 so they release their juices. Be sure to put a plate under to catch all the juices.
- Place the eggplant into a single layer onto a baking sheet and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Toss the eggplant chunks around to evenly coat them in oil, then spread them out into a single layer again. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, slice the onion into thin slices and submerge it into a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. This will help reduce that strong oniony taste. Once the 10 minutes are up, drain the water as best as possible.
- Chop the cabbage into shreds. Then slice the carrot and bell peppers into julienned (match sticks).
- Combine the chopped cabbage, carrot, bell peppers, sliced onion, and cooked eggplant in a larger bowl and set aside.
- Add the chopped parsley to the bowl of chopped vegetables and pour the dressing over it. Generously toss the salad to ensure the dressing coats evenly. Serve chilled.
Notes
- Salt the eggplant- This step is important because it removes a lot of excess water from the eggplant that will otherwise come out while it roasts and make it mushy.
- Coat the eggplant with oil- Make sure to evenly coat the eggplant pieces with oil before roasting so that they cook well and become tender.
- Soak the onions- Soaking them in cold water will help reduce that strong oniony flavor that they have so they don’t overpower the salad.
- Chill the salad- This Roasted Eggplant Salad tastes best when served chilled, so cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to cool.
Nutrition
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Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
Hi Dina,
If our grocery store does not carry Chinese eggplant, will regular eggplant work?
thanks!
Katy
Nelya says
Looks good! I’ll have to try it sometime. Is there a reason you wouldn’t submerge the onions in hot/boiling water?
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Nelya! I use cold water instead of boiling water since the hot water might cook the onion. For this recipe, raw onion goes well 🙂