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Home ยป Main Dish ยป BBQ Grilled Eggplant Steaks (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

BBQ Grilled Eggplant Steaks (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Published: Jul 19, 2021 by Rebecca Pytell ยท This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

These BBQ Grilled Eggplant Steaks are meaty, tender, and full of flavor! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, keto, and paleo! Thick tender slices of eggplant coated with a smokey dry rub, perfectly charred and glazed with your favorite BBQ sauce! Serve as a great vegetarian entree for summer barbecues or a quick & easy vegetable side dish!

bbq grilled eggplant slices on plate

Veggies should always be the star of the show! Vegetables that are hearty, meaty, and easily absorb all the flavors you throw at them are ideal for tossing on the grill! Take the humble eggplant and use it as a perfect vegetarian grilled entree at your next summer cookout! These grilled eggplant slices become perfectly tender and charred, soaking up all the flavor in your favorite bbq sauce!

sliced grilled eggplant steak with bbq sauce on plate

Perfect Eggplant Steaks

If you ever thought, "how can I turn a veggie into a meaty grilled entree?" This is the recipe for you! Nothing fancy, easily customizable, and so quick and easy! There's no marinating nor peeling required! These BBQ eggplant steaks are...

  • Gluten-Free
  • Vegan & Vegetarian
  • Allergy-free (Dairy-Free,ย Soy-Free,ย Egg-Free,ย Nut-Free,ย Peanut-Free,ย Wheat-Free,ย Sesame-Free,ย Corn-Free)
  • Paleo, Low-Carb, & Keto
  • Kid-Approved
  • Quick, Easy, Only 3 Ingredients & 10 Minutes
  • Perfect for Indoor or Outdoor Grilling
  • Serve as an Entree or Side Dish

Ingredients You Need

bbq grilled eggplant ingredients

  • Whole Eggplant: A beautiful fresh in-season eggplant, the bigger, the better! You can easily scale this recipe so one, two, three, however many eggplants you need to feed the crowd you'll be serving!
  • Seasonings: Lumping these together since you can customize these! But the one spice that is essential is some smoked paprika! This adds even more deep smokey flavor to your grilled eggplant steaks beyond just the charring from the grill! It's also great if you only have an indoor grill pan that doesn't have that extra "outdoor grill taste". Then I added some garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper to taste!
  • BBQ Sauce: Completely up to you! Use your favorite bbq sauce. Sweet, spicy, smokey, sugar-free, homemade, whatever you and fits your dietary needs.

How To Grill Eggplant

steps for grilling eggplant

  1. Slice your whole eggplant into ยผ inch thick slices.
  2. Rub in the dry rub seasonings to your sliced eggplant steaks.
  3. Grill them for 5 minutes on the first side.
  4. Flip them and brush the grilled side with bbq sauce.
  5. Flip on more time to brush the other side with bbq sauce before removing the slices.
  6. Brush them with a fresh coat of bbq sauce while they're still hot from the grill.

Do You Need To Soak Eggplant Before Grilling?

You'll find recipes suggesting that you salt, rinse, and dry eggplant before cooking or even brine the eggplant to draw out any unwanted bitterness that is naturally present in uncooked eggplant. It's not always needed though and doesn't tend to hold true! That's why this recipe uses a simple dry rub that includes salt and other flavorful spices. You will not have to worry about any bitterness!

Do You Need To Peel The Eggplant?

No way! The skin is perfectly edible and softens up as you grill the eggplant slices. It's full of nutrients and should never go to waste! Larger eggplants tend to have tougher skin, but keeping your steaks to ยผ inch thickness will solve that!

How To Keep Your Eggplant From Getting Soggy

The larger your eggplant, the more air pockets it holds and the more it will absorb what you put on it. This is why no matter the size of your eggplant for this recipe, you don't want to brush them with oil before the grill. Make sure to lightly spray your grill with non-stick only. You only want the eggplant to absorb the flavor of the dry rub and bbq sauce after. each side has had a chance to char and for moisture to evaporate

inside slice of bbq grilled eggplant with fork

Other Tips & Tricks

  • You want the outside of your bbq eggplant to be nice and charred with a tender creamy middle. Each side of the slice only needs to be grilled for 5 minutes, just until you see the skin begin to ripple. The eggplant slices will soften up over time after you remove them from the grill.
  • You want to add the bbq sauce after each side has been grilled. This way the eggplant doesn't get soggy and the natural creaminess is locked in by the charred skin. The bbq sauce acts as a delicious glaze.
  • You can change up the spices in the dry rub and add as much or as little of the bbq sauce as you'd like. This is a 100% taste preference kind of recipe!
  • Leftover grilled eggplant can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days.
  • Reheating the slices works best in the oven so the eggplant doesn't get rubbery, but you can also use a microwave in a pinch. Make sure to reapply bbq sauce before reheating to help reduce rubberiness or dryness. Leftovers also taste delicious cold!

How To Serve BBQ Grilled Eggplant

As An Entree:

These BBQ Eggplant Steaks are an ideal grilled vegetarian entree! Summer cookouts no longer need to be a scramble for finding something hearty and delicious to serve your vegan guest as the main dish; just like these mushroom steaks!

Serve them up as is or slice the steaks and add them to a salad, pasta, or grain bowl for easy weekday lunches and dinner too!

As A Side Dish:

Grilled vegetables are perfect to serve up as a side dish on a platter! Even the meat-eaters are allowed to grab a bbq eggplant steak as a simple flavorful side! These bbq slices also pair well with a delicious veggie burger, grilled chicken, grilled salmon, chicken burgers, you can even use them on a burger or as a gluten-free keto burger bun!

centered overhead view of plate of bbq grilled eggplant slices

Print

BBQ Grilled Eggplant Steaks (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

centered overhead view of plate of bbq grilled eggplant slices
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

These BBQ Grilled Eggplant Steaks are meaty, tender, and full of flavor! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, keto, and paleo! Thick tender slices of eggplant coated with a smokey dry rub, perfectly charred and glazed with your favorite BBQ sauce! Serve as a great vegetarian entree for summer barbecues or a quick & easy vegetable side dish!

  • Author: Rebecca Pytell
  • Prep Time: 5 Minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 Minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
  • Category: Main, Side
  • Method: Grill
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Medium-Sized Whole Eggplant
  • 1 Cup BBQ Sauce (any kind works, plus more for serving)

Dry Rub:

  • 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
  • ยฝ Tsp Onion Powder
  • ยฝ Tsp Garlic Powder
  • ยผ to ยฝ Tsp Black Pepper
  • ยผ to ยฝ Tsp Salt

Instructions

  1. Slice your eggplant into ยผ inch thick rounds and set aside while you mix together the dry spice rub. Rub the mixed spices into the eggplant slices so they are fully coated.
  2. Heat a greased grill pan or outdoor grill over medium heat. Place the rubbed eggplant slices on the hot grill and cook the first side for just about 5 minutes.
  3. Flip the eggplant and grill the other side for 5 more minutes. After you've flipped, brush the grilled side with bbq sauce.
  4. Flip the eggplant to the unsauced side after 5 minutes and brush with more bbq sauce before removing the slices and setting them on a platter.
  5. Brush the bbq eggplant steaks with additional bbq sauce as needed before serving.

Notes

  • Depending on the size of your eggplant and/or amount of eggplants you decide to grill, increase the number of spices and bbq sauce as needed.
  • You can add different spices if you'd like. You can also use any type of bbq sauce.
  • Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. You can reheat grilled eggplant in the oven or microwave, with additional bbq sauce or you can enjoy them cold.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 Slices

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @rebeccagf666 on Instagram and hashtag it #strengthandsunshine

eating slice of bbq grilled eggplant on messy plate

Don't sleep on the deliciousness of grilled vegetables! Although eggplant is a fruit, we can pretend this nightshade is a veggie!

More Eggplant Recipes:

  • Grilled Eggplant Banh Mi Sliders
  • Easy Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
  • Middle Eastern Twice-Baked Baby Eggplants
  • Black Eyed Pea Curry with Swiss Chard & Roasted Eggplant
  • Baba Ghanoush Hummus

So tell me:

+ What is your favorite veggie to grill?

โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”โ€”-

Stay connected:
Facebook:ย Strength and Sunshine
Twitter:ย @RebeccaGF666
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Louise

    June 03, 2023 at 7:32 am

    How delicious! Always looking for meat free options to include in our meal plans! This seems nice and easy and sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      June 03, 2023 at 8:52 am

      Alright, Louise.

      Reply
  2. Margaret Pietruk

    July 22, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    Excellent

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 23, 2022 at 6:18 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply
  3. Selena

    July 22, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Wow this looks delicious!! Never would've thought to put barbecue on eggplant! Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 22, 2021 at 11:45 am

      Soaks up all the flavor like mushrooms or tofu does!

      Reply
  4. Joanne

    July 21, 2021 at 1:52 pm

    Those look delicious!! I have never thought of grilling eggplant. Pinned.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 21, 2021 at 4:44 pm

      Perfect veg to grill!

      Reply
  5. Liz

    July 20, 2021 at 5:02 pm

    This is a great meatless recipe! Also great for all those eggplants I have growing in the garden!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 20, 2021 at 5:19 pm

      That fresh summer produce deserves some grilling action!

      Reply
  6. Andrea

    July 19, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Oh, we'll have to give this a try. It looks like it might work great on our indoor grill. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 19, 2021 at 4:30 pm

      That's what I used! Right indoors so you can make them year-round too!

      Reply
  7. Andrea Hope

    July 19, 2021 at 9:04 am

    These look amazing! I have been eating more vegetarian meals lately- can't wait to try this one!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 19, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      It's a perfect showstopping main!

      Reply
  8. Kayla DiMaggio

    July 19, 2021 at 8:23 am

    Wow this was great! I sometimes have a difficult time enjoying eggplant because of the tough skin, but if cooked right then it is delicious! This recipe was easy and simple to make and so delicious and satisfying.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 19, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      It's like butta' here!

      Reply
  9. Kevin

    July 19, 2021 at 8:08 am

    This is a perfect Meatless Monday dish. I could see myself making a veggie sandwich ๐Ÿฅช with a sweet Hawaiian bun. ๐Ÿ˜‹ Thank you for sharing your awesome recipe.

    Reply
    • Rebecca Pytell

      July 19, 2021 at 4:28 pm

      Perfect for sandwiches!

      Reply

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Hey there, welcome to Strength and Sunshine! Iโ€™m Rebecca and I'm so glad you're here! This is your go-to destination for delicious, fun, and (mostly) healthy gluten-free and allergy-free recipes, tips & tricks, advice, as well as celiac and food allergy coaching services! More about me



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collage image of bbq grilled eggplant steaks