Baked Chickpea Flour Eggplant Fries {Grain-Free, Vegan}

In anticipation of National French Fry Day, why not make these astonishingly satisfying–and nutritious!– baked chickpea flour eggplant fries! They are naturally grain-free, vegan, quick & straightforward to make, and have only 3 essential ingredients (eggplant, chickpea flour, & olive oil). Serve them with marinara sauce for an eggplant parm-style snack.

I found out, several weeks ago, that this coming Friday (Friday the 13th, no less) is National French Fry Day.

I’ve been patient, but time is up: I cannot wait another two days. Or one day. It’s time to get this French fry celebration started!

First up: My straightforward, memorable, and yes, nourishingBattered & Baked Eggplant Fries. Once you taste them, you will understand my urgency in sharing the recipe :).

I’ll happily indulge in some really good potato fries if the occasion presents itself, but the two types of fries I find utterly irresistible are (1) battered fries (heaven help me) and (2) vegetable fries (e.g., sweet potato, zucchini, and avocado). These eggplant fries combine the two in the most satisfying–and Straightforward–way!

Nourishing Benefits of Chickpea Flour Eggplant Fries

Before proceeding, a quick overview of these nifty, nutritious fries. They are:

• Vegan
• Grain-free
• Low-carbohydrate
• High protein (5.1 g for 1/4 of the entire recipe)
• High-fiber
• Low in fat (1 tablespoon of oil for the whole batch + I have an oil-free option)
• Good for you (make that GREAT for you; I’ll get into that in a moment)
• Minimalist (3 essential ingredients–eggplant, chickpea flour, olive oil–beyond water & salt)
• Plain to make

How to Make Baked Chickpea Flour Eggplant Fries

When I sayplain, I mean it. Begin by cutting up an eggplant, lengthwise, into about 1/4-inch thick slices, and then cut the slices into “fries” shapes. There is no need to peel, salt or drain the eggplant. Huzzah!

Next, make an straightforward batter. Let it be known that I dread dredging (i.e., first dredge in flour, then dip in egg/egg substitute, then coat in breadcrumbs); I always end up with gooped up fingers and randomly coated food. Battering the fries issomuch easier.

Chickpea Flour: All in One Batter Ingredient

Chickpea flour takes center stage in the batter, and, as it does in so many of my recipes, it serves as both an egg substitute and a flour substitute in one fell swoop. The batter is relatively thick: 3/4 cup chickpea flour, 7 tablespoons of WARM water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, a bit of salt, and, if you like (I definitely like) some dried Italian herbs and garlic powder.

Be sure to use warm water when mixing the batter; cold water will result lumps. Many lumps. Warm water = smooth batter.

Dunk the fries in the batter to coat, and then lift out with a fork, just like this:

You can toss half a dozen fries into the batter at a time, and then lift each out and onto your prepared baking set up. I use a wire rack, set atop a baking sheet, but you can bake these directly on a baking sheet as well.

Whatever you do,spray or grease the rack or baking sheet; the fries lift off easily if you do, but cling like barnacles if you do not.

Once the fries are batter-coated, send them into the oven for 14 to 17 minutes until they are deep golden brown and fork-tender. Adding to the simplicity, no flipping is required!

Enjoy these soon after they come out of the oven. It’s a silly direction, as you will need no prompting to devour these immediately! I like to serve themstraight into my mouthwith some marinara sauce.

Devouring these fries is a very good thing indeed, as eggplant is packed with great nutrition. Low in calories and an excellent source of fiber, eggplant is a very good source of potassium (great for recovery from warm-weather workouts), vitamins B1 and B6, and a good source of multiple minerals such as folate, magnesium and manganese.

Here’s more reason not to peel the eggplant: recently researchers have discovered that eggplant skin contains powerful antioxidants, which protect and repair cell membranes from damage. Yay!

The batter is loaded with benefits, too, including fiber and protein from the chickpea flour, and nourishing fat from the olive oil.

Eat and enjoy your fries, everyone; I have more to come!

Related Recipes:

1. Chickpea Flour French Fries (Panisses)
2. Vegan Keto Eggplant Dip (5 ingredients, oil-free)
3. Eggplant Pizza Slices {vegan, grain-free, straightforward}
4. Baked Chickpea Flour Broccoli Tots {Grain-Free, Vegan}