This recipe for eggplant pizza bites is easy, healthy, and a great option for lunch, dinner, or a snack. Pizza sauce and melted shredded cheese sit on top of sliced eggplant rounds, a low-carb alternative to pizza crust. Made with just a handful of ingredients, you’ll love the simplicity of this vegetarian and gluten-free dish!
Although eggplant isn’t the first vegetable I’d choose for a meal, making eggplant pizza bites has changed me! I’m totally into this recipe and love that it features a veggie as the star of the show.
It’s also extremely easy to make. You just need to slice an eggplant into rounds, sweat ’em (only if you have the time), bake ’em, top ’em with sauce and cheese, bake ’em again, and enjoy! Boom. Dinner is served.
To keep things super simple, I recommend buying pizza sauce that’s already seasoned to use on your bites. If you have the time, you’re of course welcome to make a batch of homemade sauce like my Canned San Marzano Tomato Sauce and use your own seasonings, but that’s up to you. At the end of the day, you’ll be putting a veggie-loaded meal on the table, no matter how you get there! PS – if you like this recipe, check out the Eggplant Pesto Pasta while you’re here!
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Eggplant: If you are able to find Italian or Japanese eggplants that are fairly uniform in size throughout the eggplant, use those. You will be able to cut those into circles of similar diameters more easily. However, I used a classic globe eggplant when initially testing this recipe (see photo above). It worked super well even with circles that weren’t all the same size.
- Pizza sauce: I recommend a store-bought pizza sauce that includes Italian seasonings. Personally, I love to use Rao’s pizza sauce because it has good ingredients (like olive oil) and no added sugar. But you can really use any kind of pizza or marinara sauce to make eggplant pizza bites, including homemade sauce.
- Shredded Italian cheese: I made my bites using the Organic Valley 3 Cheese Italian Blend, which includes mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar. You can easily substitute shredded mozzarella, fresh mozzarella cut into circles, or a blend of parmesan and mozzarella…whatever you have.
- Fresh basil: Sprinkle your bites with a little basil before popping them in the oven. It’s *chef’s kiss*!!
Instructions
The full recipe card for mini eggplant pizza bites is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.
Slice the eggplant into rounds about ¼-inch thick. See my tutorial on How to Cut Eggplant for more information if needed.
“Sweat” the eggplant rounds by sprinkling both sides with kosher salt. Let them sit on paper towels for at least 15 minutes until beads of water appear on them. Pat dry and rub off any excess salt. This step is optional, but it can help reduce the bitterness of the eggplant.
Put the eggplant on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle or brush both sides of the rounds with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F, flipping halfway through.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and top each slice with pizza sauce.
Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the sauce, followed by basil chiffonade.
Pop the rounds back in the oven for 6 to 8 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
Storage and Reheating
I like to enjoy eggplant pizza bites right away, but they keep better than you may think. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. The best way to reheat them is in the oven on a baking sheet at 300 degrees F for about 8 to 10 minutes until warmed through.
Serving
These mini pizzas make a great low-carb snack or meal on their own, but you can also pair them with meatballs, baked chicken, bean salad, or a side of pasta or farro. I love to serve eggplant pizza bites with steamed green beans or broccoli for a vegetarian meal.
More Eggplant Recipes
- Eggplant Pesto Pasta
- How to Cut Eggplant (with video)
- Eggplant Gyro Sandwich on Pita
- Crispy Baked Eggplant Slices
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Mini Eggplant Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant - sliced into ¼-inch circles, see notes for tips
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt - for sweating
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend - can sub shredded or sliced mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
- Optional step: After slicing the eggplant, sprinkle both sides of the rounds with kosher salt. Place the rounds on paper towels (or a clean dish towel). Let them sit for at least 15 minutes or until beads of water develop on the surface. Pat them dry and rub off any excess salt. This helps remove some of the bitterness in eggplant, so it's up to you if you want to do it. I have made the recipe with and without sweating the eggplant first and have not seen a huge difference in taste.
- Put the prepared eggplant slices on the lined baking sheet. Drizzle or brush both sides with olive oil.
- Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes, flipping the rounds halfway through.
- Remove the eggplant from the oven. Top each round with the pizza sauce, followed by the shredded cheese. Sprinkle fresh basil on top.
- Put the eggplant back in the oven. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven. Serve and enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Eggplant types: If you want to make circles of similar diameters, look for Italian or Japanese eggplants that are uniform in size. You will need to use 2 or 3 of these smaller eggplants instead of 1 for the recipe. Keep in mind that the number of slices you get from those eggplants may be different than what I got (16). I used a globe eggplant, so my circles were different sizes, but it made no difference in how the recipe turned out. Any eggplant will work.
- Storage: Keep leftover bites in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees F for about 8 to 10 minutes until warmed through.
Comments
No Comments