Japanese Eggplant Tempura

5 from 5 votes
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15 minutes
Servings 4 serving
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Learn how to quickly cook delicious, light Eggplant Tempura with this easy recipe. Enjoy the wonderful flavors of this classic Japanese dish right at home!

Looking for more simple eggplant recipes? Try these 8 Easy Japanese Eggplant Recipes!

vegetable tempura.

I’ll walk you through the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. I hope you enjoy it!

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Why You Will Love This Recipe 

  • Japanese eggplant is one of the best vegetables for making tempura.
  • This eggplant tempura recipe will help you create a delicious tempura that achieves the perfect balance of crispiness on the outside while remaining light and airy.
  • The instructions are easy to follow!

What is Tempura?

Tempura is fried food made by battering and deep-frying ingredients such as shrimp, fish, and vegetables. It’s a classic Japanese dish that you will see on the menu at Japanese restaurants. It’s also one of the popular home-cooked dishes as you can quickly make a delicious dinner for the whole family with several simple ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients

Youโ€™ll need the following ingredients to make this Eggplant Tempura:

Ingredients for eggplant tempura.
  • Japanese Eggplants: You can usually find Japanese eggplants at Japanese grocery stores or Asian grocery stores. However, if they are not available, Chinese eggplant makes the best substitute.
  • Oil: You can use any oil, such as vegetable oil or canola oil. I use non-flavored sesame oil in this recipe.
  • Tempura Batter: This recipe uses water, cake flour (or all-purpose flour), and baking powderโ€”no egg is needed. For more variations, check out this post: 3 Easy Homemade Tempura Batter Recipes (Gluten-Free & Vegan).
  • Mentsuyu: This is for tempura dipping sauce. Mentsuyu is a multipurpose noodle soup base with a savory flavor made from dashi broth (Japanese soup stock), mirin, and soy sauce. I use store-bought one in this recipe, but if you like making it on your own, see this Homemade Mentsuyu Recipe.
  • Daikon radish: Make daikon oroshi and add it to the mentsuyu sauce. It is common to include grated daikon in the sauce as it helps to digest fatty foods like Tempura. You can also add a touch of lemon juice for digestion benefits.

How To Make Eggplant Tempura: STEP BY STEP 

Here are some quick visual instructions! For the video and all the detailed ingredients and instructions, go to the printable recipe card below.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 1

Cut eggplant into quarters and make thin slits.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 2

Make tempura batter with flour, baking powder, and cold water.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 3

Dust the eggplant with flour.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 4

Heat oil in a frying pan or any deep pot. Dip the eggplant in the batter and put them in the pan.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 5

Flip them over and deep-fry until cooked.

How to make eggplant tempura.

Step 6

Make a tempura sauce with mentsuyu and grated daikon.

Eggplant tempura on a plate.

Here you go! They’re so crispy and tasty. Dip them in tempura sauce and enjoy authentic Japanese eggplant tempura!

Recipe Tips

  • Do not mix the batter until smooth. If you mix too much, gluten will form, and your tempura will be heavy and chewy. See ‘Homemade Tempura Batter Recipe‘ for more tips.
  • If you dust ingredients with flour, the extra surface will reduce the water content of vegetables and keep them from getting soggy. In addition, the batter sticks to vegetables, and you can fry them without having the tempura skin come off.
  • Draining oil after frying is also essential. After cooking the Tempura, remove excess fat by placing it on a cooling rack. Keep them upright as much as possible, and do not stack them.
Vegetarian ebook cover image.

Want More Plant-Based Ideas?

Download 10 Vegetarian Recipes

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I hope you enjoy this Eggplant Tempura! If you try it, don’t forget to leave a rating to share your thoughtsโ€”I love hearing from you!

Japanese Eggplant Tempura

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 serving
Author: Juri Austin
Learn how to quickly cook delicious, light Eggplant Tempura with this easy recipe, and Enjoy the wonderful flavor of a classic Japanese dish at home!
eggplant tempura on a plate.
Save the Recipe via Email (Recipe Posts)

Save This Recipe!

Enter your email and Iโ€™ll send this recipe straight to your inbox! Youโ€™ll also get new, simple recipes every week!

Equipment

  • Frying pan 22cmย (9 inches)

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Eggplants
  • Oil for deep-frying
Batter
  • 200 ml Cold water
  • 100 g Cake flour
  • ยฝ tsp Baking powder
Tempura Sauce
  • 600 ml Mentsuyu, Dilute with water according to the bottle instructions.
  • 1 inch Daikon radish

Instructions
 

  1. Cut eggplant: Cut eggplant into quarters and make thin slits.
  2. Prepare a pan: Put oil about 2 cm (1 inch) high in a pan and heat it to 170C (335F).
  3. Make the batter: Add cold water to a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder with a strainer, and mix.
  4. Dust with flour: Dust the eggplant with flour.
  5. Deep-fry: Dip the eggplant in batter, put them in the pan, and deep-fry until cooked (about a couple of minutes). Place them on a cooling rack to drip excess oil.
  6. Make Tentsuyu: Grate the daikon radish (daikon oroshi). Dilute mentsuyu (noodle soup) with water according to the bottle instructions and add daikon oroshi.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

  • Do not mix the batter until smooth. If you mix too much, gluten will form, and your tempura will be heavy and chewy.ย See ‘Homemade Tempura Batter Recipe‘ for more tips.
  • If you dust ingredients with flour, the extra surface will reduce the water content of vegetables and keep them from getting soggy. In addition, the batter sticks to vegetables, and you can fry them without having the tempura skin come off.
  • Draining oil after frying is also essential. After cooking the Tempura, remove excess fat by placing it on a cooling rack. Keep them upright as much as possible, and do not stack them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 160kcal

This nutritional information is estimated and provided for general reference only.

Course: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: eggplant tempura, vegetable tempura

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Juri Austin

Hi! Iโ€™m Juri, founder of Chef JA Cooks and the creator and photographer of this site. Iโ€™m here to guide you in authentic yet easy-to-follow Japanese recipes! Letโ€™s explore the world of Japanese cuisine together!

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