Oven-baked eggplant fries with 5 g of net carbs per serving, coated in almond flour and pork rinds.
The golden crust crackles beneath your fingers, revealing warm eggplant that is tender and almost melting inside. These oven-baked eggplant fries replace potatoes and breadcrumbs with eggplant and a coating of almond flour and crushed pork rinds. For 2 servings, allow 10 minutes of prep time, 30 minutes of soaking and 45 minutes of baking at 180 ยฐC. Find this recipe among my keto dishes.
What are eggplant fries?
They are eggplant sticks cut like fries, about 0.5 ร 1 cm, baked until a crisp crust forms around a soft, juicy center. Preparation involves three steps: seasoning, binding and coating. The sticks get a drizzle of oil and a dry spice blend, such as harissa powder or a mixture of paprika, cumin, coriander and chili powder.
They are then dipped in beaten egg, followed by a finely ground mixture of almond flour and pork rinds. Bake at 180 ยฐC in a single layer on parchment paper, keeping the fries apart so moisture can escape. Serve with tahini sauce, raita, aioli or Japanese mayonnaise.
The inspiration behind this oven-baked version
This version keeps the familiar ritual of fries, cutting into sticks, picking them up with your fingers and dipping them in sauce, while limiting starches. Eggplant provides a vegetable base that absorbs flavors well and becomes tender all the way through.
The fries bake on a sheet pan with a generous drizzle of oil rather than being deep-fried. Almond flour and pork rinds form a dry, light coating without grain flour or starch. The pork rinds connect this recipe to other crispy dishes, such as air fryer crispy pork.
The main ingredients
Eggplant is the base: its spongy flesh softens in the oven and holds the coating, provided the sticks are cut evenly. Sticks that are too thick cook more slowly, while smaller ones may be ready in 30 minutes and should be removed in time. Salt plays two roles: a tablespoon in the soaking water draws out moisture, and a final pinch brings the coating to life.
Grind the 50 g of pork rinds as finely as possible: their dry texture adds crunch, helps the coating hold together and promotes browning. The almond flour, also 50 g, completes the coating and helps it turn golden without grain flour. The two eggs act as a binder so the dry mixture sticks.
The harissa spice blend should be dry and powdered; if unavailable, paprika, cumin, coriander and chili provide heat and flavor. Avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil conducts heat and distributes the spices. Pork rinds are available in specialty grocery stores or online; choose plain ones with no sweet or flour-based coating.
Technique and serving tips
Crispiness starts before the oven. Soak the sticks in salted water for 30 minutes, keeping them submerged, then dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel and paper towels: a damp surface prevents the coating from sticking. Keep the coating light and even, applying oil and spices first, then beaten egg, followed by the almond flour and pork rind mixture.
Find more dishes like this among my low-carb recipes.
Bake for 45 minutes at 180 ยฐC, in three 15-minute stages, turning after 15 and then 30 minutes to brown both sides. Smaller pieces can come out after 30 minutes if already golden; for faster cooking, air fryer eggplant follows the same principle. Serve immediately with sriracha sauce or sweet chili sauce; for leftovers, reheating in the oven in a single layer preserves more crunch than microwaving.
Eggplant Fries (Keto)
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant
- 1 generous tablespoon salt (Celtic sea salt) for the eggplant
- 50 g puffed pork rinds
- 50 g ground almonds
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon harissa spice blend or paprika, cumin, coriander, chili
- a pinch Salt (Celtic sea salt), for seasoning
- a generous splash avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
Instructions
- Cut the eggplant in half crosswise, then cut each half into fries about half a centimeter to one centimeter thick at most. Aim for the size of Flemish-style fries.1 eggplant
- Place them in a container just large enough to hold them and sprinkle a generous tablespoon of salt over them. Cover the fries with water. Leave to soak for half an hour. If needed, place something on top of the fries to keep them submerged.1 generous tablespoon salt (Celtic sea salt)
- Pat the fries thoroughly dry. For example, use a kitchen towel first, then paper towels. Leave them for a little while longer to dry further.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grind the puffed pork rinds into as fine a powder as possible. Finely grind the almonds as well. If using ground almonds, they are already fine enough. Mix the two together. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl.50 g puffed pork rinds, 50 g ground almonds, 2 eggs
- Place the fries in a mixing bowl with a generous drizzle of mild olive oil and the spices. Mix by hand.1 tablespoon harissa spice blend, a pinch Salt, a generous splash avocado oil, mild olive oil or high-oleic sunflower oil
- Dip the fries in the egg, then in the almond and puffed pork rind mixture. Place them on the baking sheet. Make sure the fries do not touch each other.
- Bake for 3 periods of 15 minutes, for a total of 45 minutes. After the first period, turn the fries over. After the second period, do the same, checking which side still needs the most crisping and placing that side facing up. Smaller pieces may be done after half an hour in the oven: remove them at that point to prevent them from burning.
