Broiled Eggplant with a Jamaican jerk marinade is a delicious vegan take on steaks. Spiced up with the famous jerk seasoning, these eggplants are broiled in the oven until they reach perfection.

Whether it’s a lunch date or a dinner party, try these flavorsome, healthy, and vegan jerk eggplants! I bet you won’t be able to get enough of the Jamaican flavor. Also, try Jerk Cauliflower and Jerk Tofu.

Eggplant is a delicious vegetable. It has a unique sweet and subtle flavor and soft and smooth texture. Although most people know this vegetable from Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cuisine, these aren’t the only cuisines that make plenty of dishes with eggplant.

Jamaican cuisine loves to celebrate the natural flavors of vegetables in the most amazing ways, and cooking with eggplant is no exception. One such way is through broiling the eggplants in the form of steaks.

This vegan recipe uses the famous Jamaican jerk seasoning to create rich, vibrant, and utterly delicious flavors. Broiled eggplant is perfect for those who like to enjoy the unique flavor of eggplant and include it in their daily diet.

What to look for when buying eggplants?

Buying the perfect eggplant for this delicious broiled jerk eggplant is not a difficult task. However, if you are someone who doesn’t cook eggplants very often, here are a few things you should keep in mind when buying eggplants:

• Appearance: Eggplants should have a beautiful dark purple color and shiny skin unless they are of a different variety than commonly found in American supermarkets. Therefore, avoid buying eggplants that have brown patches on them, have holes, or are broken.
• Size: Although smaller eggplants are sweeter and have few seeds, choose a medium-sized eggplant for this recipe. Avoid buying overly large eggplants, as they are bitter in taste and have more seeds.
• Firm: Since ripe eggplants are the best ones, there is an easy way to check their ripeness. Gently press your thumb against the eggplant, and if it leaves an impression, it means the eggplant is fully ripe.

How to cook eggplant?

Jamaican jerk eggplant steak is delicious. It is a perfect ingredient for summer lunch and barbecue parties. There are several ways of cooking jerk eggplant. Two of the most common ones are:

• Grilling: whether it is an outdoor grill, a flat top grill, or an electric griller, you can cook these eggplant steaks quickly. These turn out super flavorful, perfectly cooked, and the charr on these is just out of this world! YUM
• Broiling: Another amazing way of cooking jerk eggplant is by broiling it. It is perfect for those who don’t have a griller. You can broil it in a broiler or select broil in the oven. Either way, you can cook this dish in about 20 minutes’ time!

How to cut eggplant steaks?

Because this eggplant dish is meant to replicate the sizing of steak, you have to make sure it is thick enough. So, the best way to do that is by removing the crown and cutting it lengthwise from top to bottom, using a sharp knife. I usually recommend an inch to one-and-a-half-inch thick cut.

What is Jerk Sauce?

Another amazing ingredient in this dish is the jerk sauce. If you are aware of Jamaican cuisine, you would have definitely heard of the jerk seasoning. And if you haven’t, no worries! A jerk seasoning is actually a spice mix made from Caribbean spices. It is rich, flavorful, and brings in the depth of flavor to the ingredients. When you are using a jerk seasoning, you don’t really need any other spice at all.

This Jerk Sauce is the liquid version of Jerk Seasoning. The flavors are the same, but the main difference is obviously the consistency. In my experience, the jerk sauce actually has a more powerful flavor profile than the jerk seasoning.

How to make Jerk Sauce?

Instead of buying a premade seasoning or paste, why not make it at home? Homemade jerk paste has many benefits. For one, the quality is guaranteed. But most importantly, you can make it according to your liking. For instance, if you don’t like a lot of spice, you can adjust the spice level accordingly.

Making jerk paste at home is super easy. All you need is a few spices like allspice, black peppercorns, dried thyme, cinnamon, sea salt, brown sugar, scotch bonnet powder, and nutmeg. Prepare its powder and mix it with olive oil, lemon juice, or white wine vinegar. Mix well to form a paste and use it on eggplants. Isn’t it simple?

And the best part is you can store the homemade jerk seasoning or paste in an airtight container for as long as it lasts.

Where to buy jerk sauce?

If you cannot make homemade jerk sauce, you can find jerk seasoning or jerk paste at many grocery stores. You can look at the Caribbean or Jamaican section, or the international aisle. I have found Jamaican jerk products in Walmart, Publix, and Kroger.

How to make Broiled Eggplant?

Making broiled jerk eggplant at home is super easy. Here are the few steps you have to follow:

1. Wash and pat the eggplant dry. Cut off the top, and cut the eggplant lengthwise into slices that are around an inch thick. Place these pieces on a parchment-lined baking tray. 
2. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with salt.
3. Using a pastry brush, coat all of the sides of the eggplant steaks with the marinade. Make sure the eggplant steaks are drenched in the sauce.
4. Place the baking tray in a preheated broiler or oven. If you are using an oven, select the broil setting.
5. Broil the eggplant for about 30 minutes, until the eggplant is cooked properly. Flip the eggplants after 15 minutes.
6. Once the timer is up, remove the tray from the oven and enjoy!

How to store broiled jerk eggplant?

Storing broiled Jamaican jerk eggplant is super easy as well. All you have to do is store the leftover steaks in an air-tight container and place it in the refrigerator for about three days. However, make sure they are cool enough before placing them in the refrigerator, otherwise, they may develop bacteria.

What to serve with broiled jerk eggplant?

Because this delicious recipe is served as a main course, there are so many amazing side dishes that go perfectly well with these steaks. Here are a few ideas you will love:

• Rice: Whether it’s Jamaican Pigeon Peas And Rice, brown jasmine rice, garlic rice, or jollof rice, you can pair it up with jerk eggplants to create a wholesome meal.
• Cauliflower rice: If you are looking for a super healthy vegetarian meal, make cauliflower rice and serve it alongside jerk eggplant.
• Bean chili: bean chili is delicious, flavorsome, and goes well with so many ingredients. Serve it alongside eggplant steaks, and I bet you will love it!
• Roasted vegetables: You can serve it with either sauté vegetables, stir fry, or roast vegetables. It will bring not just flavor but color as well.
• Curry: Rich Thai curry, whether it is red, green, or white, is super delicious and goes so well with rice and eggplant steak.
• Salad: Looking for something healthy and refreshing? Try the jerk eggplant with fresh garden salad or potato salad.
• Quinoa: Quinoa is super healthy! If you don’t want to pair it up with eggplant, you can use quinoa with it!
• Vegan Coleslaw: is cooling with a creamy sweet flavor that compliments the spicy flavor of jerk eggplant.

If you enjoyed this post and would love to see more, join me on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook & Twitter

Get discounted copies of my cookbook here.

Also please leave a star rating ;-)

Need some encouragement on your Healthier Steps journey?

Join our Facebook groups, sharing lots of delicious vegan and gluten-free recipes, health tips, etc., from our members. Please join us and invite your friends to Gluten-Free and Vegan For Beginners and Vegan Recipes With Love.