Try this easy baingan masala or eggplant/brinjal masala once and you will be back for more! It is so easy to make and so delicious with melting slivers of eggplant in a fiery red tomato onion sauce mellowed with peanuts.

A north Indian style Baingan Masala or Eggplant Masala puts in a frequent appearance on Indian restaurant menus, like that other popular masala dish, a chana masala. But making a restaurant style Baingan Masala at home is easy and the rewards are infinitely greater. For one you can make it as low in fat as you want with ingredients you pick and choose and know are fresh.
Most baingan masala recipes start out by deep frying the eggplant but we air-fry it without oil and combine it with potatoes, because eggplant, potatoes and peanuts? Yumm, it's a match made in flavor heaven. Douse all this goodness in a spicy tomato onion sauce and you have a winner!
Eat this baingan masala with roti or with jeera rice for a delicious meal you will relish and remember for a long time after the last crumb is gone.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this baingan masala
- A spicy curry with velvety eggplants and potatoes makes for happy and delicious eats. Air frying the vegetables beforehand makes sure they cook quickly. Eggplants, especially, need to be thoroughly cooked or they tend to taste bitter and even acrid.
- Eggplants are seasonal in summer and great for you. Eggplant (also called brinjal/aubergine) is among my most favorite vegetables and I cannot think of enough ways to enjoy this amazing veggie when it is plentiful during the warm summer months. There are many people out there who detest eggplants but that's likely because they either don't know how to cook one correctly or haven't eaten the right eggplant recipe. Undercooked eggplant is awful, but eggplant cooked to melting tenderness is sublime.
- The sauce is so easy to make. Blend up the tomatoes and onions with peanuts, then put it all into the saucepan and let it cook. You can't do wrong.
- The recipe works for all diets. If you are keto or low carb skip the potatoes. The recipe itself is soy-free and gluten-free and you can substitute the peanuts with a handful of sesame seeds if you are nut-free. You can make this recipe oil-free by skipping the tablespoon of oil used for frying the masala, but I recommend using it because it helps the masala become more flavorful.
Baingan Masala Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants (or eight small, round Indian eggplants). As a rule of thumb, don't use the large globe eggplant in Indian recipes (except Baingan Bharta) because it becomes rather mushy when cooked for long. But most other varieties of eggplant, like Chinese, Japanese, Thai and even Italian, are fine to use in this brinjal masala. Indian cooks often use the small, round Indian brinjals, whole with two crosswise slits down the middle, for this recipe. Those eggplants are not easy to find for those without access to an Indian store, but if there's one near you do use them.
- 2 medium potatoes. This is an optional ingredient if you are watching your carbs, but potatoes and eggplants (along with peanuts) are simply amazing together. Use red or yellow potatoes, and stay away from russets or starchy potatoes, which will break down easily.
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. If you don't have the paste use four cloves of garlic and a 1-inch knob of ginger.
- ¼ cup lightly roasted peanuts. Use 2 tablespoon lightly roasted sesame seeds as a substitute if you are nut-free.
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, like cayenne, or paprika if you prefer less heat.
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro or mint, for garnish. Cilantro is always great with Indian dishes but in summer I love adding mint for a lovely twist, and mint is also amazing with eggplant.
How to make baingan masala
- Air-fry the eggplant and potatoes: Place the eggplant slices in the air fryer basket and air-fry at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, tossing the basket halfway through to ensure everything cooks evenly. Repeat with the potato slices. You can coat the veggies with a bit of oil if you want before you air-fry but it is not necessary. Alternatively, if you don't have an air-fryer, fry the vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of oil until they are semi-tender. You can also toss the vegetables with a bit of oil, arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer, and broil them on high for 5-10 minutes.
- Blend the masala ingredients: Place the masala ingredients--onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and peanuts--in a blender and blend into a smooth puree. Set aside.
- In a wok or saucepan heat the oil. Add cumin seeds and, when they sputter, add the blended masala paste. Be sure to keep the heat low when you do this as the masala will sputter and bubble.
- Add remaining spices: These are garam masala, turmeric, cayenne or paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix.
- Cover the wok and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat or a medium flame until the masala is darker and glossy. Stir a few times in between so the masala doesn't stick. A good indicator of whether a masala paste has cooked is to check for droplets of oil separating and floating on top. Because we use very little oil in this recipe you likely won't see droplets on top but a glossier look and a darkening of the tomato paste is a good indicator that the masala is ready.
- Add the eggplant and potato slices to the wok. Mix them in and add ½ to 1 cup of water at this point to create a sauce. Cover again and let the veggies cook until they are tender. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro or mint and serve hot.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
- Freeze: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Reheat thoroughly in a saucepan or in a microwave. You might need to add some more water when you reheat. If you add water, always check if you need to add more salt too.
Frequently asked questions
We have already cut down the oil in this recipe significantly by air-frying the eggplants and potatoes instead of deep-frying them. I do recommend using the 1 tablespoon of oil to fry the masala sauce for the best flavor, but if you are oil-free you can skip it. Use a couple of tablespoons of vegetable stock instead.
You definitely can if you leave out the potatoes. Without the potatoes each serving of this recipe has just six net carbs.
You absolutely can! Using the basic tomato onion sauce will reduce cooking time for this recipe greatly. Just add three cups of the tomato onion sauce to the cumin seeds in the wok, skip all the other spices, and stir in ground peanuts and the air-fried veggie. Let it all cook together for 10-15 minutes. Add a bit of water to ensure the dish remains saucy and doesn't stick.
Baingan masala is wonderful with any Indian flatbread, like a roti or vegan naan. You can also serve it with basmati rice or jeera rice and a simple dal, like this yummy but simple dal, truly the best dal ever, or dal tadka.
More yummy eggplant recipes you might like
Baingan Masala
Equipment
- Saucepan (or wok)
- Air fryer (or oven)
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants (I used Italian eggplants. Use any variety other than the large globe eggplant. Cut the eggplant into slivers about two inches long and three-fourths of an inch thick. If using the small Indian eggplants you can leave them whole with the stem on and make two crosswise cuts from the top of the eggplant almost all the way to the stem)
- 2 medium potatoes (Cut into slivers. Use red or yellow potatoes)
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste (If you don't have the paste use four cloves of garlic and a 1-inch knob of ginger.)
- ¼ cup peanuts (lightly roasted. If nut-free substitute with 2 tablespoon lightly roasted sesame seeds)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika, or any red chili powder. Use less or more depending on your heat preference)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander (coriander powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (cumin powder)
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (coriander leaves, or mint, finely chopped)
Instructions
- Air-fry the eggplant and potatoes: Place the eggplant slices in the air fryer basket and air-fry at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, tossing the basket halfway through to ensure everything cooks evenly. Repeat with the potato slices. You can coat the veggies with a bit of oil if you want before you air-fry but it is not necessary. Alternatively, if you don't have an air-fryer, fry the vegetables in a couple of tablespoons of oil until they are semi-tender. You can also toss the vegetables with a bit of oil, arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer, and broil them on high for 5-10 minutes.
- Blend the masala ingredients: Place the masala ingredients--onions, tomatoes, ginger garlic paste and peanuts--in a blender and blend into a smooth puree. Set aside.
- In a wok or saucepan heat the oil. Add cumin seeds and, when they sputter, add the blended masala paste. Be sure to keep the heat low when you do this as the masala will sputter and bubble.
- Add remaining spices: These are garam masala, turmeric, cayenne or paprika, ground coriander and ground cumin. Add ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix.
- Cover the wok and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat or a medium flame until the masala is darker and glossy. Stir a few times in between so the masala doesn't stick. A good indicator of whether a masala paste has cooked is to check for droplets of oil separating and floating on top. Because we use very little oil in this recipe you likely won't see droplets on top but a glossier look and a darkening of the tomato paste is a good indicator that the masala is ready.
- Add the eggplant and potato slices to the wok. Mix them in and add ½ to 1 cup of water at this point to create a sauce. Cover again and let the veggies cook until they are tender. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro or mint and serve hot.
Recipe notes
- Substitute the chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) with chopped mint for a lovely, soothing, summery finish to the spicy baingan masala.
- You can make a dry baingan masala (instead of a saucy one) by adding very little to no water to the sauce as it cooks. If you do that, be sure to stir regularly to make sure the spices don't stick.
- You can make this baingan aloo masala low-carb friendly by leaving out the potatoes, which will reduce net carbs to 6 per serving.
Tom
So good, pretty easy!! I made it with the mint. Thanks for this one!
Chana
Can o use peanut butter instead of peanuts? How much would you recommend?
Vaishali
Use about 3 tbsp!
Killoran
I made this tonight, and it was easy and good. I had some leftover grilled eggplant, and a leftover baked potato, so I was halfway there. I ended up saving half the sauce, because it was just too much, but that just means even easier later this week. I may throw in some peas for color, and maybe some extra peanuts. Actually, I'll probably use peanut butter, because it's all ground up in the blender anyway. I didn't have any garam masala, but threw in some allspice and cumin (I googled that as a substitute) and to be safe added some of my favorite curry powder, which had a lot of the same spices anyway.
Vaishali
Sounds awesome! So happy you made it.
Anonymous
I was going to say the same thing, and jaggery. Also, I must have missed the masala in the list. And no temperature for the oven... a bit confusing but of course I used my common sense. My blender didn't chop the cloves & cinnamon very small, either. Next time I'd use powders. The flavor is good though, definitely not too spicy, and I added a little cayenne to kick it up a notch. Just a pinch, though spiciness is different for everyone!
Vaishali
Thanks, both, I appreciate the feedback and I've clarified in the recipe. Also, you need to set your oven to broil at high--there usually isn't a specific temperature for that setting.
I am glad you enjoyed it.
Miri
always looking for eggplant recipes and this one looks really interesting - will try it this week!
Madhavi
Great recipe Vaishali, eggplant with mint hummm sounds and look delicious!!!
ANJALI J.
wow, that looks so yummy.. will try that soon.
Alka
It looks really inviting....mint do give a fresh flavor to any dish..will surely try out this lovely combo
Priyanka
Vaishali, went through a lot of recipes on your blog...the mediterranean hummus- loved both the versions, also your rice salad is pretty unique. and the eggplant sabzi has got a pretty unique twist to it. will be trying out the sabzi and the hummus pretty soon.
delhibelle
Yum..another eggplant dish,you do them so well.
Love the addition of mint.
ChocolateCoveredVegan
Gosh, there are so many recipes of yours I want to try... I'm adding this one to my "to-make" list (it's quite long, because I'm quite lazy!)
Hima
Wow! The curry is so tempting.
Jayashree
I love mint too and i like the way you've combined it with eggplant.
Pearlsofeast
Sounds Great vaishali,all your ingredients are complementing each other.
I love mint flavour and it does change the taste of the dish.
notyet100
nice one,...hppy janmasthami....will try this one looks delicious,..