Roasted Baby Eggplant
on Jul 22, 2025, Updated Sep 16, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Roasted Baby Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce is one of my favorite no-fuss recipes that feels like home and requires minimal effort 🙅🏻♀️. It looks and tastes like a restaurant-worthy meal, but is deceptively simple. Inspired by Balkan and Mediterranean kitchens, it pairs earthy eggplant 🍆 with a creamy garlic-dill 🧄🌱 yogurt sauce for an oh-so-satisfying contrast of textures, temperatures and tastes. The best part? It comes in at only 216 calories per serving – light enough to be a side and hearty enough to pull its weight as a main course. You can have it on the table in 30 minutes, making it ideal for weeknights or anytime you need something easy and nourishing.
Looking for a classic technique? See my base roasted eggplant recipe here → Roasted Eggplant Recipe.
Why You’ll Love Roasted Baby Eggplant
Golden and caramelized on the outside, with a velvety inside that practically melts in your mouth, these Roasted Baby Eggplants 🍆 with yogurt cream strike the perfect balance between crispy and cool. If you’ve never tried roasted eggplant with yogurt sauce, you’re in for a flavor combination that’s light and refreshing, yet deeply satisfying. Adorable baby eggplants are halved, scored and roasted in salt and 🫒 olive oil. A sauce made with fresh dill, zesty garlic and tangy yogurt add contrast to the hearty eggplant, elevating humble ingredients into something memorable. With layers of flavor in each crave-worthy bite, this dish is both exciting and comforting – like a warm hug from your bapche 👵🏼.
Ingredients
🍆 Eggplant: The baby eggplants in this recipe are actually fairy variety. They’re naturally sweet with a more tender skin than standard eggplants. Translation: they require less cooking time and crisp up beautifully.
🫒 Olive Oil: A light drizzle of good quality olive oil helps the baby eggplant caramelize nicely. However, feel free to use avocado oil instead.
🧂Salt: I like to use Redmond Real Salt to help draw out the moisture and enhance the naturally sweet, earthy flavor.
😋 Yogurt: I use plain 2% yogurt to create a light and refreshing sauce that balances the heartiness of the eggplant, but you can use full-fat or Greek yogurt for richness.
🧄 Garlic: Fresh minced garlic gives the sauce savory depth of flavor.
🌱 Dill: Fresh dill gives this dish a distinctly Mediterranean and Balkan flair. It’s got a citrusy and slightly sweet flavor profile that pairs beautifully with roasted veggies.
Nonna’s Tip 🍆
You can use any eggplant of choice but the bake time will depend on the size so keep an eye on them. I used fairy eggplants but any small ones will work. Also, if you don’t want to score each halve, you don’t have to.
Variations and Substitutions for Roasted Baby Eggplant
- Any variety of eggplant 🍆 will work for this recipe. Keep in mind you may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your veggies. You could even halve and quarter a standard eggplant to make ‘baby’ bites.
- Dill gives this dish a kick without being spicy. Feel free to use other fresh herbs 🌱 like tarragon, basil, parsley, or any of your favorites on hand in your yogurt cream sauce.
- Make this dish vegan by subbing the yogurt for your favorite vegan kind, like coconut or cashew.
- Add a squeeze of lemon or lemon zest 🍋 for a bit of brightness.
- Instead of using raw garlic, you could roast your garlic in olive oil before adding it to the sauce for a more subtle flavor.
Best Served With
- Watermelon Feta Salad or for all the summer vibes 😎.
- As a side dish to these juicy Greek Chicken Gyros.
- Italian Bruschetta for all the garlicky goodness 🧄.
- A simple salad 🥗 like this Authentic Greek Salad or Maroulosalata (Greek Lettuce Salad).
Similar Recipes
Roasted Eggplant Recipe
45 mins
Eggplant Rolls
1 hr
Zucchini Lasagna Rolls
50 mins
Roasted Eggplant Dip
1 hr 20 mins
Common Questions
Yes, you can! But keep in mind that Greek yogurt is a bit tangier and will make the sauce thicker. You may need more water to thin out the consistency.
Yes! If you can’t get your hands on baby eggplants, then large ones will work. You may need to adjust the cooking time, since larger ones might need a few extra minutes to caramelize.
Scoring the eggplant helps it to cook more evenly and absorb seasonings better. This technique creates more surface area that help achieve those golden caramelized edges.
Of course! Substitute yogurt for your favorite plant-based variety, like coconut or cashew.
Nope! The skin is edible, which means less prep work for you 🙌!
Roasted Baby Eggplant
Video
Ingredients
Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup yogurt , plain 2%
- 2 tablespoons water, to thin it out if needed
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 pinch salt, to taste
Instructions
The Eggplant
- Note: you can use any eggplant of choice but the bake time will depend on the size so keep an eye on them. I used fairy eggplants but any small ones will work. Also, if you don't want to score each halve, you don't have to.
- Wash and dry the baby eggplants. Cut each one in half and optionally, score each halve. I like to score the inside of the eggplant making lengthwise cuts all the way to the end, followed by diagonal cuts with a knife. You should have a diamond or a square pattern.
- Add a pinch of salt onto each one and a nice drizzle of olive oil on a baking sheet. Place each halve on the oiled baking sheet, flat side down.
- Bake at 425F (220C) until golden. Mine took 25-30 min but keep an eye on them as the bake time will depend on the size and oven.
Yogurt Sauce
- In the meantime make the yogurt sauce. To a bowl, add: yogurt, salt, garlic, dill, and water if needed to thin it out. Mix well. Don't forget to taste and adjust for salt in small increments any time you cook or make sauces until desired saltiness.
- Take the eggplant out of the oven, arrange on a plate and drizzle the sauce on top! Enjoy.
Notes
- Eggplant varieties: Any variety of eggplant will work for this recipe. Keep in mind you may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the size of your veggies. You could even halve and quarter a standard eggplant to make ‘baby’ bites.
- Herbs: Dill gives this dish a kick without being spicy. Feel free to use other fresh herbs like tarragon, basil, parsley, or any of your favorites on hand in your yogurt cream sauce.
- Vegan alternative: Make this dish vegan by subbing the yogurt for your favorite vegan kind, like coconut or cashew.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
who would have thought that a little 🍆 eggplant could be so so so so amazing!
The Modern Nonna told me that size does NOT matter… She is right! The smaller the egg plant, the better it is!
Loved this and excited to make it again and again!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. We loved it.
This is my favorite kind of food…simple and rustic, elevated with good-quality whole ingredients. Simply delish! Thank you!🙏
This was absolutely delicious, will definitely make it again.