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With the dog days of summer comes a bounty of eggplant. Some are bulbous and deep violet, others slim and lilac, others still bright white or even speckled. This member of the nightshade family is often misunderstood, outshined by tomatoes, and it’s understandable: If not prepared quite right, eggplant can be off-puttingly spongy or unpleasantly bitter. But when done well, eggplant has a mild flavor that soaks up whatever it’s cooked with, and a creamy texture akin to custard. A lot of that success hinges on the eggplant variety.
Whether you’re grilling, stir-frying, or sautéing, tossing the sliced or cubed produce into ratatouille, caponata, or stew, it’s important to know which types of eggplant can seamlessly transition from dish to dish, and which varieties should be saved for specific recipes. Once you get into the weeds of heirloom styles, you’ll find there are umpteen types of eggplant. Here are 10 we know and love, plus some exceptionally tasty recipes you can make with each.
American or Globe Eggplant
Fat and deep purple, globe eggplants (a.k.a. American eggplants) are the variety you’ll typically see year-round in grocery stores. Because of their large surface area, they hold up well to grilling when thickly sliced and brushed with olive oil, and get crisp when fried for your new favorite sandwich or snack. They’re also lovely roasted or grilled whole, then blended into a creamy dip like baba ganoush. While you don’t have to peel them, American eggplant’s thicker skin can be tough or bitter if not cooked for long enough.
Italian Eggplant
At first glance, Italian eggplants look just like globe eggplant but slightly smaller—this ultimately means the flesh is more tender when cooked. Try them in eggplant Parmesan, saucy eggplant adobo, or grill the halves and serve with a spicy tomato sauce and peanuts. Though more globe-shaped than Italian eggplant, another variety known as Sicilian eggplant is also part of this category. Some heirloom Italian eggplants look totally different, like the round-shaped lavender-skinned Rosa Bianca eggplant. All can be used interchangeably in recipes.
Chinese Eggplant
With skin ranging from lilac to purple and sweet flesh, slim Chinese eggplants are the style you should make for those who claim they don’t like eggplant. This quick-cooking variety can be grilled whole, or sliced and tossed into stir-fries. In eggplant recipes, it’s often listed interchangeably with Japanese eggplant, another slim and sweet variety, as is the case in these recipes for hiyayakko and eggplant biryani.
Fairy Tale Eggplant
Creamy fairy tale eggplants are petite (even the large ones are just a few inches long!), with white- and purple-streaked thin skin. Thanks to their minimally seeded flesh, fairy tale eggplants need minimal fussing to be tasty. A slick of oil and a trip to the skillet or grill pan will get the job done for a quick side dish, but if you have a few extra minutes, try them slow-roasted with lemon and fennel, or served over an earthy cashew butter with pickled peppers.
Graffiti Eggplant
With fewer seeds, a teardrop shape, and speckled white and purple skin (reminiscent of, well, graffiti), graffiti eggplants are sweet and creamy when cooked. Grill them whole until tender, split them open like baked potatoes, and dollop with a lemony tahini sauce.
Indian Eggplant
Small and round, with deep purple skin, Indian eggplants are often labeled (very cutely) at the farmers market as baby eggplants. “Baby” comes from the fact that Indian eggplants look exactly like tiny globe eggplants. Fully grown, Indian eggplants are only about two inches long, roughly the size and shape of a large egg, making them great for quickly cooking whole. Shower them in fragrant spices like coriander, cumin, and turmeric, slowly pan-fry, and nestle in a tangy raita, as in this spiced baby eggplants recipe.
Japanese Eggplant
Though often labeled as Chinese eggplant (or even simply as “Asian eggplant”), identify slim Japanese eggplant by its deeper purple skin. Typically shorter than the Chinese variety, both grill, sauté, and braise in a similar manner. Japanese eggplant go silky-smooth in these spicy braised eggplant noodles, unfussy enough for a weeknight.
Thai Eggplant
These little green eggplants are hard to find outside of certain farmers markets and specialty grocery stores, but when you can get your hands on Thai eggplant, pounce! Cultivated throughout Southeast Asia, these tiny eggplants look different from most other varieties. Crunchy and mild, they’re often eaten raw—slice them into a salad, or serve with other fresh veg and a dip. (Like apples and potatoes, eggplants turn brown soon after they’re sliced so, if you plan to devour them raw, use immediately or soak in salt water until you’re ready to eat.) You’ll find these eggplants stewed in the southern Thai dish kaeng tai pla, and raw or grilled in the northern Thai salad yum makua. They’d also really shine in a lemongrass and coconut curry with other summer produce.
White Eggplant
With a slightly milder flavor than globe or Italian eggplants, the main element that sets white eggplant apart from other varieties is, of course, its white skin. Despite the visual difference, white eggplant can be swapped in for just about any eggplant in recipes. I love them split, roasted, miso-glazed, and topped with chewy grains.
Heirloom Eggplants
If we tried to list every variety of eggplant, we’d be here ’til next summer. Though you may associate the term “heirloom” with tomatoes, heirloom can apply to myriad fruits or veggies: It simply means a cultivar that predates modern or commercial agriculture. Heirloom eggplant seeds have been passed down from older generations of farmers, and can be just about any variation of the Solanum melongena, or eggplant, crop.
A few to seek out: black beauty, ping tung, Cambodian green giant, white egg, and little fingers. Just as some specific eggplants varieties can be used interchangeably, heirlooms will thrive even when a recipe calls for another type. A good rule of thumb is to treat similarly sized eggplants the same way: Use the big guys in grilling recipes, sauté the teenier ones. When in doubt, roast halved or sliced eggplant until fork-tender, season boldly, and you’re golden.
