How To Preserve Eggplant & Keep That Earthy Flavor!

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Explore How to Preserve Eggplant in this sweet and easy guide — between dehydrating, and freezing, these step-by-step instructions will help you preserve as much as you can!

A close-up of sliced eggplant on a wooden cutting board, with two whole eggplants in the background. The website blessthismessplease.com is printed on the bottom edge, perfect for illustrating how to preserve eggplant.

Preserving Guide: How To Preserve Eggplant

Don’t let your beautiful eggplants go to waste! This glossy purple vegetable has a relatively short storage life, but with the right preservation techniques, you can enjoy eggplant’s rich, earthy flavor for months to come.

No matter how you’ve gotten your hands on this delicious vegetable, knowing how to successfully freeze or dehydrate it for preservation will always be useful to extend your eggplant’s shelf life while maintaining its flavor and nutritional value!

Preserving Guide: How To Preserve Eggplant
When To Harvest Eggplant
How To Store Eggplant
Dehydrating Eggplant
Canning Eggplant
Freezing Eggplant
Expert Tips
More Tips For Preserving The Harvest

When To Harvest Eggplant

You should harvest your eggplant as soon as the skin becomes glossy.

How To Store Eggplant

Eggplants should only be stored at room temperature.

Dehydrating Eggplant

CUT: Wash, trim, and cut into ¼-inch slices.
DIPPING: Water or steam blanch
- Water blanch: 3 minutes
- Steam blanch: 3-4 minutes
DEHYDRATOR: 12-14 hours
APPEARANCE WHEN DRY: leathery to brittle

Canning Eggplant

Canning eggplant is not recommended.

A glass jar of dried eggplant sits behind a fresh eggplant; below, a black bowl holds various colorful eggplants—showcasing how to preserve eggplant. Text at the bottom reads blessthismessplease.com.

Freezing Eggplant

PREPARING EGGPLANT

Harvest before seeds become mature and when color is uniformly dark.
Wash, peel and slice 1/3-inch thick.
Prepare quickly and only enough eggplant for one blanching at a time.

FREEZING EGGPLANT

Water blanch 4 minutes in 1 gallon of boiling water containing 1/2 cup lemon juice.
Cool, drain and package, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Pack the drained slices with freezer wrap between slices.
Seal and freeze.

🍎🫙 Get a free Preserving Guide for all the details to dehydrate, can, and freeze 42 fruits and vegetables — get the FREE GUIDE here!

Expert Tips

Storage Time: Storage times vary by preservation method. Properly blanched and frozen eggplant lasts 8-12 months in the freezer. Dehydrated eggplant can be stored for 1-2 years in airtight containers away from light.
Prevent Browning: The key is to work quickly and use acid to prevent oxidation. Adding lemon juice during preparation helps maintain color. For freezing, blanching immediately after cutting prevents browning, while oil preservation naturally protects against oxidation.
Ridding Moisture: Before preserving your eggplant, it may help to slice it and generously salt the pieces, letting them sit in a colander for 30-45 minutes. This step draws out bitter compounds and excess moisture that can ruin preservation efforts. Rinse thoroughly and pat completely dry with paper towels before proceeding.