Low Carb Eggplant Pizza
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Published Oct 04, 2018, Updated Jan 23, 2023
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A low carb eggplant pizza recipe that uses sliced eggplant instead of a carb-heavy breaded crust. Tons of flavor and super simple to assemble, this recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
Does anyone else feel like eggplant is a forgotten veggie? I mean, besides the eggplant emoji, when is the last time you thought about eggplant? Or purchased eggplant? Or maybe you’ve never even eaten it before?!
I remember the first time I tried eggplant… it was post-college and layered with cheese and basil and pan-fried to perfection. I loved it, but if I’m being honest, eggplant isn’t a veggie I buy on the regular.
But lately, Isaac and I have been low-key obsessed with this eggplant pizza, so I see a lot more eggplant in my near future.
Eggplant is a great “vehicle” for flavor. What do I mean by this? It’s pretty mild on its own so it pairs really well with complex flavors, making it a great base for a recipe! I had the idea of creating a pizza using eggplant as the crust one weekend when pizza was on my brain. I love that this pizza is easily made low carb by using eggplant and how simple this pizza was to create (aka much easier than putting together a cauliflower crust!).
It’s definitely more of a fork and knife pizza, but trust me when I say that it’s really delicious and just like regular pizza. And you can top it with anything you desire! I made this veggie version to share, but I’ve also made a meat version with chicken sausage from our local farmers market and it was phenomenal. If you want a little more protein, follow the instructions for how to add ground meat (or veggie crumbles) to the recipe.
Benefits of Eating Eggplant
Eggplants are very nutrient dense – meaning they pack a lot of vitamins and minerals in without a ton of calories. They’re low in carbs, but high in fiber, folate, potassium and manganese along with other vitamins and minerals. One important thing to note: eggplant, just like tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and tomatillos, are in the nightshade family. Nightshades are typically safe to consume but they do contain alkaloids so if you’re someone who struggles with autoimmune conditions, IBS or other food sensitives consuming nightshades might contribute to your condition. Learn more about nightshades here.
Is Eggplant Good for Losing Weight?
Because of eggplant’s texture, flavor and ability to replace higher-calorie foods, eggplants are great to incorporate when trying to lose weight – and this recipe is the perfect example! Instead of making or ordering pizza with a doughy crust loaded with calories, you can easily make this eggplant pizza that is packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals! All the pizza flavor is still there — you’re just replacing the crust with something a bit healthier.
How Do You Cook Eggplant?
There is a myth that raw eggplant is poisonous. This isn’t true, however, the leaves and flowers of the plant can be toxic. And like I mentioned above, plants in the nightshade family, all contain alkaloids. One alkaloid present in eggplant is called solanine and it can be poisonous when consumed in extremely large quantities.
So yes, eggplant is okay to consume raw, but at the end of the day it tastes much better cooked – plus there are so many ways to cook it! You can eat the skin and the small seeds, just make sure you cut off the green stem on the top. You can cut it into strips (lengthwise) or into rounds (widthwise). Bake it, roast it, grill it, pan-fry it… so many options. As for peeling eggplant, you certainly don’t have to peel them – it’s really your choice. The skin is completely edible, but sometimes with larger eggplants, the skin can be a little tough and you may want to consider peeling.
For this low carb eggplant pizza recipe I didn’t find the skin to be too tough, but if you’re using a large eggplant and don’t want to deal with biting through the tough skin, go ahead and peel your eggplant before using it in this recipe.
More Eggplant Recipes
More Healthy Pizza Inspired Recipes
- Cauliflower Pizza
- Spaghetti Squash Pizza Crust
- Tortilla Pizzas with Hummus
- Pizza Trail Mix
- Naan Pizza with Butternut Squash and Pesto
- Zucchini Pizza Bites
- Easy Tortilla Pizzas
- Cloud Bread Pizza
- Protein Pizza
Low Carb Eggplant Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2-1 cup no sugar added pizza sauce*
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- sea salt, to taste
- ground pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh oregano
- crushed red pepper, optional
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cut eggplant: Slice the eggplant lengthwise, about 1/4-1/3 inch thick. Brush or rub a little olive oil on each side of the eggplant slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking stone. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 7-10 minutes, or until eggplant is hot and starting to cook down.
- Sauté: Meanwhile grab a skillet, add 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté the garlic and onion until soft (about 3-4 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add pizza sauce and spinach to the skillet and cook for 1-2 additional minutes until mixture is warm and spinach has wilted.
- Adding toppings: Remove the eggplant slices from the oven, top each with the onion and spinach mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and chopped oregano. Place in the oven for approximately 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Serve: Serve immediately with more fresh oregano and crushed red pepper.
Video
Notes
- For the pizza sauce you can make your own using my recipe or use store-bought. My favorite store-bought option is Rao’s Homemade.
- If you’d like to add more protein to this dish, simply add about 8 oz of ground chicken sausage or veggie sausage to the skillet with the garlic and onion. Sauté until sausage is thoroughly cooked and then add your pizza sauce and spinach.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yummy!
I love eggplant so I can only imagine and how delicious it would taste with this pizza inspired recipe!
How do you slice eggplant lengthwise that thin? Mandoline? Really steady hands?
This sounds delicious.
Just steady hands! I think slicing with a mandoline would make them a little too thin.
This was delicious! I’ve never had eggplant before, but I was looking for gluten free recipes and decided to try this one. I did the vegan version, but adding sausage would be delicious, too. It has a lot of great flavor and it’s simple to make. I had all of the prep dishes and utensils washed before it finished baking.
Hi, just looking over your recipes and enlightening information. As a gluten free and now turned grain free individual, I am thankful to see your scrumptious recipes and look forward to trying them.
Thanks! Beverly
Looks amazing!! I’m wondering if these can be made ahead of time and left in the fridge or will the eggplant become mushy?
I think it might become mushy. I think it’s best eaten immediately.
The BEST recipe. I missed pizza trying to avoid bread products, this is such a wonderful treat. Thank you!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Louise! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
This is in response to Gen’s question, ” I’m wondering if these can be made ahead of time and left in the fridge?” You can pre-bake the eggplant slices the day before, store in the fridge in an airtight box. Rewarm for 5 minutes a 150C (300F), then spread the toppings, broil cheese and serve! The taste and texture are just as good if you had just made them.
Made it for lunch today and it’s delicious. I used frozen spinach and cheddar cheese as that’s all I had, will try the real version next time.
It was pretty easy to make. Only downside is that the slices fell apart when I tried to put them on my plate, very floppy and hard to transfer!
but they look and taste great 🙂 Thanks for the recipe
So delicious! Definitely making this again. Thanks for the recipe! Highly recommend!
Awesome!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Marissa! And thank you so much for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it.
I made these and they where amazing
Absolutely delicious! I added some bacon and spicy sausage to satisfy my husband but I can’t begin to thank you for this recipe! It was so flavourful, and moist and all the flavours blended together perfectly.
I thought it was pretty good. I think I may have cut slices too thick so I had to cook longer so I believe that caused them to get mushy. I’m not sure, this was the first time I ever cooking and ate anything with eggplant
Delicious, Simple, very little time to make it and very healthy. Just love it!
Ahh yay!! I love hearing that, Rashmi. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it!
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I have been trying to find a way to have pizza/parmigiana that is low calorie and this was amazing. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! But do be aware to anyone wanting to try this beauty, if your eggplant slices are too thick they will require longer to cook in the oven otherwise they can be undercooked, so try to slice them all even if possible.
Yay!! I’m so glad you found this recipe and enjoyed it, Bee! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Why is the sodium so high? Looks fabulous but I have to watch my sodium this is really high yet the ingredients do not seem high does this reflect the recipe if you were making it with the meat?
Hey Christine – That’s just based on the ingredients I used. The sodium is going to depend on the ingredients you use, especially the pizza sauce and cheese. If you’re watching your sodium, I’d just make sure to get a sauce with no salt added and use a cheese that’s low-sodium. You can also add less salt to the recipe.
This is not a pizza.
This is an already existing Mediterranean dish.
It would be nice if you didn’t try to pass this as an “invention”.
In response to the ridiculous 1 star comment complaining about how this was a stolen Mediterranean dish, this is a fabulous find on Pinterest for a search of “carb free pizza”, “gluten free pizza”, or “dough free pizza”, and it’s delicious! Excuse this food blogger for not memorizing every dish from every international cuisine in the world.
Just made these for lunch, it was so good! Definitely making them again tomorrow. Thank you for sharing the recipe X
Ahh you’re so welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sara. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! This was dinner tonight and this will be an often meal!!!! I used all listed ingredients and added sausage, squash, mushrooms, and green pepper and it was incredible!
Ahh yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Anita. I’m so glad this pizza recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
This was DELICIOUS! My first recipe from your site and I know I’ll definitely be coming back for more
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Lidia!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
This was delicious!! My 14yr old ate it faster than I did. Will be adding this to “the list” of go to low carb, easy & flavorful dishes. Thank you!!
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it, Stacey. 🙂
Delicious recipe. I found this at a great time since I have an abundance of squash in my garden.
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Tammy. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
I’m from Australia, the eggplants can vary in size. How many slices roughly does this count to the 1/2 or full serving size?
Hey Jade – about 3 slices for 1/2 the serving and 6 for the full serving. 🙂
I LOVE eggplants and I LOVE this recipe. I used carrot greens instead of spinach and a different cheese since I had those things at home already. Delicious!
Woo-hoo!! So glad you love this recipe, Isabell! Thanks for taking the time to come back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Just made this. Delicious! Better than I even imagined!
Ahh yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lisa! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. <3
Excellent!!!
New to healthy eating- this is the second one of your recipes and it did not disappoint.
The Cheesy Cauliflower Nachos is a MUST TRY.
Thank you for keeping me on the road to healthier choices!
I love the recipie!!! Delicious. Mine came out a little mushy. I was wondering if there are any tricks to make it crispier?
Hey i havent tried this recipe but mabye it you have an air fryer mabye try that
I had left over marina sauce, so I just used it in stead of the pizza sauce. So good!!!
Thinking of making this recipe, but I’m the only one in my house that eats eggplant. How does it freeze?
I haven’t tried freezing it and I wouldn’t recommend it. It might make the eggplant mushy when reheating it.
If frozen, it might reheat better if you heat slices on a medium hot skillet and cover, like I reheat all leftover pizza. The hot pan can help crisp up what might otherwise be a soggy crust.
If scots freezing too, but it’s better than throwing it out. If not good, don’t repeat, lol.
Have made this a few times since coming across this recipe. Delicious! Thank you for sharing.
Ahh yay! So glad this pizza was a hit. Thanks for making it and for taking the time to leave a comment + star rating. I appreciate it!
made It and it’s heavenly
Love it
Bought my first eggplant yesterday after seeing this recipe. Cant wait to try it. Ive lost 30 lbs since july so trying to find new healthier options to keep from getting burnt out on my diet.
I made this and added extra protein, anduolli sausage & pepperoni. It was excellent! I also made lasagna by adding ricotta & layering…even better!
Woo!! So glad it was a hit, Carol. Thanks for making this recipe and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
I’m making Tonight!! Can I cut eggplant the other way does it matter?
Making tonight! Can I slice the other way? Does it matter?
I don’t think it would matter! Let me know how it turns out for you!!
I have always loved eggplant. I grow eggplants in my garden and always make eggplant parmigiana. Today, I made the low-carb eggplant pizza using my eggplants and fresh oregano from my garden. Very easy recipe and the results were amazing!! Now I have another eggplant recipe to compliment my own eggplant parmigiana recipe!! Thank you!!
Yay! So glad this recipe was a hit, Chis! Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it.
Thank you. I adore eggplant and eat it weekly. This recipe is now saved in my Everything Eggplant Pinterest file!!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear, Cherianna! Thanks for the review. It means the world to me!
This was lovely, although I had no spinach to add, but I made it anyway, even the children loved it ❤️
Yay!! I’m so pumped you all enjoyed this pizza, Michelle! Thanks for making it and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate the feedback!
Easy to make and very tasty. Slurp!
This recipe is a favorite in the summertime when the garden is producing almost more eggplant than we can handle. I use Ichiban type eggplants and cut them in long slices, arranging them on a pan, and treating the whole thing like one big pizza. I usually leave out the spinach and add lots of basil, also from the garden.
Yay!! I’m so happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying this eggplant pizza, Shawna! Thanks for the review. It means the world to me!
I always have plenty of basil in my garden and since it’s healthier than cooked spinach am looking for new ways to use it; great substitution for spinach, and came out great.
Happy to hear this recipe was a success, Laurence! Thanks for the review 🙂
This was delicious! We had it as a side dish with seafood. Recipe is a keeper.
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for the review, Ellen!
Although it had great flavor, before you can pawn it off as pizza it needs to be drier.Much too soggy and l followed the directions pretty good
Thanks for the feedback, Charles. I appreciate you trying it!
need to put in your recipe on nutrition chart how much saturated fat and cholesterol.
i just wanted to say, i love your blog
Loved this recipe.I have a tendency to buy eggplant and not get around to using it in time since some recipes are long and involved. This was quick, easy & used ingredients I usually have on hand. I added some leftover peppers & sausage and some dollops of ricotta cheese I needed to use up. It was delicious!
So glad you loved this recipe, Cathy! Thanks for making it and for the review. I so appreciate it.
My family loved this, and I’ve already recommended to my sister! I used dried tomato spread and Italian seasoning instead of pizza sauce, and that worked great! The second time I made it (in two days) I made a lot more onions and spinach for the topping. I also had marinated mozzarella in my fridge, so I used that cut in pieces. Delicious!
Woo!! So pumped to hear this eggplant pizza was a hit, Amy! Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Your PIZZA RECIPE steps is so great. I’m glad i came across this similar recipe as mine…..
Great content. Period!
I wouldn’t say it’s just a pizza because for me the dough is what makes pizza. Perhaps its just an european thing 😉 This for me tastes more like a zuchini/eggplant lasagna but netherless its very good ! Simple, healthier, quick to make with easy and inexpensive ingredients. Im eating low carb because of my insulin resistance and this recipe is a bomb. Great way to clean fridge out of some leftovers.
Just mad this pizza and am having it for dinner. Amazing, thank you!
Yay!! Happy to hear it, Gabi. Thanks so much for the review!
So easy and quick! Also delicious, definitely going to make again!
Woo! So glad to hear this recipe worked out for you, Noha! Thanks for coming back to leave a review and star rating, it means a lot to me!
This was a hit for me and my husband. It was a great way to use the leftover marinara with turkey sausage. I added yellow squash and mushrooms. Thank you for the recipe!
Woo! Love to hear you and your husband loved this recipe, Carolyn. Thanks for leaving a review, I appreciate it so much!
Loved it. Good for a quick light meal. I topped it with black olives & fresh banana pepper slices. Used a little Parmesan & mozzarella cheese. On our way to healthy eating.
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that, Deb. Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment and review!
Thank you for this recipe. It’s a keeper. Turned out great!
Hi Samantha, thank you for your comment and review! So glad you liked this one.
Great idea!
Thank you so much, Anthony! I really appreciate it!
Just wondering how you come up with such a high carb count on this?
Hi Jane – It looks like a majority of the carbs are coming from the eggplant itself (plus the sauce and oregano). A few ways to cut it down would be to use a different sauce and using dried oregano instead of fresh. Hope you enjoy this recipe.
great and tasty recipe… eating health food on your way
Excellent, glad you are enjoying this recipe! I appreciate your review!
Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make this again.
Perfect! So glad you are loving this recipe, Olivia. Thank you so much for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Very nice , delicious and nutritious. Liked it .
Excellent! I am glad you are enjoying this recipe. Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
God save me!! So many ads and non related videos. So frustrating. Trying to find the video and can’t find it.
So sorry you are running into the issue, Esther. The video can be found here!