Aubergine caviar, or eggplant caviar, may sound sophisticated, however, it is very simple to make. It is made with baked eggplants with plenty of garlic, thyme and olive oil. A Summer vegan delight!

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Aubergine caviar is the French name for an eggplant dip you can serve at buffets or parties. I like to serve it over a bruschetta, and if I have some leftover, I serve it with pasta.
I have found many versions of this recipe with many more ingredients, but I prefer the simplicity of this version.
Ingredients
You need very few ingredients:
- 3 eggplants
- 6 peeled garlic cloves
- 6 spring of thyme
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
You can also use the round eggplants, they normally have fewer seeds than some long ones.
Step by step instructions with images
- Wash the eggplants and cut them in half.
- Lay them on a baking tray over a sheet of aluminium foil.
- Make diagonals diamond shape cuts and inset in the cuts the slices of garlic cloves.
- Sprinkle with thyme, salt pepper and olive oil.
- Cover with another sheet of aluminium foil and let it cook in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, and let it cool down completely.
- Remove only the skin of the eggplants, and put the pulp along with the garlic into a blender.
- Using the blender mix it until it has a pure texture
- Serve it sprinkled with some virgin olive oil and parsley on top to give it a bit of color.

How to serve it
I usually serve it together with other dips or toppings, and you can read my article on 4 Bruschette Toppings Using Virgin Olive Oil.
Top tips
- Make sure the eggplants don't have too many seeds
- If you prefer you can substitute thyme with basil
- The eggplants have to steam in the oven, so keep the temperature at 180 C - 350 F and cook them for a longer time if the pulp is not completely soft.
- Keep them cover in foil
- Let them cool down before you peel them, they will be very hot
Storage
The eggplant caviar keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, stored into an airtight container.
It is actually better if it is made the day before serving it, as the eggplants have the time to really absorb the flavor of the garlic and the herbs.
It can be frozen, although, its taste is better when fresh.
More vegan/vegetarian dips
If you are interested in more vegan dips, you can find the recipe for Black Olive Tapenade Recipe or Sicilian Caponata, which is a sweet and sour vegetable stew made with eggplants and other vegetables.
You can also try the Ciambotta or Giambotta, an Italian vegetable stew that can also be served as a side dish.
I also have a summery red pesto sauce made with fresh tomatoes or a winter Hot Artichoke Dip With Parmesan And Garlic for a vegetarian dip.
For more appetizers with eggplants, check out the story: 15 Authentic Italian Eggplant Recipes
I served this eggplant caviar with Socca chips, they are chips made with chickpeas flour cooked in the oven. Unfortunately, they are only sold here in the Cote d'Azur and they are delicious.
Socca is classic street food from Nice and if you want to try to make it, you will find here the recipe:
Socca or Farinata: chickpeas pancakes
Recipes with eggplants you might also like
For more eggplant recipes, check out the category: Mediterranean Vegetables & Fruits
Also check the recipes below:
- Grilled zucchini eggplants and peppers
- Baked Eggplant Pasta Anelletti
- Sicilian Caponata Recipe
- Deep Fried Eggplant Balls
- Easy Ratatouille Recipe Baked
- Healthy Eggplant Parmesan
- Pasta with Swordfish Ragu and Eggplants
- Vegetarian Rice Timbale with Grilled Eggplants Recipe
- Pizza with Fresh Vegetables
- Traditional Pasta Alla Norma with Eggplants
If you are making the Eggplant caviar, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
📋Aubergine caviar - Eggplant Caviar
Ingredients (Commissions Earned)
- 3 eggplants
- 6 peeled garlic cloves
- 6 thyme
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Equipment (Commissions Earned)
Instructions
- Wash the aubergines and cut them in half.3 eggplants
- Lay them on a baking tray over a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Make diagonals diamond shape cuts and inset in the cuts the slices of garlic cloves.6 peeled garlic cloves
- Sprinkle with thyme, salt pepper and olive oil.6 thyme, olive oil, salt & pepper
- Cover with another sheet of aluminium foil and let it cook in a hot oven at 350F - 180C for 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, and let it cool down completely.
- Remove only the skin of the eggplants, and put the pulp along with the garlic into a blender.
- Using the blender mix it until it has a pure texture
- Serve it sprinkled with some virgin olive oil and parsley on top to give it a bit of colour.olive oil
Video
Notes
- Make sure the eggplants don't have too many seeds
- If you prefer you can substitute thyme with basil
- The eggplants have to steam in the oven, so keep the temperature at 180 C - 350 F and cook them for a longer time if the pulp is not completely soft.
- Keep them cover in foil
- Let them cool down before you peel them, they will be very hot
Patty @pattysaveurs.com
Lovely recipe Laura, I love this aubergine caviar, never made it though, I really should remember about it for my next gathering, seems that everybody loves it! 🙂
Laura
the name is so posh, but it is really very simple
Anna
Nice recipe but so far the aubergines (which are quite small) have been in the oven for 1h 45 minutes and they need about another 15 minutes so I’m glad I wasn’t making this on a time limit.
Laura
Anna, thank you for your feedback. Usually, 1 hour is enough for me. Did you cover them with aluminium foil? If too long they will dry too much. This recipe is best to make ahead of time as it has to cool down before serving.
Gala
Laura, very interesting! I love eggplant caviar but have slightly different recipe. Usually, caviar is fish eggs meaning:) I thought it is only in Russia , where I am from, this unusual name for this kind of dishes. In Russian cuisine we have also squash caviar ( deep, spread), eggplants caviar, mushroom caviar, beets coviar... I like your blog and need visit more often!
Laura
Thank you Gala for your comment. In France, they use the name caviar a lot, especially here in the South of France where there is an historic strong influence from Russia. The French love to use fancy names for food. Caviar makes it so refined