Pickled eggplants the Italian way for your antipasto platters, delicious panini, and cheese boards.

pickled eggplants Italian recipe
pickled eggplants recipe

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of pickled eggplants canning for my Fall and Winter cheese boards and charcuterie plates. 

The kitchen is full of jars, lids, and labels, and I’ve had no problems finding pickled eggplant recipes for canning here: Italian cuisine is full of food preserving and pickles recipes.

Traditionally, “casalinghe” (=housewives) dedicate a big part of their early Fall kitchen activity to preserving. Canned tomatoes and passata are the must-haves, but many also make vegetables, jams, pesto… and pickled eggplants!

Here’s how to make Italian pickled eggplants in oil, the Italian recipe: pickled eggplant strips or slices, cooked in vinegar and preserved in oil.

pickled eggplants Italian ingredients
pickled eggplants recipe  from Italy

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pickled eggplants recipe

Course canning recipes
Cuisine Italian
Author Claudia Rinaldi | Gourmet Project



  1. Peel the eggplants (completely or partially if you like them a little sour) and slice them (medium size slices).
  2. Place them in a tray or bowl and sprinkle them with salt (if you need to display them on different layers, salt each layer).
  3. Set them aside for at least an hour.
  4. Rinse them, drain them and wrap them in a kitchen cloth (in 15 minutes it should absorb most of the remaining water).
  5. Fill a medium pot of water, add the vinegar, the bay leaves, and the peppercorns, and bring them to a boil.
  6. Meanwhile thinly slice the onion.
  7. When water is boiling, add the sliced onion and eggplants. Cook 2 minutes.
  8. Drain the eggplants well and display them on a new kitchen cloth. Bring them to room temperature.
  9. Meanwhile thinly slice or chop the garlic clove and the chili. And remove the leaves from the thyme sprig.
  10. Take a sterilized, medium size jar. Pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Display a layer of eggplant slices, sprinkle them with a few slices of garlic, a pinch of chili and one of thyme leaves. Repeat with a second layer and go on until you’ve filled the jar (leave an inch from the border free).
  11. Close the jar with a clean, sterilized lid.
pickled eggplants Italian cooking
pickled eggplants from Italy

Enjoy your pickled eggplants!