Eggplant (Aubergine): Nutrients, What Research Shows and Safety

Eggplant, also called aubergine, is the fruit of Solanum melongena L., a plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), the same family as tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. People eat the cooked flesh and usually the skin, and they eat it for fiber, minerals and the purple skin pigment. This page keeps the whole food apart from extracts and hype, and says plainly what research does and does not show.

Read this first

• Allergy is rare but documented. A case report describes a man with a reaction to eggplant skin. [7] For trouble breathing or swelling of the face or throat, call 911. See food allergy basics and emergency signs.
• Nightshade claims: a 2023 review says the evidence that nightshades make bowel disease worse is limited, and a 2024 paper says no randomized trial had tested nightshade removal in arthritis. [5][6] The claim is not proven either way.
• Frying: eggplant soaks up oil when deep-fried, so the fried dish is not the same as the raw numbers below. [9]
• Evidence in one line: the purple skin pigment (nasunin) has been tested in the lab and in animals, not in people. [2][3][4] We found no human trial of eggplant as a food for a health outcome.

What is in it (USDA values)

Raw eggplant, USDA FoodData Central item 169228 (SR Legacy). [1] USDA household portion: 1 cup of cubes = 82 g.

% Daily Value uses the FDA 2016 Daily Values; values vary with variety, ripeness and storage. [1] USDA lists no fried or baked values in the item we used, so these numbers are for raw eggplant only.

Plant compounds. The skin of purple eggplant contains a pigment called nasunin, a type of anthocyanin (a purple plant pigment). [2] Peel extracts also contain other phenolic compounds (plant chemicals with antioxidant activity in the test tube). [15] USDA lists a little lutein plus zeaxanthin (36 µg per 100 g) and beta-carotene (14 µg per 100 g). [1] All the evidence below on nasunin comes from the lab or from animals, not from people.

What research says

Eaten as food vs taken as a supplement or extract. The nasunin studies used purified pigment or peel extract, often at amounts and in forms you do not get from a plate of eggplant. A result from a dish, a cell culture or a rat does not tell us what eating eggplant does in a person. Observational links between vegetable intake and health are not proof that any one vegetable is the cause. We did not find a trial that used an eggplant supplement.

How much is a normal serving

• The USDA household portion is 1 cup of cubes (82 g). [1] That is close to one portion by NHS rules, which count 80 g of fresh, canned or frozen vegetables as one portion. [14]
• WHO's general advice is at least 400 g of fruits and vegetables a day for people older than 10. [13] This is information about official advice, not a prescription for you.
• Frying and oil. One lab study of deep-fried eggplant rings found that frying time and temperature changed how much oil the pieces took up, and that a gel coating cut oil uptake by up to half. [9] The abstract gives no figure for plain eggplant, so we cannot say how much oil a serving takes up: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read. USDA's raw values do not apply to fried eggplant.
• Cooking effects on nutrients: Proper evidence not found in the sources we read for eggplant specifically.

Safety, allergy and medicines

• Allergy. A 2020 case report describes a 25-year-old man with burning of the mouth and skin rashes after eggplant meals. A skin prick test with eggplant peel extract was strongly positive and a food challenge reproduced the symptoms. The authors point to the peel as the source of the allergen and advise caution with other nightshades such as potatoes. [7] This is one case, so it does not tell us how common allergy is. The NHS lists common allergy signs (hives, swelling of lips or face, wheeze, tummy pain) and says to get emergency help for a swollen throat, difficulty breathing or fainting. [10] Pollen food syndrome (itchy mouth after raw produce) is usually not serious, and the NHS says well-cooked produce can help. [10]
• Nightshade claims, solanine and glycoalkaloids. Nightshades make natural defense chemicals called glycoalkaloids. A 2023 review says they can disturb the gut lining and may activate immune cells called mast cells, but it describes the human evidence as limited and the idea as new, not settled. [5] A 2024 trial protocol notes that people with rheumatoid arthritis often blame tomatoes and eggplant, but randomized trials of removing nightshades had not been done. [6] We did not read a source giving glycoalkaloid amounts in eggplant, so we make no claim about a "safe" or "harmful" level. If you notice a food makes you ill, tell your clinician instead of cutting out a whole plant family on your own.
• Nicotine myth. Nicotine occurs in trace amounts in some nightshade foods. A 2025 laboratory method paper tested tomato, mushroom, eggplant, bell pepper and red pepper, and found the highest level in eggplant (105 ng per gram, about 0.1 µg per gram) and the lowest in tomato (3.4 ng per gram). [8] That paper was about how to measure nicotine and did not test health effects, so we draw no health conclusion. Eating eggplant is not the same as using tobacco.
• Potassium and kidneys. Eggplant has moderate potassium (229 mg per 100 g). [1] MedlinePlus says people with kidney problems, particularly those on dialysis, should not eat too many potassium-rich foods, and lists ACE inhibitors, ARBs and potassium-sparing diuretics among causes of high blood potassium. [11] If you have kidney disease or take these medicines, ask your clinician. See kidney disease, potassium and oxalates.
• Medicine interactions. We did not find a source we could read describing a medicine interaction with eggplant as a food, so we make no claim either way. A pharmacist can check your own list of medicines.
• Pesticide residues. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read: the EWG and USDA pages we tried were not readable, so we say nothing about eggplant residue levels. Rinsing under running water is the FDA advice for all produce. [12]
• Pregnancy. Proper evidence not found in the sources we read that points to a problem with cooked eggplant as a food. Anyone who is pregnant can ask a clinician; see foods in pregnancy: what official bodies advise.

Choosing, storing and food safety

• Choose eggplant that is not bruised or damaged, and trim damaged parts before eating. [12]
• Rinse under running water, even if you will peel or cut it. Do not use soap, detergent or produce wash. Washing lowers bacteria but does not remove them completely. [12]
• Use a clean cutting board and wash it with soap and hot water after raw meat, poultry or seafood. [12]
• We did not read an official storage temperature for whole eggplant. The FDA asks you to refrigerate cut or packaged produce. [12]

Related pages

• Tomatoes
• Food allergy basics and emergency signs
• Kidney disease, potassium and oxalates
• Polyphenols and flavonoids in foods
• Foods for inflammation: claims checked
• Observational vs trial evidence in nutrition