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Eggplant caviar makes a great party appetizer or “zakuska”. It’s an old Russian favorite. You can enjoy it as a spread over toast for breakfast, lunch or even dinner, maybe a mid-day snack and when you can’t sleep at night because you can’t stop thinking about this eggplant caviar ;). I’ve been testing several eggplant spread recipes and so far this is my favorite. I learned to make this eggplant caviar from Natalia K, a friend from our worship team.
Natalia uses Pace Picante sauce in her recipe. I made it with the roasted salsa we posted recently which is seriously amazing.
Back on track… I’m thinking the eggplant caviar would work if you use your favorite store-bought salsa in it (but you should still try the roasted salsa – you’ll probably get hooked like we are). P.S. After everything is chopped, total cooking time is under 10 minutes. Nice.
Ingredients for Eggplant Caviar Spread:
2 medium (1 1/2 to 2 lbs) eggplants
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 small/2 medium carrots, grated
7 garlic cloves, pressed
Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt (I used sea salt)
1/4 tsp Pepper
3/4 to 1 cup salsa (we used our roasted salsa) Natalia Uses Pace Picante Sauce and you can buy Mild, Medium, or Hot depending on your affinity for spice.
How To Make Eggplant Caviar Spread:
1. In a Medium skillet, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add onion and carrot and saute until soft (7 min), stirring often. Add pressed garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a second, large skillet, heat 4-5 Tbsp oil over medium/high heat. Add finely diced eggplant (you could make bigger dice but it’s more spreadable this way). The Vidalia Chop Wizard makes chopping so much easier. Sprinkle in 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, stir, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes stirring often until eggplant is very soft (7 minutes). Add more oil if the eggplant is sticking to the pan.
3. Once it’s soft, stir in 3/4 to 1 cup salsa and your onion/carrot mix. Mix well and heat for another minute until the spread is hot. Serve with toasted bread or your favorite crackers.
We took this stuff over to my sisters house for dinner and it went fast. Everyone loved it!
Eggplant Caviar Spread Recipe

Ingredients
- 2 medium, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs eggplants
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 small/2medium carrots, grated
- 7 garlic cloves, pressed
- Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt, I used sea salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 3/4 to 1 cup salsa, we used our roasted salsa recipe or you can use Pace Picante Sauce and you can buy Mild, Medium, or Hot depending on your affinity for spice.
Instructions
- In a Medium skillet, heat 2-3 Tbsp oil over medium high heat. Add onion and carrot and saute until soft (7 min), stirring often. Add pressed garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a second, large skillet, heat 4-5 Tbsp oil over medium/high heat. Add finely diced eggplant (you could make bigger dice but it's more spreadable this way). Sprinkle in 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, stir, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes stirring often until eggplant is very soft (7 minutes). Add more oil if the eggplant is sticking to the pan.
- Once it's soft, stir in 3/4 to 1 cup salsa and your onion/carrot mix. Mix well and heat for another minute until the spread is hot. Serve with toasted bread or your favorite crackers.
- We took this stuff over to my sisters house for dinner and it went fast. Everyone loved it.
This version of “Poor man’s caviar” was given to me by a Russian friend. Microwave the eggplant, scrape it off the skin, dice, add very large amount chopped fresh dill, wine vinegar, olive oil, crushed garlic, crushed tomatoes ,salt, pepper, cayenne to taste. Serve with crackers, bagel chips, toasted baguette or spread it on buttered rye bread.
Hi Rasma, thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Natasha,,,, I just made the eggplant spread and it’s terrific,,,, just like mom made it. The only difference is I mashed the eggplant after it got soft, omg,,,, yum!! Just had it on some black bread. I am in heaven!!! And it’s healthy as well . Thanks, Natasha!!!!!
You’re welcome Nonna! I’m happy to hear how much you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for sharing your excellent review with other readers!
Hi Miss Natasha- This is my first time discovering your blog. I am first generation Ukrainian as my folks immigrated in 1951 and I was born in the US in 1953. I was looking for a cabbage roll recipe(as I do not recall my Mother’s specific ingredients…like she had any…haha) and came upon your site. Just FYI for the eggplant caviar…my Mom also added green pepper and used tomato sauce for the liquid portion vs picante sauce. I have bookmarked your website for future recipes!! Thank you for carrying on the tradition!
Thank you for bookmarking! I hope you find many new favorite recipes here 🙂
Yo Natasha made this just a few days ago and omg am almost done with it love eggplant and carrots didn’t have salsa so I added hot sauce instead and it came out really very yummy and delish will be making this again darlin cheers
Trivia, that’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review 😀
Ur very welcome Natasha luv anytime love it with bread and it’s even really very superb bu it self
I loved this! Thank you for a fabulous recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for a fabulous review 🙂
Hi Natasha,
It says the recipe serves 8-12. Visually, how much does this recipe produce? About 2-3 cups total? more? less? Trying to plan on the right quantity for a large crowd I’m serving tomorrow… Thank you.
I wish I had measured it. I want to say it’s at least 3- 4 cups.
Do you have a recipe for eggplant ikra?
A few readers wrote in with recipes for that. I will definitely be doing some testing in my kitchen. Thanks!
Hi, Natasha,
I always do the same way except home tomatoes instead salsa and add red pepper.Almost the same. But this year I bake eggplants in the stove by just cutting them in half before making IKRA. It fast and easy. After eggplants cooked cooled them a little bit and removed the skin. Its removed very easy too. Chopped or blended. Than cooked more 15-20 more min all ingredients add garlic, basil, dill, parsley from my garden add sea salt pepper. It turns so JUMMY. Try this way.
Is your’s more of a spread? It sounds amazing the way you described it. MMMMM 🙂
Natasha, I just saw this eggplant caviar on FoodGawker, and I knew it must’ve been your recipe! This is one of my most favorite spreads, I love eating it together with some good salami (kolbasa) on a slice of good berad. And, also drinking plum kompot with it. 🙂
Oh I love salami. That sounds like a really good combo!
We prefer our baklajanaya ikra with a more pureed texture. Once the ingredients are cooked, my mother-in-law passes everything through a meat grinder. This was one of the first things I asked her to show me how to make! Yummy!
Now I have to ask, do you add mayo to it too? I’ll have to put it through my meat grinder one of these days. This one was diced really finely so it was still very spreadable.
HA! Actually, one of the few recipes where mayo is NOT involved! 🙂
🙂 I know it, we Slavic people are notorious for mayo use 😉
I just got some nice eggplants at farmers market, was looking for recipe 🙂 how long does this stay fresh?
It stays fresh up to a week in the fridge 🙂 It was gone in a day and a half.
Hi Natasha, I also love making this, though I cook it longer to soften up eggplant. Adding salsa – what a great idea! Thank you.
I use just any tomatoes in a can.
Here I started to make it like a version of Ratatouille to cater to my husband’s taste – by adding zucchinis.
You’re welcome 🙂 I’ve added zucchini before and they turned out great.
Thank you, the taste is good!
You’re welcome Iryna 🙂 I”m so glad you liked it!
Yum!! I just love that every household in Russia and Ukraine would have their own version but everyone loves it just the same. Cool to see your recipe, I just posted my own version last week. Tis the season, I suppose because I just made it again last night but very chunky! Never heard of the mayo version though. It must be the Soviet Union edition. 😉
I’m going to check yours out!… Must be but Slavic people sure do love mayo in stuff. 🙂 I do too 😉
Never heard of this version of eggplant caviar. Interesting. I know 2 methods: 1. Roasted whole eggplant mashed and mixed with spices. 2. Chopped eggplant sautéed with onions and mayo. Should try this one. Any way eggplant with garlic is the bomb dot com.
I have to try the mayo method next. One of my readers on instagram mentioned that also. Sounds amazing too!
Never heard of Mayo! Interesting!
The first one, with tomatoes, we usually called – Raw EC
I’ve made it with fresh tomatoes too with good results. 🙂
Oh, talking to myself here. I remember making this –
fry some slices of eggplant and stack them with tomato slices on skewer. Mayo with garlic and parsley are the spread between the layers.
Is that it, Olena? I love it!