This mouthwatering vegan eggplant Parmesan is made with layers of crispy fried eggplant, optional vegan mozzarella, and marinara sauce, baked up to bubbly perfection.
Whisk all of the batter ingredients together in a small bowl.
Stir the breading ingredients together in a separate small bowl.
Place the flour for dredging in a third small bowl.
Generously coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons) and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a few minutes to heat up.
Grab an eggplant slice and dip each side into the flour to coat. Transfer the slice to the batter, coating each side, then to the breading, coating each side.
Place the eggplant slice into the hot skillet. Repeat with additional slices, placing as many as will fit into the skillet without crowding.
Fry the eggplant slices for 4-5 minutes on each side, until golden and crispy. Transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Add oil to the skillet as needed, and repeat the frying process until all of the eggplant slices are used, working in as many batches as is needed.
Ladle about one third of the marinara sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Arrange about half of the eggplant slices over the sauce.
Ladle another third of the sauce over the eggplant, then arrange the cheese on top.
Arrange the remaining eggplant slices over the cheese, then top them with the remaining sauce.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting. Divide onto plates and sprinkle with cashew Parmesan, if you like. Serve.