Flavor-packed harissa aubergine (eggplant) with couscous for a tasty but simple vegan meal. Served with mint yoghurt to balance the spicy harissa eggplants!

Harissa aubergine eggplants on a baking sheet, with couscous scattered around.

Why You Will Love Harissa Aubergines (Eggplants)

🍆 Melt-in-your-mouth aubergines/eggplants.
🔥 A bold and spicy kick from the flavorful harissa paste.
😋 Tasty flavor pairing of minty yoghurt with spicy aubergine!
🕒 Quick and easy.
✨ Impress your friends with minimal effort.
🥗 Can be served as a centrepiece, side dish, or main dish when served with couscous!

Ingredients and Substitutions

First up, for our harissa aubergines.

Aubergines (Eggplants): A versatile, meaty vegetable that soaks up flavors beautifully when roasted.
Harissa Paste: A spicy, aromatic North African chili paste that adds a fiery kick.
Olive Oil: Or use any other cooking oil of choice.
Agave Syrup: A natural, mild sweetener that balances the spice
- Can be swapped with other liquid sweeteners.

And now, some cooling yogurt to balance out the spiciness.

Yoghurt: A creamy, tangy base.
Garlic: Adds a robust and savory flavor.
Lemon Juice: Brightens the dressing with a zesty, fresh acidity.
Mint Leaves: Either fresh or dried, they bring a refreshing, cool flavor to the yoghurt dressing. And really, you wouldn’t want to skip this one!

Harissa aubergine ingredients with labels on a white marbled background.

And since many will ask how to serve the harissa aubergine, here’s my take.

Couscous: North African grains that create a fluffy and light pairing.
- Feel free to sub with bulgur or pearl couscous.
Salt: Enhances the flavors in both the couscous and the entire dish.
Coriander and Cumin (Optional): Aromatic spice to add both flavor and antioxidants to the dish!
Boiling Water: To cook the couscous to fluffy perfection.

And lastly, some optional garnishes: almond flakes and fresh mint leaves! You can also garnish with some chilli flakes for more heat!

First Up, Let’s Answer Your Harissa Questions

What is the flavour of harissa?

Harissa has a bold, spicy, and smoky flavor with a rich spiciness from chili peppers, combined with garlic, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds.

It typically does not contain paprika and is spicier than your regular paprika. This also means that it has a very different flavour profile from the well-known sriracha hot sauce.

Is harissa spice the same as harissa paste?

No, harissa spice is a dry blend of harissa spices, while harissa paste is a concentrated mixture that is more moist as it usually contains oil, vinegar, water, or a combination of those. You can, however, make your own harissa paste from dry harissa spice blend!

Sticky harissa aubergine with couscous served on a white plate, served with lemon water.

Can I use harissa instead of rose harissa?

In most cases, yes. Rose harissa is made from your regular harissa, but it has a floral note from rose water/petals. So the dish will have a slightly different flavor, but it will still be delicious!

Step-by-step Instructions

First up, roast the aubergines.

Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).

Slice the aubergines in half, then score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. In a large baking tray, roast for 25 minutes with the cut side up.

Two scored aubergine halves on a wooden cutting board. — Score the aubergine

Four roasted aubergine halves on a roasting rack on a baking sheet. — Score the aubergine

Mix the harissa, olive oil, and agave syrup to create the marinade.

Prepare the couscous by mixing with salt, coriander, and cumin, then cover with boiling water and let it steam.

Combine the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, and mint to make the mint yoghurt dressing. Feel free to add a bit of lemon zest here!

If you don’t have yoghurt at hand, you can also serve this with some citrus mayo, black pepper aioli, smoked paprika mayo, hummus, or some whipped tahini for that tasty aubergine tahini pairing.

Remove the aubergines from the oven, spoon over the marinade, and roast for another 15-20 minutes until tender and caramelized.

Four semi-roasted harissa eggplants on a baking sheet. — Add the harissa mix

Close-up of roasted harissa eggplant being held with a large wooden spatula. — Add the harissa mix

Serve the harissa aubergines on a bed of couscous, drizzle the mint yoghurt over the aubergines, and garnish with almond flakes and mint leaves. Enjoy your vegan and gluten-free harissa roasted eggplants!

Top Tips

Scoring The Aubergines: Aim for deep cuts to let the marinade seep into the aubergine, but avoid piercing the skin!
Adjust the Harissa: Harissa varies in heat levels, so start with a little and add more if you like it spicier.
- As usual, authentic harissa paste brands that come from Africa tend are spicier than those from brands produced in the West!
No Oven? Air Fryer to the Rescue!
- You can also air fry at 180°C (355°F) for 20 minutes at first, spoon in the harissa marinade, then continue to air fry for 8-10 more minutes.

Close-up of harissa aubergine with yogurt, scattered with mint leaves as garnish.

Serving Suggestions

If you don’t feel like serving your harissa eggplants on couscous or bulgur, this Zimbabwean-inspired peanut rice works well!

Since harissa is also quite common in Middle Eastern cuisine, you can also serve this with some hummus instead of the yoghurt sauce. You can also sneak this in your sandwiches, adding it as a topping to your hummus bagel. As a side dish, serve with this garlic pita bread.

Harissa eggplants aubergine served with couscous, with two forks on the lower right side.

Storage and Meal Prep Instructions

Storage: Store any aubergine couscous leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through.

Meal Prep: You can prepare the aubergine, couscous, and yoghurt dressing separately in advance and combine them just before serving!

Freezing: I haven’t tried freezing this harissa roasted aubergine but I don’t think it will work. So proceed at your own discretion!

FAQ

Citrus flavors like lemon, sweetness from honey or pomegranate, and creamy elements like yoghurt or tahini sauce all balance out harissa’s bold, spicy flavor.

Adding a small bunch of mint, cilantro, or parsley pair beautifully with harissa, adding freshness that complements its smoky heat.

Cayenne pepper or smoked paprika can mimic some of harissa’s heat and smokiness, but lack its complexity. You can, however, make a homemade harissa spice blend using chilli peppers, garlic, cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds

You can cool down harissa by mixing it with yoghurt, tahini, or cooling herbs such as mint to mellow the heat. You can also substitute some fo the chili with tomatoes to tone it down, without losing the color.

I’d say that Chipotle hot sauce are somewhat similar, offering a smoky, earthy heat, though they still have a different flavor profile and spiciness level from harissa.

Drizzling the minty yogurt sauce on top of the harissa aubergine.

Looking for More Healthy But Flavor-Packed Vegan (and Vegetarian) Recipes?

Try this tandoori vegetable platter, gochujang noodles, or Korean French fries. And if you want more eggplant/aubergine recipes, this teriyaki eggplant is your answer!

If you’d like to expand your palate, I highly recommend trying my mum’s jackfruit rendang recipe, or my Indonesian crumbled tempeh recipe!