Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
These Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets are the perfect finger food for little eaters! Loaded with veggies and vegetarian protein! Easy to make and super delicious, enjoy these vegetable nuggets on their own, instead of meatballs, or dunk them in your favorite sauce!
Nuggets are a beloved finger food of childhood. Heck, they are a beloved finger food of adulthood, too!
Maybe it’s because you don’t need a fork to eat them. Or maybe because they are so dunkable in whatever sauce I have on hand. Or it really could be because nuggets have a way of being an easy addition to any meal and kiddos instantly get excited to see them on their plate.
And while there is a time and place for the occasional dino-nugget from the freezer section of the grocery store, I honestly prefer to make my own nuggets so that I can fill them with vegetables (like I do) and since they are so easy to make, nuggets make for an easy weeknight dinner.
These Chickpea Veggie Nuggets are a vegetarian twist on my super popular Veggie-Loaded Chicken Bites. These vegetable nuggets are perfect for a lunch box or to make quickly on a crazy busy Tuesday night after soccer practice. Or to just keep on hand in place of those dino-nuggets for a healthier, veggie-loaded dinner option for when life is…..well life and crazy!
Why these vegetarian nuggets are awesome!
- Bite-sized! Don’t ask me why, but little finger foods are always fun to eat and typically a mega hit with kids AND adults. So these nuggets are not only delicious and healthy, but just plain fun to eat.
- They are like easy, mini falafels. Yum!
- A fun way to get extra veggies in! Great for kids (or adults) who might be feeling a little iffy about veggies at the moment. Or maybe you are like me and just like to add extra veggies in whenever possible.
- A great recipe for chickpea newbies. If you are trying to add more beans into your diet, but maybe you or a family member is feeling a bit iffy about them, this recipe is a great meal to make. The flavors and texture are on point!
To make these Chickpea Veggie Nuggets, I used….
- chickpeas, cooked and drained
- grated zucchini
- grated carrot
- minced onion
- Italian seasoning
- sea salt
- garlic
- black pepper
- paprika
- eggs (see below about making these egg-free)
- olive or avocado oil
- oat flour or your favorite breadcrumbs
Some helpful kitchen tools I used to make these Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets…
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
What to serve with these Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
Whatever way you normally eat or dip your nuggets in will probably work with these vegetable nuggets, too! But for a little serving inspiration, this is how we love ’em.
- Ranch dressing
- sugar-free or homemade ketchup
- honey mustard sauce
- in place of meatballs with your favorite pasta and sauce
- with oven baked fries
- mashed potatoes & cauliflower
- with butternut squash vegan cheese sauce
- on their own!
Can I make these Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets without eggs?
This is a frequently asked question from readers! The eggs in this recipe work as a binding agent that hold these nuggets together. Basically, they are the glue, so I don’t recommend skipping them.
Some readers have made these nuggets with “flax eggs” or “chia eggs” and were successful in using this egg-free binding agent. However, others (including myself) have not found this to be a successful egg substitute. I have found the nuggets to hold together some, but generally crumble easily.
Don’t get me wrong, these Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets still taste great when made egg-free, but the consistency and end result is quite different. So just a heads up if you opt to go that route when making them.
And I will keep experimenting in trying to find an awesome egg-free alternative for you all!
Suggested adaptations
One thing I feel super passionate about is helping make recipes their own! Here are a few tips and tricks for adapting these vegetarian nuggets to fit your life and what you have in your kitchen!
- Use all zucchini or all carrot. If you don’t have both on hand, no worries, just use more of whatever you have!
- Use whatever breadcrumbs you have on hand. If oat flour is not your thing or you don’t have some on hand, just use whatever breadcrumbs your family enjoys.
- Freeze them. Cook these nugget up a head of time, let them cool and freeze them! I like to toss them in my toaster oven to warm up for a quick and healthy dinner option when life gets busy.
- Jazz up the flavors! We all have different taste preferences, so feel free to add more garlic, salt, pepper or even some spice if that is what your family enjoys! Chickpeas are a pretty blank slate, so you can really get creative with how to make these a family favorite!
Other vegetarian veggie-loaded recipes to try!
- Butternut Squash Vegan Cheese Sauce
- Instant Pot Black Bean & Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Lentil Soup (+ slow cooker instructions)
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- Instant Pot Black Bean & Sweet Potato Chili
Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
Ingredients
- 15 ounces chickpeas, cooked and drained
- 1/2 cup grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1-2 cloves garlic , to taste or sub 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp olive or avocado oil, +extra for cooking
- 1/2 cup oat flour or your favorite breadcrumbs
Equipment
- food processor
- small cookie scoop
- large pan
Instructions
- Place shredded zucchini and carrots in the middle of a clean dish towel or large piece of paper towel. Wrap them up and squeeze a few times to help drain out some of the moisture.
- In your food processor, combine drained zucchini and carrots and remaining ingredients. Pulse a few times to combine. DO NOT OVER MIX. Mixture should be wet but scoopable. See photo in post for reference.
- Heat cooking oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Using a heaping tablespoon or a small cookie scoop, portion out the mixture into the pan. Cook nuggets 3-5 minutes and flip, using the back of your spatula to gently flatten them a bit. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes or until outside of the nugget has a slightly golden color.
- Enjoy warm and with your favorite dipping sauce. Allow leftovers to cool completely and store in an air-tight container in fridge for 4-5 days
Made these for dinner tonight. So good. Kids asked me to make them again tomorrow!
I love it when kids get excited about a good veggie-loaded recipe!
These just saved lunch! The kiddos loved them. Dipped in ketchup and also plain yogurt.
Thats so awesome to hear! I’m glad they were a hit and family approved!
Thank you for this easy nutritious recipe. It was soo good and filling. I had mine with katsup and hot sauce and a little beet sauerkat.
Can you make these just with tinned chickpeas i.e not cooking them?
Yes! Canned chickpeas are cooked and work beautifully in this recipe
Can these be baked? Do you have a recommendation on temp and time?
I’d do 400℉ for about 20 minutes on a lined baking sheet. Flip half way through baking
I followed these baking instructions (did it with Convection setting) and they turned out amazing!!
Yay!
Thanks! I was looking for that question and answer!
Made them for the kids. Ate most of them before I decided I was willing to share. Totally need to make a double batch next time! So good.
Sounds delicious! Do you think these could be veganized by using flax eggs?
I think they could be! It’s on my list to try so I can update the recipe!
Any update on the flax egg version?
They haven’t worked for me with flax egg. Still looking for a successful egg sub!
Just made these with aquafaba whipped like an egg white and they’re holding together nicely. I did 1/2 of liquid from my canned chickpeas.
This is a delicious recipe! I made a burger shaped one for me whilst rest of family had meat burgers. Next day we had as nuggets with pasta and a home made rocket pesto. I have already bought ingredients to make another batch!
I can see these will be a family regular. Going to try them in a wrap with salads and fiery dressing next!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you for sharing! Made mine with broccoli instead of zucchini and flaxseed meal egg substitute and air fried them! Delicious and I am very excited for tomorrow’s lunch!
Oh wow! LOVE those adaptations! Enjoy!
Sounds like a good idea! How long and at what temperature did you airfry for? 🙂
Our whole family enjoyed these – delicious and pretty easy to make. Definitely more of a pancake texture than a “nugget”.
Agreed 😊
Mine seem to have break apart when i cooked them on the stove. Any suggestions?
Did you change anything about the recipe? Usually when they break apart, its is because they are too dry or are missing a binding agdent.
I literally forgot ALL the binders 🙂 Trying again tonight with ALL the ingredients!
I’m glad we got to the bottom of it! Can’t wait to hear how they go in round 2!
If I don’t have zucchini, can I use cooked sweet potatoes? What about thawed peas/green beans? Thanks for the great recipe, can’t wait to try!
Hi Lauren! I haven’t tried it with cooked sweet potato, peas, or green beans but you could double up on the carrot in place of the zucchini.
You now have my creative wheels turning about making a super veggie nugget with all those things in them!
Instead of eggs can I use mashed potato as a binding ingredient to make them vegan? Thank you
Interesting! I have never tried that, so I can’t say how successful potatoes would be as an egg replacement! Readers have shared with me that flax eggs work though!
Made these last night and they were a huge hit with the whole fam! Also a friend happened to stop by while we were making them and couldn’t stop raving about them. I even forgot the oat flour in the first batch but they were still delicious. Love all your recipes so much and love to share them with everyone I know. Thank you!
Also forgot to say (For anyone that doesn’t have a good processor) that I made them in my dry container for vitamix and it worked!
I don’t have a food processor. Any tips on how to prepare? Would an immersion blender work?
DO you have a blender? That might work!
Thanks, I do have a blender but find that it doesn’t work so well when ingredients are thick. I will try it though and comment with the results.
Shred the veg and mash by hand!
I’m living in Peru and there’s no such thing as packaged nuggets here but there’s lots of fresh veggies! So this was great!!
Heaven🥰
Could I do this without the zucchini? I have all the ingredients besides that.
I haven’t tried but I am sure you can! I’d just up the grated carrot to 3/4 or 1 cup
Delicious! The whole family loved them, even the picky eaters. We ate them plain, with ranch, and in wraps with lettuce and tomato. Glad I made a double batch.
That is so great to hear!
Can you freeze these for later use? If so, how would you recommend re-heating? Or just freeze before cooking? Thanks!
I would actually freeze after cooking! Then I would thaw in fridge overnight and then reheat in the toaster oven, regular oven or microwave
Unfortunately, I could not trick my children into eating these. The soft/mushy texture on the inside reminded me more of a pierogi than a chicken nugget. Otherwise, these are super delicious and easy to prepare. I used chia seeds (2tbsp) soaked in water (5tbsp) in place of the 2 eggs. I will definitely be making these again for myself! Thank you for the recipe.
How well do the veggie nuggets freeze ?
I have frozen them after cooking and hey did well for me
Since I have the taste buds of a large 7 year old, I decided to make these nuggets.
These are delicious, and I hate vegetables, especially carrots. If you have picky kids, make these, I can almost guarantee they will gobble them up.
Or if you’re just an adult who is trying to eat less meat and more veggies 🤷♀️
I didn’t even dip them in anything, my partner ate his with mustard.
Amazing, thank you for this recipe.
Ha! I love this! I am so glad they were a hit with all.
Hi! I’ve never cooked with oat flour and don’t have it in my pantry. Would tapioca or coconut flour work?
Tapioca and coconut flour behave very differently in recipes than oat flour. You can use your favorite bread crumbs in place and I bet whole wheat flour might also work!
Such a great recipe! We loved them!
I am so glad to hear that, Leigh!
I’m sorry to say that while the flavor profile was good, the texture totally bombed. 🙁 I’m confident it was chef’s error as I added cauliflower to the mix, but I just couldn’t get the consistency right. The nuggets kept falling apart, and the inside never set up. Suggestions on what to do with a whole lot of zucchini, carrot, cauliflower, chick pea mush? I was thinking of adding black beans and attempting a patty? Would love ideas!
Oh boo. Cauliflower contains a good amount of water can definitely throw the texture off. Maybe add extra oat flour to soak up some of the extra moisture? An extra egg might be needed to bind everything together too.
I made these but had to adjust the ingredients after the first batch basically melted into the oil. The mixture wasn’t too wet but my knowledge of making falafel, made me realize that I over mixed it, making it tricky for it to hold together. The recipe should state IN BOLD to not over mix! I added another egg and about 1/2 of chickpea flour and the result was perfect. Delicious! Kids loved them!!
A good note. I have not had that issue but I can totally see that being an issue. I’ll update it!
Delicious! Leftover batter keeps really well in the fridge for the next day too
Oh ! Good note! I haven’t tried saving the batter so that is a great tip!
Thanks for the recipe. For a comparable egg substitute, use the liquid from the canned chick peas called aquafaba. It mimics the functional properties of egg whites.
Did you use canned chickpeas? I soaked 15 oz chickpeas overnight and they’ve swelled up and now I’m not sure whether to use 15 oz of THESE or the entire bag I made…which is probably triple the weight now
I’ve used both canned chickpeas and soaked and cooked dry chickpeas. Canned beans are cooked, so the recipe is for 15 ounces of cooked beans.
HI, I am wondering is their anyway to substitute the breadcrumbs or something else. Are they necessary? I couldn’t find any at my local stores as they have been out. I could wait to make the recipe when they get some in but have all ingredients but the breadcrumbs. Thanks
You could also use oat flour (which you can make by blending rolled uncooked oats in your blender until looks like flour). You can also make your own bread crumbs by toasting a few of your favorite slices of bread then running them through the blender or food processor too!
Thanks alot for the reply.
Just to let the vegans know you can use Aquafaba instead of egg. Works the exact same. It’s the liquid thats in a can of chickpeas! Great recipe btw
Just wondering how much of the liquid to use?
These look so great! Planning on making them tonight. How long will they last in the freezer??
I usually try to enjoy them within a month but they might last longer!
Fabulous! super easy & super delicious!!
I had a heart “scare” last Monday. Hubs & I talked, he finally agreed with me that we need to stop eating so much meat & more veggie meals. I’m really excited to try these! I LOVE chickpeas, I’ve never eaten them warm, I eat them cold from the fridge by the handful and in my salads. My question is, do you think we could cook these in our air fryer (FoodiGrill) instead of in a pan on the stove? Thanks!
Chickpeas are so amazing! I truthfully haven’t tried these in the airfryer, so I can’t tell you how they come out. However, if you try them, please report back!
This might be a stupid question, but does “1 tsp olive or avocado +extra for cooking” mean olive or avocado OIL?
I was just making my grocery list and as I plan on making these, blending random olives or avocado into the batter seems strange! 😀
Great question! I meant oil but will certainly make sure to update the recipe for clarification! If you had that question, surly someone else will too!
Hi, how long and at what temperature do you cook these in an air fryer please?
I have never tried them in an air fryer so I couldn’t tell you. I’d love to hear how it works out if you give it a go!
On the nutrition facts, it lists a serving as only one nugget. Why would anyone just eat one? Can you update with a more realistic serving size?
I see your point. It has been updated.
Could these be baked instead? And if yes what temperature and how long? Thanks
I haven’t tried them baked but I know some readers have! I believe they baked at 400F for 20ish minutes.
I am really enjoying the these
Is there anything that could stand in for the zucchini? Really want to try making these, but squash has always given me a stomachache🤷🏻♀️Thinking of just leaving it out, but maybe there’s some thing that could stand in for it? Thank you for all the awesome recipes!!
You could replace it with more carrots! Or just leave it out too!
Roughly, how many nuggets does this make?? Trying to add it to my WW app to convert to points. Thanks!!
About 20 nuggets
Can I use chickpea flour instead of cooked chickpeas?
You might be able to! I haven’t tried but I would love to hear how it works if you give it a go!
Interesting Article!! Mine seem to have break apart when i cooked them on the stove. Any suggestions?
Are you making any changes to the recipe? I know some people have found these tend to fall apart when they skip the eggs or use flax “egg” as a binder.
Hi! they look so good, i will try them.
i have a question… Can I freeze them without cooking?
I haven’t tried it and I don’t think they would hold together well in the freezer before cooking.
Have you tried cooking these in an air fryer? We are trying to stay away from foods fried in oil. Thanks
I have not, but it is a common request so something to try!
I did them in the air fryer. I did brown them slightly in the pan first and then transferred to the air fryer and they worked out amazing.
Just made these with aquafaba whipped like an egg white and they’re holding together nicely. I did 1/2 of liquid from my canned chickpeas.
Oh I am so glad this worked for you! I know many people have been looking for an egg-free option. I need to try it out!
These are so good and so easy!
These exceeded my expectations! Delicious and so satisfying. We dipped them in marinara sauce.
Yay! I am so glad, Katie!
Hi. Can I use almond flour instead of oat flour because I’m gluten free. Thank you.
Hi Jamie! I haven’t tried this recipe with almond flour but it might work out! If you do give it a go, please let us know how it goes!
By the way, There are gluten free oat flours out there or you can make your own easily with certified gluten free oats. Just put uncooked oats in your blender and pulse until it comes a flour consistency.
Amazing!! So easy and so tasty. Even my two year old loved them. Winner!
Yay! I am so happy to hear that, Fran!