These tasty vegan chicken nuggets (baked chickpea nuggets) are super easy to make with just 6 ingredients in 30 minutes. The whole family will love this recipe! Soy free, oil free, dairy free, nut free and easily gluten free.
Vegan Chicken Nuggets
These vegan chicken nuggets are surprisingly easy to make and taste delicious.
You only need 6 ingredients and 30 minutes (most of which is baking time!).
They’re baked to make them healthier and they’re full of protein.
Similar recipes are all over the internet, but this is my family’s tried, tested and loved version.
I like to keep the chickpea mixture a chunky, rather than smooth paste, so there’s texture in the nuggets - perfectly contrasted with the crispy coating.
Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets
The meatless chicken nuggets are perfect for the whole family, and kids will love helping to create the nugget shapes.
These are perfect healthy vegan kids food.
Just add some spiralised sweet potato fries and steamed broccoli.
Maybe even start with some tomato soup.
Chickpea Nuggets
For these veggie nuggets, you'll need:
Ingredients:
Rolled oats
Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and save the aquafaba aka chickpea water
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Ground cumin
Breadcrumbs
Equipment:
Bowl
Baking tray
Baking paper or silpat
Blender or food processor
Make it gluten free: use gluten free oats and gluten free breadcrumbs.
Tips for making vegan chicken nuggets
- I make my own breadcrumbs by whizzing a few slices of bread until fine. My kids don’t like to eat the heals of the bread, so I stash them in the freezer and whiz them into breadcrumbs for recipes.
- Use white, brown, gluten-free bread - whatever works for your family.
- Don't over-blitz the chickpeas (garbanzo beans), you want a bit of texture and for it not to be just puree.
- The cooked chickpea nuggets won't brown a lot. If you want them browner, spray them with a little cooking oil spray.
- For the nugget shapes, just roll the mixture into balls, flatten slightly then press the sides slightly to make indents.
Gluten Free
- Whiz a slice or two of gluten-free bread to make the breadcrumbs, if required.
- Another gluten-free option is to whiz up rice cakes or corn cakes, which work well.
Special Diets
This recipe is:
- vegan
- vegetarian
- soy free
- nut free
- dairy free
- egg free
Serving Suggestions
- These vegan chickpea nuggets are perfect with my Homemade Ketchup.
- Vegan Tartar Sauce is a great alternative dip too!
- Cabbage salad is a great colorful side dish for vegetarian chicken nuggets.
- Try them with a side of Parmentier Potatoes.
- Try Lentil Carrot Hotdogs to go with the vegan chicken nuggets for a party!
Get the Vegan Chicken Nuggets Recipe
💚Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out for you!
Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture with the hashtag #veggiedesserts. I love seeing your recreations of my vegetarian and vegan recipes and cakes.
Thanks for checking out my recipe! I love hearing from my readers. You all allow me to do what I love and write this food blog, sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes, vegetable cake recipes, vegan cake and also easy vegan desserts.
Kate x
Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
- ½ cup (50g) rolled oats
- 15 oz (400g) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) not yet drained
- 1 tsp onion powder divided
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup (50g) breadcrumbs gluten free works too
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C. Line a cookie sheet with baking paper or a silpat.
- Whiz the oats in a blender or food processor until fine.
- Drain the chickpeas over a bowl, reserving the liquid (aquafaba), then add the chickpeas to the blender or food processor with the blitzed oats, ½ a teaspoon of the onion powder, the garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper and 5 tbsp of the aquafaba. Whiz until a thick paste - but leaving some chunks for texture.
- Stir the breadcrumbs with the remaining ½ teaspoon of onion powder and place into a shallow dish.
- Roll tablespoons of the chickpea mixture into balls, then press into nugget shapes. Dip into the breadcrumbs to coat and place onto the baking tray. Repeat until the mixture is used up.
- Bake for 20 minutes (they won’t darken much) and enjoy!
Ife
Hello,
How are you doing ma’am? Well, I hope.
Thank you for posting this. I wanted to please ask, do you think I can replace the rolled oats with steelcut oats,since it’s going to be blended anyway?
Thank you,
Ife
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, that's absolutely fine!
Laana
Quite good! Better fried then baked, added a bit more spices. Thank you!
Betty
Made these several times. I add just a bit of summer savoury to give a hint of the flavour you expect with chicken and roll them in cornmeal to avoid the breads completely. One caution. Be very careful of bake times as the do dry as they bake. I make them and freeze them right away so I have a supply on hand all the time as i’m Cooking for bothe vegetarian and non.
Beth
Can these be made ahead and put in fridge or freezer?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, yes, you should be fine to make these ahead and keep them in the fridge up to 2 days and they're freezable. I hope you enjoy them!
Aimee S
I had all the ingredients so made these for the family last night. They turned out quite amazing! Really easy and the kids made the nugget shapes. I used gf flour and rolled oats.
Sonia
Oh my goodness 😍 these looks so amazing and inviting too! I am always thinking for ideas for after school snack and these are perfect! Going to make them sokn
Jill
I've not tried vegan nuggets but they look great. I'll have to try a batch and see what my kids think!
Dannii
I never would have thought you could make nuggets out of chickpeas. They really are an amazing ingredient!
SHASHI
These look so darn delicious - I definitely need to give these a try soon!
Sharon Chen
Wow super healthy nuggets! Jam packed with my favorite flavors!
wilhelmina
These nuggets are so wholesome and healthy, love it!