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veggie nuggets in a white bowl with lemon wedges
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4.75 from 4 votes

Veggie Nuggets with Chickpeas

These crunchy and delicious veggie nuggets are healthy, kid-friendly and so easy to make! With a perfectly seasoned vegetable, chickpea and cheese filling covered in crispy, golden panko breadcrumbs, they make a healthy and tasty snack, appetiser or main dish. Ready in 30 minutes, they can be oven-baked, fried or made in an air fryer!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, healthy, Main Course
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 30 nuggets
Calories: 93kcal
Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups broccoli very finely chopped or shredded
  • 1 cup grated sweet potato peeled and grated
  • 1 carrot large, grated
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 200 grams chickpeas canned, drained
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese a strong cheddar or tasty cheese, grated
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese or add extra tasty/cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 ⅓ cup wholemeal breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt or more or less, to taste
  • black pepper to taste

For the coating

  • 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg beaten

Additional

  • canola oil or vegetable oil, for frying
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Place the broccoli, sweet potato and carrot in a frying pan with the olive oil and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until soft (around 5 minutes).
  • Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor and add the chickpeas, eggs, cheeses, breadcrumbs, garlic and onion powder, paprika, salt and black pepper.
  • Blend until all of the ingredients are smooth and completely combined (this may take a few minutes). You may need to stop and push the sides down with a spoon until the mixture comes together.
  • Using your hands, roll tablespoon-sized portions of the mixture into balls. Then, use your hands to gently flatten the balls into a nugget shape.
  • Dredge the nuggets through the beaten egg and then coat them in the panko crumbs until they are completely covered.
  • Heat the canola oil in a large frying pan and shallow fry (medium-high heat) the nuggets in batches. Cook 2-3 minutes each one side and flip, cooking a further 1-2 minutes, or until golden and crispy. Place any cooked nuggets on a plate with paper towel, until all of the nuggets are cooked.
  • Serve hot, with your favourite dipping sauces.

Air fryer instructions

  • Follow the steps above to make the nuggets.
  • Pre-heat the air fryer to 190 °C/374 F.
  • Place the nuggets in the air fryer basket (you will need to cook in batches). Cover the nuggets with a little oil spray and cook for around 8-10 minutes, until crispy, golden and cooked through.
  • Serve hot with your favourite dipping sauces.

Notes

  1. Make them ahead – these nuggets can be made, then put in the freezer to cook later on. If you keep them in the freezer, the cooking time will be slightly longer.
  2. For gluten-free nuggets, use gluten free breadcrumbs.
  3. Serve hot and fresh, straight from the pan! Don’t wait to eat them, they are best when eaten warm and freshly cooked.
  4. Try serving them with ketchup, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, garlic aioli, chilli mayo, honey mustard sauce or my favourite; burger sauce!
  5. Rather than grating fresh vegetables, you can also use leftover veggies for these nuggets. Just add 2 firmly packed cups of pre-cooked, steamed vegetables to the filling mixture.
  6. This recipe makes about 30 regular-sized nuggets, but they can be made larger or smaller if required.
  7. I recommend pan frying in canola oil for maximum crunch and flavour. But they can also be baked in an oven or air fryer with a little oil spray to make them even healthier.
  8. Air fryer: These nuggets can be cooked in an air fryer, rather than being shallow fried, if preferred. To air fry, place the nuggets into the air fryer basket with a light coating of oil spray and cook for around 8 minutes at 190 °C.
  9. Oven; place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Coat with a little oil spray and bake at 200 °C for around 10 minutes, or until crispy and cooked through.
  10. Make ahead; You can make the broccoli vegetable mixture  in advance and chill it, covered, in the fridge for around 24 hours. Then simply shape, coat, cook and enjoy! The nuggets can also be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. They can be served hot, or cold. To reheat, simply place them in an air fryer or oven at 160 °C for around 5 minutes, or until heated through.
  11. Freezing; This recipe is freezer-friendly and it’s so easy to keep a batch on hand to pull out when you need a quick dinner or lunchbox snack. To freeze, make sure they are completely cooled and then place them on a baking tray in a single layer. Place into the freezer for around 1 hour to freeze, and then transfer the nuggets to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
  12. Please note that the nutrition information is based on the mixture being made into 30 nuggets, with one nugget being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional sauces or sides served with the nuggets. It is also difficult to calculate the amount of oil absorbed by the nuggets during frying, but the amount is minimal.
  13. This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary. 

Nutrition

Calories: 93kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 92mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1201IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg