Baked Veggie Nuggets Recipe
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This baked veggie nuggets recipe satisfies a fast food craving, without the guilt. Easily made vegan, dairy free, or gluten free!
Why Make These Baked Veggie Nuggets?
I don’t usually post savory recipes, but this one is too good not to share! These easy baked veggie nuggets are perfect for lunch, dinner, or snack time, and they’re one of my favorite vegetable-packed ways to satisfy a fast food craving.
While developing this recipe, I looked at dozens of vegetable nugget recipes for inspiration. Many of these call for broccoli, but I used riced cauliflower as the base for my nuggets instead. You can use store-bought riced cauliflower, or make your own by running fresh cauliflower through a food processor.
Any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables will work in this recipe, so it’s an excellent way to clean out the vegetable drawer, or use up those “odds and ends” that aren’t quite enough for a full meal. In addition to changing up the vegetables in this recipe, it’s also easy to make gluten free, dairy free, or vegan with a few simple substitutions. It’s my favorite “no chicken” recipe, except perhaps for my no chicken noodle soup!
Baked Veggie Nugget Recipe Ingredients
To make this baked veggie nugget recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Vegetables – I used russet potatoes, riced cauliflower, yellow corn, green peas, carrots, and garlic cloves. This recipe works nicely with fresh or frozen vegetables, or a combination of the two.
- Fresh Parsley – A half-bunch of chopped fresh parsley adds an herbal flavor and bright green color. Do not use dried parsley in this recipe. If you have fresh parsley left over, save it to make vegetarian chicken noodle soup.
- Egg – You’ll need a whole egg for the veggie mixture, and 2 whites for coating the nuggets. Save the extra yolks to make homemade lemon curd or vanilla ice cream.
- Spices – Fine sea salt (or kosher salt), ground black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, ground coriander, and chili powder.
- Breadcrumbs – Choose regular breadcrumbs for this recipe, not panko. Plain or seasoned breadcrumbs will both work. If desired, you can substitute gluten free breadcrumbs.
- Parmesan Cheese – Or your favorite hard cheese, such as Grada Padano, Pecorino Romano, or Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Flour – All-purpose flour, plain flour (in the UK), or gluten-free flour will all work for this veggie nugget recipe.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan Substitutions
To make gluten free veggie nuggets: Instead of white flour, use oat, buckwheat, or coconut flour. Almond flour will also work, as will your favorite measure for measure gluten free flour blend (I usually use this one by King Arthur.) To coat, toss the nuggets in gluten free breadcrumbs, crushed potato chips, or crushed gluten free cereal.
To make dairy free and vegan veggie nuggets: Omit the cheese, or substitute a dairy free cheese such as Daiya. For vegans, use a flax egg instead of eggs and egg whites, or brush your nuggets with olive oil before breading.
Baked Veggie Nuggets Tips and Tricks
Do not skip the freezing step in this recipe. If you try to cut the veggie mixture without freezing, you’ll find yourself with a mushy mess. Freeze the mixture for at least one hour before cutting.
Change up the veg. Broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, celery, peppers, parsnips, beetroot, or edamame will all work well in this recipe. Avoid juicy vegetables like tomatoes, squash, and others with a high water content; these will make the nuggets too watery. If using frozen vegetables, drain thoroughly to remove as much water as possible.
How to Serve Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets
Some of my favorite accompaniments to these baked veggie nuggets include:
Sriracha Ketchup
Hot Honey
Ranch Dressing
Healthy Yogurt Dip
Blue Cheese Dip
Sriracha Veggie Dip
These “no chicken” nuggets are really fun for dipping, but they’re also crispy and delicious without any sauce at all!
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
This recipe makes a lot of nuggets (about 35-40, maybe a few more than that if you use a smaller cutter) so it’s a good recipe for batch cooking, freezing, and re-heating. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days,
To freeze: Transfer to a large Ziploc bag or airtight container and freeze for up to one month. Reheat in a 400° F (205° C) oven until cooked through.
More savory vegetarian recipes you might enjoy:
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza
Pithivier with Mushrooms, Leeks, and Potatoes
Vegetarian Sausage Rolls
Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Baked Veggie Nuggets
- Total TimeAbout 2 hours
- Yield35-40 2-inch nuggets 1x
- DietVegetarian
This baked veggie nuggets recipe satisfies a fast food craving without the guilt. The best vegetarian chicken nuggets recipe!
Ingredients
Vegetable Mixture:
300-350 grams russet potatoes (1 large, or 2 medium potatoes), peeled and cubed
100 grams fresh or frozen riced cauliflower (1 cup)
120 grams fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels (1 cup)
60 grams fresh or frozen green peas (1/2 cup)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
120 grams carrots (2 large, or 3 medium carrots), peeled and grated
30 grams fresh parsley (1 cup), chopped
1 large egg
42 grams all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour (1/3 cup)
30 grams grated Parmesan cheese (3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Coating:
120 grams breadcrumbs (3/4 cup)
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Instructions
Vegetable Mixture:
Line a half sheet rimmed baking tray with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
Add the potatoes to large stock pot. Cover with water and boil until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, scoop potatoes into a large bowl to cool.
Add cauliflower, corn, peas, and garlic to the pot of boiling water, and boil for 8-10 minutes, or until tender. Pass vegetables through a colander to drain. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, add shredded carrots and parsley to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Add cauliflower, peas, corn, and garlic to the food processor, a few spoonfuls at a time, and pulse until smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add pulsed vegetable mixture to boiled potatoes. With a potato masher or pastry blender, mash potatoes and vegetables until they reach the consistency of thick pudding or mashed potatoes.
Stir in the egg, followed by the all purpose flour, Parmesan cheese, fine sea salt, ground black pepper, and all of the dried spices.
Scoop onto prepared tray. Spread to distribute evenly, then use your hands to flatten into a rectangle approximately 10 x 12 inches in size and about 1/2-inch thick. Freeze on tray for at least one hour, or until firm enough to cut.*
Coating and Baking:
Preheat oven to 425° F (220° C). Line a clean half sheet rimmed baking tray with a silicone baking mat.
With a 1 3/4-inch or 2-inch round cutter, cut frozen vegetable mixture into discs. (If you don’t have a cutter, you can use your hands to shape the mixture into small patties.)
Dip each nugget in the beaten egg white, then toss in breadcrumbs to coat. Arrange on prepared tray.
Bake 15-20 minutes, flip with a flat metal spatula, then bake 15-20 minutes more, or until crispy and golden brown on both sides.
Serve baked veggie nuggets with buttermilk ranch dressing, sriracha ketchup, lemon aioli, blue cheese dip, healthy yogurt dip, or hot honey.
Store leftover nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat in a 400° F (205° C) oven until cooked through.
Notes
*Do NOT skip the freezing step! If you try to cut your nuggets immediately, or before they’re fully frozen, you will end up with a mushy mess. Freeze for a minimum of one hour before attempting to cut your nuggets.
Serve veggie nuggets with any of your favorite dipping sauces, such as ketchup, sriracha, buttermilk ranch dressing, blue cheese dip, hummus, or Greek yogurt with a bit of lemon and dill.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Freezing Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
