Baked Chickpea Nuggets [Allergen Free]

I’ve had a few requests for a chickpea version after publishing my Baked Lentil Veggie Nuggets. (Which if you haven’t tried those yet, you totally must!) Just like my lentil version, these nuggets are perfectly dippable, and kids and adults alike will love them!

Chickpeas are definitely one of my favourite versatile ingredients.

You can turn chickpeas into almost anything! From meatloaf, to frittata, and even cookies!

There’s quite a few chickpea nugget recipes on the web, but I have yet to find a recipe for chickpea nuggets with no breadcrumbs. To make this completely free from the most common allergens, I’m using no breadcrumbs here, gluten free, or otherwise.

Are you ready for this? It’s time to learn how to make these kid approved, delicious, dunkable, chickpea nuggets!

Now let me be clear, these chickpea nuggets do NOT taste like chicken. The texture is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They’re delicious and wonderful by their own merit, but no they  don’t taste like chicken!

How to make chickpea nuggets

To prepare, add all the ingredients, except the oats to your food processor.

Process until finely chopped and combined, but not puréed.

I like to keep the mixture a little chunky for better texture. Then add the oats and pulse once or twice to mix them in.

Once the batter is ready, form golf size balls using your hands, then slightly flatten into a nugget shape.

Place your nuggets on a prepared baking tray, and repeat with remaining batter.

You should get roughly 20 nuggets, depending on how small or large you make them.

EXPERT TIP: Try to keep them on the smaller side and fairly consistent in size for easy, even cooking.

How to cook your nuggets

Bake your chickpea nuggets until perfectly golden, approx 35 minutes, flipping around the 20 minute mark.

Use care when flipping. Do not force flip your nuggets if they don’t lift easily from the parchment paper or you may break them. If your nuggets are not lifting easily, return the tray to the oven for a few more minutes and try again. As they dry up, they’ll flip easier.

When the nuggets lift without sticking to the paper, they are ready for flipping. This will vary slightly according to the size of nuggets you form. However, it will be roughly around the 20 minute mark of baking.

Once baked, remove from the oven and serve your chickpea nuggets with any of your favourite dipping sauces.

My kiddos usually opt for ketchup. But you can also try some vegan mayonaise, vegan Buffalo sauce or my Sriracha mayo.

What’s your favourite dipping sauce?

Be prepared for these to disappear quickly. My 18 month old devoured five of them in only a few minutes flat!

If you’re looking to feed any picky toddlers or children (or even adults), I highly recommend trying this one. Dipping makes everything better, right?

Even adults love to dip! So you can sneak some plant based protein into your pickiest of eaters with these delicious chickpea nuggets.

You are going to LOVE these chickpea nuggets. They are:

• crispy on the outside
• soft and fluffy in the middle
• great source of protein and iron
• perfectly “dunkable”
• oil free
• allergen free
• and delicious!

How long do they keep?

These will keep refrigerated for 3-4 days in a sealed container and you may enjoy cold, or reheated.

They may get a little dry when you’re reheating them, but dunking them in a dip or sauce makes that hardly noticeable.

To freeze these, do so in a single layer until solid. Then you may layer them in a sealed container with parchment paper dividing your layers (to prevent sticking) and keep frozen for up to 2 months.

More vegan chickpea recipes

• Chickpea and Mushroom Curry w/ Rapini
• Chickpea Meatloaf with Smoked Maple Glaze
• Secretly Healthy Chickpea Brownies
• Oil Free Socca Bread (Chickpea Flatbread)
• Smashed Chickpea Salad Wrap

If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.

Buon appetito,
Rosa

Baked Chickpea Nuggets [Allergen Free]

Kid friendly and adult approved, chickpea nuggets are perfectly dunkable and completely wholesome. Free from oil and all common allergens!

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Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Canadian

Servings: 4 Servings (Makes 20 nuggets)

Calories: 161kcal

Author: Rosa

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 19 oz can chickpeas drained & rinsed
• ▢ ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes (approx 10 tomatoes)
• ▢ 1 red onion roughly chopped
• ▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon rolled oats, gluten free if preferred

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
• Add all the ingredients, except the oats, to your food processor and process until finely chopped and combined, but not pureed. (You want a little bit of chunk.) Then add the oats and pulse once or twice to combine.
• Form the batter into golf sized balls using your hands, and flatten into a nugget shape. Place on your baking tray and repeat with remaining batter. You should make about 20 nuggets in total.
• Bake for 35 minutes in total, flipping at the 20 minute mark. The nuggets are ready to flip when you are able to do easily, without them getting stuck to the parchment paper. If they're sticking to the paper, bake a few minutes longer before trying to flip them again.
• Enjoy with your favourite dipping sauces.

Notes

Please note, these chickpea nuggets do NOT taste like chicken. The texture is crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They're delicious and wonderful by their own merit.

Make sure not to over process your ingredients. Leave some chunkier pieces to get the best possible texture out of these tasty nuggets.

Baking time and flipping time will vary according to the size of the nuggets you form.

Do not force flip your nuggets if they're not lifting fairly easily from the parchment paper, or they will break. When they are ready to flip, they will lift from the paper easily.

Leftovers keep refrigerated for 3-4 days in a sealed container.

They may get a little dry when you're reheating them, but dunking them in a dip or sauce makes that hardly noticeable.

To freeze these, do so in a single layer until solid. Then you may layer them in a sealed container with parchment paper dividing your layers (to prevent sticking) and keep frozen for up to 2 months.

Serving size is for ¼ of the recipe, approx 5 nuggets.

Nutrition

Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 684mg | Potassium: 481mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 4.7mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 2.6mg

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*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools and does not incude optional ingredients, unless otherwise indicated.