Chickpea Nuggets

close-up overhead of nuggets on a white plate with cup of ketchup on the plate

These chickpea nuggets are the perfect finger food for the whole family! Pair them with your favorite dip for a tasty combination! These meatless nuggets are great for vegans, vegetarians and omnis alike! Oil-free and gluten-free options included.

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword chickpeas, gluten free, nuggets, vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings people (makes approximately 20 nuggets)

Calories 288kcal

Author Sherri Hall

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 (15 oz.) cans no salt added chickpeas
10 tablespoons aquafaba, divided (canned chickpea liquid)
¼ cup oat flour (use certified GF if needed)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup fine bread crumbs (use GF if needed)
olive oil spray (*omit for oil-free)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, reserving the liquid from the can (aquafaba).
Add the chickpeas to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse or process on low speed until the chickpeas are finely chopped and crumbly, but not overprocessed.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add 6 tablespoons of the aquafaba and the next 7 ingredients. Combine until ingredients are well incorporated.
Use your hands to form the chickpea mixture into nugget shapes and place on a plate. The mixture will yield approximately 18-20 nuggets depending on the size.
Set up a dipping station by adding ¼ cup of the aquafaba to a bowl and placing the bread crumbs on a plate next to it.
Dip each nugget into the aquafaba followed by the bread crumbs.
Place the nuggets in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray the tops of the nuggets lightly with the olive oil spray. You can omit this step for an oil-free option but note that they won't brown as well.
Bake the nuggets for 15 minutes and then flip and spray again with the olive oil spray. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Video

Notes

*Note that omitting the oil will result in less crispy and less browned nuggets.

If you prefer, you can cook the nuggets in the air fryer instead of the oven. See the post above for air fryer instructions.

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Information shown should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Please note the nutrition was calculated without the olive oil spray and does not include the aquafaba since there is limited information regarding its nutritional composition. According to this Healthline article, aquafaba adds approximately 3-5 calories per tablespoon.

Nutrition