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    Vegan Chicken Nuggets

    Published: Aug 22, 2018 · Modified: Jul 11, 2020 by Sina · This post may contain affiliate links · 34 Comments

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    Vegan Chicken Nuggets

    You’re gonna love these vegan chicken nuggets made with chickpeas and a crispy cornflakes crust! They’re super easy to make, pretty healthy, and SOOO delicious. Vegan comfort food at its best!

    A Vegan Chicken Nugget is Being Dipped into a Small Bowl of Ketchup

    I used to love chicken nuggets before I became vegetarian and eventually vegan. But these vegan chicken nuggets or chickpea nuggets are sooo much better for you! And most of all 100 % cruelty-free! 

    They’re coated with a crust of cornflakes and panko bread crumbs, which makes them super crispy! The recipe is super easy and ready in about 30 minutes. And the baking time makes up most of the preparation time.

    Vegan Chicken Nuggets on a White Plate with a Small Bowl of Ketchup in the Background

    The Best Vegan Chicken Nuggets

    What You Need To Make These Vegan Chicken Nuggets:

    You will probably be surprised when you see the ingredient list. It’s not very long and you don’t need any fancy ingredients.

    You’ll need:

    • cooked chickpeas (either canned or you can cook them yourself)
    • one onion
    • garlic powder
    • paprika powder
    • mustard
    • rolled oats
    • nutritional yeast
    • salt and pepper
    • cornflakes
    • panko bread crumbs

    As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the detailed recipe instructions in a separate recipe box at the end of this post.

    chickpeas, rolled oats, mustard, chopped onion and nutritional yeast in small bowls on a marble counter top

    What Are Vegan Chicken Nuggets Made Of?

    These vegan chicken nuggets are oven-baked, so you don’t need any oil to make them.

    The inside basically consists of cooked chickpeas, rolled oats, and different spices. You need to have a good blender to make these vegan chicken nuggets as you need to process the rolled outs into a fine flour.

    This is really important for the texture of the chickpea nuggets. Of course you could also use store-bought oat flour if that’s easier for you.

    I like to serve these vegan chicken nuggets the traditional way with fries or wedges and ketchup. You can either use store-bought ketchup or make sugar-free ketchup at home.

    A Hand Holding a Vegan Chicken Nugget with a Bowl of Ketchup and Fries on the Side

    How To Make Vegan Chicken Nuggets:

    1. Step: Start by preparing the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Crumble the cornflakes with your hands in small pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the panko bread crumbs and cornflakes on top.

    crumbled cornflakes and panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

    2. Step: Bake for about 2 minutes until golden-brown. Set aside.

    Baked cornflakes and panko breadcrumbs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

    3. Step: In a small pan, heat some oil and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Set aside.

    sauteed onions in a cast iron pan with a wooden spoon

    4. Step: Then place the oats into your food processor or blender and process into a fine flour.

    5. Step:  Add the rest of the ingredients (including the cooked onion).

    6. Step: Pulse until you get a crumbly mixture.

    step-by-step photos of preparation of vegan chicken nuggets in a blender

    7. Step: Divide the chickpea mixture into 14 equal portions and form each portion into a nugget.

    8. Step:  Coat with some almond milk. Use a pastry brush to do this.

    9. Step: Roll the vegan chicken nuggets in the baked panko bread crumbs and cornflakes.

    step-by-step photos of preparation of vegan chicken nuggets in a blender

    10. Step: Place the coated “chicken” nuggets on a new sheet of parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.

    vegan chicken nuggets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper before baking

    vegan chicken nuggets on a white plate after baking

    Recipe Notes:

    • If you have problems finding nutritional yeast, you can also just leave it out. This will slightly change the taste of the vegan chicken nuggets, but they will still be amazing!
    • Please not that the texture of these vegan chicken nuggets will be different from real chicken nuggets. The outside will be very crispy while the inside will be softer.
    • Make sure to leave some texture when you process the ingredients in your blender. Some of the chickpeas should still be partially intact.
    • I like to sauté the onions before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. If you don’t do this they will still be a bit crispy, which I didn’t like too much.
    • I like to use my blender to process the rolled oats into flour because it’s much cheaper. But you will need to have a good blender to be able to do this. However, you could also use store-bought oat flour if you want.

    Related Recipes:

    • Cauliflower Hot Wings with Vegan Aioli
    • Vegan Chicken Fingers 
    • Vegan Sausages
    • Cauliflower Buffalo Wings 
    • Vegan Taquitos with Chipotle Sauce

    I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

    I hope you like these vegan chicken nuggets as much as we do around here.

    If you give them a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

    You like my recipes and want to see more? Then follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest! 

    Sina 

     

    Vegan Chicken Nuggets

    Vegan Chicken Nuggets

    You're gonna love these vegan chicken nuggets made with chickpeas and a crispy cornflakes crust! They're super easy to make, pretty healthy, and SOOO delicious. Vegan comfort food at its best! 
    4.87 from 36 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrée
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 3 mins
    Total Time: 33 mins
    Servings: 14 nuggets
    Calories: 75kcal
    Author: Sina

    Ingredients

    For the chickpea nuggets:

    • 1/2 cup rolled oats
    • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
    • 1 small onion, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • black pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon mustard (yellow mustard like Dijon or French's mustard)
    • 3 tablespoons water

    For the crust:

    • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
    • 1/2 cup cornflakes
    • 1/2 cup almond milk

    Instructions

    • Start by preparing the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Crumble the cornflakes with your hands in small pieces. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the panko bread crumbs and cornflakes on top. Bake for about 2 minutes until golden-brown. Set aside.
    • In a small pan, heat some oil and sauté the onion for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Then place the oats into your food processor or blender and process into a fine flour. Add the rest of the ingredients (including the cooked onion) and pulse until you get a crumbly mixture.
    • Divide the chickpea mixture into 14 equal portions and form each portion into a nugget. Coat with some almond milk and roll in the baked panko bread crumbs and cornflakes.
    • Place on a new sheet of parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes.

    Notes

    • If you have problems finding nutritional yeast, you can also just leave it out. This will slightly change the taste of the vegan chicken nuggets, but they will still be amazing!
    • Please not that the texture of these vegan chicken nuggets will be different from real chicken nuggets. The outside will be very crispy while the inside will be softer.
    • Make sure to leave some texture when you process the ingredients in your blender. Some of the chickpeas should still be partially intact. 
    • I like to sauté the onions before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. If you don't do this they will still be a bit crispy, which I didn't like too much. 
    • I like to use my blender to process the rolled oats into flour because it's much cheaper. But you will need to have a good blender to be able to do this. However, you could also use store-bought oat flour if you want. 

     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 126mg | Potassium: 85mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @_veganheaven_ or tag #veganheaven!
    Rate the recipe!If you like this recipe, please leave a good rating! This will help other readers.
    Previous Post: « The 20 Best Tofu Recipes
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kat

      April 13, 2019 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      Can I just say THANK YOU!!!
      My 23 month old has been giving me a really hard time with healthy meals lately, and I have been cooking and cooking in vain.
      She is currently gobbling down her third nugget.
      Phew!!!
      I will definitely keep this as a master recipe and see if I can sneak in a few more veggies :)

      Reply
    2. Angela

      February 09, 2019 at 9:56 pm

      5 stars
      Just stumbled upon this & gave it a go. I actually substituted the paprika for 1/4 tsp turmeric and just ran out of onion so used 1 1/2 tsp onion powder. I really like these! They remind me of some sort of patty my mom made when I was young. Great on tortillas with salsa & lettuce also. Could easily make a delish meal of these by throwing in some avocado and serving with potatoes and I’m sure lots more ways – seem very versatile. May try with quinoa for a bit more texture next time – and of course diced onions probably would’ve given a bit of that as well. Thanks for making time to share!

      Reply
    3. Paulette Lucario

      January 01, 2019 at 8:42 pm

      5 stars
      Best vegan chicken nuggets recipe I’ve tried! And my 4 and 6 year olds loved them too!

      Reply
    4. Danielle

      January 01, 2019 at 9:38 am

      5 stars
      Hi. Could these be frozen before cooking? And if so, for how long?

      Reply
      • Sina

        January 02, 2019 at 5:56 pm

        Hi Danielle,

        Unfortunately, I haven’t tried freezing them yet. But I don’t see why this shouldn’t work as chickpeas freeze rather well.

        Let me know if you give it a try. :-)

        Reply
    5. Cap'n Dave

      October 24, 2018 at 4:47 am

      Hi, Sina!

      Question: You mention “mustard” – are you referring to A: mustard powder (pulverized mustard seed), B: prepared yellow mustard (French’s, for example), or C: brown mustard (Gulden’s, etc.)?

      Looking forward to trying these out – they sound wonderful!

      Thanks in advance!!

      Reply
      • Sina

        October 24, 2018 at 8:07 am

        Hi David, Sorry for the confusion! No, not mustard powder. You could use French’s or Dijon mustard. So yellow mustard. Hope you like the recipe. Gonna update it now, so it’s clear. Thanks for letting me know. :-)

        Reply
    6. Stephen Federer

      August 24, 2018 at 5:03 pm

      5 stars
      Amazing idea to make these chicken nuggets. Looks healthy and delicious. Will try it soon.

      Reply
    7. Ella

      August 24, 2018 at 6:06 am

      5 stars
      Sina, thanks a lot for the post.Really thank you!

      Reply
    8. Mary Allen

      August 19, 2018 at 2:50 am

      5 stars
      Delicious!! Served the nuggets with Daiya mac n cheez and buffalo sauce for dipping. Mmmmmmm!

      Reply
    9. Canita Washington

      July 28, 2018 at 6:32 am

      5 stars
      Wow these are soooo delicious. I made them and took them to work. I was disappointed because I ran out of them… Lol😏 I am sooooo making some more tomorrow. Totally hooked. Thank you ma’am😁

      Reply
    10. Tina

      June 01, 2018 at 11:01 pm

      5 stars
      These vegan chicken nuggets were so delicious! Even my hubby loved them. Thank you

      Reply
    11. Kelly Nicole

      May 17, 2018 at 5:11 pm

      What is the serving size on the Nutrition Facts label?

      Reply
      • Sina

        August 23, 2018 at 12:40 am

        Hi Kelly,

        It’s one vegan chicken nugget, which has 75 calories.

        Reply
    12. Yael

      April 11, 2018 at 10:17 am

      Hi, does the nutritional yeast act as a binder or a flavor enhancer?

      Reply
      • Sina

        August 23, 2018 at 12:39 am

        Hi Yael,

        It serves as a flavor enhancer.

        Reply
    13. Corinna

      February 02, 2018 at 8:48 pm

      Hi there Sina,

      I love love love your blog – so many great recipes and new inspiration ☺️ In fact, even my little one (17 months) loves many of your recipes and he is quite picky ???? His favourite is bean balls – which brings me to my question: I understand you are German and many of your recipes are on your German site as well but not all of them and I always struggle with the Cup/Gram measurements ???? Could you include those into your English recipes? Or put in a link to the German version? That would be really great ????
      Thank you so much for your fantastic work ????

      Reply
      • Sina

        February 03, 2018 at 5:46 pm

        Hi Corinna,

        Thanks so much for your comment! I’m so glad you like my blog and that even your little one likes the recipes! :-) The bean balls are one of my favorites too.

        Oh yeah, the whole measurement story can be so annoying! Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way yet to include gram measurements in my recipe plugin. If I do the multiplying function (where you can put in that you want to make the recipe for a certain number of people and the ingredients are automatically multiplied) doesn’t work anymore and everything gets mixed up. :-( I’ll look into that issue again and see if I can find another way how to do it.

        Even before I started my blog, I cooked a lot from American blogs and cookbooks and ordered a cup measurement set from Amazon, which made it so much easier for me. I also saw that they sell them at Ikea. So that might be an option too. :-) I live in Canada right now and even brought my kitchen scales over here to be able to still provide gram measurements for my German site. So crazy! We should just all have the same measurements everywhere! :D

        If you’re looking for the recipe for the vegan chicken nuggets, you can find a German version with gram measurements on my German site.

        I hope that helps! :-)

        Best,
        Sina

        Reply
    14. Luis

      December 25, 2017 at 1:25 pm

      Very nice recipe!

      Reply
    15. Luis

      December 20, 2017 at 2:25 pm

      Very tasty

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Sina and this is my recipe blog where I share heavenly simple and sinfully delicious vegan recipes.

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