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Almond flour is the key ingredient for making my 3 ingredient almond flour vegetable nuggets! This healthy, vegan alternative recipe for chicken nuggets is also oil-free, grain-free, gluten-free, Paleo, keto-friendly, and only 35 calories per nugget!
If you happen to be a fan on my 3-ingredient almond flour cookies, I have a savory equivalent that I know you are going to love. It is equally simple, minimalist, healthy, and DELICIOUS.
It’s my 3 ingredient Almond Flour Vegetable Nuggets.
Table of Contents
- Recipe Benefits
- Ingredients
- Step by Step Directions
- Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheet
- Step Two: Lightly Steam Vegetables
- Step Three: Process the Vegetables
- Step Four: Add the Dry Ingredients
- Step Five: Shape the Dough
- Step Six: Bake the 3 Ingredient Vegan Vegetable Nuggets
- Make Now, Bake Later
- Serving Suggestions
- FAQ
- More Easy, Plant-Based Meat Recipes to Try:
- Almond Flour Vegetable Nuggets (3 Ingredients) Recipe
Recipe Benefits
Yes, these 3 Ingredient Vegan Vegetable Nuggets (Oil-Free, GF) are as yummy as they look! They are also:
- Vegan (no eggs, dairy free)
- Paleo
- Keto (with simple swap)
- Grain-free
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Low carb
- 35 calories each
- Baked (not fried)
If you are anywhere from 2 to 100 years old, you will want to eat your veggies in this form, guaranteed!
Ingredients
The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post. Toggle between US Customary (volume) and Metric (weights) for preferred measurement option.
- 1 and 1/2 cups chopped cauliflower or broccoli (or a combination of the two)
- 1/2 cup chopped carrots
- 2/3 cup almond meal or almond flour
You will also want some salt and pepper, to taste, but these seasonings are variable/optional according to your needs and preferences.
Step by Step Directions
Note that the complete directions are also in the recipe card below.
Step One: Preheat Oven & Prepare Baking Sheet
Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Alternatively, if you are ok eating a small amount of oil, lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or lightly oil).
Step Two: Lightly Steam Vegetables
Steam the vegetables for about 4 to 5 minutes until they are fork-tender, but not at all mushy. Mushy vegetables equal mushy nuggets, and no one (at least no one I know) wants a mushy nugget.
Step Three: Process the Vegetables
Place the vegetables in a small food processor or hand blender (like a bullet blender) and pulse until they are completely broken down into a coarse puree (not baby food).
Step Four: Add the Dry Ingredients
Scoop the vegetables into a medium bowl and stir in the almond flour, as well as optional salt & pepper. It’s best to add the almond flour by hand; the vegetables will get over-processed if the almond flour is added to the food processor.
Step Five: Shape the Dough
Scoop the dough into 14 equal portions using a small cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon.
Using your hands, flatten into a oval-ish, nugget shape.
How weird does “nugget shape” sound?! But there it is :). If you need more specificity, my nuggets were roughly 2 inches (5 cm) long, 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) across, and a generous 1/4 inch (.635 cm) high.
Space the vegetarian nuggets evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
Step Six: Bake the 3 Ingredient Vegan Vegetable Nuggets
Bake the nuggets in a preheated 400F (200C) oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Remove the baking sheet and flip the nuggets (allowing the other side to brown, producing nuggets that look and taste fried).
Return the baking sheet / baking tray to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes more, until the other sides are also golden brown.
Time to eat!!!
Make Now, Bake Later
If you want the convenience of frozen nuggets, I have you covered.
Make the nuggets mixture and shape into nuggets as directed in the recipe. I like to double, triple or quadruple the recipe and freeze a lot. Freeze the nuggets in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer to an airtight container for up to 6 months of storage in the freezer.
Bake the nuggets anytime, as directed in the recipe (no need to defrost), allowing about 4 to 5 extra minutes of baking time. Whoohoo!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the veggie nuggets with your favorite dipping sauce, such as:
- ketchup
- ranch dressing (vegan, as needed)
- no honey mustard (plant based)
- sweet & sour sauce
FAQ
- How Should I Store the 3 Ingredient Vegan Vegetable Nuggets? Store the cooked, cooled nuggets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 6 months.
- How can I add more protein to the nuggets? You can add a lot of extra protein by adding several tablespoons of nutritional yeast or unflavored plant based protein powder. Adding a few tablespoons of chia seeds will also up the protein.
- How Do I Make these Keto? It is easy to make these vegetable nuggets keto-friendly! Simply replace the carrot with an equal amount of red bell pepper.
- Can I replace the carrots with chopped raw sweet potato? Yes! It is a delicious substitution
- How Can I Vary the Flavor of the Nuggets? I love these nuggets plain, but have fun making them unique by adding other flavors to the mix prior to shaping and baking. For example, consider adding a tsp onion powder, or garlic powder, dried Italian herbs, or a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast (for added protein and cheese-y flavor).
Happy eating, everyone!
More Easy, Plant-Based Meat Recipes to Try:
- Vegan Oat Mushroom Ground Beef
- Vegan Ground Beef
- Mushroom Almond Flour Ground Beef (2 ingredients)
- Vegan Lentil Taco Meat
- Lentil & Mushroom Meatballs
- Lentil & Vegetable Kefta
- Grain-Free Lentil Loaf
Almond Flour Vegetable Nuggets (3 Ingredients)
Ingredients
- 150 grams chopped cauliflower or broccoli (or a combination), (about 1.5 cups)
- 60 grams chopped carrots, (about 1/2 cup)
- 2/3 cup almond flour , (or almond meal)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (Alternatively, if you are ok eating a small amount of oil, lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or lightly oil).
- Place the raw vegetables in a steamer basket set over boiling water. Steam the vegetables for about 4 to 5 minutes until softened and tender but not mushy.
- Transfer the vegetables to a small food processor and process until mixture resembles a thick puree. Scrape vegetables into a medium bowl.
- Stir in the almond flour and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt & dash of black pepper (or to taste).
- Using a small cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon, scoop the dough into 14 equal portions. Using hands, shape each portion into an oval "nugget" shape (about 2 inches long, 1/4-inch thick). Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. Remove the pan from oven; using a metal spatula, flip the nuggets.
- Return pan to oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes longer bottoms are golden brown. Serve warm.
What an awesome recipe and good reviews. Im looking forward to trying these. Question-Do you think these would hold together better with psyllium husk? #2 Do you think you could air fry these for a crispy exterior and tender interior?
Hi Cynthia! Yes a small amount of psyllium could do wonders to hold these together. Yes, the air fryer should work great for cruspiness????
@Camilla, These we’re terrific!
I added 1 T powdered vegan chicken bouillon and mixed up some honey mustard sauce at my husband’s request. Your recipes are amazing and I so love your approach with as few ingredients as possible. This lifestyle is a lot of work making everything from scratch but I always feel enabled even when I’m tired because your recipes that you create are always simple to follow. You do all the hard work for us!! I truly appreciate you and being gluten free I have learned so much from your website! You’re a Godsend ????
Cynthia, this sweet letter (far more than a comment) just about brought me to tears. I am so happy that my simple recipes are making a difference for you–hooray for simplicity, especially after an exhausting day. Thanks a millions, Cynthia 🙂
Hi , I made these and they fell apart. The dough was very crumbly. What do you suggest? Thanks.
Hi Melissa,
Sorry you had problems with the dough. It sounds like they were too dry. This could be a result of too much almond flour (it is very easy to overmeasure almond flour. Be sure to lightly spoon it n, or, ideally, weigh the flour for accuracy). Another reason could be that the vegetables were not chopped finely enough. You don’t want mush, but you want them to be very finely chopped.They are what hold the nuggets together so if the pieces are too big, the mixture will not be a dough.
If the dough is not coming together simple because of dryness, you can always add a little bit more water until it is a cohesive dough.
For ease and convenience, I will try this using 2 cups frozen veggies from a California Blend bag. Will let you know how it comes out.
Also, I can see that yours are more than just 1/4 inch thick. You must have made a type and meant 3/4 inch. They look maybe 1 inch high, look about half as high as they are across.
Hi Sandy! Sounds good, I hope the recipes works with the California blend bag–I suspect it will work well!
The 1/4-inch thickness is not a typo. I make the nuggets 2 inches long, 1/4 inch thick so that they are “nugget” size. The photo of the side looks 1/4 inch to me, but I suppose we all seee things differently :). 2 inches by 1 inch would be a very very thick, I do not think that would cook through.
I’ve made two batches in two days, they’re so addictive! The second time I added chopped onions, one basil leaf, pinch of paprika, cumin and garlic powder and they came out super yummy! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are on a serious role, Iggy!!! I am so happy you are enjoying these–I love them , too, but they haven’t gotten a lot of attention. I LOVE the sound of your flavor additions 🙂
Can I sub in zucchini or other veggies? thx!
Absolutely! But it is a good idea to squeeze out the liquid for more watery vegetables before using them here.
These are wonderful. As I make them again I will try other veggie combos, and maybe add nutritional yeast.
So glad you are enjoying these, Sophie!!!
I made these with leftover steamed cauliflower and zucchini and loved them! The zucchini was probably too watery, but they stayed together. I’m going to make extra veggies all the time so I can have these again and again! Such a great and simple recipe!
Yippee, that’s fantastic, Elaine! Great idea to plan on making extra vegetables to make whipping up a batch of these all the easier 🙂
I made these today and really enjoyed them! I did have a little issue with them falling apart, wondering if 1) I just should’ve added a little more almond meal 2) I should add a little chickpea flour or flax meal? Thanks so much!
Hi Penny! Glad you liked these! Any of the options you mention would work. The vegetables can definitely vary in their water content, so aim for a dough that is moist but firm (if it feels wet, add a little bit of one of the options you mentioned until to desired firmness).
can’t wait to make these…. however, I can tell by looking that they are a lot more than just 1/4 inch thick–1/4 inch is very thin.
Hi there, if I wanted to make this nut and seed free is there something I could sub the almond flour for? (Would oat, millet, quinoa, or coconut flour be okay as a substitute?) Thank you so much!
Hi M! I have not tried it, but I think there is a good possibility you could get very good results. I would recommend the same amount or oat flour (just grind rolled oats, if you like) or 1/2 cup coconut flour. I think all coconut flour could be a bit mushy, but oat + coconut flour can work very well. I suggest 3/4 cup oat flour + 1/4 cup coconut flour. I would love to know how it works ! You might also want to try adding some fat in some way (e.g., a bit of oil, ground chia or flax); the almond flour adds fat to the recipe. But it is not required.
Is there a nutrition breakdown of this? I’m not sure about the keto designation. You could probably swap the carrot out for psyllium and make it more keto friendly. Or chia, that would hold it together too.
Hi Angelica, sorry, I had left out the red bell pepper sub for keto. I will add the keto macros for this sub.
Thank you! My littles loved this. The only problem is I didn’t make enough. I’ll double the recipe next time.
Oh, that is excellent news, Alice! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂