Spicy Vegan Chickpea Nuggets
100% Vegan, Oil-Free, and with a little tweaking – Gluten-Free:Â Like all of my recipes, this recipe is made without any animal products or processed oils and with a few substitutions can be made gluten-free as well.
No Weird Ingredients:Â Other than some Vital Wheat Gluten which can be found anywhere they sell Bob’s Red Mill products, everything you need for this recipe should be readily available at your local big box grocery store.
Comfort Food: Next time that “meat ‘n potato” person in your family (we all have at least one), is craving spicy “wings” for the big game – try these instead.
Fast & Easy To Make: You make a simple breading, mix some chickpeas with a few spices, and air fry (or bake). Even the person who hates to cook can make these – seriously!
Notable Ingredients & Substitutions
The Nuggets
Chickpeas
I used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) in this recipe but you can also use dried. You would need to soak them and then cook them first but it is a possibility. If buying canned, I always choose a LOW-SODIUM variety.
Sriracha
I only added this to add a little zip to the nuggets and to offer something a little different from all of the other recipes out there in Internetland. Feel free to substitute your favorite hot sauce, reduce the amount, or omit it completely if you just can’t do spice.
The Breading
Aquafaba
If you’ve never heard of this strange-sounding liquid, it’s just the juice from a can of chickpeas. We have all probably opened a can and drained all this liquid out at some time – but strangely enough, it has some cool properties that make it an important ingredient in vegan cooking.
How To Make Spicy Vegan Chickpea Nuggets
Step 1
Open your can of chickpeas and drain, reserving all that liquid (aquafaba). Then place the chickpeas and all the other nugget ingredients into a food chopper and pulse until you have a wet dough. Place dough in a small bowl and gently knead a few times to mix. Set aside.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place the reserved aquafaba into one bowl, and whisk all of the other breading ingredients together in another bowl. I find it easier to bread the nuggets by forming an assembly line.
Step 3
Using a tablespoon as a measurement, gently form about 1 to 1 ½ Tbs of dough into a ball and then flatten it. Dip each nugget first into the aquafaba, and then the breading to coat all surfaces evenly.
Step 4
Arrange the nuggets evenly on a parchment-lined air fryer basket or baking sheet.
Step 5
Air fry (or bake) at 400° F for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure to flip them halfway through the cooking time.
Hint: I like to use the “wet hand / dry hand” method for dredging. Use one hand to dip the nuggets into the aquafaba, and use the other hand to coat the breading. That way, you avoid getting your breading all wet and goopy.
Spicy Vegan Chickpea Nuggets Recipe
-
Prep Time:
15 min -
Cook Time:
15 min -
Total Time:
30 minutes -
Yield:
12 Nuggets 1x -
Category:
Appetizer -
Method:
Air Fryer -
Cuisine:
American -
Diet:
Vegan
Description
I’ve been searching for a vehicle to deliver my newfound love of hot sauces – and these Spicy Vegan Chickpea Nuggets definitely do the trick!
Instructions
- Open your can of chickpeas and reserve the juice in a small bowl – set aside
- In a small food chopper – pulse the nugget ingredients until you have a wet dough
- Remove the dough to a bowl and knead a few times
- In a small bowl whisk the breading ingredients together – set aside
- Using about a tablespoon for measurement – form a small ball of the nugget mixture and shape it into a nugget
- Dip the nugget in the aqufaba and then in the breading ensuring an even coating
- Place on a parchment-lined air-fryer basket and repeat until you have roughly 12 nuggets.
- Air fry (or bake) at 400° F for about 15 minutes – flipping halfway
- Serve with your favorite sauce
