These baked veggie nuggets are an easy and fun way to get more vegetables into your child's diet! Made with four vegetables, they are perfect for lunch or snack!
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Reasons to love these healthy veggie nuggets
- So easy to make.
- Simple ingredients. All you need are vegetables, eggs, breadcrumbs, and seasonings!
- Kids love finger foods and dips. If you have a picky eater, these nuggets just may get them to gobble up their vegetables.
- Make for a great addition to school lunchboxes.
- A great accompaniment to:
You should totally try these healthy homemade chicken nuggets too!
Ingredients
I am highlighting just the ones that need further explanation. The complete list is in the recipe card below.
Breadcrumbs - Can use regular or panko breadcrumbs
Peas and corn - Can use fresh or frozen. If using the latter, be sure to thaw first before blending.
Garlic - can add more if you are a garlic fan
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Pulse broccoli and carrots until finely chopped
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined
- Optional: coat with additional breadcrumbs
- Bake!
Tips for Success (Be sure to read!)
- Don't over mix! Pulse the carrots and broccoli first, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse several times until combined and chunky, NOT mushy.
- If you desire crunchier veggie nuggets, then use panko breadcrumbs. Note that pre-baking panko before coating will help achieve a nice golden color to your nuggets. Personally, I can do without the extra step and my kids never seem to mind.
- Flip halfway to ensure both sides are cooked evenly.
Serving Suggestions
These baked veggie nuggets are delicious on their own. But since most kids love to dip, you can serve with their favorite condiment, like ketchup, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, etc.
If you want to boost nutrition, try some of these veggie-loaded dips!
Pictured: Beet Hummus
For babies
To achieve a soft and moist texture, don't roll the nuggets in the extra breadcrumbs. Also, decrease the cooking time by 5 minutes or so. You can offer the whole nugget, cut in half or bite-sized pieces depending on their age.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use an egg replacer like this one. I haven't tried with flax eggs, but please do let me know if you do! If adding cheese, any non-dairy shredded cheese will work.
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend flash freezing.
Reheat at 350°F in the oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes. If you don't mind the texture being soft, you can microwave for 1-2 minutes until heated through.
Other Veggie-Loaded Snacks
Here are more EASY toddler snack ideas!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Baked Veggie Nuggets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped into small pieces (140g)
- 1 cup broccoli florets (75g)
- ½ cup peas (65g)
- ½ cup corn (70g)
- 2 eggs
- 1 small garlic clove (can use 1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (100g), regular or panko style
- Optional: ½ cup breadcrumbs for coating, ¼-1/3 cup cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit. LIghtly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper or baking mat.
- Add carrots and broccoli into a food processor/blender and pulse several times until finely chopped.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined and chunky (be careful not to overmix)
- Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into a ball. Flatten slightly into nugget shapes.
- Roll in extra breadcrumbs if desired.
- Bake at 425°F for 25-30 minutes, flip halway (see note)
Notes
- If making this for a baby, skip the breadcrumb coating and bake for 20-25 minutes. The nuggets will be perfectly soft and moist.
- Don't over mix! Pulse the carrots and broccoli first, and then add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse several times until combined and chunky, NOT mushy.
- If you desire crunchier veggie nuggets, then use panko breadcrumbs. Note that pre-baking panko before coating will help achieve a nice golden color to your nuggets. Personally, I can do without the extra step and my kids never seem to mind.
- Flip halfway to ensure both sides are cooked evenly.
- Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.
Caitlin says
My 20 month old LOVES these! He has dairy and egg allergies so used flax egg and vegan cheese. They’re a little hard to shape into patties (I assume with regular egg they hold better) so I form on a spoon and slide off onto the pan. Once they’re cooked they hold together just fine, and most recently I substituted 1/3 cup of quinoa for some of the bread crumbs and it seemed to hold a little better. I always use frozen veggies so I always have the ingredients on hand which is super convenient.
Min says
Oh thank you so much for sharing all the tips! I'm sure this will be very helpful to many!
Jenny says
I made these with a few substitutes - flax egg for egg due to baby’s allergy, and almond flour instead of breadcrumbs because I couldn’t find any that didn’t have salt and I’m trying to keep baby’s diet as salt free as possible. Also used frozen veggies because it’s what I had on hand. And it turned out great and he loved it!
Min says
So happy to hear! Thanks for sharing! Good to know that the recipe works with those substitutions ;).
DS says
Can’t wait to try this! Would frozen veggies work?
Min says
I imagine it would work! Just be sure to thaw first and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible
Kisayne says
I'm so excited to make these for my family. Do the brocoli and carrots go in raw?
Min says
Yes! Just be sure to finely chop 😉
Adriana says
Looks good! What is the optional 1/4-1/3 cup of cheese listed in the ingredients for? The crust or the nuggets?
Min says
For the nuggets!
Colleen says
How awesome to hear my picky toddler say 'More!!'
Feels great to make something tasty and healthy for them. Thank you!
Min says
Aww rejoicing with you 😉
Abbi says
Any guess if they’d work with zucchini instead of broccoli? Will I need to adjust for moisture?
Min says
I would grate and squeeze out the water as much as possible!
Lora says
This recipe is amazing! My son seems to like it. My husband loves it!
Min says
So so happy to hear! My husband also said "hey this is surprisingly really good!" haha