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These baked veggie nuggets are a healthy, homemade alternative to store-bought nuggets made with real vegetables and simple pantry ingredients. They are perfect for family dinners, school lunches, and meal prep, with easy options for baking or air frying. They can also be adapted for babies and toddlers with just a few small tweaks.
Why You’ll Love these Veggie Nuggets
- Made with real vegetables – These nuggets are made with whole vegetables like carrots, broccoli, peas, and corn, with no powders or ultra-processed ingredients.
- Kid-approved and lunchbox friendly – The familiar nugget shape and mild flavor make them easy for kids to enjoy, and they hold up well for school lunches and dipping. Check out my collection of the ultimate lunch box ideas for kids.
- Easy to bake or air fry – You can bake or air fry these veggie nuggets depending on your schedule, and both methods give you a crisp outside and tender center.
- Freezer-friendly -These nuggets freeze well, making them a great make-ahead option for busy weeks.
- Works for babies, toddlers, and the whole family – With a few simple adjustments, these nuggets can be safely served to babies and toddlers while still appealing to older kids and adults.
- Naturally vegetarian and easy to adapt – The recipe is vegetarian as written and can be easily adapted to be vegan or gluten-free with simple swaps.
And, of course, I had to recreate another classic kid-friendly finger food – here’s healthy chicken nuggets!
“I run a home daycare and made these for lunch one day. All the toddlers loved them and so did I! Delicious and nutritious!!” – Anastasia
Table of Contents
Key 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.
- Eggs – help hold the ingredients together.
- Broccoli and Carrots – feel free to substitute with other vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato, zucchini, potato, etc.
- Peas and corn – fresh or frozen corn will both work. If using the latter, be sure to thaw first before blending.
- Garlic – can add more if you are a garlic fan.
How to Make Veggie Nuggets
Step 1: Add broccoli and carrots to a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped.
Step 2: Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined and chunky (be careful not to overmix)
Step 3: Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form into a ball. Flatten slightly into nugget shapes. Optional: Place the bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Coat each veggie nuggets with additional breadcrumbs. Place the nuggets on a lined baking sheet.
Step 4: Bake for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Vegan Veggie Nuggets
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.
Air Fryer Instructions
To air fry:
- Preheat air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
- Lightly grease the air fryer basket or line with perforated parchment paper.
- Place nuggets in a single layer, leaving space between each one.
- Air fry for 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp.
- Let cool slightly before serving, as they firm up as they rest.
Tip: Air fryer cooking times may vary by model. If the nuggets are browning too quickly, reduce the temperature to 360°F.
Expert Tips
- 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 crispier veggie nuggets, use panko breadcrumbs rather than the regular 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.
- You can adjust the size of these veggie nuggets by shaping them to be bigger or smaller, turning them into veggie bites.
- For more flavor, feel free to add some cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese
- Let nuggets cool slightly after cooking so they firm up
- For extra crispiness, lightly spray with oil before baking or air frying
Serving Suggestions
These easy homemade Veggie Nuggets are delicious on their own. But since most kids love to dip, you can serve with their favorite dipping sauce, like ketchup, ranch dressing, healthy BBQ sauce, sugar free pizza sauce, etc.
If you want to boost nutrition, try some of these veggie-loaded dips!
To round out the meal pair with fruit, roasted potatoes, or a simple vegetable side.
Pictured: Beet Hummus
Veggie Nuggets FAQs
Yes. You can prep and shape the nuggets up to 24 hours in advance and store them covered in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months using the flash freeze method. Learn about this method at how to store and freeze muffins.
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.
They can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs or oats.
Yes! Heat avocado oil or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the veggie nuggets in a single layer, ensuring they do not touch. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy. Flip carefully using a spatula. If necessary, adjust the heat to prevent the nuggets from burning.
More Veggie-loaded Snacks
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)
- 1/2 cup peas (65g)
- 1/2 cup corn (70g)
- 2 eggs
- 1 small garlic clove (can use 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup breadcrumbs (100g), regular or panko style
- Optional: 1/2 cup breadcrumbs for coating, 1/4-1/3 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 20-25 minutes, flip halfway (see note)
- Serve with your favorite condiment, like ketchup, ranch, etc.
On the Stovetop
- Heat oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add nuggets in skillet and cook about 4 minutes each side, or until golden brown and crispy.
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.
quick can be made in less time .. easy for busy morning..
Yummy recipe I would give 412 out of 5
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.
Oh thank you so much for sharing all the tips! I’m sure this will be very helpful to many!
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!
So happy to hear! Thanks for sharing! Good to know that the recipe works with those substitutions ;).
Can’t wait to try this! Would frozen veggies work?
I imagine it would work! Just be sure to thaw first and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible
I’m so excited to make these for my family. Do the brocoli and carrots go in raw?
Yes! Just be sure to finely chop 😉
Looks good! What is the optional 1/4-1/3 cup of cheese listed in the ingredients for? The crust or the nuggets?
For the nuggets!
How awesome to hear my picky toddler say ‘More!!’
Feels great to make something tasty and healthy for them. Thank you!
Aww rejoicing with you 😉
Any guess if they’d work with zucchini instead of broccoli? Will I need to adjust for moisture?
I would grate and squeeze out the water as much as possible!
This recipe is amazing! My son seems to like it. My husband loves it!
So so happy to hear! My husband also said “hey this is surprisingly really good!” haha