Eggplant Veggie Nuggets are healthy, easy to make and kids love them. They’re made with simple ingredients and ready in less than 20 minutes. Only 111 calories a serving for these vegetarian nuggets. Serve for dinner, lunch box or snack.
You guys know I love sneaking garden vegetables into everything, so it might not surprise you that I turned a kids classic dinner food into something a little more nutritious with the help of eggplant!
These taste just like regular “chicken nuggets” but are 100% vegetarian. Instead of meat, we use shredded eggplant. Not only does my daughter love them, but my meat-eating husband can’t keep his paws off them either. It’s a win win when I get my whole family to eat more vegetables!
Veggie Nuggets Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded eggplant (this is about a medium sized eggplant)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (I save $ and buy this in bulk)
- additional bread crumbs to roll the nuggets in
How to Make Nuggets at Home
You will need 2 cups shredded eggplant. First you’ll want to peel your eggplant.
Now you’ll want to shred your eggplant. You can either use a grater or if you have a food processor, use that as it’s super quick!
We want to remove the excess water from the eggplant before cooking it. To do this I place the shredded eggplant in a colander above a bowl and firmly press on it. I do this a few times until most of the water is removed from it.
Now place your eggplant, eggs, salt, all purpose flour, bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese into a large bowl.
Using your hands, form into nugget shapes. Then roll around in additional bread crumbs to completely cover them.
Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a frying pan over medium high heat. Once it’s heated add your nuggets to it.
Cook them for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned.
You might have to do 2 rounds of this depending on your pan size. If you’re going to do this twice, make sure your pan is still greased, or add a little bit more olive oil to it. This helps brown the nuggets.
And just like that you have a plate filled with yummy eggplant Veggie Nuggets to eat!
If you’re going to eat these immediately for dinner, serve with whatever dipping sauce you like. I love BBQ sauce, while my daughter loves ketchup and my husband loves mustard. So many options!
Nutrition Info – Low Calories, Low Carb
These Veggie Nuggets come in at only 111 calories a serving making them a healthy dinner option for you and your family. Eggplants boasts a high number of antioxidants and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It’s also a non-starchy vegetable so it’s low carb.
How long do nuggets last in the freezer?
About 6 months.
These veggie nuggets will last about 6 months in the freezer. I like to make a double batch of these, to freeze one for later usage. These are one of my go to lunch foods for my daughter for school, so I often defrost a couple to throw in her lunch box. To freeze I place them in a freezer bag. When I need some, I simply just take a couple out of the bag and throw in the microwave.
Did you make and love this recipe? Give it your review below! 👇 And make sure to share your creations by tagging me or using the hashtag #brooklynfarmgirl on Instagram!
Sneaky Vegetable Recipes
Here’s other ways you can innocently sneak veggies in food:
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Eggplant Veggie Nuggets
PrintIngredients
- 2 cups shredded eggplant (about medium size eggplant)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- additional bread crumbs to roll nuggets in
Instructions
- Peel and shred eggplant. Place shredded eggplant in a colander and press on it, removing the excess liquid. Put shredded eggplant in a large bowl.
- Add eggs, salt, flour, bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese to bowl. Use your hands or a spoon to completely mix.
- Add olive oil to a frying pan over medium high heat. Shape eggplant mixture into nugget shapes and roll in additional bread crumbs to cover.
- Place nuggets in frying pan cooking until brown on both sides. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side before flipping to the other side. If you can't fit all the nuggets into the frying pan, you will need to repeat this process.
- Serve right away with bbq sauce, ketchup and mustard. They also freeze great, I like to put them in freezer bags and defrost in microwave.
Claudia says
I tried this one and I liked it very much! Next time I do this , I want to try this with some green chillies and slightly fried egg plant shreds to this.
Pamela says
Yum! I love the addition of green chilies added in! Thanks for commenting Claudia!
Sue says
I like these a lot! I added some garlic and onion powder to add some more flavors. I also found that I needed to bake them around 375 for 10-15 min (not sure of time as I ran after two small kids). They’ve cooled and are delicious! Thank you!
Sue says
I like these a lot! I added some garlic and onion powder to add some more flavors. Next time I might add some more! I also found that I needed to bake them around 375 for 10-15 min (not sure of time as I ran after two small kids) after I had fried them in the pan. The pan fry helped ensure it was a nice and crispy outside while the baking ensured everything cooked all the way through. They’ve cooled and are delicious! Thank you!