These Veggie Bites (Homemade Vegetable Nuggets) are a yummy, healthier finger food option for lunch, dinner or even lunchboxes. They’re great for getting more vegetables into your children’s diet – you’ll catch me eating them too though! Oven baking, not frying, makes these vegetable nuggets deliciously crispy on the outside and an easy recipe to cook. They freeze and reheat well, so you can keep some on hand for those busy days. There’s lots of reasons to love homemade veggie nuggets!
I love that these Veggie Bites (Homemade Vegetable Nuggets) are super versatile. No matter your baby or toddler’s food preferences, you should give these a try! You can adapt this delicious recipe to include your kids’ favourite vegetables, or to hide some they don’t like. They’re a healthier alternative to store-bought nuggets, and a great finger food recipe for little hands. They’re also a great way to use up what’s in the fridge! 😂 Winner!
What you need to make this veggie nuggets recipe
The ingredient list for is these vegetable nuggets is very straightforward, and adaptable:
Onion and garlic – Fresh bown/yellow onion and garlic for flavour. You could also use white or green onion. I much prefer to use whole foods, but if in a pinch you could substitute with a teaspoon of onion powder and garlic powder.
Zucchini – If the eaters of these Veggie Bites are afraid of green specks in their food, then peeling the zucchini helps to hide this vegie. My kids responded well to early training, and so they get the green 😁.
White potato – Any variety of white potato will do. You can also substitute with sweet potatoes.
Other vegetables – Raid your fridge for fresh vegetables! Capsicum/bell pepper, cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, celery – the choice is yours.
Parmesan and cheddar cheese – This helps to flavour and bind the bites. Babies can have a small amount of parmesan cheese [1], but you can always substitute it for a less salty cheese if serving to family under 12 months of age 😊.
Eggs – For binding.
Panko breadcrumbs – These add lightness to the bites, more so than standard bread crumbs.
Black pepper and salt – To taste. Leave out the salt if serving to family under 12 months of age.
How to make this Veggie Bites
Thermomixer? In your machine, finely chop the vegetables and then transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Mill the cheese in your thermo cooker, add back in the vegetables and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Then use a tablespoon to shape the mixture into nuggets and place on a baking tray. Bake until golden brown and enjoy!
Conventional cook? If you have one, use a food processor to finely chop the vegetables. Otherwise, you can also chop by hand and/or grate them. Transfer them to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Grate the cheese, and then in a large bowl mix all ingredients in with the vegetables. Use a tablespoon to shape the mixture into nuggets and place on a baking tray. Bake until golden brown and enjoy!
Everyone! I find that clean kitchen towel (like a chux cloth) is easier for removing excess moisture from the vegetable mixture, but heavy duty paper towels work too. You can also pan fry rather than oven bake these nuggets. Simply heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet or frypan over medium-high heat and pan fry until golden.
See the recipe card below for ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both thermo cooker and conventional methods.
Serving and storing Veggie Bites
Serve these vegetable nuggets on their own as a snack, lunch or dinner, or as a side dish for the whole family with protein! My kids aren’t actually fans of tomato sauce or bbq sauce so have them as is. But if your children have a favourite dipping sauce or condiment then go for it! 😆
You can serve these freshly made, or reheat from refrigerated or frozen. To freeze, lay them out on a lined baking sheet and then place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container. I keep a stash in the freezer, and oven-bake frozen Veggie Bites for around 15 minutes to reheat. For other great freezer-friendly finger foods, check out the Best Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets and Pork Sausage Rolls. Create this amazing platter for an easy dinner!
If you try this veggie nugget recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more healthy meals for kids.
Happy cooking,
Chloe x
Veggie Bites (Homemade Vegetable Nuggets)
Category: Finger FoodTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove peeled
- 75 g / 1/2 brown/yellow onion peeled and halved
- 280 g / 2 1/2 zucchini roughly chopped
- 170 g / 1 white potato peeled and quartered
- 100 g other vegetables (Note 1)
- 20 g parmesan cheese (Thermomixers: cut into 3cm cubes)
- 40 g cheddar cheese (Thermomixers: cut into 3cm cubes)
- 2 eggs
- 30 g / 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt for family over 12 months
Thermo Cooker Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper/parchment paper or lightly grease.
- Put all vegetables into the mixing bowl. Chop for 8 seconds, speed 5, MC on. Transfer vegetables to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Add cheeses to the mixing bowl. Chop for 6 seconds, speed 7, MC on.
- Return vegetables to the mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix for 20 seconds, speed 2, MC on.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop and pack down 1 tbs of the mixture. Tap into hand or straight onto baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Conventional Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper or lightly grease with olive oil spray.
- Put all vegetables into a food processor and finely chop, or alternatively do it by hand. Transfer vegetables to a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
- Add cheeses to the food processor and finely chop, or alternatively grate by hand.
- Return vegetables to the food processor (or mixing bowl if chopping/grating by hand) and add remaining ingredients. Mix well.
- Using a tablespoon measure, scoop and pack down 1 tbs of the mixture. Tap into hand or straight onto baking tray. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until golden.
Recipe Notes
- Vegetables– Use whatever you’d like. Capsicum/bell pepper, cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, sweet potato or celery are good options, or more white potato and zucchini.
- Storage– Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze, lay them out on a tray lined with baking paper and then place in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer them to an airtight container. Be sure to practice food safety when storing, defrosting and/or reheating food.
- Nutrition– Per individual piece, as a general guide only.
Nutrition Information
[1] Parmesan, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
One Response
Great stuff, Chloe. Love your recipes.