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Veggie Nuggets Recipe

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Just like chicken nuggets, veggie nuggets are the perfect finger food for little hands. We love the Veggie Nuggets Recipe, because it’s just one extra way to get those veggies in.  You can eat these plain like nuggets for  lunch, or use them in place of meatballs (which is what we did for our meal plan a few weeks ago!)

Delicious finger food for kids, veggie nuggets

The veggies we used in these nuggets are generally acceptable to most kids. But we cooked them first to make them soft and bring out the flavor.  The veggies included:

  • Potatoes – Potatoes are a great source of vitamin C, and they help bind all the ingredients together in these nuggets.
  • Carrots – Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A. Most kids like them raw, but this is a good way to introduce cooked carrots as well.
  • Peas – A good source of Vitamin K and Maganese.  We always have peas on hand in the freezer, and they are a great addition to any meal.
  • Onions– These are a great way to get quercetin, an antioxidant good for kids.  Onions also provide flavor to these nuggets as well.
  • Garlic – More flavor from garlic, but garlic is also a good source of the antioxidant Allicin.

veggie nuggets finger food for kids

a row of veggie nuggets

The basic steps of making these nuggets include:

1) Start with shredding potatoes, carrots, chopping onions, and defrosting peas.

The kids can help with shredding or pealing the potatoes. Shredding the carrots for kids who are a little bit older, and chopping onions for the oldest kids.

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

2) Cook veggies in a skillet until they are soft and tender.

These cook quickly if they are shredded with a cheese grater! Let the kids stir the veggies in the skillet.

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

3) Add bread crumbs to veggie mix.

Dump in the bread crumbs. The kids can do this task. The bread crumbs can be substituted with gluten free products or even oats.

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

4) Chill in fridge until easy to handle.

Chilling is great because you can mix this up in the morning, and it will be ready to make into nuggets at lunch time or dinner.  Store for several days if you need to!

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

5) Form nuggets.

You can also make fun shapes from the nuggets using cookie cutters. We’ve made stars before and even hearts.

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

6) Roll in breading and cook.

Veggie Nuggets Recipe. With five vegetables packed into this nugget, your kids will get all their servings they need in one sitting!

That’s it!  We love these hot and right off the griddle, but you can chill them and reheat for another day.

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3.6 from 33 votes

Veggie Snack Nuggets

Just like chicken nuggets, veggie nuggets are the perfect finger food for little hands. We love the Veggie Nuggets Recipe, because it’s just one extra way to get those veggies in.  You can eat these plain like nuggets for  lunch, or use them in place of meatballs!
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5
Calories: 339kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Dice onion, shred potatoes and carrots, and mince garlic.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet, then add diced onion; cook for 2 minutes or until softened.
  • Add potatoes and carrots; continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Mix in garlic, peas, salt, and pepper; continue to cook for 3 minutes more.
  • Remove from heat, stir in juice from the lemon and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs; set aside until mixture is cool enough to handle.
  • Shape veggie mixture into 15 to 20 balls; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  • Place remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high.
  • Roll the balls into the breadcrumbs until coated on all sides.
  • Add 4 to 5 nuggets at a time to the hot skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels and repeat the process with the remaining veggie balls until all have been cooked, adding more oil as necessary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 339kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 354mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g
Keyword : Veggie Snack Nuggets

www.superhealthykids.com

Let  us know if you try these and how your kids like them!

Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

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53 Comments

They are cooked in a skillet (see the recipe inset) ” Cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, turn and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until nicely browned”

This is a great idea! Do you think green beans would work instead of peas? My lo is not too crazy about potato either, but loves carrots. Do you think it would still hold up without as much potato?

Will be trying these…can I mix all the ingredients and then take portions out of the freezer to fry? Or would you not recommend this? Thx

@Ashley- I do. Beans might even taste a little better (more like falafel).
@Katia – coconut oil would work great- I have never used avocado oil.
@chris- Yes! Crunchier, but probably awesomer.
@sadi- they are cooked. You shred raw, and then cook them.
@Katie- I’ve never frozen them. I would cook it first, then freeze. Just reheat on a skillet or the oven so they stay a bit crispy.

I love this idea! Thoughts on using sweet potatoes instead of russet? What about adding broccoli? And any idea how pureeing the veggies would turn out? Thanks!

Hi Danielle, you could try coursely-ground rolled oats in place of the bread crumbs. Or you could simply use gluten free bread crumbs (I think most stores have them now!) I hope this helps.

1 star
Worst recipe. How did it get 5 stars? My son and I spent alot of time preparing and when it was time to cook them, they CRUMBLED!!! Not edible. Crumble mess and I followed the recipe. I wasted money and my time!

You can definitely sub in whichever veggies your family likes! I do suggest keeping some russet potatoes in the mixture though, because the starchiness is part of what holds the nuggets together.

Hi Ariel, yes, you can add your own blend of veggies, just try to match the volume of the ones listed. I’m not sure about the oats: are you asking if you can replace the bread crumbs with oats? You can definitely try!

I have actually never tried freezing these but I don’t see why you couldn’t! Let me know if you try and how they turn out!

You can bake them! Put them on a greased baking pan, bake them at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Flip, and bake for 5 minutes for until crisp and lightly browned.