These Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets make for a great finger food for infants and toddlers. They’re rich in nutrients essential for the growth and development of your little ones. Both sweet potatoes and chickpeas are loaded with health benefits your kids need as they are growing. Plus, these are super tasty and excellent for picky eaters. They’re also gluten-free, dairy-free, and Vegan friendly.
Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets
When you think finger food or toddler food one of the first things that come to mind are probably chicken nuggets. Which is why this was one of the first foods I made for my daughter. Making healthy chicken nuggets was rather easy as there are so many ideas on how to out there. This inspired me to come up with a new recipe of my own.
From a very young age my baby girl Emma hasn’t been to fond of chicken. She loves chicken soup and has since she was an infant. However, when it comes to her having chicken on it’s own she’s very picky about it. Even with chicken nuggets. This is where the idea of making veggie nuggets came from.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes:
- Boost Immune System
- Rich in Vitamins A, C, And Potassium
- Great source of dietary fiber
- Aid in digestion
- Anti-inflammatory
Health Benefits of Chickpeas:
- Excellent source of protein
- Aids digestion
- Great source of fiber
- Rich in Iron and Calcium
- Boosts immune system
Why make these Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets?
We all know how chicken nuggets are a very popular food with kids and even grown ups. While they’re widely popular who says that nuggets only have to be made out of chicken? I have seen many options for veggie nuggets in the freezer aisle at the grocery store so why make your own at home?
As I developed this veggie version it was evident they should have good source of protein. It hit me that when Emma was in the puree stage, we made a sweet potato hummus puree for her. She absolutely loved this puree and gave me the idea to use these two ingredients in this recipe. That’s how these Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets came about.
I experimented with a couple of different flours and breading and finally arrived at a recipe I was satisfied with. The chickpeas and sweet potato make a great combination to make great veggie nuggets. These sure do have a “nugget” texture, great taste and of course much healthier than traditional chicken nuggets. They’re a great option for picky eaters as they only see nuggets and can’t see the veggies in them. Making them can even be a fun activity to make with your little ones in the kitchen.
What you need to make these Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Chickpeas
- Flax Meal
- Oat Flour
- Paprika
- Pink Salt
- Black Pepper
Meal Prepping it:
These Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets are great for meal prep. They make a large batch that you can keep in your fridge for up to 4-5 days. These are great for toddler lunches or dinners. They are also perfect to pack for kid’s lunchboxes.
Are Veggie Nuggets freezer friendly?
You can certainly freeze veggie nuggets. Especially these Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets. I love keeping some in the freezer as they come in handy when I need to prep a quick lunch or dinner for my daughter. You can keep frozen for 1-3 months. Thaw out in the fridge and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees.
Did you like this Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets recipe? You may also like these other Finger Foods:
- Quinoa and Spinach Salmon Cakes with Dill and Lemon Yogurt Dip
- Zucchini Quinoa Bites
- Mini Cauliflower Grilled Cheese with Spinach
- Flax Fish Sticks
Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets
These Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets make for a great finger food for infants and toddlers. They’re rich in nutrients essential for the growth and development of your little ones. Both sweet potatoes and chickpeas are loaded with health benefits your kids need as they are growing. Plus, these are super tasty and excellent for picky eaters. They're also gluten-free, dairy-free, and Vegan friendly.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 15 oz chickpea can (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup flax meal
- 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1 tbsp paprika
- salt and pepper to tatse
Instructions
-
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
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In a medium sauce pan bring sweet potatoes to a boil until tender.
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Rinsed cooked sweet potatoes and peel.
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In a food processor or blender mix together sweet potatoes and chickpeas.
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Combine sweet potatoes and chickpeas with all others ingredients in a large bowl.
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Shape mixture into small nuggets and align on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. (See note below).
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Bake in oven for 22-25 minutes.
Recipe Notes
*The mixture of sweet potato, chickpea and other ingredients can get pretty sticky. You will have to work through it and shape them as nuggets or circles if you prefer. (I think they look cuter when shaped like nuggets). Once they're baked they will keep together and get a great nugget like consistency and texture.
*Recipe, Post and Pictures updated as of 02/04/19
Did you make this recipe? Tag @thepeacheepear and use hashtag #thepeacheepear on Instagram!
These look great! My daughter would love these!
thank you! they’re great for kids!
Hi! This recipe looks great thanks for sharing it. I have a question about the sweet potatoes. Since every potato is a different size, do you know how many cups you used?
Hi Leanne,
I’ve never actually measured the potatoes in cups. I’m sorry. I typically use 2 medium size potatoes. I’ll definitely take your feedback however and measure out the potatoes next time I make these and edit the recipe with that option. Thank you so much!!
That’s it- I need to make these! Hoping my picky toddler will like them. At least I know I’ll eat them haha
lol! my daughter has been a bit of a picky eater lately and she loves these! and yes if all else fails you can eat them! lol
This looks lovely!!!! I am transitioning to a plant based diet, I can still make this without the eggs. Thanks for sharing.
thank you! yes other moms have made these with flax eggs instead and they’re just as lovey!
I’m defiantly going to make this at our next family get together. My family goes crazy over anything involving sweet potatoes.
It’s a great recipe to make for a large crowd. These work as appetizers too! Let me know how it goes!
Such a perfect recipe for Sunday evening snack. tasty and healthy. I am surely gonna try my hands on this. Thansk for sharing
Thank you! They make great appetizers too!
This looks so good. I’m trying out the recipe tomorrow.
Thank you! Please let me know how you like them!
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[…] Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets […]
[…] Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets […]
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A full cup of flax meal…am I reading that correctly?
Yes!
Can these be frozen for future use?
Yes! I freeze them all the time. Up to 3 months is the most I’ve left them in the freezer. To thaw out, I leave them in the fridge over night then reheat then in the oven at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
[…] Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets […]
[…] Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets […]
[…] Sweet Potato Chickpea Nuggets […]
Can I make this with another flour, like almond?
Yes you can use almond flour instead!
Is it 1 cup of flax and 1 Tbsp paprika? The font looks like an “r” or pi sign on my phone. Can’t wait to try them! Thank you!
Yes it’s a 1 for both. I know the font is a little funny. I’m planning on changing it soon!
These were pretty nasty. But I think they have potential. I seasoned the chickpeas before mixing them with the sweet potato. That mixture tasted good. I then added the flour and flax. That mixture was nasty. All I can taste was flax. So if that’s your thing. I then added in the paprika. Made no difference. Because they were so dry I added in some hot sauce. That made them spicy. Once they were cooked I tasted flax first then the hot sauce. That’s a lot of flax. I think the idea is great! But I have to find an alternative to flax, and the oat flour too I think dried them out. Maybe I just don’t like the flavor of flax in my food. Thanks for sharing though. It’s nothing personal against blogger. 😬
Thank you for your feedback. I truly appreciate it. I get a lot of mixed reviews about these nuggets. The thing about these is when I first developed them they were for my infant almost toddler daughter. It was one of the first solid foods I made for her. This is why they are more on the bland side. Babies can’t have too much seasoning. One of the top things on my list as I improve this blog once I get back into it full time (just had a baby) is to improve this particular recipe for it to be more kid and adult appropriate. It has been shared so much by now and it seems to appeal adults and older kids more.
This looks so good! What a great alternative for kids and adults to get more veggies in!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
They’re good in the fridge for you to five days and in the freezer for up to three months.
These were actually quite good, better than I expected. I microwaved the sweet potatoes to save time, and I also made my own oat flour by putting oats in the food processor. I added onion powder and garlic powder. I didn’t find them difficult to shape into nuggets, either! They were pretty tasty, although I wouldn’t consider the texture similar to A chicken nugget, it was more similar to the sweet potato. I baked them for the recommended time at 425 because I was also cooking baked fries, and they browned nicely and were crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. My kids liked them as well (2.5, 1). Thank you for sharing!