Paleo Baked Veggie Nuggets (Gluten Free, Dairy Free & AIP)
These baked veggie nuggets are a delicious veggie-packed nugget that is perfect for serving as a side, snack, or appetizer! They’re Paleo, gluten-free, and AIP-friendly.
Paleo Baked Veggie Nuggets
I loved kid food when I was a kid. Chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, and mac and cheese were most of my diet, and it showed as I got older and sicker. As a new parent myself, I believe that there has to be a way to make kid-friendly snacks with real, nourishing food! So, I decided to marry real food with comfort food with these baked veggie nuggets!
These baked veggie nuggets are delicious and flavorful goodies that completely pass as comfort-food! They’re crispy, made easily with minimal effort, and are extremely nutrient-dense with a variety of nourishing vegetables. They are egg-free, gluten-free, paleo, and AIP-friendly.
The Ingredients for Baked Veggie Nuggets
- Zucchini, Carrots, Cauliflower & Green Onion: The nutrient-dense base of the nuggets.
- Coconut Flour & Tapioca Starch: These help bind and crisp the nuggets.
- Coconut Oil
- Onion Powder & Salt
- Gelatin: You can sub an egg, if you prefer.
How To Make Baked Veggie Nuggets
- Combine the ingredients: Add the shredded veggies, coconut flour, coconut oil, and tapioca starch to a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine.
- Make the gelatin egg: For the gelatin egg, add the water to a small saucepot and slowly pour over the gelatin. Allow to harden. Place the pot on the stove and turn it on on low heat. Slowly melt the gelatin (this will take just a minute) and remove from heat. Vigorously whisk the gelatin egg until it becomes frothy. Add the gelatin egg to the mixture immediately and combine
- Form the patties & bake: Start forming patties and place them onto the baking sheet (you should have about a dozen) Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Very carefully flip them over and bake for another 5-8 minutes.
- Cool & Serve: Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with guacamole, compliant ranch dressing, ketchup or mustard if tolerated.
What do you dip these nuggets in?
I ate these nuggets with an easy AIP guacamole, and couldn’t stop! However, they’d also taste amazing with a compliant ketchup or ranch dressing. My husband actually eats them with mustard!
Can you reheat these veggie nuggets?
They’re best fresh out the oven, and I don’t love putting them in the microwave. If you choose to reheat them, I recommend going for the broiler. It’ll help them crisp up without drying them out!
You’ll also love…
- Cauliflower Veggie Nuggets
- Bacon Broccoli Veggie Nuggets
- Spaghetti Squash Nuggets
- Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers
Paleo Baked Veggie Nuggets (Gluten Free, Dairy Free & AIP)
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These baked veggie nuggets are a delicious veggie-packed nugget that is perfect for serving as a side, snack, or appetizer! They’re Paleo, gluten-free, and AIP-friendly.
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini (shredded and squeezed to remove excess liquid)
- 1 cup cauliflower, riced (squeeze to remove excess liquid)
- 1/2 carrots, shredded
- 1/3 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp finely sliced green onion (reserving some for topping)
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the gelatin egg (or sub 1 regular egg):
- 1 tbsp gelatin ( like this )
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and lightly grease a parchment-lined baking sheet with coconut oil
- Add the shredded veggies, coconut flour, coconut oil, tapioca starch, and seasonings (reserving the some green onion for topping) to a mixing bowl and thoroughly combine.
- For the gelatin egg, add the water to a small saucepot and slowly pour over the gelatin. Allow to harden. Place the pot on the stove and turn in on low heat. Slowly melt the gelatin (this will take just a minutes) and remove from heat. Vigorously whisk the gelatin egg until it becomes frothy. Add the gelatin egg to the mixture immediately and combine
- Start forming patties and place them onto the baking sheet (you should have about a dozen)
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Very carefully flip them over and bake for another 5-8 minutes .
- OPTIONAL: To crisp further, put until the broiler for 1-2 minutes
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Top with green onion and serve with guacamole, compliant ranch dressing, compliant ketchup, or mustard if tolerated.
Notes
All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 157
- Fat: 11.2g
- Carbohydrates: 10.4g
- Fiber: 4.5g
- Protein: 4.3g
This post first appeared on Unbound Wellness in 2017 and was reshot and republished in 2021.
Recipe by Michelle, Unbound Wellness. Photos by Eat Love Eats
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
Alternatives to the coconut flour and tapioca? Both cause reactions here.
Thanks for sharing!
Can I substitute the tapioca and coconut flour for chickpea flour? Thoughts? Thanks!!
I haven’t cooked with chickpea flour before, so I’m not sure if it would work. Let me know if you try!!
Any idea how these might freeze? I have to batch cook for my summer work (summer camp life) where I transition from town to the backcountry where our camp is located. I freeze lots of meals so I don’t have to eat just Sysco processed food. Thank you for the recipe. I am going to try these tomorrow night!
Hi, Hollie! I haven’t frozen them, but these are best fresh for sure. If you do freeze them, I would reheat in the oven under the broiler.
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Do you think you could sub in xantham gum for either the tapioca or the gelatin? These sound fun and awesome!
Thank you, Beth! I don’t really cook with xantham gum and don’t recommend it just as it’s pretty processed, so I’m not 100% if it would wok.
Thanks for the recipe – interested in trying it! I’m just starting with cleaner eating…so baby steps for me. Can I use an actual egg and cornstarch instead of tapioca starch?
Thanks, Sioban! I haven’t tried that so I can’t guarantee it would work. I doubt the corn starch would sub well, however, I would think that using an actual egg would work 🙂
This recipe sounds great but I am wondering about the carrots. The recipe says “1/2 carrots” in the ingredient list. Is that 1/2 cup carrots?
Hey, Christi! Thanks for catching that typo! It’s 1/2 cup, yes 🙂
How many nuggets does this recipe make, and how many are considered a serving?
It makes about a dozen nuggets and it’s roughly 2-3 servings.
Thank you! 2-3 nuggets is a serving or this recipe makes 2-3 servings total? Sorry, just want to double check!
It makes a dozen nuggets 🙂 and the recipe is 2-3 servings total.
2-3 servings total, but I can easily eat it all myself haha.
I’m allergic to coconut and don’t have any tapioca so I was wondering if all purpose or whole wheat flour could be used as substitutes in this recipe?
Hi, Fritz! The coconut flour is hard to sub.. it absorbs moisture which is necessary for this recipe with so many veggies. It’s honestly been so long since I’ve used all purpose flour so I have no idea if it would work… it may just be easier to find a similar recipe that isn’t gluten free in nature if you do eat gluten.
Thanks
Love this recipe. It makes a great side dish or snack. Thank you for another great recipe.
Thank you so much, Laura!! <3
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Hi Michelle, these are delicious and I managed to make larger rounds of them cooked a little longer, and use them as a sandwich base. Thanks for sharing a great recipe… have a wonderful week… Megan
Hey, Megan!! Oh my gosh, I LOVE that idea!! I have to try that 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so glad you enjoyed <3
These sound like such a delicious way to get veggies in, which I always need help with! P.S. you will be such a fun mom 🙂 I can’t wait to have kids and raise ’em up on good foods. Xo!
Ahh thank you so much, Alexa!! <3
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Is the zucchini peeled?
Hi, Chris! You can do it either way 🙂 Peeling is probably preferred.
Thanks:)
Hi! Should you use gelatin at all if you use a real egg?
No, it was one or the other
Hi Karli! No gelatin if you use the real egg 🙂
Hi there this recipe looks SO good so I will make it this week for sure. Just wanting to ask if the veggies have to be cooked first? You mentioned squeezing the excess water from the cauliflower rice and zucchini? Thanks!
Thanks Rebecca! All of the ingredients are raw 🙂
Is there any substitution for the tapioca starch? I can’t do starches. I tried collagen and they fell apart… super yummy though!!! Just need a better way to bind them.
I haven’t tried these without any starch. I think they really need them to bind together.. you can maybe try another egg.
Is there anyway to replace the cauliflower?
You can try to double one of the other veggies!
Is there a way to replace the coconut? My daughter can’t have coconut.
Hi Jenny! It’s hard to sub the coconut here but you can try other flours.
I am definitely going to try this. I am vegetarian but eat eggs. I am going to sub.egg with flaxseed meal. Hope it will bind good. Thanks for sharing.
Hope it works!! Thanks so much!
These are amazing! I sub the coconut flour with almond flour and
used flax egg instead of gelatin.and olive oil instead of coconut. I cannot tolerate coconut. They turned out so good! I added mushrooms to my last batch…….YUM!! I also doubled the recipe as they get devoured in minutes!!
That sounds awesome!! Thanks so much for letting me know!! So happy you liked it 🙂
Hi, is there any low carb alternative to the tapioca? I have diabetes and would have to use more insulin. They look so delicious!
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Good! I used frozen riced cauliflower so I’m not sure if that affected the nuggets ability to come together when forming, may have made it a little more difficult? But this was a family winner. What other dishes to serve with to offer as a dinner? Mustard was a winner too as a condiment to serve with these. Thank you!
★★★★★
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Easy and delicious recipe!
★★★★★
First of all, I love this recipe! I have made it a good half a dozen times now. Both my one and three year olds will gladly eat it (usually!), and my husband and I love it! I usually triple the recipe and make a big bowl of guacamole, there isn’t always leftovers! I do make some substitutions due to some family food allergies and I use regular eggs. I sub my favorite gluten free flour mixture for the coconut flour. To make this work (coconut flour is a lot more absorbent than other flours) I squeeze as much water out of the veggies as possible then lay them out on a paper towel for a while. I also increase the flour from 1/3 to 1/2 cups, this seems to work.
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
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instead of gelatin can the egg substitute of chia seeds & water be used?
I haven’t tried this but let me know if you do!
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These were so so so delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly but added a little garlic powder. I made them with the AIP quac. Best lunch I’ve had since I started AIP!
★★★★★
Hi there
I know nothing a out gelatin egg
You say we can use a regular egg, so do i just mix it into the dry ingredients
Thank you
Kinds warm regards Jaine
Yes you can 🙂
As gelatin is an animal product, I am looking for a vegetarian substitute, that is not an egg. Have you tried it with a flax “egg”, or any other egg substitute?
I haven’t tried it for this recipe, but let me know if you do!
Can I use beef collagen instead of beef gelatin? I haven’t been out shopping yet but it’s difficult to find some of these ingredients in my immediate area but I do have the collagen on hand. I haven’t ever used the gelatin so I don’t know what it’s role is for this recipe therefore I am unsure of a replacement.
Collagen and gelatin don’t swap 1:1, but you can use an egg if you can tolerate that.
These are amazing. Gonna have to make a double or triple batch next time
★★★★★
YAY! So happy you liked it!! 🙂
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I really enjoyed these! I didn’t think it was that much work; I grated the zucchini and carrot on a box grater, and made cauli rice in my Vitamix. I did use an egg since I didn’t have any collagen. It came together pretty quick. I didn’t need to use the broiler, they were crispy as is.
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you like them!!! 🙂
Hi,
Thank you so much for the recipe. I am a bit confused by the request of
For the gelatin egg (or sub 1 regular egg):- what do you use if cannot eat egg?
1 tbsp gelatin ( like this )
The gelatin egg is 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp gelatin and the instructions start of step 4.
I’m confused, and new to AIP but I thought no grains or flours allowed at all no exceptions? You use Coconut flour in the recipe……
Nope, flours are AIP as long as they’re made with AIP ingredients 🙂 Grain free flours are AIP like coconut, tapioca, etc!
These are so good and an awesome go to if I need a satisfying snack, The broccoli bacon nuggets are wonderful too. I reheat them for 5 minutes in the airfryer and serve with paleo mayo and mustard…so good!
★★★★★
Hi Michelle,
I tried these for the first time. What is texture supposed to be on the inside of the nugget? Mine are quite soft; are they supposed to be crispy all through?
Thanks!
★★★
They’re pretty soft on the inside and crispy on the outside!
I haven’t tried these yet, but they look good! Can I sub frozen riced cauliflower if I thaw and squeeze out the excess liquid? I’ve got all the ingredients if so!
I have made these several times and we live them
★★★★★
Yay, so glad!