Cauliflower Nuggets

Cauliflower has become one of my favourite vegetables to work with in the kitchen. It’s neutral in both flavour and colour, making it super versatile when cooking for those who have a rather limited palette (really trying hard not to use the term ‘picky eater’ these days).

These nuggets are a great plant-based alternative to chicken nuggets and not really complicated to make. It may take a little time, to grate or scoop, but once they are in the oven you’re good to go!

Not only is cauliflower great to cook with, they boast a number of nutritional benefits. Full of fibre, which is key for our digestive health, vitamins + minerals and antioxidants. Contrary to popular belief, not all nutrients are removed when cooking with vegetables, it really depends on what vegetable we are talking about. Eating raw will provide the most amount, but in cauliflower you will still get a good amount of nutritional benefits even when it is baked. The key thing to consider is how we cook them, choose baking or steaming, as opposed to boiling, poaching or frying.

This recipe is not entirely vegan, but with these simple swaps it can easily be:

Eggs:

Plant-based milk + breadcrumbs (1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup bread crumbs). This should be a paste like consistency, think soggy bread but not too liquidy.
Flaxseed Eggs
Chia seed eggs

Cheese:

Vegan Mozzarella will work just the same.

These nuggets work well with a dip like a tzatziki or even good ol’ ketchup.

This is the setting that I used to grate the cauliflower, however you can easily use a food processor or blender. Make sure to still drain water when using the appliances.

The mixture will feel soft, so gently coat it with the breadcrumbs. I do not recommend using panko in this recipe, the bread is a little too coarse.