3-ingredient vegan frittata base loaded with veggies like mushroom, bell pepper, cherry tomato and fresh spinach leaves. It is perfect to make ahead and enjoy it for breakfast. Its colourful cake-like appearance will make Mother’s Day or any other brunch splendid.
We love savory breakfasts, not to mention quick savory recipes. The all-time favorite is this 5-minute Oil-free Hummus, but we love to mix it up with some 5-minute Tofu Cream Cheese or with some Smokey Roasted Eggplant Dip. Or roll up some veggie-packed Cream Cheese Pinwheels.
⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES HERE! ⇐
What is a frittata?
In short, frittata is a bunch of veggies mixed with beaten raw eggs and fried, then baked. It is thick like a crustless quiche, but you have to turn it over in full before baking. But how to make it vegan? Watch this quick slide-show about how to make vegan frittata.
Eggless base for vegan frittata
If you would like to make vegan frittata, the most well-known egg substitutes are
- chickpea flour,
- tofu,
- soaked mung bean (also the base for Just Egg).
To be honest we tried to make omlette with mung beans and they ended up very similar to a chickpea flour omlette. Just Egg uses only the protein from the mung beans not the whole foods, that is why the texture I think is different and more egg-like. Tofu on the other hand makes a tasty vegan frittata.
That being said, why we love to make frittata with chickpea flour?
- pantry staple -> we always have it on hand
- easy to work with -> no soaking and waiting is needed
- allergy-friendly -> soy-free, nut-free
But what else do you need to make the taste egg-like?
The not-so-secret ingredient is BLACK SALT aka Kala Namak. You can read more about what black salt is here.
Best veggies for frittata
When it comes to veggies I separate them into 3 groups.
- No preparation is needed apart from wash and chop -> They can be added to the frittata base without any additional steps. If you only add these veggies, you can skip the frying and go directly to baking in the oven.
- tomato
- bell pepper
- mushroom
- green onion or leek
- spinach, kale or other leafy greens
- green peas, corn or any other legumes if canned
- artichoke hearts if canned
- Need to be pre-cooked -> They need to be sauteed in a frying pan for at least 5-10 minutes before adding them to the frittata base and baking it in the oven. If you skip the frying, your veggies might end up uncooked and hard. Or you need to bake the frittata too long and the chickpea flour base will be too dry.
- onion
- zucchini or squash
- eggplant
- potato or sweet potato
- asparagus
- Avoid if possible -> I consider them hard veggies, so you need to pre-cook them longer than 5-10 minutes to get them tender and ready for the frittata. Or you need to chop them really small. All in all not easy to work with.
- carrots or other root vegetables
- broccoli
- cauliflower
How to make vegan frittata with chickpea flour?
How to make vegan frittata with chickpea flour? Prepare the vegetables
Gently wash any dirt off of the mushrooms by using a colander* or a sieve*. Dry them with a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth. We never peel mushrooms, but sometimes cut out the stem if they feel too dry or too hard. Chop them into quarters.
Wash and slice bell pepper ¼-inch (4-5 mm) wide. Then cut the stripes into small cubes.
Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Wash and chop the green part of the spring onion into small rings. Peel and chop onion and garlic.
Wash the spinach leaves using a sieve* and chop the leaves up into stripes or quarters.
Make the eggless base
Take a large bowl and add chickpea flour, black salt, regular salt, and pepper (photo #1). Mix them thoroughly. Add half of the dairy-free milk of your choice and use a whisk to mix it well. Then add the other half and mix until you have a smooth pancake batter like liquid (photo #2).
Prepare the frittata batter
On top of the chickpea flour mixture, add all chopped veggies (mushroom, bell pepper, tomatoes, spring onion and spinach) (photo #3-7) and mix them well with a whisk, a spoon or a spatula (photo #8).
Finish it off
Finish it offTake a non-stick frying pan. Heat to to medium heat and add olive oil. Now, add the chopped onion and cook them for 2-3 minutes until soft and tender (photo #9). Add chopped garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes (photo #10). Pour the veggie – chickpea flour mixture on top of the onion and the garlic (photo #11). Spread it evenly and cover it up with a lid (photo #12). Bake in a pre-heated oven of 375 Fahrenheit (190 Celsius degrees) for 20 minutes.
How to serve a vegetable-only frittata?
Frittata is delicious when it is served hot, but I love it also after cooling. I top it with sour cream, mayo, ketchup, hot sauce or any yoghurt-based dip. As for sides, I’d think frittata goes great with any of the following options:
- Garlic bread
- Baked beans or any other bean salad
- Roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes
- Side salads like this fresh garden salad or this coleslaw salad
- Stir fried spinach or other leafy greens especially if you haven’t added any to your frittata
- Roasted asparagus
- Vegan sausages or seitan
- Veggie breakfast patties or burgers
FAQs and Substitutions
FAQs and SubstitutionsHow to store frittata?
If you store it in an airtight container, it can last for 3-4 days for sure.
Can you freeze chickpea flour frittata?
Yes, you can. I recommend freezing it in slices for easy access and re-heating it under the broiler or in a microwave.
This Vegan Frittata recipe is meat-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free diets. It can also be WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you skip cooking onion and garlic in oil and add it to the frittata raw.
⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES HERE! ⇐
More breakfast recipes
You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Breakfast Recipes or our 15-min Quick Vegan Meals collection or check out
- Healthy Vegan Egg Salad
- 5-min Tofu Cream Cheese
- 5-min Oil-free Hummus
- Cream Cheese Pinwheels with Fresh Veggies
Vegan Frittata
Equipment
Ingredients
Eggless base
- 1 cup Chickpea flour
- 1 ¼ cup Dairy-free milk (homemade cashew milk)
- 4 pinches Black salt
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Veggies for Frittata
- 1 cup Champion or White Bottom Mushrooms
- ½ Bell Pepper
- 5 Cherry tomatoes
- 1 Spring Onion the green part only
- 1 cup Fresh spinach leaves about a handful
- 1 Onion (small)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil for cooking the onion and the garlic
Instructions
Prepare the vegetables
- Gently wash any dirt off of the mushrooms by using a colander or a sieve. Dry them with a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth. We never peel mushrooms, but sometimes cut out the stem if they feel too dry or too hard. Chop them into quarters.
- Wash and slice bell pepper ¼-inch (4-5 mm) wide. Then cut the stripes into small cubes.
- Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Wash and chop the green part of the spring onion into small rings. Peel and chop onion and garlic.
- Wash the spinach leaves using a sieve and chop the leaves up into stripes or quarters.
Make the eggless base
- Take a large bowl and add chickpea flour, black salt, regular salt, and pepper. Mix them thoroughly.
- Add half of the dairy-free milk of your choice and use a whisk to mix it well. Then add the other half and mix until you have a smooth pancake batter like liquid.
Prepare the frittata batter
- On top of the chickpea flour mixture, add all chopped veggies (mushroom, bell pepper, tomatoes, spring onion and spinach) and mix them well
Make vegan frittata
- Take a non-stick frying pan. Heat to to medium heat and add olive oil.
- Add the chopped onion and cook them for 2-3 minutes until soft and tender. Then, add chopped garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the frittata batter on top. Spread it evenly and cover it up with a lid.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven of (190 Celsius degrees) for 20 minutes.
Notes
- No preparation is needed apart from wash and chop
- Need to be pre-cooked
- Avoid if possible
Paula
Should the chickpea flour have set like a bread? Mine did not. Tastes great but mushy.
My Pure Plants
It will not be spongy as breads are. It can get mushy depending on what and how much veggies did you add. If you want a more bread-like texture add a 2 tsp baking powder to the chickpea flour batter.
Naomi
This is a really nice and easy to make frittata! My husband water-sauteed veggies and put half into his eggs. I mixed the other half into the frittata batter and baked it in a small springform pan. Next time I’m going to bake as muffins. What do you think of adding a little baking powder? Thanks for such an easy and satisfying recipe.
My Pure Plants
Hi Naomi, we are so happy you tried our recipe and liked it. Baking powder will certainly make it a bit fluffier, closer to “pancake”. Let me know how it goes.
Annemarie
Thank you very much for this simple and delicious recipe. I added roasted potatoes and vegan bacon and the frittatas were awesome.
Frances
Great recipe! I added a little cayenne pepper for an extra bite. It turned out fantastic!
My Pure Plants
Thank you so much for trying our recipe. Cayenne pepper sounds like a great addition.
Priscilla Finegan
Hi, your recipe looks great and looking forward to trying it. Just one query though. In your list of equipment there is a frying pan and also a cake tin with removable base. From reading the recipe, I understand you put the pan into the oven. I’d appreciate if you could clarify this.
Thanking you,
Priscilla
My Pure Plants
Hi Priscilla, if you don’t have a frying pan that is oven-safe (e.g. not with plastic handle), then you need a cake pan of some sort to bake the frittata. In that case after fry the onion and garlic, you need to transfer the whole frittata to a cake pan. We recommend a removable button cake pan because it is easier to take the frittata out in one piece.
gwe
your recipes sound good but when you head to print recipe there is nowhere to press print.
frustrated !!
My Pure Plants
Hi, I double-checked and there is a Print button at the top of the post and also one in the recipe card right below the picture. In any event, I’ve sent you a pdf version via the email you left this comment with.