Vegan Frittata (Chickpea Flour) with Mixed Vegetables

Frittata is a classic Italian breakfast dish, where chopped vegetables, meat, and even cheese are mixed with beaten raw eggs. It is either fried on the stovetop and then flipped to fry the top as well, or without flipping it is placed in the oven to finish it off. It is similar to a crustless quiche. But how to make it vegan?

This recipe is also loaded with veggies, but meat, cheese, and eggs are skipped as they are not vegan. The eggy base is substituted with a chickpea flour batter.

If you make this recipe, you need to consider this batter as glue rather than the main ingredient. If you use fewer vegetables, then your vegan frittata will be dense, whereas if you focus on the add-ins you get the creamy, custardy, egg-like texture you aim for.

If you would like to make a vegan frittata, the most well-known egg substitutes are

• chickpea flour,
• tofu,
• soaked mung bean (which is also the base for Just Egg).

To be honest we tried to make an omelet with mung beans and it ended up very similar to a chickpea flour omelet. 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 do we love to make a 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.

If you want a real vibrant yolk-like color, add a bit of turmeric e.g. ½ teaspoon. You will not taste it at all.

When it comes to veggies I separate them into 3 groups.

1. 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
   • red bell pepper
   • portobello mushroom
   • green onion or leek
   • spinach, kale or other leafy greens
   • green peas, corn or any other legumes if canned
   • artichoke hearts if canned
2. 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
3. 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 they are not easy to work with.
   • carrots or other root vegetables
   • broccoli
   • cauliflower

Preparing the vegetables

1. Gently wash any dirt off of the portobello 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.
2. Wash and slice bell pepper ¼-inch (4-5 mm) wide. Then cut the stripes into small cubes.
3. Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
4. Wash and chop the green part of the spring onion into small rings.
5. Peel and chop onion and garlic.
6. Wash the spinach leaves using a sieve and chop the leaves up into stripes or quarters.

Making the eggless base

1. Take a large bowl and add chickpea flour, black salt, regular salt, and pepper.Mix them thoroughly.
2. 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.

If you only use veggies that don’t need pre-cooking, you can add them directly to the batter. In this recipe these are portobello mushroom, bell pepper, tomatoes, spring onion, and spinach). See them in the below photo.

Mix them well with a whisk, a spoon, or a spatula.

This vegan chickpea flour frittata is easily customizable. Apart from the veggies we described above, you can also add

• vegan meat substitutes like vegan sausage crumbles, vegan bacon bits, vegan shredded chicken, tofu, TVP, vegan ground beef etc.
• canned or pre-cooked legumes like green peas, sweet corn, chickpeas, beans, lentils whichever you like and have at home.
• vegan cheese like feta or mozzarella.

It is the heart of the dish, but there are indeed other gluten-free flours that have very similar characteristics. The closest ones are bean flours especially yellow split pea flour or mung bean flour.

Please note that besan flour aka gram flour is similar but not the same as chickpea flour from white chickpeas. You can use both but you need to adjust the consistency of the batter if it gets too thick.

Can you make it without milk?

To be honest, yes you can. Although dairy-free milk does add a bit of creaminess and extra flavor which frittata without milk would lack. Cashew milk, almond milk, and even soy milk have a more neutral flavor, while coconut milk, rice milk, or oat milk have more distinctive ones.

Vegan potato frittata

If you are looking to make a potato frittata without eggs, we recommend slicing the potatoes with a mandolin, like you would do if you make vegan scalloped potatoes. If you dice them or cut them too large, you either need to pre-cook them or if added raw, the frittata will burn before the potatoes get cooked. However, if you slice them thinly, you can add them to the batter and fry and bake them immediately. Add sliced onion and chopped garlic, salt, and black pepper for more flavor.

Vegan spinach frittata

Spinach especially pairs well with garlic, artichoke, leek, sun-dried tomatoes, and orange-colored veggies like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or pumpkin. You can use frozen spinach as well, but leave time to thaw them otherwise they have too much moisture and may spoil the consistency of the frittata batter.

Vegan zucchini frittata

Zucchini is another popular vegetable to make a vegetable frittata with. The main characteristic you need to pay attention to here is that it realizes moisture and can shrink, just like mushrooms. If you are planning to use this veggie, we recommend slicing them thinly with a mandolin and pre-cooking them in water or veggie broth for like 5 minutes.

How 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.

Can you make it ahead?

Yes, as frittata keeps well in the fridge and is freezer friendly, you can easily make them ahead and store them accordingly.