Chickpea frittata muffins are an easy make-ahead recipe for a nutritious, egg-free, tasty breakfast, quick lunch, or healthy dinner.

You can make them with chickpea flour and your favorite seasonal vegetables.

Frittata muffins taste like delicious mini quiche; they cook in about 25 minutes, keep well for five days, and reheat perfectly.

What are chickpea frittata muffins?

Chickpea Muffins on a cooling rack with peas and cauliflower

Chickpea frittata muffins are savory muffins made with chickpea flour, water, and vegetables.

They are inspired by our vegan frittata and asparagus frittata, which use chickpea flour as a substitute for eggs.

Chickpea flour is a great egg replacement and is often used in Mediterranean and Indian cuisine to make delicious egg-free recipes.

You guys loved our falafel, savory chickpea crepes, Italian farinata, and zucchini fritters.

Like our zucchini pie and potato frittata, Chickpea frittata muffins are oven-baked and healthy.

They turn out perfectly soft, colorful, and packed with flavor.

They are an excellent vegan breakfast recipe, also perfect for brunch or to make ahead for a picnic or quick lunch.

You can make frittata muffins with most vegetables. Here, we show you a deicious pea and carrot filling, a broccoli filling, and a cauliflower filling.

Chickpea Muffins and hand holding a muffin cut in half

Here are two tips we recommend keeping in mind:

  1. Cook the vegetables and season them before adding them to the batter. The muffins will cook much faster, will not get soggy in the center, and will be much more flavourful this way.
  2. Use parchment paper to line the muffin molds. Chickpea flour is super sticky, so parchment paper is the safest bet. Once the muffins are nicely wrapped in parchment paper, you can easily transport them.

Ingredients & substitutions for chickpea muffins

Ingredients for chickpea muffins

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Chickpea flour

Chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour, is a gluten-free flour made from ground chickpeas.

Nutritional yeast

Nutritional yeast adds a savory flavor, reminiscent of cheese, to the muffins.

Substitute grated parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.

Olive oil

We like to use extra virgin olive oil, but any other olive oil will do.

Substitute avocado oil for olive oil.

Curry powder

Curry powder adds color and a wonderful flavor to the muffins.

Substitute turmeric for curry powder.

Baking powder

Baking powder is essential for helping the muffins rise and get lighter and airier.

You can make the muffins without baking powder, but they will turn flat and dense.

Salt & black pepper

We recommend sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

We don’t add Kala Namak (black salt) to this recipe because we don’t find it necessary.

However, if you have Kala Namak at home and want to add some eggy flavor to the muffins, then by all means, add a couple of pinches of it to the batter.

Vegetables

You can use most vegetables. Our tip is to cook and season them before adding them to the batter.

Also, keep the vegetable quantity to around 14 ounces or 400 grams.

  • Option 1: red onion, frozen peas, and carrots.
  • Option 2: cauliflower.
  • Option 3: broccoli.
Chickpea Muffins cut in half with cauliflower and a hand

How to make frittata muffins

US cups + grams measurements in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

1. Cook the vegetables

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add thinly sliced red onion, grated carrot, and pressed garlic and sauté on medium heat for 4 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Add the frozen peas and 3 tablespoons of water, and season with salt and black pepper.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the peas are tender.

black skillet with peas and grated carrots

2. Prep the muffin pan

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 370°F or 190°C.

Line your 12-muffin tin with parchment paper.

You can use muffin liners or cut 12 pieces of parchment paper into 5×5 inches or 12×12 cm squares.

muffin pan with baking paper and a hand

3. Make the batter

To a mixing bowl, add water, olive oil, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, salt, black pepper, curry powder, and baking powder.

Blend with an immersion blender until very smooth. You can also do this in a standing blender.

Chickpea flour and water mix

Stir the cooked vegetables into the chickpea batter.

Make sure there’s no liquid in the pan with the veggies.

Chickpea Muffin batter with veggies and hand holding a spoon

Transfer the batter to the muffin tin and bake at 370°F or 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes.

Chickpea Muffins before baking

Let the chickpea frittata muffins cool down on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes before eating them.

Chickpea Muffins on a cooling rack with peas and cauliflower

Serving suggestions

These cute and colorful savory muffins are excellent breakfast and brunch recipes.

You can also bring them to potlucks and picnics as they keep soft and moist for days.

Finally, they are excellent for a quick lunch at work or school.

Serve them with one of our meal-prep-friendly salads on the side, such as:

Variations

You can make chickpea muffins with any vegetables. Our tips are:

  • Cook the vegetables before adding them to the batter. This improves the texture and flavor of the muffins.
  • Keep the amount of vegetables to 14 ounces or 400 grams.

Broccoli or cauliflower muffins

Cut the broccoli or cauliflower into small florets and steam them for 20 minutes or sauté them in olive oil until tender.

Season them with salt and pepper, then stir them in the batter.

Chickpea Muffins with steamed broccoli and hand holding a spoon

Cook the muffins for about 25 minutes at 190°C or 370°F.

Chickpea Muffins cut in half with cauliflower and a hand

Storage & Make ahead

Make ahead: This is an excellent recipe for meal prep, as the muffins freeze and refrigerate well.

Refrigerator: Let them cool down, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Let the muffins cool down completely, transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for three months.

Thaw & Reheat: Defrost muffins in the fridge for several hours or in the microwave. Warm them for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, and they’ll be as good as freshly baked.

More egg-free recipes

If you liked these brunchfriendly muffins, take a peek at our other vibrant breakfast recipes:

Or check out our curated list of best brunch recipes.

More Chickpea Recipes

Chickpea muffins with baking paper cut in half

Chickpea frittata muffins

By: Nico Pallotta
5 from 15 votes
Chickpea frittata muffins are an easy make-ahead recipe for a nutritious, egg-free, tasty breakfast, quick lunch, or healthy dinner.
You can make them with chickpea flour and your favorite seasonal vegetables.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Main Course, Starter
Cuisine: Italian

Equipment

  • 12-muffin tin or two 6-muffin tins
  • Immersion blender or standing blender

Ingredients

FOR THE BATTER

  • cups chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour
  • cups water
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast or grated parmesan
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 twists black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder substitute turmeric or Italian seasoning

FOR THE FILLING

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 medium carrot grated
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • cups frozen peas substitute cauliflower, broccoli, or your favorite vegetable
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in a skillet. Add 1 medium red onion (thinly sliced), 1 medium carrot (grated), 1 clove garlic (grated) and sauté on medium heat for 4 minutes.
    Add 1½ cups frozen peas and 3 tablespoons of water, and season with ½ teaspoon salt.
    Cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until the peas are tender.
    black skillet with peas and grated carrots
  • In the meantime, preheat the oven to 370°F or 190°C.
    Line your 12-muffin tin with muffin liners.
    Or you can use 12 pieces of parchment paper cut into 5×5 inches or 12×12 cm squares.
    muffin pan with baking paper and a hand
  • To a mixing bowl, add 1½ cups chickpea flour, 1½ cups water, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 twists black pepper, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon curry powder.
    Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also do this in a standing blender.
    blended chickpea batter
  • Stir in the cooked vegetables.
    Tip: Make sure there’s no liquid in the pan with the veggies.
    Chickpea Muffin batter with veggies and hand holding a spoon
  • Transfer the batter to the muffin tin and bake at 370°F or 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes.
    Chickpea Muffins before baking
  • Let the chickpea frittata muffins cool down on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes before eating them.
    Frittata muffins with veggies

Notes

Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 chickpea frittata muffin out of 12.
STORAGE & MAKE AHEAD
Make ahead: This is an excellent recipe for meal prep, as the muffins freeze and refrigerate well.
Refrigerator: Let them cool down, then keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Let the muffins cool down completely, transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag, and freeze for three months.
Thaw & Reheat: Defrost muffins in the fridge for several hours or in the microwave. Warm them for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, and they’ll be as good as freshly baked.
ALSO ON THIS PAGE

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Potassium: 356mg, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 986IU, Vitamin B6: 0.1mg, Vitamin C: 8mg, Vitamin E: 1mg, Vitamin K: 9µg, Calcium: 62mg, Folate: 87µg, Iron: 1mg, Manganese: 0.4mg, Magnesium: 36mg, Zinc: 1mg
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If you liked our chickpea muffins, you might also like:


Nico and Louise in the kitchen

Hi! We are Nico & Louise

Welcome to The Plant-Based School, a food blog with easy, tasty, and wholesome recipes.

Our aim is to help you and your family eat more veggies through delicious recipes with simple ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




17 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Excellent collection of chickpea recipes. I think next time I make the muffins I might add a kiss of chilli or paprika. Thanks

  2. Hi there,
    Before I make this,
    Your recipe says 16g baking powder for 12 muffins?
    Is this correct?

    1. Hi Laura

      thanks for your message.

      It’s actually 9 grams (a tablespoon) of baking powder for 12 muffins.
      Thanks for spotting the mistake! I corrected that in the recipe box.

      I hope you have a great day 🙂
      Nico

    1. Hi Patricia,

      thanks for your question.
      sure you can make the batter without the oil. It’ll just turn out a little dryer, but still delicious 🙂
      I hope this helps.
      Nico

  3. 5 stars
    Wow! These muffins are DELICIOUS! I didn’t have carrots so just used peas & also leeks. Yum! I will definitely be revisiting this recipe! Thank you!

    1. Wonderful, Carolyn, I’m so happy you liked them!

      Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review here 🎉

      Best, Louise

  4. Thanks for this nice recipe. I tried it with carrots and courgette, which was what I had. Needed a little more salt and spices though.

  5. Hi – these look yum! Can I omit the oil, or what would you suggest as a substitute? Trying to avoid oil for health reasons. Thanks!

    1. Hi Lorraine,
      Yes you can omit the oil in the chickpea batter (it is a drier muffin, but taste absolutely fine).
      I hope that helps. All the best, Louise

  6. 5 stars
    Gorgeous muffins. We made these for our toddler and omitted the salt yet they still had a lovely mellow flavour.

    Just one question, I found the cutting out the baking paper a bit faffy. Could these be baked just in muffin cases? Thank you

    1. Hi Krishna, I’m so happy to hear!
      That should not be a problem, however, we find that sometimes if the muffin liners have ridges, the batter might stick to them a little. I hope that helps you out. Many thanks, Nico

  7. 5 stars
    Hi! :)) I want to try to make this but as a loaf because I don’t have a muffin tray, do you have any advice for adjusting cooking time/temperature?

    1. Hi kade, I am not sure how this would work in a loaf unfortunately. I would probably not fill up the loaf too much, maybe just half way. I would keep temperature the same, for cooking time you can check with a toothpick once is cooked inside. Hope this helps.

      1. 5 stars
        These are delicious, I didn’t have cumin so I used ground coriander and not keen on peas so used spinach. Great idea for a healthy snack or canapés if you’re having a gathering. They cooked well in silicon cupcake cases (the ones on a flat tray rather than the muffin tray rose better). Thank you for this great recipe!

        1. Thanks Katie, for taking the time to comment.
          I’m happy that you swapped ingredients according to your liking, spinach and coriander sounds heavenly!
          Cheers,
          Nico