A chickpea omelette is super easy to make and is a perfect weekend breakfast or brunch treat, with sweet and savoury fillings alike.
I’ve always loved breakfast. While not everyone feels super hungry in the morning, I certainly can’t relate. The thought of eating something delicious and energising makes me leap out of bed and head straight to the kitchen – after a few stretches and at least half a litre of water. My go-tos on a typical day are, of course, oatmeal bowls, smoothies and a lot of fresh fruit. But from time to time, something a little different finds its way to my plate. For example? A chickpea omelette.
In general, I’m a huge advocate of switching up meals. Firstly, it’s a great way to make sure you’re eating a variety of foods and getting all the nutrients your body needs. Secondly, if you’re new to veganism/healthy living/eating more plantbased foods, you want to keep things interesting. This means trying as many dishes as possible.
The easiest option is finding a new recipe for lunch or dinner. Just speaking for myself, I prefer to go with something quick and familiar in the morning. But as much as it’s hard to get bored of oats, a girl’s gotta bring in some variety from time to time. So, I’ve set myself a mini-goal of switching up my breakfasts whenever I have a bit of room in my schedule: both for my own sake, and to balance out the breakfast to lunch/dinner recipes on this blog. Whether that’s adding a twist to said oatmeal by sprinkling in an unfamiliar superfood, or stepping out of my comfort zone completely, it counts.
After trying them a few times with a few different fillings, chickpea omelettes have become another favourite of mine. The concept of an ‘omelette’ made from chickpea flour may sound odd to some people. I’m not gonna lie, most vegan versions of non-vegan foods don’t taste exactly like the original (although, after three years on this lifestyle, I have a hard time remembering!), and it’s best to enjoy them for their own qualities. Regardless, this definitely has an egg-like, slightly cheesy flavour. And it’s non-vegan approved – my mum tried two of the ideas I’ve shared below, and said she lowed both of them. So, if you’re vegan already, consider using this to impress friends and family!
While the fillings I’ve shared here take a bit more preparation than porridge or a smoothie, all you really need is a blender or a food processor, a frying pan, and around ten to fifteen minutes to make the ‘basic’ omelette. If you don’t have enough time on weekdays, save the filling ideas to try on a lazier weekend morning, brunch, or even as breakfast for dinner. Plus, as they store well in the fridge, you can prepare them the night before and heat up while the omelette cooks.
If you’re after simpler fillings, here are a few options:
- Avocado with vegetables of your choice
- Nut butter with banana and/or berries
- Coconut or soy yoghurt with agave nectar and fruit
- Spinach, mushrooms and grated vegan cheese
- Beans or pulses of your choice with ketchup and fresh herbs
The one thing I love about chickpea omelettes is that they couldn’t possibly be more versatile. Throw in anything you have in your fridge or cupboards, and there’s a 99% change it’ll work.
Now, let’s discuss the filling ideas I’ll be sharing today:
Black bean tomato sauce chickpea omelette filling
A filling that’s on the the wholesome, savoury side, with a bit of a ‘burrito’ vibe to it. If you’re trying to build muscle, this one’s for you. The black beans and chickpea flour together deliver a healthy serving of protein first thing in the morning. Serve it with some fresh leafy greens, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast and you’re good to go! Another bonus is that if you have some filling left over after making your omelette, you can store it in the fridge and eat later with rice, pasta or a jacket potato as a packed lunch.
Almond sweet potato chickpea omelette filling
In my opinion, sweet potatoes should be classed as a superfood. I mean, what else counts as a sweet and savoury ingredient at the same time?! Anyway, I won’t ramble on about sweet potatoes too much. Paired with summery strawberries and almond butter (or, any nut butter of your choice), this filling feels like having dessert for breakfast. Oh, and don’t forget the avocado, because #healthyfats are a must. Once again, if you have any left over, I can confirm that sweet potato chips and almond butter is incredible as a snack on its own.
Lentil quinoa salad filling
Honestly, I’ve never been too good at naming recipes, and this one certainly doesn’t do the filling justice. This one’s ideal if you want something fresh and vibrant, perhaps to get in a few servings of veggies first thing in the morning. While the ingredients are very simple, they compliment each other and the omelette perfectly. Feel free to adjust the dressing ingredients to your liking and serve with a drizzle of coconut yoghurt and/or sea salt for extra flavour.
A few extra tips:
- The consistency of the omelette batter should be on the runnier side.
- Add more nutritional yeast to the batter if you want a stronger cheesy flavour.
- As the omelette is quite thin, use a good non-stick frying pan to make sure everything goes as planned! Also, prevent overheating – a low-medium heat (gas mark 3 or 4) is enough.
Check out the recipe video below (and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for new videos every week)
Let me know in the comments: what’s your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? And have you ever tried a chickpea omelette before? If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creation!
Chickpea omelette three ways
Ingredients
For the omelette base
- 75 g chickpea flour
- 2 tsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 240 ml almond milk or any plant milk of choice
- 1 tsp agave nectar optional
For the black bean tomato sauce filling:
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 medium aubergine
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 can canned black beans
- 6 tbsp canned tomatoes
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh spinach and nutritional yeast to serve
For the almond sweet potato filling
- 2 small sweet potatoes (around 200g in total)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp agave nectar
- sea salt to taste optional
- 100 g fresh strawberries
- 1/2 medium ripe avocado
- 2 tbsp almond butter
For the quinoa salad filling
- 40 g quinoa, dry
- 1/2 medium courgette
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1/4 large cucumber
- 7 cherry vine tomatoes
- handful arugula
- 1/3 cup canned lentils
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- juice of 1/2 lime
- black pepper to taste
- avocado and soy/coconut yoghurt, to serve optional
Instructions
To make the omelette:
- Starting with dry, add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan to a low-medium heat. Pour in the omelette batter and allow to cook for around 4-5 minutes. You know it's cooked through when there are no liquid spots on the top surface and it easily lifts off the frying pan.
- Serve immediately or leave in the fridge for later.
To make the black bean tomato sauce filling:
- Start by roughly chopping the red onion, garlic, aubergine and chestnut mushrooms into very small pieces. If you don't want to use two frying pans, do this while the omelette is cooking.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan to a medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and dried basil, stirring until the onions start to soften (around 2-3 minutes).
- Add the aubergines, chestnut mushrooms and garlic powder. Stir for around 4 minutes, until the vegetables start to shrink.
- Pour in the black beans, canned tomatoes and agave nectar, combining thoroughly and cooking for a further 3 minutes. In the final stages, add the lemon juice and salt and/or pepper if you desire.
- Serve on a bed of fresh spinach and an optional spoonful of nutritional yeast for extra cheesiness.
To make the almond sweet potato filling:
- Cut the sweet potato into very thin disks, and combine with the paprika, garlic powder and agave nectar in a mixing bowl.
- Cook in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat for around 5-7 minutes on each side, until cooked through and crispy. Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries, avocado and omelette batter.
- Allow the sweet potato to cool for around 5 minutes while you cook the omelette.
- Serve by first of all, spreading the almond butter on the omelette and then simply layering on the other ingredients.
To make the lentil quinoa salad filling
- Cook the dry quinoa according to packaging instructions. This usually takes around 25 minutes. Meanwhile, spiralize the courgette, and finely chop the other vegetables.
- With 15 minutes to go before the quinoa is ready, start preparing the chickpea omelette.
- Transfer the quinoa to a mixing bowl and combine with the vegetables (except for the courgette), lentils, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve by firstly layering on the mashed avocado and spiralized courgette, before adding the quinoa salad with a drizzle of soy/coconut yoghurt on top.
This looks so delicious! I can’t wait to try it.
I’m so happy you think so! Hope you end up liking it x
They all look amazing, especially the black bean one!
Thanks Sarah 🙂 that one is so easy to throw together and always super flavourful!
So delightful ✌✌
Thank you! Hope you’re having a great day
You’ve made this looks so neat and tidy and delicious! such an easy recipe I have to try this !
Thank you so much! I hope you like it if you end up giving it a go 🙂
I have chickpea flour at home, and I’m always thinking – what else can I do with this? What a great idea to use for an omelette! Your photography is always incredible and I’m now craving this. I would probably go for the first idea as I love black beans. xx
I love chickpea flour because it has such a unique flavour and acts as a great replacement in many recipes that typically use egg. You should try making a chickpea omelette for sure – it’s super simple, and the flavour works really well with the black beans/tomato sauce. Thank you very much for your comment! Xx
Aww another recipe that i just added to my list!
Yay I’m happy to hear that!
Made these this afternoon , without the agave nectar , and filled them with avocado and left over roast vegetables ….Lovely …thank you for recipe
I make one with water and Indian spices and red onion in the pancake and these were a nice change ?
Will most definitely make again ? x