This omelet is made from beans! That’s right — it’s totally vegan! Chickpea flour whips up to make the batter for this vegan omelet, but the real magic is black salt, which gives it a surprising and amazingly realistic eggy flavor.
Chickpea flour is kind of amazing stuff. It’s the only flour I know of that not only works in baked goods, but also does a pretty darn good job of replicating eggs.
Not only that, but it’s really nutritious stuff, and incredibly filling. I’d say notably filling, because every time I eat a chickpea flour “egg” breakfast I feel the need to note how full I am after I finish, and how full I still am every hour thereafter. 11AM: “I finished that omelet two hours ago, and I’m still full!” 12PM: “I’m not even ready for lunch yet!”
So if you haven’t started yet, it’s time to get cooking with some chickpea flour. This vegan omelet is a great place to start!
But there’s more to this omelet than that. The eggy flavor comes from black salt, also know as kala namak. Open a jar of this stuff and your house will smell like eggs cooking. No kidding. Read more about kala namak in the ingredients notes below.
This egg-free omelet is also super easy to make. It’s basically like a savory pancake, but then again, conventional omlets are kind of like egg pancakes, right?
So grab some ingredients and get cooking. You’ll want to make this one for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a regular basis!
Jump to:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chickpea flour. Also known as garbanzo bean flour. Look for this in the baked goods or natural foods aisle of your supermarket. You might also find it in the international aisle, labelled as besan flour or gram flour, as it’s often used in Indian cooking.
- Nutritional yeast flakes. These will add savory, cheesy flavor to your omelet. Look for them in the natural foods aisle.
- Cornstarch.
- Kala namak. Kala namak is a type of salt that’s high in sulfur, so it tastes and smells eggy. It’s totally optional, but will definitely make for a more realistic vegan omelet. Swap it out with regular table salt if you don’t feel like using it. You can find kala nama in Indian markets or online.
- Turmeric. This is just for giving our omelet a yellow tint. Leave it out if this isn’t important to you. It’ll already be a bit yellow from the chickpea flour.
- Baking powder. Just a little bit of this will help give our omelet some rise.
- Cold water.
- Vegan butter.
- Black pepper.
- Fillings. Stuff your omelet with your favorite veggies and sauces. I used sautéed mushrooms and spinach in the one shown in the photos, but just about any vegetables will do. Vegan cheese is also a great addition, and I particularly love slathering mine in homemade vegan cream cheese. Ketchup, hot sauce, and salsa are excellent sauces for this one.
Tip: This recipe is for a basic vegan omelet, but feel free to play with the seasonings and make it your own. Try adding a dash of spices like ground cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, or paprika.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Make sure to have your fillings prepared and ready to go before you start cooking your omelet.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl: chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, kala namak (or table salt), turmeric and baking powder.
Add cold water to the dry ingredients and whisk the batter together until it’s smooth. Let the batter rest for a few minutes while you prepare your skillet.
Melt some vegan butter in a skillet over medium heat. Swirl it around well to coat the bottom of the skillet, then pour in the batter.
Cook the batter for a few minutes, until the edges feel set and you can see bubbles forming in the middle. Then carefully flip it. Cook it for a few minutes more on the opposite side.
Tip: Use a good nonstick pan to make this omelet. It’ll be much easier to flip this way. A chickpea flour omelet is a bit more delicate than an egg-based omelet, so flipping it in one piece is the trickiest part.
Once your vegan omelet is about fully cooked, arrange the toppings over half of it.
Carefully fold the omelet over the toppings. Cook it for a few more minutes you’ve got something like vegan cheese in there that you’d like to melt. Otherwise it’s done!
Sprinkle your vegan omelet with some black pepper. It’s ready to enjoy!
Leftovers & Storage
This omelet is best served immediately, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
The easiest way to reheat it is in the microwave, but you could also place it back into a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes.
More Vegan Eggy Recipes
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Easy Vegan Omelet
This omelet is made from beans! That’s right — it’s totally vegan! Chickpea flour whips up to make the batter for this vegan omelet, but the real magic is black salt, which gives it a surprising and amazingly realistic eggy flavor.
Ingredients
For the Vegan Omelet
-
¾
cup
chickpea flour -
2
tablespoons
nutritional yeast flakes -
2
teaspoons
cornstarch -
¼
teaspoon
kala namak,
or use regular table salt -
¼
teaspoon
ground turmeric
(optional, for color) -
¼
teaspoon
baking powder -
¾
cup
cold water -
1
tablespoon
vegan butter -
Black pepper,
to taste -
Fillings of choice
(Note 1)
Instructions
-
In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, kala namak, turmeric, and baking powder.
-
Whisk in the water until the batter is smooth.
-
Let the batter sit for 10 minutes.
-
Place a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add half of the butter. Swirl the butter as it melts to evenly coat the bottom of the skillet.
-
Once the butter is lightly sizzling, pour half of the batter into the skillet.
-
Cook the omelet for about 4 minutes, until it feels set around the edges and bubbles appear in the center.
-
Carefully flip the omlet (Note 2). Cook it for about 2 minutes on the opposite side, until set.
-
Arrange half of the toppings over half of the omelet. Fold the omelet over the toppings, and optionally let it cook for a few more minutes to heat the toppings.
-
Transfer the omelet to a plate and sprinkle it with black pepper.
-
Repeat the cooking process using the other half of the vegan butter, batter, and toppings.
Recipe Notes
- Use what you like! Try shredded vegan cheese, homemade cashew cream cheese, sautéed vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, onions, and peppers, salsa, hot sauce, or ketchup.
- It’s a good idea to test the omelet to ensure it’s ready to be flipped. Try to gently lift half of it with a spatula before going all in and flipping the whole thing.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Vegan Omelet
Amount Per Serving (1 omelet (½ of recipe))
Calories 231
Calories from Fat 76
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.4g13%
Saturated Fat 2.1g11%
Sodium 382mg16%
Potassium 604mg17%
Carbohydrates 27.5g9%
Fiber 6.3g25%
Sugar 3.8g4%
Protein 12.4g25%
Calcium 54mg5%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
