Vegan Chicken Parmesan

This is the best vegan chicken parmesan recipe, complete with a buttery, crispy coating and topped with marinara and melted vegan mozzarella. Learn how to make this easy vegan recipe for a simple and delicious meal.

A vegan chicken parmesan patty on a plate beside steamed broccoli and salad.

Don’t you love all things pasta! I always wondered if it would be possible to make chicken parmesan vegan so I could serve it over a big plate of pasta! Then one day I decided to make it!

Having vegan parmesan chicken seemed like an impossible thing, but I’m here to tell you, it’s not!

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • BEST TEXTURE — Using chickpeas adds delicious texture and flavor.
  • CRISPY — Breading cooked chickpea patties creates a crispy, flavor-infused crust.
  • FLAVOR — Topping patties with marina sauce and vegan mozzarella makes every bite delicious!

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Chickpeas — You’ll need a 15-ounce can of chickpeas or 1 3/4 cup of cooked from scratch chickpeas.
  • Sweet potato — You’ll need 1 medium sweet potato (around 5 inches long and 2 inches wide).
  • Rolled oats — I like rolled oats best, otherwise referred to as old-fashioned oats.
  • Walnuts — If you don’t have walnuts you can substitute pecans or use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of almond flour.
  • Seasonings — You’ll need dehydrated onions, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, black pepper, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, and pepper to season these patties.
  • Ground flaxseeds — We’ll use ground flaxseeds as an egg replacer.
  • Bread crumbs — You can use regular or gluten-free bread crumbs.
  • Vegan Parmesan — Use storebought vegan parmesan or you can use homemade vegan parmesan.
  • Vegan Butter — Use any dairy-free vegan butter or margarine. You can substitute olive oil.
  • Plant-based milk — You can use soy milk, almond milk, etc, but make sure it’s plain (not vanilla) and unsweetened.
  • Marinara sauce — Make sure to use dairy-free marinara sauce.
  • Vegan mozzarella shreds — I prefer to use Follow Your Heart or Daiya Mozzarella Shreds.

Storage Tips

Store patties in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Alternatively, they can be frozen for up to 1 month. To serve, heat in a toaster oven until the coating is crispy and the patties are heated through. It may be difficult to get the vegan cheese to melt again, but if you put a piece of foil over the top it can help.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve vegan chicken parmesan with any of the following:

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
These were so delicious that I’m making a double batch for the second week in a row. These have definitely become a staple in our home.

Amanda

Vegan Chicken Favorites

If you love these vegan chicken parmesan patties, you’ll want to try this vegan chicken noodle soup or this vegan chicken and rice casserole. Here are even more tasty vegan chicken recipes for your next plant-based dinner!

A vegan chicken parmesan patty on a plate with marinara sauce and melted vegan cheese. It sits beside a salad and steamed broccoli.
A closeup of a vegan chicken parmesan patty with marinara sauce and melted cheese on top.

Vegan Chicken Parm

This baked vegan chicken parm takes a simple chickpea burger and transforms it into a delicious twist on an Italian classic. Serve with your favorite pasta and steamed vegetables on the side.
5 from 3 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Resting Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 patties
Calories: 346kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sweet potato
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • ¼ cup chopped walnuts
  • 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced onions
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed divided
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup vegan Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter melted
  • 3 tablespoons plain soy milk
  • 1 cup dairy-free marinara sauce
  • 1 cup vegan mozzarella shreds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Lina a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a large skillet with vegetable cooking spray.
  • Place potato in the microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove from microwave and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Once cooled, chop into large cubes.
  • Place oats and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until a coarse flour is formed. Add potato, chickpeas, onions, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, and 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed. Pulse 3 seconds, then use a spatula to push ingredients back down. Pulse again for 3 seconds.
    Ingredients like sweet potatoes and ground flax seeds are in a food processor bowl.
  • Form mixture into 6 patties and place in a prepared skillet over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes on one side. Flip, then sprinkle salt and pepper on uncooked sides and cook for another 5 minutes until patties have firmed up slightly and are brown on both sides. Transfer from skillet to a large plate and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.
    Four vegan chicken patties are in a stainless steel frying pan.
  • In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs and vegan Parmesan. Pour melted butter, milk, and the remaining 1 tablespoon flaxseed into a separate small bowl. Dip each patty in butter mixture, then dip in breadcrumbs and place on a prepared baking sheet. Spray patties lightly with vegetable cooking spray.
    A hand is dipping a veggie patty in a bowl full of bread crumbs. There is a breaded patty on a baking sheet and another bowl for dipping.
  • Bake 25 minutes until bread crumbs are golden brown. Remove from oven.
  • Spoon equal amounts of marinara sauce over each patty. Top with equal amounts of mozzarella shreds. Return pan to oven and bake another 10 more minutes until cheese is melted.
  • Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer patties to a large lidded container and refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, cook in the microwave in 30-second intervals until heated through.

Recommended Equipment

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 3.3mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new text and an updated recipe in 2021.

6 Responses to Vegan Chicken Parmesan

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAmanda Reply

    5 stars
    These were so delicious that I’m making a double batch for the second week in a row. These have definitely become a staple in our home.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I’m so glad you liked them, Amanda! They’re a favorite of mine too. They taste so…indulgent…and yet it’s chickpeas and sweet potatoes! ❤️

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMaria Reply

    Where is your other recipe for chicken Parmesan? I have made it for years and my family loves it

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Maria! We updated this recipe recently to keep it in line with our goal of easy recipes with fewer ingredients but full of flavor! I still have the old version of this recipe and will email it to you. Thanks for your note! i’m so glad you like this recipe!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyShannon Reply

    5 stars
    I made these last night & they were so delicious! I might have over pureed the filling a bit, because I didn’t even need to dip them in the butter/soy milk. But it was awesome!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I’m SO glad to hear you liked them too. I’m going to make some more tonight because they are perfect to have as leftovers for the week…that is if we can not eat them all at once (that’s kind of a key to having leftovers!!).

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