Writing my “All about Chickpea Flour” post earlier this week gave me the chance to delve through my recipe archives and rediscover some forgotten favourites. I’m constantly creating new recipes so I don’t often repeat old ones, despite how successful they are. Amongst the recipes I highlighted were my Tofu Omelettes (Pesto-Ricotta with Cherry Tomatoes) and I couldn’t get the idea of making something similar out of my head.
I’ve made vegan frittatas before, including my Roasted Vegetable one, but thought I’d add a little bit of a Middle Eastern twist this time as it’s been a long time since I’ve experimented with those flavours.
I feel like recipes with foreign names often sound more complicated than they necessarily are and frittatas are definitely one of them, even vegan-style! I use a simple base of tofu and chickpea flour which I spiked with ginger, garlic and fresh herbs. I sprinkled it generously with tangy, lemony sumac for a little extra jazziness.
You can either bake the frittata in the oven or cook it on the stovetop if you don’t have an oven-proof pan.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 1 Clove of garlic, minced
- 2" Fresh ginger, peeled and minced/grated
- 1 Large courgette OR 2 small, sliced into half moons.
- 1 350g/12oz pkg Silken tofu
- 2 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1/3 C Almond milk
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Black salt (This gives it the "eggy" taste. Highly recommended)
- 1/2 C Chickpea flour
- 1 Tbsp Arrowroot
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley
- Sumac
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large pan (oven-proof if baking) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook, stirring, for another minute.
- Add the courgette and cook for a further 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend the silken tofu through to the black salt in a blender. Add the chickpea flour, arrowroot and salt and pepper and blend briefly again.
- Fold in a handful of chopped parsley.
- Spread the vegetables evenly in the pan and pour the frittata batter over, spreading with a spatula so it is evenly distributed.
- If cooking on the stovetop (this is what I usually do) cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Carefully slide onto a plate, flip the frittata and cook the reverse side for a further 15 minutes. It should be browned and firm to the touch.
- Alternatively, place the pan in the oven and bake for approx 30 minutes at 180C/350F
- Sprinkle liberally with sumac and fresh parsley to serve.
For a light dinner, I served the frittata with a green salad and to carry on the Middle-Eastern feel I made another salad with beetroot and pomegranate. This one is a little sweet, a little tangy and a little spicy! It would be a tasty addition to a full-on Middle Eastern feast.

- 3-4 Medium beetroot
- 3/4 C Pomegranate arils
- 1/8 tsp Chili flakes
- 1 Tbsp Pomegranate molasses
- 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 C Chopped fresh parsley OR coriander
- Scrub the beetroot, cut off the greens, wrap loosely in tin foil and bake at 200C/400F for 45 mins-1 hour, until very soft.
- When cool enough to handle, rub the skins off with your fingers. They should come off easily if the beetroot is fully cooked.
- Dice the beetroot and add to a bowl with the pomegranate arils. Mix the chili flakes through to the salt and pepper in a small bowl/jar. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir through the fresh herbs.

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I think that this is such a clever recipe; it looks light, colourful, fluffy. Great job x
Thanks Deena. I was happy with how it turned out.
That frittata looks nice and light, and the Persian flavours sound delicious
Thank you. It was a lovely light dinner with the two salads. I think it would be a great addition to brunch too.
Oh yum! This looks incredible, I want both the frittata and the salad!
Thanks Anna! Glad they both appeal.
lovely fritatta and I think I even had everything needed in my kitchen - my mum gave me some of her sumac and I still haven’t used it so this is a timely reminder
I really like sumac. You should make manakish za’atar! http://www.coconutandberries.com/2013/10/02/lebanese-flatbreads-baba-ghanoush/
I love pomegranate in salads and your frittata looks lovely. I’ve always been a bit wary of veganised frittatas because I don’t like traditional frittata varieties, but there are many vegan dishes I like far more than their traditional counterparts. So, I should give this a try I think
Same as me. I hated eggs and cheese pre-vegan and now I love all their veganised counterparts! Perhaps my tastebuds have just evolved over the years.
I wish I could come to dinner at yours. This looks fantastic!
Thanks Clem. You know you’re welcome any time!
the texture looks unbelievably creamy! and i must try black salt.
Definitely recommend getting your hands on some black salt. It’s amazing how much it brings to the table.
I love the Middle Eastern flavors in this fritatta! Definitely a fun way to spruce it up!
Thanks Joanne. It’s fun to mix and match cuisines sometimes !
This looks so tasty, both the recipe and the presentation are inviting!
Thanks so much Gaby. Hope you get to give this one a try.
This looks like the perfect Sunday supper to me - beautiful, Emma!
Exactly the sort of easy, light food I like on a Sunday evening 😀
This looks so delicious! Can’t wait to make it myself
Glad you like the look of it. Let me know how you like it if you do make it
This looks so beautiful Emma! I have seen some vegan frittatas before using tofu, but I love yours the best. I love the flavors you use and the colors. I am not a fan of tofu unfortunately :(, but I love that you used chickpea flour as well, so it probably helps to hide the taste of it! It is a gorgeous recipe!
Thankyou Brandi. That’s a shame you’re not a tofu fan
I don’t eat it all that often but think it can be great if prepared well. It adds a lovely creaminess to the frittata.
Double recipes = awesome!
Can’t wait to try out both, especially the beets. What do you do with your beet stems/leaves?
I love them sauteed or steamed,, just like any other greens, or they can be addded to soups! I also like them Iin smoothies
Me too! I like to juice them too 😀
My beet leaves were pretty tattered this time so I just discarded them but I do like to juice them or stir-fry them with garlic and ginger too 😀
Lovely - I have chick pea flour, I have sumac, and I love beetroots! I could see this one working out well!
Great 😀 Hope you enjoy!
This looks wonderful! I’m yet to try black salt, I will definitely have to give it a go.
Definitely try it. It really adds a great flavour.
This looks so beautiful and very much like an egg based frittata! Great job Emma, I’m loving your chickpea flour ideas!
Thanks Poppy
It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten eggs but I think this rivals the “original” recipe!
I C U DONT MENTION THE NUTRItional yeast in the method. do u add this and let it ferment first before baking?also to my knowledge arrow root is ‘madumbi’ so can i use the tuber as i have the boild and raw?
Hi Meena. I don’t know if you’ve used nutritional yeast before but it’s completely different to yeast used for baking. It’s deactivated so just lends a cheesy kind of flavour.
I’m not sure what you mean about the arrowroot I’m afraid. Here I used arrowroot powder as a thickener. If you don’t have it you could also use cornstarch.
Hope that helps!
Hi emma,
I am a novice cook and need things spelt out for me! please can you tell me, when you say add the frittata batter…what is this? The tofu mix? Also when do you add the almond milk and chickpea flour..or is that the batter mix..?!
Thanks
Sorry for the confusion! You pretty much just need to blend all the ingredients except the vegetables. When I say blend silken tofu “through to” black salt I mean all the ingredients between and including the silken tofu and black salt.
The frittata “batter” is the blended mix.
Hope that’s clearer
This looks absolutely amazing! must try
Thank you! Hope you do. Please report back on how you like it!
This is a fantastic recipe that looks like it would be just as good cold the next day as hot with salad. Cheers for this wonderful share
You’re exactly right! I enjoyed most of this as leftovers cold and loved it that way.
I love the Middle Eastern spin on Frittata;-) Looks delicious! I’ll look around for more inspirations. XO
Thanks Suzy. I love playing with unique flavour combinations!
I made this last night. I had difficulty flipping it out because it had not cooked enough even though I pan fried it for the 30 minutes. I’m looking at your recipe and I think the mistake I made was not putting it in the oven afterword’s. I thought I was suppose to pan fry it OR bake it in the oven. Was I suppose to do both? I used 1 tsp black salt and 2 cups of pan fried broccoli instead of the courgette. It was really good though and I will make it again.
No, you were right. It’s either pan fry OR bake it. I’m wondering if 2 C broccoli was too much moisture and prevented it from cooking through completely. Glad you enjoyed it all the same though!
I’m allergic to soy, any recommendations for a substitute for the tofu? I have almost everything else except the sumac & black salt & would love to try this. I am 95% vegan but have held onto the liquid egg substitutes because so many baked goods seem to need the volume they provide. Being allergic to soy & wheat cuts out a lot of the alternatives that I could use for replacements. The recipe looks great & I love frittatas, so easy for a quick dinner when you have odd bits of this and that laying around to use up.
Hi Ann, glad you like the look of the frittata
Have you seen my “All about Chickpea Flour” post? http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/03/29/chickpea-flour/
It’s great in place of eggs in quiches and omelettes so I’m sure you could use it exclusively (without the tofu) for a frittata.
Hope you give it a go!
We just made the frittata this morning, with some changes you may find interesting. I used agar powder instead of arrowroot, and a combo of rice flour and tapioca starch instead of chick pea flour. These being out of necessity. I sauteed mustard and kale greens from our garden, as well as peppers, onions, and garlic, some gimmelean, and freshly dug up sweet potatoes. Also sliced in starfruit. We used plenty of sumac, as well as some homemade preserved lemon powder, and rosemary. Oh, and the black salt was a great idea! All in all, the best frittata my wife and I ever had! Thanks for the inspiration!
Casdandra fulton says
listen here missy , me i’m an older lass so i don’t take lightly to commenting here and there … i think it’s more a ” younger person ” thang don’t you think ? anyway , this here is what we good folk call a GOD SEND and i’ll tell you why. hubby had NO clue this was vegan and he is a tough cookie to crack. !!!! so thank you for a delightful recipe xxxooo