How to master the perfect vegan omelette

Joe Yonan reveals the secret to that crispy on the outside, custardy on the inside texture

A vegan omelette comes together more like a savoury pancake, with a batter that also includes a little baking soda (boosted by vinegar) for lift and turmeric and nutritional yeast for color and earthy, nutty flavour (Tom McCorkle/The Washington Post)

I’ve been on a breakfast-for-dinner tear recently, and I’m not talking about eggs.

Instead, I’ve been making pancakes, French toast – and, most recently, these omelettes. Omelettes without eggs, you ask? I can’t wait to see some of the most persnickety commenters get up in arms about the name of this egg-free take on a traditionally egg-full dish, but yes: with the help of chickpea flour, you can make a lovely vegan omelette.

Granted, it comes together more like a savoury pancake, with a batter that also includes a little baking soda (boosted by vinegar) for lift and turmeric and nutritional yeast for colour and earthy, nutty flavour. In the pan, too, it gives you those telltale bubbles on one side and light browning on the other before you slide a spatula underneath for the turning.

Rather than flip it all the way over, though, you add your filling – in this case, mushrooms, spinach and cherry tomatoes, but it could be whatever else you like – and fold the omelette over the mixture.

Before you serve, there’s one more step, an important one. Previous recipes of this type I’ve tried have resulted in something with a texture too dry for my liking. In this one, author Saskia Sidey smartly has you turn off the heat after you fold the omelette – and then cover the pan for a few minutes to finish cooking, gently.

The result: crisp edges and a slightly custardy interior, helping this omelette live up to its name – at least to me. If you’d feel better calling it a pancake, that’s cool, too. Just make sure to eat it when it’s fresh and warm; that perfect texture doesn’t last upon refrigeration, so this is no time to create leftovers, whatever they’re called.

Chickpea omelettes with mushrooms, spinach and tomato

Checking to see if the underside is done (Tom McCorkle/The Washington Post)

Active time: 25 minutes | Total time: 35 minutes

Serves: 2

Chickpea (AKA gram) flour brings a nutty flavour and slightly custardy texture to these plant-based omelettes. If you love vegan cheese, feel free to sprinkle some over the omelettes before folding them, but these are great – and very filling – without it.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

230g oyster, cremini or any other mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

70g lightly packed baby spinach leaves

110g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

¼ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

For the omelettes:

100g chickpea flour

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

¼ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp baking soda

180ml oat milk, almond milk or other unsweetened plant-based milk

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp sunflower oil or another neutral oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley and/or dill (optional)

Method:

Make the filling: in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the spinach is fully wilted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and wipe out the pan if needed. Taste, and season with more salt and/or pepper as needed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric, garlic powder and baking soda. In a measuring cup with a spout, combine the plant-based milk and vinegar and slowly pour into the bowl with the chickpea flour mixture, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth batter. Taste, and season with more salt as needed.

Make the omelettes: in the same now-empty nonstick pan over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil until it shimmers. Pour in half the batter and immediately swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Cook until the omelette starts to look brown and crispy on the bottom and the top changes from shiny to a matte finish, with lots of small holes on the surface, about 2 minutes. Add half of the filling to one side of the omelet, then fold the other side of the omelette over the filling.

Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and let the omelette steam for 5 minutes. Transfer the omelette to a plate and repeat the process with the remaining batter, adding more oil if needed.

Serve warm, with a sprinkling of parsley and/or dill, if you'd like.

How to store: These are best eaten immediately after they're made.

Nutrition information per serving (1 omelette with filling, using oat milk) | calories: 432; total fat: 20g; saturated fat: 3g; cholesterol: 0mg; sodium: 854mg; carbohydrates: 44g; dietary fibre: 10g; sugar: 12g; protein: 19g.

This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

© The Washington Post