Author: This Vegan Scrambled Eggs recipe might shock you: there is no tofu, in sight! Instead, this scramble is made from pumpkin seeds! How fun is that? Pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas) are boiled and then blended with seasoning into a batter. Then just pour it into a hot pan and cook it up! This makes a vegan scramble that is fluffy, creamy, and super delicious.
These vegan scrambled eggs are a new favorite in my house. Not only are they super easy to make, but the batter can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, which is great for easy mornings. You can enjoy the vegan eggs alone, or serve them on toast, with potatoes, with veggies such as peppers, tomatoes, and spinach, on a bagel, with vegan bacon, sprinkled with vegan cheese or fresh herbs, in a breakfast burrito, or anywhere that scrambled eggs would be used.
Why These Vegan Scrambled Eggs Will Amaze You
- No tofu needed: I'm still a big fan of tofu scramble as well, but this pumpkin seed egg scramble is another delicious alternative!
- High in protein: Pepitas are naturally packed with plant-based protein.
- Meal prep friendly: The batter keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Allergy-friendly: These vegan eggs are soy-free, bean-free, gluten-free, oil-free optional, cholesterol-free, and completely plant-based.
Ingredients for Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Raw shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas): The base of the recipe! These blend into a creamy egg-like batter.
- Water: Used for blending the mixture smooth.
- Nutritional yeast: Adds savory, cheesy flavor.
- Onion powder and garlic powder: For onion and garlic flavor without changing the texture of the vegan scrambled eggs.
- Ground turmeric: Gives the scramble its yellow eggy color.
- Black salt (kala namak): This has a sulfuric taste that makes vegan eggs taste surprisingly realistic.
- Light oil: For cooking, though you can make this oil-free with a good non-stick skillet.
How to Make Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Boil the Pumpkin Seeds: Add the pumpkin seeds to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes until the water starts turning green. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle.
- Remove the Skins (Optional): Rub the pumpkin seeds between your hands to loosen the dark green skins. Rinse away as much of the skin as possible. This step helps create a bright yellow scramble instead of a green one.
- Blend the Egg Mixture: Add the drained pumpkin seeds, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, turmeric, garlic powder, and black salt to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. The mixture can be used immediately or stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Cook the Scramble: Heat a little oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in about ¾ cup of the mixture per serving. At first it will seem very liquidy, but keep cooking and stirring gently with a spatula. As it cooks, it thickens into soft scrambled eggs. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until you reach your desired texture.
Tips and Variations
- Black salt is key: Kala namak gives the scramble its signature eggy flavor. I highly recommend using it if possible.
- Meal prep it: The batter keeps beautifully in the fridge, so you can simply shake and pour in the mornings.
- Add veggies: Try cooking the scramble with spinach, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, or green onions.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Seed Eggs
Storage
- Batter: Store the uncooked batter in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Shake well before using.
- Cooked Scramble: Store leftover cooked vegan scrambled eggs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet or microwave.
If you try this vegan scrambled egg recipe, let us know by leaving a comment and rating it. I'd love to see what you made. Share your creation in the It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken Community (this is where we're all hanging out now!) or tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Scrambled Eggs (Made from Pumpkin Seeds)
This Vegan Scrambled Egg recipe is made from pumpkin seeds! This scramble is fluffy, creamy, and super delicious. It's also low in calories and high in protein.
Servings:
PRINT
PIN
COMMENT
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw shelled green pumpkin seeds, (also called pepitas)
- 2 cups water, (plus more for boiling)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon black salt, (also called kala namak)
- light oil, for frying (such as vegetable or canola)
Instructions
- Boil the pumpkin seeds: Add the pumpkin seeds to a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for about 10 minutes until the water starts to turn green. Drain and rinse with cold water so they are cool enough to handle. *Alternatively, you could soak them in a bowl of water overnight.
- Remove the skins: Once the pumpkin seeds are cool enough to handle, scoop them up in your hands and rub them together. The dark green skins will start to come off. Repeat, getting off as much of the skin as you can. Rinse well to wash away the skins. *Removing the skins is optional. If you prefer you can leave them on, but your vegan eggs will be green. But maybe if you're a fan of Dr. Suess you will like that 😉
- Blend the egg mixture: Add the drained pumpkin seeds to a blender along with 2 cups of fresh water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, turmeric, garlic powder, and black salt. Blend until completely smooth stopping to scrape the sides as needed. You can either store this mixture in a sealable jar in the fridge until ready to use or use it right away. It should keep fresh for up to 1 week in the fridge.
- Cook the eggs: Heat a little oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, pour in as much or as little of the pumpkin egg mixture as you like. One serving is about ¾ cup. Use a spatula to push around the mixture every now and then to scramble the eggs as it cooks. The pumpkin seed eggs will be very liquidy at first but will thicken the longer you cook them. Cook them until you reach your desired texture. They will be a little more tender than traditional scrambled eggs. I cooked mine for about 5 minutes.
Notes
Oil-free: to make oil-free, simply omit the oil and use a very good non-stick pan.
Nutritional yeast: I like the rich buttery taste nutritional yeast adds, but if you prefer you can omit it.
Make Ahead/ Storage: the batter can be made ahead of time and stored in a sealable jar in the fridge for up to 1 week. Just shake, and pour into a pan when ready to cook. Leftover cooked scramble can be cooled, then stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving without oil(recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg
Sharon says
Lovely scramble alternative although I have reduced the amount of onion powder and increased the black salt
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Sharon! Glad you enjoyed it!
Jane Ulmer says
Could I form this into a pattie and freeze it?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Jane! This recipe is meant to stay soft and fluffy, so I wouldn’t recommend forming patties or freezing it, as it doesn’t really hold a firm shape 😊
Kate Elliott says
Hello, if I want soak the pumpkin seeds overnight (at the step 1), it's in fridge or room temperature ? thank you.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
I would recommend the fridge for food saftey. Enjoy Kate! 🙂
Bobbi S says
I discovered that if you make this a bit softer it's a FANTASTIC bagel or English muffin spread!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Oooh love that idea! Thanks for sharing Bobbi!!
Kerry says
Uber Lazy Update! Like cashews, if you have a powerful blender like a VitaMix, it will blend the seeds without soaking. I use 1.5c hot water to 1c seeds so the mix is a lil less watery and solidifies faster in the pan, too. Super lazy 🙂
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Love it! Thanks for sharing Kerry!
Julie Ann Bailey says
I am definitely going to try this! I have a lot of pumpkin seeds which I have decided I really don't care for as a snack or in granola. This might be the perfect solution! I do have a question: could I use sunflower seeds instead? I also have lots of raw sunflower seeds on hand.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Julie, you can try using raw shelled sunflower seeds in place of the pumpkin seeds, but just a heads-up—they’ll give the scramble a stronger, nuttier flavor and possibly a slightly grayer or greenish color, depending on the seeds. Be sure to boil or soak them first like in the original recipe to help soften and mellow the taste. I would recommend trying the recipe as written first with pumpkin seeds, so you will know how sunflower seeds differ if you give it a try. Let me know how it turns out if you try it 😊
Kate Elliott says
Hello, for this recipe (vegan scrambled egg) and for tofu scramble, can I use carrot powder for colour, instead curcuma ?
Thank You
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Kate! Yes that should work fine. Just use a little and add more as needed. Enjoy!
Andrea Hochevar says
Recipe came out as promised - slightly softer than a tofu scramble or chicken eggs. I added some Violife cheese and topped it off with avocado and tomatoes. Tasty, easy, full of nutrients, and filled us up. Stoked about this new breakfast option!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay! So happy you loved it Andrea! THank you for the review 🙂
Honey Goulet says
Tried this today for the first time. soaked overnight instead of boiling. I didn't bother to shell the pepita seeds. the color wasn't super green at all.
the flavor was surprisingly good!
I will definitely be adding to my menu. I didn't have any black salt on hand to give that eggy type taste but was still great.
for my son I scrambled with some green onions served with avacado toast and a drop of hot sauce.
thank you so much for this recipe we liked it way better than our tofu scramble. needed way less work to season than tofu.
Thank you from our family to your's
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Excellent, we're happy to hear it!
Sherry says
hello again. i am still trying to find black salt. I also bought dry roasted pumpkin seeds that are salted. so should I head back to the store and get different pumpkin seeds ? I sort of miss having eggs. I suppose I can wait a little longer until I find these last 2 ingredients, to get the recipe right.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Black salt (also known as kala namak) is key for that eggy flavor in my vegan scrambled eggs recipe, so I recommend waiting to find it if you can. You will also want to ensure that you use raw pumpkin seeds (not roasted) or you will not get the correct texture. I hope you find the ingredients soon! I also have some more vegan eggy recipes here on my website, and an entire chapter dedicated to vegan eggy recipes in my cookbook Craving Vegan. Enjoy!
Sherry says
thank you so much. I bought the proper seeds and ordered the kala namak on line. thank you for all the great recipes you are sharing. i can't wait to try this
Sherry says
hello tumeric is good for most people but it causes me joint pain is there a sub I can use. I am excited about trying this
Sherry says
i think I answered my own question. I'm going to sub for ground mustard seeds.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We're happy you thought of something that works best for you! Enjoy!
Grace says
Delicious, nutritious, and meal prep friendly! This recipe held its own as a main breakfast dish, but also made for an awesome wrap filling and toast topper.
I skipped removing the hulls from the pumpkin seeds and found that the result wasn't as green as I thought it might be. When I make this again, to save time, I think I'll soak the pumpkin seeds overnight instead of boiling them.
Serena says
This is such an original recipe!! I'm not gonna lie it was a pain to remove the skins of all the seeds but it was indeed very delicious!!!