Have I told you about my cauliflower obsession? Seriously, I love cauliflower a lot. I also love tater tots – I can’t resist making a whole batch of them every weekend with a side of ketchup.
Today I decided to marry the two. I ran out of potatoes and thought I’d try cauliflower instead. After all, why not? It’s much healthier, plus I won’t feel guilty eating like a million of these little cauliflower tots. They are also baked so that’s another plus.
The mixture for this recipe is pretty simple and easy to put together. You’ll need 2 cups of cauliflower (obviously..), an egg, 1/2 cup of minced onions and 1/4 cup of bell pepper (I used red although, the bell peppers are completely optional), 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, cheese and salt + pepper to taste. Oh and I almost forgot, I also used 1/4 cup of minced cilantro but you can also use parsley instead.
The only pressure point to the recipe is chopping the cauliflower. I chopped it in the food processor but only pulsed it 3 or 4 times, no more than a few seconds because it can over process very quickly. If you are not sure or think you’ll mess it up, I suggest just chopping it up with a knife real quick.
Next mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, shape them into little tots and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ketchup, eggs, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Skinny Baked Cauliflower Tots
Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, minced (optional)
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 minced cilantro or parsley, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooking spray or oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray or lightly grease with oil. Set aside.
Steam cauliflower in hot water for 3-5 minutes or until nice and soft, drain and chopped with a knife or blend in the food processor ( just a few seconds.) - In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon of mixture in your hands and roll into small oval shaped tots.
- Place on the cookie sheet 1/2 inch apart and bake for about 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking until golden.
Please advise HOW MUCH frozen cauliflower rice to use? It’s very convenient!
It would be the same amount called for the recipe 🙂
Made it, would cut salt by a bit, but totally bleeping awedome!
We LOVE these! However, I docked 1 star down because I cannot get it to not stick to the foil. This is the 2nd time i’ve made it and although I made sure to oil it real well, it still just gets stuck. Any tips???
Use lightly greased parchment paper instead.
Are the breadcrumbs used from fresh bread or the dried ones in a packet?
We used the super-market bread crumbs but the home-made breadcrumbs will also work.
Not sure why this is all caps but these are great. I actually added more liquid to make them more ‘spreadable’ and cooked them in a waffle iron to a very crisp and crunchy texture. The waffle iron quickly cooks both sides and the additional water ensures the mixture is well cooked on the inside.
Is there a vegan version of this. I really want to make this but I can’t eat cheese.
Replace the cheese with vegan cheese!
Use Nutritional yeast I’ve been using it in lieu of cheese and it’s been great. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I bought the green giant version. There’s so much crap ingredients.
HOW CAN WE MAKE THESE GLUTEN-FREE?
Sub egg with egg whites
Sub breadcrumbs with gluten free bread crumbs
May I ask why you eliminate the egg yoke for the gluten free version?
MY KIDS LOVED THEM! I HAVE ONE PICKY EATER WHO WON’T EAT VEGETABLE. LITTLE DID HE KNOW HE WAS EATING CAULIFLOWE! THANKS FOR A NEW FAMILY STAPLE.
Just yum! Thank YOU for sharing this incredible recipe. I served mine with SLAw and chilli aioli.
I used a whole medium cauliflower and JUST added more CHEESe and breadcrumbs. Excited to eat THe left overs.
Yummy, serving them with chili aioli sounds delicious! 😋
Anyone have the nutritional info on them?
Does anyone know The nutritional value of these Cau tots? Hiw much carbohydrates and fiber is in this recipe? I am a diAbetic and need to know this info and how many tots make a serving size?
I plugged it into an online calculator minus the peppers, parsley/cilantro and sauce, and got this, per piece based on 14 pieces:
Calories 76
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4.4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2.7g 13%
Cholesterol 26mg 9%
Sodium 186mg 8%
Total Carbohydrate 2.3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0.5g 2%
Total Sugars 0.5g
Protein 5.4g
I am confused it is 76 calories per tot! That does not seem “skinny” to me. Am I interpreting that incorrectly?
76 calories per 14 tots
This is the second time I hav made these. They are better then potato tots! I added 1 tbsp. Egg beaters in addition to the one egg for better binding. I also added the optional ingredients as well.I baked 20 min THEN turned over and they stayed together perfectly.
New favorite appetizer!!
Just made these. My family loves them!!!! Instant hit. Woo hooooo. So glad I decided to give them a whirl. Next time I’m going to try what one person suggested in the comments and make the in muffin tins.
This was delicious! I made it with GF panko bread crumbs, and added a little spice with Cumin, a little chili powder and some roasted peppers from my farm share. Yum!
Dairy-free substitution for parmesan cheese is nutritional yeast. Braggs sells it in a shaker jar, and some stores sell it in their bulk section.
Is it a 1:1 ratio?
Good recipe! I had to increase the cooking time to get crispier. Also if you try to turn it half way through cooking will break apart. Next time I will cook for 20 minutes, turn, and cook for 10 more. Where is the serving size or nutritional information?
I made two batches of these. The 1st batch I made as per recipe. The 2nd batch I left out the salt and added 1 tbls of Fajita seasoning and 2 tbls of minced Jalapenos. There was no comparison. The first batch needed a dip, it was very bland, the second batch was very nice and flavorful. One tip: always keep your hands moist…makes less of a mess. Thanks for the recipe, I will make it again with different ideas.
I’m sure it’s a great recipe. But it would be nice if you included the nutritional values!! 🙂
Probably not too hard to figure out for yourself since the amounts of all the ingredients are listed…Great recipe!
mine Came out to around 712 calories.
Sadly, I’m unable to locate any of the recipes. I would love to try several. I’ve opened the page in different browsers and am still unable to find a recipe on anything. What am I doing wrong?
Sorry about that. We’ve fixed the issue. The recipe should show up now!
So delicious! All the kids at a pot luck gobbled them up. Muffin pans take MUCH less time then rolling! Just a little bit of oil (if even necessary) in each muffin spot, scoop with a 1/4 c. scoop, press into the pans, and pop into the oven. I have doubled the recipe, but quadrupled it today making about 20 “muffins”.
Next time I will press the excess moisture out of the cauliflower and onion after food processing!
Thanks for such a great recipe! We are just starting a vegetarian diet. I made these, however, I added a few extra twist. I didn’t make tots. I made nuggets. I added 1/4 cup more bread crumbs, and I breaded them lightly with panko. I’m sure they are not as “skinny” anymore, but they were delicious! After 10 days of vegetarian meals, some good, some I will never revisit again, these were the biggest hit at our table. They are wonderful with my homemade BBQ sauce!
I’ve tired these a couple times now and I really liked them. I’m always looking for new side dishes and this one wasn’t added to the list. YUM!!
TYPO*** WAS added to the list!!
LOL !! Thought that is what you actually meant.
Awesome! Whole family loved them. Omitted the onions and peppers so my four year old would eat them. Doubled the recipe and cooked half and stuck the second half of the batter in the fridge and cooked those later. Question….how do these freeze? Or can I freeze the batter for future use. If so, I would make jumbo batches at one time and freeze so we could eat these all month! Thanks for the recipe…. Great kid friendly snacks while making sure they get their veggies! Also, good for the rest of the family too… Good snack to manage blood sugar, and weight!
They’re very healthy in so many ways! as for the freezing, I like to freeze them either after shaping or after baking. I find it much easier to freeze after baking tho.
Can I substitute frozen cauliflower rice?
Yes! Be sure to defrost it first and squeeze all the water out of it.
Thanks. Will do.
If we use pre-riced cauli, about how much would we need?
Yes, following the question about using frozen cauliflower rice instead. Such a convenience, but HOW MUCH? Thank you! 😃
These were awesome! It’s really nice to have tater tots that are flavorful and not greasy!
I did add an extra egg white per egg (I tripled the recipe since I used a whole head of cauliflower) + extra breadcrumbs and everything stayed together just fine! I did process the onion, pepper & onions pretty well in the food processor, maybe 20 pulses, since I didn’t want things chunky. Then I pressed it in a fine mesh strainer to get out the extra liquid.
Also, since I don’t like my hands smelling like onions, I wear disposable clear gloves (you can get a 100 ct bag at the Dollar Tree).
I baked half for lunch until golden brown and lightly baked the rest, then flash froze & freezer-bagged them. And they were great out of the freezer a week later!
Wanted to add a recent discovery. I sometimes don’t measure ingredients 😉 And with these, for awhile I was putting in too much shredded cheese. That resulted in my taters looking like flat round cookies! (the cheese was melting causing this).
Now that I’ve gone back be very careful with the amount, wow! I think you can be off a bit on the egg amount, or onions, or even the amount of cauliflower. But not the cheese. That’ll mess things up!
Parece delicioso! Voy a hacerla para probar. Saludos Desde tierra del fuego.
On the 21 day fix Beachbody do you know if it would just be considered a vegetable and probably a healthy fat? What it be any car because of the breadcrumbs
Does it need to be fresh cauliflower or can we use frozen to make this and other cauliflower recipes? If using frozen, perhaps thawing it first(?)
Soooooooo lovely – I couldn’t shape them (the mixture was a bit lose and wouldn’t hold the shape) so I popped them in greased muffin tins and cooked for slightly longer – delish!
I added a dash of cayenne pepper, gave it a yum
I love these! make them all the time. To continue the low carb theme, try almond meal (not powder) instead of the bread crumbs, also try a low carb Marinara sauce instead of usually sugar heavy ketchup. And for easy clean up, I use parchment paper and put a spoonful of the mix on it, then shape them in the pan.
No matters how you do it, they are delicious!
How do you suggest reheating them if you freeze them after baking?
Can these be frozen?
Yes, you can freeze them after shaping or after baking.
My one year old loved them! I made this for dinner 🙂
These look great! Can you freeze if you have leftovers?
I LOVED these! I had the same problems some others had mentioned about getting them to stick together, so I added an extra egg white. They worked much better after that!
I love all the unique ways people are using cauliflower these days. A friend and I were talking last night about the need for warm comfort food when it’s cold outside, but that it’s hard to eat “healthy” comfort food. This will fit the bill for sure. I will have to share this recipe with her! Thanks.
I am making these for my sister, who can’t have gluten or dairy. I replaced the cheese with soy cheese. I don’t know how to replace the parmesan, so I just left it out. Used corn meal instead of bread crumbs.
They don’t hold together well at all, I couldn’t even get the tot shapes, so they’re just mounds. I chopped the cauliflower up as finely as shown in the picture, so that doesn’t seem to be the problem. Just put them in the oven, so I’ll see how they hold together once it’s time to turn them.
I’m going to have to learn how to veganize these. They look great. I was a little disheartened by the egg lol. Replacing the cheese is easy. Egg replacer is kinda pricey.
Aww I’m sorry to hear that!The egg is what keeps everything together and to be honest I haven’t tried the tots without it. How about trying it without the egg and see what happens. If you do try it without the egg let us know how it worked out. Best of luck! 🙂
Ground flax seed in water. Works great as a egg replacement, tastes great and adds omega 3! I tablespoon water to 3 tablespoons flax meal = 1 egg.
cauliflour cooked or raw when making this?
I just made these today. I used the cauliflower, egg, cheddar cheese and some onion powder. (I was in a hurry) They turned out great! Thank you so much for the recipe. I am going to try them ‘your way’ the next time. I like parmesan cheese but just didn’t have any on hand.
Try it a n d every one love it tkx
hi there!!
Thanks for this recipe – we made it with a few substitutions and loved it!
My husband wanted to make it again the next day and here is the result 🙂
http://www.kumocafe.com/2015/01/cooking-with-us-e33-cauliflower-cheese.html
I linked back to you of course:) Thanks again!
-Val!
I made these last night but subbed breadcrumbs for crumbled gluten free Chex cereal (I also made DIY chicken fingers with the same cereal), and they were delicious but I had similar problems as some other commenters with them not sticking together. One egg didn’t seem enough, and two didn’t seem to help. I was able to smash them together enough to make some little fritters/tots, but wasn’t able to shape them much at all. Still, they were tasty and I will be making this recipe again!
Shannon, thanks for the tip on the gluten free breadcrumbs! If you have issues with them sticking together feel free to add more breadcrumbs and that should solve the issue.
These look so yummy. I’ll need to adapt to suit our food intolerances but I’m off to get a cauli now! Thank you so much x
I was sceptical making these, sceptical cooking them but they are great. I did them with breadless bread crumbs. I would reduce the onion next time but there will be a next time! Thanks for sharing.
i have celiacs, what would you use instead of the bread crumbs?
Hi! I’m Keto and use almond flour (or coconut flour sometimes) as replacement for flours or bread. It totally worked in my zucchini tots and I’m planning to use it when I make these.
do you think frozen cauliflower would work? thanks.
Hi Layla, thank you so much for this recipe! It is amazing. I have just put a link to it in my own blog post 🙂
I must be honest. I don’t really like cauliflower but i love pizza. I have been trying to eat better and had actually made a cauliflower crust pizza with healthy ingredients and i really really liked it. I am going home to cook this today and i just know that i’ll love it!
This is awesome! I am going to try making a vegan version and post the results on my Facebook (www.facebook.com/teammakedamnsure). For all of you vegans and lactose intolerant folk out there, feel free to check back this weekend 🙂
I can’t wait to try these with rice cereal instead of bread crumbs to make them gluten free! They look like a great snack for movie night.
I just tried them but they were falling apart:( do you have any tips what I can do so that doesn’t happen? Thank you! The taste was great though 🙂
We are currently following the “Banting Food Plan” so always looking for different ideas, we don’t use wheat so I replaced the flour with dessicated coconut and because we love it added garlic. Turned out great, delicious!
Hi I made these today however they definitely did not turn out like yours.
The first batch tasted yummy but fell apart. I took the mix and chopped it all
even finer they stayed together much better. I think I would reduce the onion my kids are not big fans.
I wonder if adding 1 egg plus one egg white would help them stay together ??? Thank you so much for your inspiration I will definitely be trying to recreate these again along with some of your other yummy recipes.
🙂
Made this recipe tonight and the whole family loved them!! Including my 8 month old daughter. Going to make again soon for football Sunday! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Mine did not stay together at all… Any ideas as to why?
I had the same problem. Her califlower was much finer than mine after looking at the pictures. Delicious though. I will make again.
Can anyone tell me if these freeze well?
Nutritional info.
Hi, can these be frozen? Would I freeze them before or after cooking? Thanks!
Lower in carbs and sodium but equal in calories to a serving of Ore Ida tater tots.
Yeah but you aren’t eating processed crap with these!
Do you think the onions are essential? I am not a fan at all so was wondering if you think they’d still turn out??
These look fantastic and perfect with a side of ketchup! I love that these are a healthy version of the favorite tater tot!
These are amazing!!! I loveeeee cauliflower and use it to make mashed “potatoes” all the time … but never have I made tater tots with it!
Ooh, I’m really excited by these, Layla! They look look like they turned out beautifully. I bet they would be wonderful served with eggs for breakfast!
They sure would.I can never have eggs without a said of “tater” tots. Have a great weekend, Helen!
Oh these look delicious! I could probably scarf down the entire batch by myself but at least I wouldn’t have to feel guilty 😉
Haha me too! Thanks Denise 🙂
love these little totters!! what an easy, healthy, fun little recipe to spice up my carb routine 🙂
I love cauliflower and tater tots too, so I know I’d love these! Yum!
What a genius idea! So clever! Mike from The Iron You needs to see these… he’s cauliflower obsessed too!
I love cauliflower too – mainly because it’s such a mild and versatile vegetable. These tots look incredible!
Hi Layle, how clever, I am big fan of cauliflower as well, love this!
What an awesome recipe! I love that you made a healthier version of tater tots with cauliflower, they look delicious!
Great recipe! I like when there is a healthier version of unhealthy snack foods!
Thanks Laura! I also love healthier versions of anything.
Hi there i was wondering if these are able to be frozen? They look amazing! Ta
I made a big batch and cooked half right away and froze the other half. Still tasted great but were even better because all of the prep work was done. This it’s an awesome recipe–a keeper! 🙂
LOVE THIS! I’m already a fan of cauliflower and I love that you turned them into skinny tater tots!
So glad you liked them Leah!