Healthy Broccoli bites are loaded with broccoli, cheese, herbs, and spices. This super nutritious snack is Low Carb and makes a delicious protein replacement, appetizer or snack! Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)These tiny broccoli balls have been my go-to for years. I use them as a meat replacement (meatballs), as a snack and I feed them to my kids. They love them so much that they don’t care that they’re eating broccoli! If I had to pick one superfoods recipe on the website this would be it. They’re super nutritious and loaded with lots of vitamins, protein, and fiber.

I shared an identical recipe (broccoli tots) to these a few years back and have been getting tons of positive feedback from happy readers. This time around, we’ve simplified the recipe, made it easier to shape, and adapted it to a low-carb diet making these broccoli bites even healthier!Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)

To Make Broccoli Balls You Will Need

To get started with this recipe you will need a few basic ingredients that are completely adaptable to your taste.

Broccoli: Fresh or frozen broccoli will work. Measure 2 cups of florets.

Cheese: Cheddar, mozzarella, taco blend or your favorite melting cheese.

Almond flour: Almond flour is used for keto and low-carb diets. Panko breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs will also work although not low carb.

Egg: Large whole egg or flax egg for vegan.

Herbs: Cilantro, parsley or any blend of fresh herbs.

Spices: Taco, Cajun, Italian, or your favorite spice blend.

Onion: Chopped onion, shallots, or scallions (optional)

How To Make Riced Broccoli

In the Food Processor: Pulse in a food processor and pulse for 15-20 seconds or until the broccoli is fine. 

By Hand: You can rice the broccoli by chopping it with a knife until it is finely chopped.

Prepared: Alternatively, you can find riced broccoli in the freezer aisle at your local supermarket.

Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)Can You Freeze Broccoli Balls?

Absolutely! Having a batch of these healthy balls in the freezer will ensure you always have a  healthy snack on hand and never run out.

To Freeze, Spread uncooked broccoli balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for about 2 hours then transfer to a large zip-seal bag and freeze up to 3 months. To Bake, place into the oven directly from the freezer. Additionally, you can also freeze the balls after baking if preferred.

To Reheat: After baking, cover any leftovers in an airtight container or with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 3 days. To reheat leftovers or cooked balls, microwave or bake in toaster oven until warmed through. Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto)

 

4.67 from 15 votes

Broccoli Cheese Balls: Low Carb Keto

Healthy Broccoli bites are loaded with broccoli, cheese, herbs, and spices. This super nutritious snack is Low Carb and makes a delicious protein replacement, appetizer or snack! 
Prep10 minutes
Cook25 minutes
Total35 minutes
Servings 20 balls

Ingredients 

  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup almond flour, or panko or Italian breadcrumbs
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, mozzarella, cheddar, or favorite melting cheese
  • 1/4 cup minced onion or shallots, optional
  • 2 tbsp cilantro chopped, optional
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Cajun, or taco seasoning or favorite seasoning blend!
  • Pinch of salt and pepper black pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
  • Steam broccoli in boiling water or microwave* (see notes) until tender. Chop broccoli using a knife or food processor until finely minced.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped broccoli, eggs, almond flour, cheese, parsley, and spices. Mix until well incorporated.
  • Scoop about 1 tablespoon of mixture and form into a ball. Place on lined baking sheet and spray or drizzle lightly with oil. Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through. 
  • Serve on a salad, in a sandwich, with rice, or as an appetizer or snack with your favorite dipping sauce. 

Video

Notes

To steam broccoli in the microwave: Add the broccoli to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes covered with a wet paper towel.
To steam broccoli in water: Add the broccoli florets to a steamer basket and steam until fully tender, about 5 minutes. Or blanch in boiling water for 1 minute.
To Make Vegan: Replace egg with flax egg and cheese with vegan cheese. 
Keto option: add in ¼ cup cooked crumbled bacon to the mixture before baking.
Sauces for serving: we like to serve these broccoli balls with our favorite chipotle sauce, avocado cilantro sauce, or light ranch.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball, Calories: 32kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 41mg, Potassium: 41mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 0g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Vitamin C: 8.3mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: lunch or side
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked, balls, bites, broccoli, healthy, keto, low-carb, meatballs, tots
like this recipe? Rate & Comment below!

 

Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)
Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)
Broccoli Cheese Balls (Low Carb / Keto Friendly)


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22 Comments

  1. Just made these. Had to decrease cooking time the bottom was getting brown very fast.. A bit dry maybe adding more cheese next time?

  2. Hi! Would it work by replacing almond flour by oat flour?

  3. Sounds delicious! I am going to try this tonight. In the directions, it says to pulse the broccoli in the food processor for 15-20 minutes. Of course, you mean 15-20 SECONDS, LOL? Can’t wait to try this, as we love broccoli. Thanks for posting!

    1. Oh my, thanks for catching that one! I would hate anyone to go through that 😀 I’ve gone ahead and updated the post!

    2. Good catch on the time. Lol
      I would have caught it once I started the recipe.

  4. I may have missed it but when do you add the scallions?

  5. I’m confused, says its 32kcal….I need that in English how many calories per serving???

  6. VERY nicely camouflaged veggie!! I made half the recipe and put crushed French fried onions in it instead of cutting an onion for that small amount. I used fajita seasoning in the mix and also in a cheddar cheese sauce I made for dipping. I’m hooked! I’m trying it out tonight on my picky pal – I’m betting he’ll love it.

  7. The recipe calls for 2 cups of florets but if I want to buy a bag of riced broccoli is it still 2 cups?

  8. So, the recipe says cilantro but the instructions say parsley; when i re-read the page, i realized i could swap the ingredients, but i was confused for a sec.

    Anyway, this was delicious. my husband, who’s absolutely picky about trying new foods, just asked me to make batches of this every week. woohoo!

    thank you so much! i love your blog. one of the best i’ve seen ever!

    1. Yes, they are totally interchangeable so it’s just a matter of preference! Thank you so much for the kind words and for stopping by! <3

  9. What is the secret for getting these to stick together? They would’t hold any shape so I added an extra egg and that still didn’t work.

    1. Have you tried using an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter and place it directly onto the baking sheet?

      1. It worked perfectly …To be completely honest I cut everything in half… but it worked perfectly and I placed it in the air fryer..

    2. I found if i squeezed them pretty tightly, they worked. 👍🏼

      1. I riced my broccolli and then measured 2 cupsbis that okay

  10. Hi! Look delicous.
    What is the dip you are using for broccoli bitEs?

      1. Just made these. Unfortunately, I only had whole wheat flour and spring onions in the house. Not as healthy but very tasty. Cooked for less time Will make again.