Crispy baked broccoli tots are loaded with nutrients and are fun to make and enjoy!
We made these healthy skinny broccoli tater tots yesterday and the entire family loved them.
If you’re a lover of broccoli then these are for you! if you’re not, well you still might like them because the flavor of the broccoli is not over-powering, nor is it lost.
These tots are very similar to the cauliflower tots recipe I shared a few months ago, except they are made with broccoli and are a bit easier to handle and shape. They are also MUCH MUCH tastier ( not that the cauliflower tots aren’t good, they are indeed! ).
To make these tots you’re going to need to blanch 2 cups of broccoli in boiling water, just for a few seconds. Then dice the broccoli into tiny pieces. You can also pulse the broccoli in a food processor for a few seconds but then you will risk turning them into a puree. If anything plus then no more than 2-3 pluses and stop once you reach a “rice” texture.
Next, after dicing the broccoli, combine it with an egg, cheddar cheese, diced onion, cilantro or parsley, and a mixture of Italian and panko bread crumbs. You can also use all Italian or all panko but I suggest a mix of both because the panko make the tots light and airy, while the Italian breadcrumbs give the tots flavor. But again, if you have only one type then go for it.
Shaping the tots might seem hard at first but after a few tries, you should get the hang of it! the trick is to firmly press the mixture into a small tiny ball then shape it into a tot.
You can also make these in a mini muffin pan!
Update: A reader suggested placing the whole mixture into a piping bag and pipe into a log then cut into tots or squeeze a little mixture out of the bag and cut into tots one by one.
Healthy Baked Broccoli Tots
Ingredients
- 2 cups or 12 ounces uncooked or frozen broccoli
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/3 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup italian breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons parsley ( or cilantro, rosemary,
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute then remove and shock with cold tap water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
- Chop broccoli finely and mix throughly with the egg, onions, cheddar, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of mix using a ice-cream scoop or your hands and gently press between your hands into a firm ball then shape into a tater-tot shape. It helps to wash your hands after every few tots to keep them from sticking onto your hands. Next, Place on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown and crispy, 18-24 minutes, turning half way. Remove from the oven and enjoy hot with ketchup, sriracha, ranch dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These were fabulous! I used a heaping teaspoon of herbs de provonce as I didn’t have any fresh. Easy to make using a half tablespoon measure. Will make again for sure!
Can I make this without cheese? Or does that help bind them together?
Yes you can but they are much better with the cheese!
These were great, but I had to use 2 eggs to hold it together.
Do these freeze Ok? Any special way to wrap them for freezing?
Looking forward to making these this evening.
Yes they do freeze well. You can freeze before or after baking. I place them in the freezer for a few minutes, after shaping, then into ziplock bags.
I made these last weekend, used fresh broccoli and made enough to freeze…but they didn’t last, we ate them all up the next day! I thought they were fantastic plain, liked them with ranch and they were very tasty at room temp. I will be making these more frequently, hope to freeze some if I can resist munching them all up before the make it to the freezer!
I made these for my 18 month old. She doesn’t like lile to eat just veggies so i wanted to find a way to disguise them and I have to say I just gave her one to try and she ate it right up! I’m so pleased! THey taste great too! I used all Italian breadcrumbs and did the two tablespoons of herbs as one tablespoon of parsley and one tablespoon of rosemary and the flavor is fantastic! Thank you for this recipe! I’m going to freeze some for later!
Could I substitute almond meal for the breadcrumbs? I know this might adjust the flavor a bit but just curious. 🙂
I made/tweaked these a few weeks ago – Try cooked chickpeas.
I use chickpeas to make stuffing instead of breadcrumbs, I’m diabetic, so low-carb, and have eaters that are GF and yeast allergic, so lots of bread alternatives in my house!
I find 1x 400g tin gives me around 240g when cooked and drained.
Cook them according to the tin, drain and set aside spread on paper towels for 20 mins or so to dry out. Don’t worry about loose shells, this adds to the grainy texture 😉
Then blitz in your blender – you might need to stop and scrape after each few pulses – until they are ground well, but not quite a puree – you don’t want to make hummus! You can add your herbs right into the blender with the chickpeas – Parsley and Rosemary would work well as Angela said above, or Oregano. Also try grated Parmesan / Grana Padano cheese instead of Cheddar (or as well as, if you’re in the mood for cheesy)
I’m going to try your version! I’m on WW, so adding veggies and subtracting carbs is the name of the losing game. Thanks!!
To CatsmotherUK, I too have diabetes so I LOVE your idea of chickpeas as a substitute for breadcrumbs. How much should we use? Also, do you have any other substitutions for bread, other than almond flour?
I love this recipe! I have been feeding these to my picky eater of a little boy about 4 times a week for months (since he was 8 months old). He loves them! Everyone I have shared this recipe has loved it too! It really is not that time consuming to make, I often do a double batch and freeze them and thaw as needed for his meals. My mum also tried them and doubled the egg and found they were a bit more moist and easier to shape plus it packs a little more protein in them for bubba.
I made these tonight. Did not enjoy them. Lacked flavor and didn’t set up the best even after following the recipe to a T.
I’m sorry the recipe did not work out for you, Alex. You can add/reduce the spice level to taste.
do they really looked like the picture? I know how to cook but i doubt i have the time for perfect looking broccoli tater tots
They should look as pictured if you take the time to shape them. A lot of people make them as ovals or just scoop with a cookie scoop.
After baking will these be moist in the inside or should they be dry? I don’t want them to burn on the outside, but they’re still moist.
They should be a little moist but they will harden up as they cool.
Hi iam a vegetarian how I make this without eggs.
Combine:
1 Tbsp (7 g) flaxseed meal (ground raw flaxseed)
2 1/2 Tbsp (37 ml) water
This substitutes 1 egg.
Flaxseed AKA Linseed if you’re British (or not American)
Perfect! I was looking for this one comment! I just recently became Vegan, so no cheese for us, but may try Daiya vegan cheese and see how it goes. Thanks for the recipe!
Try a flax egg.
Would I be able to freeze these tots at any point??
YES, you can freeze them after shaping them or after baking!
I used an ice cube tray and lightly sprayed it with non stick cooking spray and they came out really easily.
I have to say, this recipe was AMAZING.
I was looking for a healthy side to go with my turkey burgers, and this was perfect. I made it exactly as is, and the hash was a little too wet and it was a bit difficult to shape but it still cooked well, and most importantly, tasted great. I unfortunately wasn’t able to convince my broccoli-hating bf to like it, but that’s fine, more for me!
Can’t wait to make it again.
Do they taste as good if you serve them at room temperature? I’m having a large group and dont like to make things in the oven during the party!
Yes they are really good at room temp!
Hi, I really want to try these but was wondering how I can store these? Can I freeze them? How long do they last in the fridge? Many thanks!
They freeze & reheat super easy. Oven at 350-ish for 10 minutes flip them and 10 more minutes.
I just made these and my guests are still enjoying this amazing deliciousness, I *had* to come and comment right away! I used Parmigiano Reggiano instead of cheddar as I’m also Italian, and they are unbelievable. I also didn’t find it time consuming nor complicated to shape them, maybe because I used leftover steamed broccoli from the previous night. THANK YOU for sharing, I’ll save it in my favourites 🙂
I’m confused with the nutrition facts. When I entered this recipe into myfitnesspal.com with a serving of 20, the macros were 32 cal, 3 carbs, 2 fat and 2 protein…for only 1 tot.
I got something similar and I calculated it myself. For the whole recipe, you’re looking at 544 kcal (22g F, 58g C, 28g P). It equals out to about 27 cal/tot. The two high-cal ingredients are the cheese and the bread crumbs. You can try subbing with part skim mozz cheese which equals out to 485 kcal (15.8g F, 58.5g C, 30g P) so is a little lower with a littler better macros (also 24 cal/tot). I’m not sure if it will taste as good so you can try an in between route and use part skim colby jack cheese. You can try the recipe without bread crumbs or subbing some other drying ingredient.
Hi
If I can use anything else instead of egg??
The canned liquid from chickpeas apparently is an excellent substitute for egg whites. The liquid can even be whipped Neutral flavor. Art
I followed the recipe exactly, they are good but definitely too much pepper flavor. I don’t know what I did wrong. My 18 month old was spitting & saying “hot”. Will definitely cut the pepper in half next time.
I made these into patties (like crab cakes) and pan fried them using under 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I added a small amount of cayenne. They were a great lunch! And, I am freezing the leftovers. Will recommend to my friends with kids. This is a keeper recipe for me. Thanks.
My toddler really enjoys these and so do I. Making them into tots is very time consuming. I might have to do the roll in film then cut. But great recipe taste wise
Have you tried making a skinny long roll, wrap in film wrap, refrigerate until firm then cut in the lengths you prefer.
Yummy AND healthy!! Thanks!
How long do they bake in the mini muffin pan? Thanks!
instead of blanching can you steam the broccoli?
yes. I did that but only for a minute. it works well and then strain it afterwards.
These turned out delicious. I did omit the salt altogether as I really don’t like much salt and Italian seasoned bread crumbs already have enough in for me. Gonna have to make this again on the weekend for my husband. He’ll love them.
I would like to take these to a family get together. If I put them in a pyrex dish in an insulated food carrier do you think they would stay warm? Would they get soggy?
This is a great recipe for my family, my husband and my daughter love this Broccoli. Thanks
Wow!!! that’s all I can say. Wow, these are so good. Only gave it four stars since it takes awhile to chop the broccoli (don’t have a food processor). May have to re-think that, but not enough cabinet/counter space. Definitely will try these again, maybe make into muffins next time. Hope they reheat well, will be taking these for lunch. Wish I could attach a photo, not as pretty as yours but for a beginner, looks just fine. Taste trumps looks.
Hi, These look great.
I was wondering if they can be frozen?
Thanks
Has anyone tried these without the cheese? My daughter can’t eat dairy and I’m wondering if leaving that out affects the texture and consistency. I can’t stand fake cheese so I’d rather not use that :/ thanks!
Hi Alissa, have you tried Biocheese? It’s readily available and I think it’s really similar to dairy cheese. It is amazing 🙂
This recipe is a good one healthy I also have trouble keeping the right consistency and would like to try other ingredients will let you know how I do
when using the mini muffin pan, do I fill to the top?
Yes
Can these be frozen? If so do you suggest before or after baking.
I would like to know this too! Would love to make a big bag of them and have them at the ready. I would assume you would freeze before baking but has anyone tried it?
Hi Megan, I freeze them before baking them, then just pop them right in the oven as needed. You would need to place them in trays in the freezer for an hour first so they don’t stick together then transfer to ziplock bags for freezing.
Thank you… I was also wondering about freezing!
These are AMAZING!! So much so that my kid (who hates broccoli) will eat these up! The one thing I do differently is I squeeze, with my hands, the excess water out of the broccoli. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Can the bread crumbs be optional? If I want to do it gluten free? I mean is it essential for the consistency? Thank you! It looks delicious by the way!
I haven’t tried making them without breadcrumbs and I don’t think it would hold without them, but I do suggest you try GF binders. Crushed corn flakes, dehydrated potato flakes or crushed rice crackers. Also, purchase Gluten-Free breadcrumbs is another option. Please let us know if any of these work for you. Best of luck!
You kinda ruined it with the ketchup but that’s just me. I don’t put ketchup on or in anything. Otherwise this recipe sounds great. Can’t wait to try it with other veggies as well
I just tried.. they are damn delicious.My husband too liked them,I served it as a snack after he came from work.Love your recipe,thanks a lot for sharing it with us 🙂