When I’m craving tater tots, but need green veggies in my life, I make broccoli tots instead. Let me show you how I leveled up my late night snack game with just a few simple ingredients. Baked, not fried. Salty and crunchy like tots from the takeout spot. Vegetarian. And vegan adaptable. Confession: I’m slightly addicted to these.
Why I Love This
- The best late night TV binge snack. When I’m pulling an all nighter under a blanket on the couch, I want crispy, salty and savory. Bonus, if that late night snack tastes good dipped in ketchup, ssamjang or sriracha. French fries are good. But, broccoli tots deliver on all fronts.
- Bolder than plain tater tots. Thank the sun dried tomatoes for that. I use parsley and oregano for aromatics. Omnivores can use Parmesan cheese. Vegans will love using umami nutritional yeast instead.
- They’re loaded with good stuff, but not annoyingly healthy about it. I’ve always been head over heels for snacks that are wholesome – but taste indulgent like I just pulled into the drive through.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Broccoli: I use one small broccoli head. That’s roughly equal to 2 cups of chopped, bite sized broccoli florets.
- Ground Flaxseed (vegan) – or 1 Egg: This is the binder that holds everything together. A whisked egg is the traditional choice. However, ground flaxseed mixed with water creates a sticky texture similar to eggs, which I use as a binder for vegan dishes. Use one or the other.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes: Salty, umami and packed with lycopene. I buy sun-dried tomatoes in oil because they’re tastier and easier to chop. And I always pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Nutritional Yeast (vegan) – or Parmesan Cheese: Your choice. Nutritional yeast is vegan and has a cheesy, savory flavor similar to Parmesan cheese. But go ahead and used freshly grated Parmesan if you aren’t making vegan tots.
- Panko Bread Crumbs: I use panko breadcrumbs because they’re lighter than regular breadcrumbs and give the tots a crispy texture.
- Dried Oregano and Parsley: No need to get fancy. Use the stuff from the spice rack.
- Salt: I use kosher salt when I can. The large salt crystals make it less likely that I’ll oversalt my food. But feel free to use regular table salt or Himalayan salt.
- Ground Pepper: Freshly ground when I have it. Regular black pepper from the shaker when I don’t. This adds some heat.
How to Make Broccoli Tots
Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Vegan tots only: Add 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 2 1/2 tablespoons of water to a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli florets. Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the florets to the water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain the broccoli and immediately run it under cold water. Drain again. Dry each floret with a paper towel.
- Chop the broccoli. Finely chop the florets. Make sure that there are no big chunks left.
- Make the tots mixture. Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Shape the tots. Scoop about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the palm of your hand. Gently mold into a tater tot shape and place on the lined baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve used the entire mixture.
- Bake. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Serve.
Expert Tip
Excess moisture is the enemy of crispy tots. So are large pieces of broccoli. Here are a couple of tips I’ve learned about prepping the broccoli for this recipe.
- After I’ve blanched and drained the broccoli florets, I always make sure to thoroughly pat them dry with paper towels or kitchen towels. This way I’m getting rid of unwanted liquid that would stand in the way of my tots crisping up in the oven. I never skip this step!
- Once my cooked broccoli is as dry as it’s going to get, I finely chop it. If there are large pieces of broccoli in the mixture, it won’t stick together when I go to form individual tots. A knife gets the job done. Lightly pulsing in a food processor speeds things up.
If you use a food processor, use a light touch! Pulse a few times – but don’t blend. You still want pieces (just small ones). If your broccoli starts looking like baby food or pesto, you’ve gone way too far.
Dipping Sauce You Can Use For Broccoli Tots
Storage
You can store leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
That said, broccoli tots taste best fresh out of the oven.
What to Serve With Broccoli Tots
While I usually serve these tots as a stand alone snack, they have some pretty obvious pairing power with anything fries or tots typically go with. Here are some of my favorites.
- Vegan Barbecue ‘Pulled Pork’ Sandwich
- Slow Cooker Pinto Beans
- California Veggie Sandwich
- Strawberry, Tomatillo and Watermelon Salad
- Tempeh Katsu Sandwich
Frequently Asked Questions
Blanching is just a cooking process in which a vegetable (in this case broccoli) is dunked in boiling water, then removed and plunged into an ice bath or under cold running water to stop the cooking process. That’s it. These tots definitely taste better with cooked broccoli rather than raw broccoli.
Both are great! But, it’s funny, I tried these broccoli tots both ways, fully expecting to prefer the version with egg and Parmesan. Weirdly enough, I found that I preferred the vegan version with ground flaxseed and nutritional yeast. Go figure.
Let me know what you think of this broccoli tots recipe! Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Broccoli Tots
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 14–16 tater tots 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
When I crave tater tots, but need green veggies, I make broccoli tots. You and your kids will love this delicious and healthy snack!
Ingredients
- 2 heaping cups bite size broccoli florets
- 1 large egg, whisked – or 1 flaxseed egg for vegan (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Let it sit for 5 minutes)
- 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes in oil, patted dry and finely chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (vegans, use 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast instead)
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Blanch the florets. Fill a large pot with water and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch for 3 minutes. Drain well and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again. Then dry the florets with paper towels.
- Chop the broccoli. Finely chop the florets so they easily blend with the rest of the mixture and are easy to shape. Alternatively, you can use a food processor and pulse the broccoli until it’s finely chopped.
- Make the tots mixture. Add the broccoli and the remaining ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Shape the tots. Using a soup spoon, scoop about 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the palm of your hand. Gently mold the mixture into a tater tot shape and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat this step until all the mixture has been used.
- Bake the broccoli tots. Bake them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are crispy and and golden brown. Serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Save the leftover broccoli tots in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 broccoli tots
- Calories: 204
- Sugar: 3.3g
- Sodium: 838.6mg
- Fat: 4.7g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31.7g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 10.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Questions and Reviews
Any reason to use dried parsley? I have only fresh….
Hi Ann! You can use fresh parsley as well 🙂
My 3.5 year old devoured these. Enough said.
These are delicious! Question: I don’t want to bake all of them -Do I have to? Or can I keep in fridge till I want to bake them
Hi Barbara! Unfortunately the texture won’t hold well if these are kept in the fridge unbaked. It’s best to bake them first and then refrigerate them 🙂
I made these with the nutritional yeast and they are soooooo fabulous!!!!!
So Delicious!
Wowza! These are AWE-mazing. Made these as nuggets for my kids’ dinner. They are SO excited, but not as much as me.
Yay Catherine, so happy to know that kids love them too! 🙂
I am looking forward to a more plant base diet . I am a meal lover so I am taking my time to adjust slowly. thanks for that tasty broccoli recipe.
I’m so happy that you are slowly moving toward a more plant based diet, I promise you will feel so much better! I can’t believe I’m doing this but I’m so excited about my vegan bolognese sauce that I would love it if you gave it a try. It’s so much better than the real thing! 🙂
Hi Carole,
I am a subscriber and I enjoy doing a few of your recipes. Continue on the great job keeping us up today with delicious current recipes. I enjoy your blogs. I believe in healthy eating and want to maintain that lifestyle. It can be challenging at times but I am determine to keep doing it. I realize meal planning a head really helps me a lot. Thank for your meal planning ideas it really helps me as well. Have a great day ,one love.
Thank you so much Dee! Kind comments like yours is what keeps me blogging and sharing recipes. You just made my day!