With a handful of accessible, nutritious ingredients, you can bake Broccoli Tots that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. They are SO good and easier than you might think. And…they taste like broccoli tater tots!
Broccoli Tots
Broccoli tots are a staple of the freezer aisle, but making them at home is as simple as blending up ingredients and baking the tots. I do sometimes love paying for convenience, but I also love turning basic ingredients into this delish toddler meal.
This recipe comes together quickly in the food processor and quickly turns a handful of healthy ingredients into a tots batter. And once you use a tablespoon measuring spoon to portion out the tots, all that’s left is for them to bake up in the oven.
These are great warm and my kids like them dipped in ketchup, ranch, or sour cream. And I do too!
Ingredients You Need
To make these homemade tots you’ll need the following ingredients.
- Fully cooked brown rice: This forms the base of the batter (and adds nutrients).
- Fresh or frozen broccoli: Either option works here.
- Egg: This helps the tots hold together.
- Cheese: Any shredded cheese you prefer will work well.
- Breadcrumbs: You can use Italian-flavored breadcrumbs (my preference), plain, or even cornmeal. And gluten-free ones work too.
Step by Step Instructions
To make this recipe, here’s what you’ll need to do. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full info.
- Chop the broccoli into small pieces. Pour hot water over and let sit to soften. Drain the broccoli well.
- Add the ingredients to a food processor and grind into a uniform batter.
- Portion out tots onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake and serve warm.
TIP: I like to use a tablespoon-size measuring spoon to portion out the tots.
Are these homemade broccoli tots healthy?
These broccoli tots have fiber from the rice and broccoli, a little protein from the eggs, and cheese, and are made with recognizable ingredients so you can be sure that your toddler is getting the good stuff. Plus, they are an excellent way to use up leftover rice and broccoli should you have some lingering in the fridge.
Frozen Broccoli Tots to Make-Ahead
You can make these veggie tots ahead of time and store them, once cooled, in the freezer. To serve straight from the freezer, simply warm in an oven briefly. They’ll crisp right up in no time at all for a quick toddler dinner.
Are there any tricks to making really good homemade broccoli tots?
The only trick to this recipe is to make sure your rice is very soft and fully cooked. This will ensure that the interior of the tots is soft and easy to chew, while the exterior gets a little crunchy. I like to use rice instead of potatoes since it’s a little easier to work with and it’s such a good use for leftover rice.
A short grain rice works best here, but you can use brown or white rice, depending on what you have and your preference. I like this short grain brown rice from Lundberg.
TIP: If your batter doesn’t seem to be holding together well, add another tablespoon (or two) of breadcrumbs.
Dairy-Free Broccoli Tots
To make these without cheese, simply omit the shredded cheese and the Parmesan and use just 1 egg instead of 2. (You will get a slightly smaller batch of 14 tots.) You can try adding a tablespoon of nutritional yeast if you want to add a little more savory flavor.
Gluten Free Broccoli Tots
To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use gluten-free breadcrumbs. I like the flavor and texture of Ian’s breadcrumbs and have used both the regular and Italian-flavors.
Egg-Free Broccoli Tots
To make this recipe egg-free, simply omit the egg, use 1 cup grated cheddar cheese and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. This creates a nice mixture that holds together really well without the need for an egg to bind it. Do be sure to grind everything well to help with the consistency. And know that these are a little softer in the center and need to be baked a smidge longer at closer to 30 minutes.
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in a freezer bag, in a single layer, with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months. To reheat from the freezer, place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and warm in a 375-degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. (Or in a 375 air fryer for 3-4 minutes.)
Best Tips for Success
- Use fully cooked and soft brown rice.
- Chop the broccoli before measuring it, using mostly the fluffy florets (rather than the stems).
- You can use frozen broccoli if you prefer.
- Be sure to dry the broccoli thoroughly.
- You can use Italian-flavored breadcrumbs, plain, or cornmeal. If using plain or cornmeal, you may want to add a pinch of salt and/or Italian seasoning to the batter for additional flavor.
- Expect the batter to be wet, but the tots should hold together when you put them onto the parchment paper.
- If your batter seems very wet and the tots don’t hold together in little mounds on the parchment paper, stir in another tablespoon or so of breadcrumbs or cornmeal.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe, so please comment below to share!
Homemade Broccoli Tots (Better Than the Freezer Aisle!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli florets (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup fully cooked short grain brown rice
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup Italian-flavored or regular breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or cumin (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil and pour over the broccoli in a heat-safe bowl. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Add the broccoli, rice, cheese, Parmesan, eggs, and breadcrumbs to the bowl of a food processor. Add salt and either Italian seasoning or cumin to add a little additional flavor if desired.
- Grind very well to make a uniform batter. (If your batter doesn’t seem to be holding together well, add another tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs.)
- Portion into 1-tablespoon size ovals and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly golden brown. (Or cook in an Air Fryer at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes on a greased tray.) Let cool slightly and serve.
Video
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Reheat in a 375-degree F oven for 6-8 minutes (or 3-4 minutes in a 375 air fryer) to get them warm and crunchy.
- Serve with a dip such as ketchup, salsa, Ranch, or guacamole.
- Dairy-free: Omit the cheese and use just 1 egg. Bake as directed. (Makes about 14 tots.)
- Gluten-free: Use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Use 1 cup shredded cheese and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Bake as directed, leaving them in the oven for 27-30 minutes. (Makes about 19 tots.) Or, use a liquid egg replacer such as Just Egg.
- Use fully cooked and soft brown rice. Cooked white rice also works if that’s what you have.
- Chop the broccoli before measuring it, using mostly the top of the florets (rather than the stems).
- Be sure to dry the broccoli thoroughly.
- You can use Italian-flavored breadcrumbs, plain, or cornmeal. If using plain or cornmeal, you may want to add a pinch of salt and/or Italian seasoning to the batter for additional flavor.
- Expect the batter to be wet, but the tots should hold together when you put them onto the parchment paper.
- If your batter seems very wet and the tots don’t hold together in little mounds on the parchment paper, stir in another tablespoon or so of breadcrumbs or cornmeal.
Nutrition
This post was first published March 2018.
My 18 month old loved these. And so did I ?
We ate with out ketchup at first, but ketchup brings them to the next level of yumminess haha!
These will be a staple in my freezer. Going to double/triple batch next time and may try potato like a comment or said.
Thank you!
I’m so glad!
Loved this recipe thanks. So easy to make. Used tasty chedder instead of mozarella/parmesan (because that’s what I had in the fridge). My 20month ate 2 immediately they had cooled enough, the cheese flavour did the trick, didn’t even need to add ketchup 😉 So pleased to be extending his diet. Fingers crossed he likes them even when they’re not as fresh. Looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. Thanks.
I’m so glad to hear that!
Would I get the same results if I mix by hand? I don’t have a god processor
If you really, really chop up the broccoli that could work!
Hello
Thank you for the recipe. I am looking for meals to prep in advance so I can defrost and put her backpack for her lunch. The question is can this be eaten cold? I am not sure her in home childcare will use the oven to warm just few of them.
I am trying to find few ideas meal packed with veggies so I can freeze and defrost for her lunch (she is 21months). Either to be warm up in microwave or hot water.
I am Not sure how this broccoli tots taste cold…
It can be eaten cold but I’m not sure it would taste as good (though often little kids don’t mind temperatures that we might). Do you have a thermos you could pack them in? These would work at any temp: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/easy-zucchini-fritter-muffins/
can i bake these in the grill section of the oven? but not using the grill setting but the normal over setting?
also, are the bread crumbs dry or can i make breadcrumbs with fresh bread?
tahnk you
I’m not familiar with the grill setting so I can’t say for sure. Dry breadcrumbs work best.
Used potatoes instead of rice and turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Can I mix the batter in a nutribullet rather than a food processor?
You may need to stop and scrap down the sides/move the mixture around to get it to blend well, so keep that in mind if you try it that way.
I used sharp cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella and my 2 year old loved them… with ketchup of course! Quick lunch to throw together with some fruit. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that they were a hit!
I really liked this idea but they came out completely tasteless. I would use a sharp cheddar instead and add more herbs/onion/garlic/etc.
You can totally add more flavoring if you think your kids would prefer them that way! (Many wouldn’t, which is why I let the flavor be more mellow.)
Amazing!
So to make it egg free, will the total cheese be 1 cup: 1/2 cup mozarella and 1/2 cup cheddar. Will I also add 1 tbsp parmesan?
Yes, 1 cup total shredded cheese and the 1 tablespoon Parm.
Can these be frozen?
Yup! You can make these veggie tots ahead of time and store them, once cooled, in the freezer. To serve straight from the freezer, simply warm in a 375-degree F oven for 8-10 minutes. They’ll crisp right up in no time at all for a quick toddler dinner.
I was really excited about this recipe, but unfortunately the inside of the tot was still wet after 27 minutes and 35 minutes… I’m not sure what went wrong… any advice?
Hi Heather! I’m sorry to hear that you had this issue. Did you make them too large? Was the broccoli wet when you mixed it in? Either of those could cause the filling to be wetter than expected.
I did not have broccoli handy and I used cauliflower instead. Also, instead of rice I used quinoa. I really liked the result. Thanks for the great idea!!!
I love the sound of those swaps, thanks so much for sharing your results!
Trying these for sure!! Our little guy is still egg-free and has been rejecting broccoli lately. Fingers crossed ?
The broccoli flavor is pretty mild (if at all detectable) so fingers crossed for sure!!