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.
Can I use an egg replacer like a flax egg?
I haven’t tried that and I am not sure it would work. I do have an option at the bottom in the Notes.
These are so good!! I made this for my toddler but everyone at my house loved it! There were no leftovers 😆
Can I add meat to these??
Ground chicken??
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure but I bet you could add ground chicken.
Love this recipe and so do my girls.
To make this more efficiently, you can pipe the mixture (using a Ziploc bag with the corner cut out) onto the parchment/Silpat in long strips across the sheet pan. Bake according to the recipe and once they’ve cooled a bit, slice into 2-inch tots. It’s a lot easier and cleaner than trying to shape the unbaked mixture.
The recipe is also easy to swap out the vegetable (kale, spinach, really any single or mixture of similarly-textured cooked veggies). I’m guessing beans/lentils could be traded for rice for added protein too. I plan to try that on my next batch.
Such a good tip, thanks for sharing that!
Can I replace the brown rice with quinoa?
I think you can, but quinoa is usually moister so you may need additional breadcrumbs to make sure the batter isn’t too wet.
Everyone, toddler included, loved these!!!
I’m so glad!
These are great! I rolled the breadcrumbs on the outside as well to keep them together a bit. Quick and easy and my little one loves her “nuggets”
Awesome!
I don’t have a food processor, what are my other options? Can I hand mix?
If the rice is super, super soft and you really mince everything well, you might be able to do it by hand. I might overcook the rice a bit to ensure it’s sticky and very soft.
I’ve made this recipe several times, and it’s one of the only ways I can successfully get my kiddos eat broccoli. Most recently, I added a couple tablespoons of pesto to the mix (and a tad more breadcrumbs and Parmesan), and those seem to be a hit! Pesto is my go-to for sneaking in green veggies! ? Thanks for a great recipe that can be easily modified.
Amy! I made these tonight and I loved them!!!! My kids, well they knew there was broccoli in them so they were biased against them from the start, however my husband (a self proclaimed broccoli hater) was shocked that he liked them!! Personally I don’t even care if anyone else likes them! I did and will be eating my fair share throughout the week!! What do you think about serving them to a 6 month old? She hasn’t really had dairy yet, I’m nursing but have started giving her cereal and fruits.
Can I sub jack cheese for mozzarella? Just trying to use what I have on hand!
Sure!
I tried the egg-free version of this recipe and the tots turned out completely flat. I double checked to make sure all the portions were correct and baked them for as long as suggested. Not sure what went wrong!
They do not look exactly like the photos since the ones shown here are the regular ones. I hope they tasted okay!
This happened to me too. They didn’t “fluff” like a tot…what did I do wrong? I used an egg replacer. The batter was also extremely dry (not wet) so I added milk. Taste was good but I was hoping they’d fluff more. Any suggestions?
Perhaps the egg replacer resulted in a different texture somewhat? You could add a smidge baking powder if you want to see if that helps
All your recipes are SO good!! I was making pizza rolls so often it was beginning to show on my waistline (lol) and I just made three broccoli fritters today, so easy and so good! Another winner in my house. Thanks for all you do!
Made these with cumin and without.
My identical twin boys (20 months) liked the ones without cumin better.
But these were definitely a hit!!
I’ll be trying more of your recipes this week.
Thank you!!
I’m the meal planner and volunteer cook for a Christian school in my community. Ibe had some parents ask for more vegetable options. I’m thinking of making ahead and freezing to serve to our students.
🙂
Cant wait to see if it’s a hit !!
Great! My Veggie Muffins and Pizza Muffins may be an option too as they have veggies in them!