These gluten free Broccoli Tots are easy, delicious, and a veggie-loaded version of the classic tot so many of us grew up on. The combo of broccoli with cheese is the perfect flavor combination. You and your family are going to love these!
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This recipe was inspired by my daughter’s love of broccoli. Crazy I know and I can promise you she didn’t come out of the womb loving this green cruciferous veggie. In fact she detested it (like many kids and adults) at first. Pushed it off her plate. Shot it nasty looks when it was served at dinner. Stuck out her lower lip, crossed her arms and *strongly* informed me that she was NOT going to be eating *THAT*. Her broccoli love was born after many, many, many different offerings of broccoli in many different ways before my dear offspring discovered that, hey, broccoli was actually pretty delicious.
And so, to continue fostering her love and interest in the beautiful green and nutrient dense veggie, I started experimenting with broccoli in many different ways. And recently, these easy peasy, silly delicious, gluten free broccoli tots were born.
Health benefits of broccoli
We all know we are *supposed* to eat our green veggies, but what is so special about broccoli?
Broccoli is a nutrition powerhouse and great source of vitamins K and C, folate (folic acid) and also provides potassium, fiber. Heck, there is even 2.6 grams of protein in 1 cup of broccoli (source)
Broccoli can be enjoyed raw or cooked to make it easier on your digestion. And whatever way you prefer to enjoy your broccoli is fine, but cooking your broccoli does change its nutrient profile.
Boiling, microwaving, stir-frying and steaming, alter broccoli’s nutrient composition. These cooking methods have been found to reduce the veggie’s vitamin C, as well as soluble protein and sugar. Steaming appears to help retain as many nutrients as possible (Source).
Tips
- Shaping of these tots may feel a bit tricky at first, but you will get the hang of it! I found that forming the mixture into a ball in the palm of my hand first and then shaping the ball into a tot was the way to go. Just remember, even if they aren’t perfectly shaped, they will still taste delicious!
- Use your food processor to finely chop your cooked broccoli. Just throw the cooked and well-drained broccoli into your food processor with your “S” blade and pulse until the florets are finely chopped. It takes seconds and can help these tots come together in even less time!
Suggested Adaptations
- Cook them on the stove top. Add a little coconut or avocado oil to a skillet on medium heat and cook these tots on all sides until done. Cooking these tots on the stove top gives them a lovely crisp outside and means you don’t have to turn on your oven.
- Replace broccoli with cauliflower. No broccoli on hand or just not ready for green tots? Replace the broccoli with cauliflower in this recipe for another veggie-loaded
- Use traditional breadcrumbs. If gluten free/grain-free isn’t important, replace the almond meal/oat flour with your favorite finely ground bread crumbs.
- Make them in a mini muffin tin. If the whole tot shaping thing just isn’t working or you just don’t want to mess with it, just bake these in a mini muffin tin for broccoli bites!
- Make them dairy-free. There are so many great dairy-free “cheeses” out there these days. Use your favorite (just make sure it is a kind that easily melts) dairy-free cheese instead of the traditional if you like!
Other broccoli recipes you are going to love….
- Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli
- 5-Ingredient Bacon & Broccoli Egg Cups
- One-Sheet Roasted Garlic Salmon & Broccoli
- Glorious Green Veggie Chicken Burgers
Did you try this veggie-loaded recipe and now you’re hungry for more?
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Broccoli Tots (gluten free)
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or grated parmesan cheese
- 2/3 cup almond or oat flour
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a large baking sheet with a little thin oil or line with parchment paper and set aside.
- Steam broccoli for 5 minutes and then rinse with cold water to
stop the cooking process. Let broccoli drain very well. You can use towels or a strainer for this. - Run broccoli through your food processor with your “S” blade
until finely chop. Alternatively, you can finely chop the cooked broccoli by hand. - In a large bowl, combine broccoli with remaining ingredients. Mix
throughly. - Using a heaping tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion out the broccoli mixture into small balls. Gently press the balls into a tot shape. Place on your prepped baking sheet.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, being sure to flip the tots half
way through baking. Remove from the oven and enjoy hot with ketchup, ranch dressing, or another of your favorite dipping sauces.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
I couldn’t wait to make these after you shared them on your IG stories! Already whipped them together and I can’t wait for dinner to share them with the family. The one to snuck tasted so good with a little ranch!
These are so delicious! I want to make them once a week at least!
I am so glad you enjoyed them! They are such a fun way to eat broccoli!
Any way to make these without a food processor? Can I use my hand blender ?
You could finely chop the broccoli with a knife. Not sure about the hand blender….I’d worry it would puree the veggies vs finely chopping them. If you try, let me know how it goes!
These are a favorite of my 13 month old for snack time! I make a batch and freeze them. So good!
Hi Hillary, do you cook them first and then freeze them or prep then freeze?
We made these as one of our Super Bowl snacks and they were great, we ate them all! We dipped in ranch but I think they are good plain too. Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
My 15 month grandson will not eat broccoli, but he loves these!! 🎉
I doubled the recipe and found that the 1.3 cups of flour was waaay too much. Made more of a broccoli biscuit than a tater tot.
Oh interesting! I haven’t run into the issue with these but I don’t think I have ever doubled the recipe. I assume they were dryer than expected? Broccoli biscuits kinds sound yummy too, honestly…since there is cheese involved!
Hi can I make these with regular flour or ground oats? Don’t have almond flour or oat flour on hand. Thanks!
Hi Natalie1 You can use breadcrumbs instead of oat or almond flour!
Just made these and they are super yummy! I added some carrots in that I had in my fridge and left the salt out so my 10 month old can enjoy them too. The mixture gets very sticky when you are rolling the tots and I found it helpful to rinse my hands a few times in between. My plan is to freeze these so I can take a few out at a time and reheat them for some quick food for my daughter. And even if she doesn’t like them, I do 😄
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Courtney! I agree, wet hands helped the tot-forming process so much! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I always appreciate it so much.
Yum!! I used breadcrumbs and added more cheese. I also baked the mixture in a square pan instead of making individual tots to save time. It came out very delicious!
Love your adaptations, Michelle! Glad it was a success and I appreciate you sharing. I’m sure other readers will find this helpful.