With four ingredients and very little effort, you can serve these delish potato broccoli tater tots. These can be baked, frozen for later, or cooked in the air fryer.
The Original Broccoli Tots
When I first shared this recipe in my cookbook, broccoli tots did not exist (online or frozen). In fact, these are a spin-off recipe from my Sweet Potato Tater Tots that I created back in 2014.
Making these and baking them with a little Parmesan cheese was one of the few ways my kids would eat anything green. This recipe yields crisp, delicious, bite-sized potato broccoli tots that resemble every kid’s favorite: a tater-tot!
Ingredients
This recipe calls for cooked potatoes (steamed, microwaved, boiled, or even store-bought thick mashed potatoes), broccoli (fresh or frozen florets; or even riced broccoli), Parmesan cheese (I prefer grated since it seems to melt better than the one that's fine and powdery), salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
How to Make Broccoli Tots
As you’ll see in the video below, your food processor will do almost all of the work. Check out the steps:
- Prep the potatoes.
Boil, steam, or microwave the potatoes to the point where a fork punctures through, but they’re a little tough to eat. - Chop the broccoli.
I use the food processor and pulse until broccoli resembles rice. You can also use a blender, chop it by hand, or buy riced broccoli. - Make the mixture.
Use the food processor to break the potatoes. Combine them in a bowl with the other ingredients and use your hands to form small balls. Roll each ball in Parmesan cheese before placing them onto a lined baking sheet. - Cook until golden brown.
You can bake them in the oven or cook them in the air fryer.
Can these be cooked in the air fryer?
Yes! Potato broccoli tots are the perfect kid-friendly air fryer food! They need 8 to 10 minutes of cooking time at 375F in a preheated air fryer.
Can You Freeze the Broccoli Tater Tots?
Roll the potato broccoli tots, place them on a parchment-lined pan, and freeze them uncooked. Once frozen, transfer them inside a labeled zip bag with the cooking time.
They can be frozen already cooked, but they lose their crispy texture in the microwave. If you’re going to warm them up in the oven or the air-fryer, you might as well freeze them uncooked.
How to Serve Broccoli Tots
On a busy weeknight, I’d reheat a rotisserie chicken and serve these as a healthy side dish to my kids. They’ve loved them dipped in homemade ketchup, a kid-friendly bbq sauce, Ranch dressing, or marinara!
Broccoli Tater Tots (Oven or Air Fryer)
Watch how it’s made:
Ingredients
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 cups raw broccoli, chopped
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, about ¼ teaspoon each, optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven:
- Preheat oven to 425F, place oven rack in the middle of the oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Make the mixture:
- Boil, steam, or microwave the potatoes to the point where a fork punctures through but they are too tough to cook -about 10 minutes in boiling water, 5-6 in the microwave. Drain the potatoes and set aside to cool down slightly.
- In a food processor, pulse the broccoli florets until they resemble rice. Transfer into a large mixing bowl.
- Transfer the potatoes to the food processor and pulse a few times to break them up into small pieces. You don't want them fully mashed; you want to leave a little texture like real tots. Add them to the riced broccoli bowl.
- Add 1 ½ cups of Parmesan cheese, the Italian seasoning, and a little salt and pepper to the bowl. With a spatula, fold the ingredients together to combine, making sure no large pieces of potatoes are left.
Form the tater tots:
- With your hands, begin forming small balls -smaller than meatballs, larger than traditional tater tots, about 1 tablespoon in size if using a mini cookie scoop.
- Roll each ball in the remaining parmesan cheese and place them on top of the lined baking sheet.
Cook:
- In the oven, bake them in a preheated oven for 12 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Air fryer: preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375F. Lightly spray the broccoli tots and place them on top of the crisper tray. Cook for 8-10 minutes. This will vary slightly by their size.
Storage:
- Refrigerate cooked broccoli tots for up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer for 4 minutes at 340F or in the oven at 350F for about 6 minutes. You can freeze unbaked tots for up to 2 months. They thaw out quickly while preheating the oven or air fryer and usually only require 2 additional minutes of cooking time.
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Alice says
Yes, this tots recipe made my kids eat broccoli!!! I can’t thank you enough!
Akasha says
Can these be made with frozen broccoli that’s been lightly streamed (before going in the food processor)?
Laura Fuentes says
Absolutely! You an use frozen broccoli, thaw, and then lightly steam.
Robert says
Have you tried using cauliflower instead of broccoli?
Laura Fuentes says
Yes! you can absolutely use cauliflower with this recipe. Enjoy!
Laura Fuentes says
I made these broccoli tater tots and my kids liked them! They asked, “why are they green?” I told them that Shrek eats them. So now, these broccoli tots are a winner at my house. Oh. I also tripled the recipe and froze them. They come out great in the oven and air-fryer.