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With four ingredients and very little effort, you can serve these delish 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; since steamed broccoli was a total no-go with my young picky kids at the time.
When you combine finely riced broccoli with the mild flavor and texture of cooked potatoes and a little parmesan cheese, the outcome is crisp and delicious bite-sized tots that resemble every kid’s favorite: a tater-tot!
What are Broccoli Tots?
Broccoli tots are small, round-shaped balls made with finely chopped broccoli that have a similar texture and flavor to a classic potato tater tot.
Ingredients
With younger kids, I had to keep things simple, so this broccoli tot recipe only has 4 ingredients. You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card, but here are some ingredient swaps that make this recipe even easier:
- Cooked potatoes: you can steam them, microwave them, boil them, or even use store-bought thick mashed potatoes.
- Broccoli: the veggie we are adding to make these tots super nutritious. Use fresh or frozen florets, thawed first. You can also use riced broccoli, which is available in many supermarkets.
- Parmesan cheese: I prefer grated parmesan cheese rather than the one that’s fine and powdery; it just seems to melt better. You can swap for an Italian cheese blend too.
- Seasoning: salt, pepper, and a little Italian seasoning are all these need for flavor.
How to Make Broccoli Tots
It might seem like it would be complicated to make homemade broccoli tots, but it’s really quite simple. In fact, your food processor will do almost all of the work for you. Here’s what you need to know:
- 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. - Break up the potatoes
Break the potatoes in the food processor and transfer to a mixing bowl.. - Form the tots
In a bowl, fold the ingredients to combine and use your hands to form small balls. Roll each ball in parmesan cheese before placing them onto a lined baking sheet. - Bake
Bake until golden brown and enjoy!
First time making broccoli tater tots at home? Check out this quick video recipe:
Can these be cooked in the air fryer?
Yes! 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.
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!
Can You Freeze the Broccoli Tater Tots?
Now that my kids are older, they can totally help make these broccoli tater tots, so that means that I can double the batch and freeze them for later. They roll, place them on a parchment-lined pan, and freeze them uncooked. Once they’re frozen, I transfer them inside a labeled zip bag with the cooking time, and they’re ready for another day!
They can be frozen already cooked; however, they lose their crispy texture in the microwave, and if you’re going to use the oven to warm them up or the air-fryer, you might as well freeze them uncooked.
Broccoli Tater Tots (Oven or Air Fryer)
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 it resembles 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.
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.