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Plate of veggie tots with ketchup

Broccoli Tots and 4 other Healthy Veggie Tots Recipes


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5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
  • Total Time: 35 min
  • Yield: 2 dozen tots 1x

Description

Recipes for Healthy Veggie Tots including broccoli tots, cauli-tots, sweet potato tots, zucchini tots, and mixed veggie tots! Perfect for making veggies fun for both kids and adults. This healthy tater tot recipe is the best side to virtually any dinner!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups “riced” cauliflower, broccoli, par-cooked shredded sweet potato or 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour or bread crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For broccoli or cauliflower tots

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Process fresh broccoli or cauliflower in a food processor until it is “riced”, meaning you have pieces about the size of rice. You can also grate/chop to attain the same texture though it takes a little longer.
  3. Place two cups of the riced cauliflower or broccoli in a microwave-safe dish (Pyrex measuring cup works great) and microwave on high for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Dump the hot “riced” veggies into a medium bowl and allow them to cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Add the almond flour or bread crumbs, cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to the bowl and stir well to combine. The mixture should hold together when you press it in your hand. You can add a few more tablespoons of almond flour or bread crumbs as needed to help the mixture come together.
  6. Use your hand to form the veggie mixture into “tot” shaped pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet until you have used all of the vegetable mixture.
  7. Bake for 22-24 minutes, flipping the tots over half way through baking, until the tots are golden brown.
  8. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

For the sweet potato tots

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Wash a large sweet potato (about 12 ounces) and poke it a few times with a fork. Microwave it for 4 minutes so that it is easy to peel but under cooked. It should not be cooked through.
  3. Remove the skin from the potato and then grate the potato on the largest holes of your box grater. Measure out two cups of shredded potato and place it in a medium mixing bowl.
  4. Add the almond flour or bread crumbs, cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to the bowl and stir well to combine. The mixture should hold together when you press it in your hand. You can add a few more tablespoons of almond flour or bread crumbs as needed to help the mixture come together.
  5. Use your hand to form the potato mixture into “tot” shaped pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet until you have used all of the vegetable mixture.
  6. Bake for 22-24 minutes, flipping the tots over halfway through baking, until the tots are golden brown.
  7. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

For the zucchini tots

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Grate the zucchini (two small or one large) on the largest holes of your box grater.
  3. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of grated zucchini and place it in a microwave safe dish (Pyrex measuring cup works great) and microwave on high for 4 minutes.
  4. Allow the cooked zucchini to cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Place the cooked zucchini in a clean dish towel or a few layers of thick paper towels and squeeze it to help remove the water. Your goal is to remove as much water as you can so that your tots hold together.
  6. Place the zucchini in a medium mixing bowl.
  7. Add the almond flour or bread crumbs, cheese, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to the bowl and stir well to combine. The mixture should hold together when you press it in your hand. You can add a few more tablespoons of almond flour or bread crumbs as needed to help the mixture come together.
  8. Use your hand to form the veggie mixture into “tot” shaped pieces and place them on the prepared baking sheet until you have used all of the vegetable mixture.
  9. Bake for 22-24 minutes, flipping the tots over halfway through baking, until the tots are golden brown.
  10. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

For the mixed veggie tots

  1. Follow cooking direction for each individual veggie (being sure to remove extra water from zucchini and partially cook the sweet potato) and then combine 2 cups total of cooked veggies in the bowl and proceed as normal. You can use any combination of veggies that you like. We liked sweet potato + zucchini a lot!

Notes

  • You can use frozen cauliflower or broccoli in this recipe! Just run the frozen veggies under warm water to thaw before “ricing” and sticking them in the microwave.
  • If you don’t use/have a microwave you can steam the veggies, though I find it hard to steam vegetables that have been riced/grated. You can also bake the potato for 15-20 minutes to partially cook it.
  • The amount of moisture in your veggies is going to affect the finished product the most. If you ended up with more water in your zucchini then I did, then your tots will be mushy and not hold together. One way to prevent that is to be sure to remove as much of the water as you can. Another helpful tip is that you can add a little more almond flour or bread crumbs as needed. You should be able to form your vegetable mixture into tots with your hands without making a total mess before they go into the oven. When in doubt, add a little more flour or bread crumbs.
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Cook Time: 20 min
  • Category: Side
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American