easy broccoli tots (oven-baked or air-fried)
Last updated: October 2023
A fun way to serve broccoli with only 8 ingredients and two cooking methods!
These easy broccoli tots are constantly in my fridge and freezer stash rotations! My little one totally loves this recipe and it’s just an overall lunch and dinner favorite. The prep is minimal (especially with my lil hack below) and all I have to do is combine 8 ingredients to form the BEST broccoli tot mixture. Serve these with a dip (like ketchup or ranch) and a simple fruit side for an easy meal!
MY HACK FOR THIS RECIPE
FROZEN RICED BROCCOLI. It will make prep quicker for you. You can purchase this at most U.S. grocery stores (here's an option from Target as an example) and quickly steam in the microwave, then toss into the mixture. This eliminates the few steps of getting broccoli florets into a riced texture (but you can still do it this way, also super simple!).
Alternatively, you can steam about 2-3 small crowns of broccoli here. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add about 4 tbsp of water, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 4-5 minutes until broccoli is easily pierced with a fork. Then, place broccoli into a food processor (I like this one from KitchenAid) and pulse ONLY 2-3 times until the texture is rice-like. If you pulse any more than this, it’ll turn into a puree which won’t work well for the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups riced broccoli
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
TO OVEN-BAKE
Preheat oven to 400F
Combine all ingredients in bowl (see notes on how to rice broccoli)
Form into tot-like shapes, about 1 inch in length and 1/2 inch in width
Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden on both sides
Let cool before serving!
TO AIR-FRY
Preheat air fryer to 390F
Combine all ingredients in bowl (see note on how to quickly rice broccoli)
Form into tot-like shapes, about 1 inch in length and 1/2 inch in width
Spray air fryer basket with avocado oil (or other non-stick spray of choice), place tots on top, then spray the top of the tots with oil spray again. This will allow them to crisp up nicely!
Air fry for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through until golden on both sides
Let cool before serving!
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
Store in fridge for up to 3 days and freeze for up to 2 months in an air-tight container. From frozen, thaw in fridge overnight OR thaw in microwave per your microwave’s settings. Tots will heat up in just 10-12 seconds in microwave as they’re already cooked.
These are the glass food storage containers I love and use here!
NOTES
Cook times will vary depending on appliance. When I use my air fryer/oven (linked in products below), I find that I cook on the shorter side of the times I listed. When I cook in my larger oven, I find that I have to cook a little bit more. It's always best to check on them at the lower end of the time I recommend and see how the tots are doing!
For breadcrumbs, you can use plain or Italian. I've used both and each works well here.
This recipe is suitable for littles that have started solids and above. That being said, there are two things to consider:
Allergens: this recipe contains both eggs and dairy - this article from Solid Starts has information on introducing allergens to babies and I’d encourage you to read over it if you’re introducing these for the first time.
Shape: If serving to little ones (around 1), I would form these into shapes that are a little bit longer so littles can hold and take bites, or break off into smaller pieces. Again, the solid starts website is a great reference here for how to cut different foods based on age.
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EASY Broccoli Tots (Two Ways!)
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
- Store in fridge for up to 3 days and freeze for up to 2 months in an air-tight container!
- Cook times will vary depending on appliance. When I use my air fryer/oven (linked in products below), I find that I cook on the shorter side of the times I listed. When I cook in my larger oven, I find that I have to cook a little bit more. It's always best to check on them at the lower end of the time I recommend and see how the tots are doing!
- You can purchase frozen riced broccoli at most U.S. grocery stores, which is what I like to use for this recipe to make prep quicker. I pull 2 cups of frozen riced broccoli from freezer, and heat in microwave anywhere from 30-45 seconds until it's thawed. As an alternative, you can steam broccoli and pulse in a food processor 2-3 times (if you do any more it will turn into a puree) until it's a rice-like texture.
- For breadcrumbs, you can use plain or Italian. I've used both and each works well here.
