recipes/sides/snacks/Vegetarian Recipes

Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Tots

Posted March 10, 2015 by Stephanie
broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com

broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com

broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com

broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com

So…broccoli was on sale at the store and because I have a wee bit of broccoli obsession, I bought a huge bunch. I’m talking like 8 heads of broccoli. Mike really likes broccoli too so it wasn’t difficult for us to finish them off. I hear that broccoli isn’t really a popular veggie – I’m guessing that some people think that it’s boring, but I really love its crunch, its color, and the texture difference between the florets and the stems.

With a broccoli abundance on my hands I was able to experiment! I have a bunch of broccoli recipes up my sleeve, but I’m going to roll them out slowly so you guys don’t get broccoli-fatigue.

Not that I know how you could ever get tired of broccoli, especially if they taste like these little guys: broccoli cheddar tots! They may not look like much, but they’re completely addictive! My broccoli and cheddar obsession lives on with these tots made for dipping. I spiced them up a bit with little shichimi togarashi dipped them in sriracha ketchup. Seriously good!

Cheddar Cheese Broccoli Tots very slightly adapted from Skinny Taste
makes about 28 tots


  • 12 ounces broccoli
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 2/3 cups shredded cheddar
  • 1/2 cup panko
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • shichimi togarashi, if desired

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute then immediately shock with cold tap water or an ice bath. Drain very, very well.

Chop finely and mix throughly with the egg, green onions, cheddar, and panko. Season generously with salt and pepper. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of mix into your hands and shape into a tater-tot shape. It helps if you keep your hands wet while you’re shaping. Place on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the tots are made. Sprinkle on shichimi togarashi, if using.

Bake until golden brown and crispy, 18-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet at the halfway mark. Remove from the oven and enjoy hot with extra shichimi togarashi, ketchup or sriracha!

Note: Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese seven spice mixture. I like the little bit of heat it gives these guys, but it’s entirely optional. You can find it here.

I used a mini ice cream scoop to keep the sizes consistent. If you like, you can just scoop out the tots and bake without shaping into a log.

broccoli cheddar tots recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com

70 Comments

  1. pssss, you forgot the cheddar in the recipe :) THIS LOOKS SUPER YUM!!!!!!!!!

    1. steph says:

      ahhhh! what travesty to forget the cheese! fixed! thank you :)

  2. Jessica says:

    I’m fairly new to your blog. I’ve been following for a couple weeks now but have probably tried 5 or 6 of your recipes and loved them all! I will definitely be trying this one too. We love broccoli in our house, even our three and one year old daughters! My three year old made your wonton lasagna cups with me a few weeks ago. They were fantastic.

    Thank you so much.

  3. These tots sound great! I love the flavour!

  4. Adele says:

    “its crunch, its colour”. Sorry for being the grammar police, but I get so distracted by them

    1. steph says:

      hahaha, fixed. i’m usually better, i promise! but, no excuses!

  5. Anna Burrill says:

    Thank you so much for the delicious recipe. I am sure my kids and my soul are going to love it!

  6. I need these in my life. Now.

  7. todd wagner says:

    you are amazing…THESE are amazing!! it’s funny, i’ve been eating a ton of broccoli too, as it turns out that it’s my 6-month-old’s favorite food so far. keep it coming!!

  8. whoa. wait. what??? broccoli tots??? mind blown!!!

  9. vc says:

    you might like the heinz ketchup available in the UK. they have a variety that is ‘fiery chilli’ which is a nice mix of hot and ketchup.

  10. 8 heads of broccoli – I think we could have been separated t birth! You should try it roasted – RIDICULOUSLY ADDICTIVE!

  11. Row says:

    Heh, I bought some broccoli a few days ago as well! Will have to give this awesome recipe a try. :)

  12. Adrianna says:

    These look INSANELY amazing!

  13. These look divine! Great way to get that broccoli :) Thanks for sharing!

  14. These look delicious. Beautiful pictures. A friend brought me Shichimi togarashi back from Japan. Never sure what to do with it, glad I found this :)

  15. Andrew says:

    Where did you get that beer glass?

    1. steph says:

      I bought it in Japan :)

  16. Abby says:

    Only you could make broccoli look GORGEOUS in a photo, Stephanie! These tots look delicious. :)

  17. Marissa says:

    Well these are gorgeous. And what’s this about broccoli not being popular? How? It’s one of my favorites, maybe my favorite, but then there’s asparagus and artichokes. Rambling. I love this post. I’m going to make these pronto!!

  18. Lol you make broccoli sound SO good!!! I do love broccoli too :). Lovely

  19. Alana says:

    YUMM. I love broccoli. Like love love it. And my dad hates it. So when I was little he used to sneak me his “trees” when my mom wasn’t looking. These little tots look so delish!! I’m still dying over that burger and now these? I hope my local grocery store is having a sale soon too, hehe. P.s. You have mad skills. How you make broccoli look so good is beyond me–teach me your ways!

  20. Trish says:

    These are genius! I just made broccoli cheese soup last night, and I SO wish I could have had these tots to dip in it. :)

  21. Connie says:

    Oh my god, haha, 8 heads of broccoli! I can relate to going on vegetable shopping sprees (especially when things are on sale), but I’ve certainly ever bought that much of a single vegetable. How do you manage to fit it all in the fridge? We usually find a way to cram everything in, but then the untidiness of the fridge bothers me.

    And, of course, the tots look delicious!

  22. elana says:

    I just bought waaaay too big a bag of chopped broccoli thats on its way out….could these be frozen? They’d be the perfect make-ahead snack!

    1. steph says:

      I haven’t tried freezing them, but I think it would work!

  23. Finally, a vegetable I can get on board with! These look delicious. And your photography is fantastic, as always.

  24. Edlyn says:

    Eight heads of broccoli is my dream. I am so making these next time I impulse purchase these babies (which is tomorrow)

  25. Donna Rose says:

    I wish you could fix it where we could print off the recipe, I hand copied mine because I am so gonna try these little jewels, I am also a huge fan of broccoli…

  26. Jenny m says:

    Thank you!! Great recipe! My 2 yr old has eaten 3 of these in a row!

  27. I’ve a broccoli obsession as well. And a tot one too, apparently!

  28. Charlie says:

    Love your blog. Useful and fun. This recipe is okay but looks better than it tastes. I am not the idiot who used 4 substitutions or the one that says this looks yummy I think I’ll make it one day. I made it. It was ok. The sauce I used was chipotle in sauce mixed with mayo and sour cream and we also used ketchup which I tried but that was boring. I did not have the Chinese spice so maybe I am not qualified to comment. Maybe not enough salt.

  29. Tina says:

    Sounds like my type of recipe, but I was wondering if there is anything that I could substitute the egg with?

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      the egg is used as a binder to hold together the tots. you could try more cheese, but the tots might not hold together as well.

  30. Kathy says:

    What is panko?

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      panko is japanese bread crumbs – they’re larger than regular bread crumbs.

  31. Becki says:

    can you use frozen broccoli? Thanks

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      frozen broccoli tends to have a higher water content than fresh, so i’d go with fresh!

  32. Tricia Siegfried says:

    They sound yummy

  33. JANE says:

    ADDING SALT IS NOT NECESSARY. WE EAT WAY TOO MUCH SALT!

  34. Ilanna says:

    Hey there, I’d like to make these for a dinner party this weekend. Do you use the broccoli stems too or just the florets? Thanks!

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      hi, i used the stems as well! just make sure everything is chopped up very finely.

  35. Love how you kept these so green by blanching just that one minute, and shocking. Can’t wait to try them!

  36. K says:

    Forgive me for asking but what does “turning sheet half way” means? Thank you!

    1. Stephanie says:

      hi k!

      i mean, when you’re baking, rotate the sheet so that the back of the baking sheet is rotated to the front so all the tots get cooked evenly. sorry about the confusion!

  37. Niki says:

    I was wondering if you tried to AirFry these tots?

    1. Stephanie says:

      haven’t tried yet, but that’s an excellent idea, it’s on my list!

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