These Air Fryer Broccoli Tater Tots are crispy, cheesy, and addictive. Who knew that eating broccoli could be so fun?!
Air Fryers are a great way to get a crisp—almost deep-fried exterior—without a lot of oil. Lately, we've been air frying pretty much everything...including avocado fries, pita chips, eggplant parmesan, crispy tofu, and even cabbage!
Turns out that air fryers are fantastic for broccoli tots as well. This yummy snack is popular with kids and adults alike. The veggie tots freeze well and reheat in minutes. So, consider making extra to have family-friendly snacks for the week!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Healthier alternative: These tater tots are made with broccoli, not potatoes! And, they're cooked in an air fryer—which makes them crisp and golden brown without much oil.
- Kid friendly: Broccoli and cheese is a combination that kids and adults love! Broccoli tots can be eaten with your hands and don't make a mess.
- Freezable: They freeze and reheat well. Make an extra batch to have on hand for quick and easy snacks throughout the week.
Recipe Video
Watch a step-by-step video on how to make these broccoli tater tots!
Ingredients (and substitutes)
You only need 7 ingredients to make these broccoli tots (plus, salt and pepper).
- Broccoli: You just need the broccoli tops (head/crowns) for this recipe—not the stems. (Have extra broccoli stems to use up? Make Air Fryer Broccoli Fries).
- Shallots: Shallots have a slightly more delicate and milder flavor than onions. But, if you can't find shallots, you could substitute red onion instead (just make sure to mince it very finely!).
- Cheddar cheese: Smoked cheddar cheese will make these tots extra delicious. But, aged cheddar tastes delicious too (that's our second favorite option)... or mild cheddar if you prefer.
- Eggs: The eggs help bind the mixture so it holds together.
- Breadcrumbs: Use regular dried breadcrumbs. We tested panko breadcrumbs as well, but the panko crumbs were too big to consistently hold the tots together.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Want to add a sauce for dipping? Make Greek Yogurt Buffalo Sauce, Vegan Tzatziki, Sriracha Aioli, Sweet Chili Sauce, or Peri Peri if you like things spicy!
How to make (step-by-step photos)
Here are the steps to making these yummy broccoli tots. We did a lot of testing to develop this recipe. So, keep reading to learn why grated broccoli works best!
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Recipe testing details
We tested 3 methods for prepping the broccoli to make air fryer tots:
- Finely chopping raw broccoli with a knife: Very time consuming. And some tots ended up with bigger pieces of broccoli, which sometimes caused the tot to fall apart.
- Steaming broccoli, then chopping: The softer, cooked broccoli was easier to chop into tiny pieces. But, this method dirtied a pot (more dishes!) and added more prep time.
- Grating broccoli on box grater: Much faster than chopping. And, it yielded very small broccoli pieces so the tots hold together. This method also yields the most consistent results, because the broccoli is measured after grating.
After many rounds of testing, we preferred the tots made with grated broccoli. This method (3) is not only easiest, but it is also most consistent.
Tips
- Quick portions: A cookie scoop makes it easy to scoop out the mixture into even portions.
- Prevent sticking: Lightly wet your hands with water when shaping the tots. This way, the mixture won't stick to them.
- Don't skip the oil spray: It helps the tots get crisp and golden brown in the air fryer.
- Don't overcrowd the basket: Arrange the broccoli tots in a single layer. Bake in batches if needed (especially if doubling the recipe).
- Serve with dip: These broccoli tots taste amazing with Greek Yogurt Buffalo Dip. Alternatively, serve with Sriracha Aioli, Vegan Tzatziki, or ketchup.
Recipe FAQs
While many "swear by" preheating an air fryer, it is definitely not necessary to preheat your air fryer for this recipe. (And the same goes for many other air fryer recipes too!). We tested both methods and found that the only difference was that the preheated air fryer cooked the tots about 1 minute faster. But, this is less than the time it took to preheat the air fryer (usually about 5 minutes). So keep it simple and skip preheating the air fryer here.
Yes, you can! See the recipe post for the alternate oven method. For full transparency, the tots won't get as evenly crisp in the oven as they would in an air fryer. But, they are still delicious. If you have a convection setting on your oven, use it and reduce the temperature to 400°F (200°C).
Yes, these broccoli tater tots can be frozen and reheated. To freeze the tots, let them cool completely once they're out of the air fryer. Then, transfer them to a freezer bag and freeze in a single layer.
To reheat frozen broccoli tots, bake them in a single layer in the air fryer, set at 350°F (177°C) until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes.
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Broccoli Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup minced shallot (about 1 large)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups grated broccoli (from the crown, see note 1)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon packed lemon zest (optional)
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese (smoked cheddar recommended, see note 2)
- ⅔ cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free if needed)
- Oil spray (olive oil or neutral oil)
Instructions
- Start cooking: Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until bright green, about 3 minutes.
- Mix: Transfer broccoli mixture to a large bowl. Stir in salt, pepper, and lemon zest until evenly distributed. Push the mixture to the edges of the bowl to make a well. Crack the eggs into the middle, then beat the eggs until mixed. Stir the beaten eggs into the broccoli mixture. Stir in cheddar cheese and breadcrumbs.
- Shape tots: Scoop the mixture into 20 small balls (about 2 tablespoons each). Lightly dampen your hands with water (to prevent sticking), then shape the balls into small cylinder tots. Arrange the tots in a single layer in an air fryer basket (see note 3).
- Spray and bake: Lightly coat the tots with oil spray. Bake in air fryer (no need to preheat) at 400°F (200°C) until golden-brown (about 10 minutes).
Notes
- Grated broccoli: Grate broccoli crowns/tops (not the stalks) with the large holes of a box grater. See the photo in the post to illustrate. Measure after grating: 3 cups weights 10 ounces / 283 grams. You'll likely need to start with 2 to 3 heads of broccoli to get 3 cups grated.
- Cheddar cheese: If you can find smoked cheddar cheese, it's extra delicious in these tots! Otherwise, use aged cheddar. Mild cheddar also works in a pinch.
- Don't overcrowd basket: Air fryer basket sizes vary, so bake in batches if needed.
- Storage and reheating tips: These tots can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. For longer storage, let the tots cool, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag. To reheat tots, arrange them in a single layer and bake in an airfryer set at 350°F (177°C) until heated through (about 6-8 mins from frozen, 3-4 mins from refrigerated).
- Alternative baking instructions (oven method) : For best results use an air fryer. If you don't have an air fryer, you can make these tots in the oven. Bake at 425°F (220°C) on a parchment lined baking sheet for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown, shaking the pan halfway through. The tots won't get as crispy as the air fryer method (as photographed), but they'll still taste delicious!
Tamara says
These are a favorite in our house. I make extras to freeze, they reheat well. My kiddos love them!
bri says
So glad to hear that Tamara! Thanks for sharing:)
Kristie says
I didn't make the dip to save time, but the tots themselves were really tasty. Would make again.
bri says
Hi Kristie - Glad to hear you enjoyed the tots!
Debbie says
My kids are obsessed with these. I'm going to try making a triple batch and freezing them because they can't get enough!
bri says
Hi Debbie - Woohoo, so happy to hear these broccoli tots are a hit with the kids!
Mike says
Delish! I used aged cheddar because I didn't have smoked cheddar. Still worked great!
bri says
Hey Mike! So happy to hear you enjoyed the broccoli tots! Thanks for sharing!
Sally says
Loved these! Going to make a double batch next time because the family devoured them:)
bri says
Yay, so happy to hear that Sally! Thank you so much for writing in, hope you have a great week ahead!
Alice K says
I made these with my daughter yesterday and she had so much fun! They weren't as uniform as yours (she's 6!), but they were really tasty. We used regular cheddar. Thank you for this recipe!
bri says
Hi Alice! That's so sweet you and your daughter made these together. We're glad to hear you both enjoyed them!
Natasha says
Found these on Pinterest and they didn't disappoint! (Phew LOL). I made a double batch and served it with ketchup for the kids and the yogurt Buffalo dip for my husband and I. Everyone loved them!
bri says
Hi Natasha! Yay, so happy to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Donna says
My picky kids gobbled these up like wild animals! I won’t be surprised if they ask for these tots again tomorrow. This recipe is a keeper thank you!
bri says
Hi Donna! Yay, so happy to hear these broccoli tots were a hit with the kids!
Sarah says
Made these last night and they didn’t last long! So addicting. I only had regular cheddar but will definitely be trying them with smoked cheddar next time!!