Since cauliflower has become the perfect substitute where we would have previously used rice or potatoes, let’s take this all the way and make my favorite childhood comfort food: the tot.
Cauliflower tots are a savory low carb indulgence, made mostly of vegetables, but with that perfect crisp exterior and perfect soft interior. If I were fancy, I’d call them Cauliflower Croquettes. But I am not fancy. No, I am not.
Make these tots dairy free if you substitute vegan cheese. You can also omit the egg if you need to as they hold together fine without one. To “pre-rice” the cauliflower, simply grate it on a box grater or in a food processor until the consistency of rice, or purchase bags of pre cut cauliflower.
This recipe can be found in the Sides chapter of my first cookbook Eat Happy.
Want more Eat Happy inspiration? Make sure you sign up for the 31 Days of Meals plan and free recipe sampler here!
Tots on their way to the oven…
Cauliflower Tots
Ingredients
- 4 cups pre-riced cauliflower (equivalent of about 2 heads of cauliflower)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for baking sheet
- 1/4 cup minced onion
- 2 tablespoons minced red pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalepeno
- 2 teaspoons cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Steam pre-riced cauliflower for 10 minutes in a stove top steamer insert, or microwave in a bag for 4 minutes. Pour onto a clean, dry towel, and press any and all excess water out. Press one more time for good measure while allowing cauliflower to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with non-stick foil drizzled with olive oil. In a large bowl, mix the cooled cauliflower, onion, red peper, jalepeno, cilantro, almond flour, cheese, salt and pepper until evenly blended. Add egg and mix thoroughly.
- Form into tot shaped balls and lay on baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, gently flip the tots, and continue baking for 20 more minutes until crispy and golden brown. Serve immediately.
Just made these and they were easy to do. Only problem is they’re so tasty I’ve just massively over-eaten 🙂
Same thing happened to me, Dean!!
xoxo
Anna
Loved the recipe Anna! Made them this morning and had with some bacon.
These tots were awesome. So easy to make; so easy to eat! Anna, you always make me look like a rock star. Thanks.
Just posted a question about tot-ifying risotto on your risotto recipe. Maybe I just do this instead. 😉
Can these be made and frozen prior to cooking? Or would it be better to bake them, then freeze?
I think it would be better to assemble the tots, then freeze them. Then you can thaw and bake them fresh.
XOXO
“You gonna eat your tots?”-Napoleon Dynamite
The line I always think of when I hear the word “tots”
These are majorly good. I am so grateful that I don’t eat grains or i never would’ve known how much I love cauliflower rice!!
Had to add an extra egg because one didn’t cut it. May have used more cauliflower than I should have. It’s Christmas and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
The family loved them too.
Merry Xmas!
HAHA, Marie, you are awesome! Yeah, the extra egg was probably necessary if you didn’t squeeze all of the excess water out of the cauliflower. great that they turned out so delicious. I love these tots!
Tots are fantastic! Used coconut flour as sub for almond flour. Will definitely make again.
These taste delicious, but I struggled to form them into reasonable looking pieces! They stuck to the foil (should have used more olive oil) and then sort of fell apart into a mash. Delicious either way. Thanks!
yeah, I think either spraying your foil or using nonstick foil AND spraying it (or rubbing it with olive oil) is the only way to go to keep the tots from sticking. that’s what I do! Mmmmm…delicious mush…
Anna,
Thanks for the inspiring recipe. I used shaved Parmesan because I didn’t have enough colby jack. I have three foodie sons who are suspicious by nature. This may have done the trick!
Cali transplant to Kansas,
Alene
Shaved parmesan is a GREAT idea–thanks for sharing!!!
These things are so good you feel like your cheating!!!
Where can I find the nutritional info on them for my food log?
Thanks Miss Anna, you’re the best!!!!
So glad you are enjoying them! You can copy and paste the ingredients into any number of websites that will then calculate the nutritional info on the spot. Or you can enter them into your favorite tracking app.
XOXO
Anna
Delicious and so easy to make. Thank you Anna.
Has anyone tried doing these with coconut flour?
try and let me know how it works out–coconut flour is pretty dry, and I’m not sure how it would bind together. You could omit the almond flour altogether and add an additional egg if need be. the most important step is making sure the cauliflower is pressed dry dry dry.
XO
Anna
I signed on to your blog about a week ago and have been very impressed. So far I’ve tried about five of your recipes and have enjoyed every single one. Tonight I tried the tots and like them better than tater tots. They even came out looking like the picture! If all your recipes taste as good as the ones I’ve tried, I just might be able to stick to my low carb eating plan.
Dee Dee, that makes me thrilled to hear!! I never want to put any recipe out there that I haven’t tested myself a bunch of times b/c I hate it when you find a blog where the recipes just don’t work–that’s my pet peeve! And as for sticking with low carb, YOU GOT THIS!!! I’m routing for you!!
XOXO
Anna
Can these be cooked in an air fryer
Yep!
I cant wait to make these. Thank you so much for all of the amazing recipes you create for us. You are the best.
Thank you for your kindness, enthusiasm, and willingness to be a part of this crazy fun community, Scott!!
XOXO
Anna
OMG!!! These are just awesome that I could eat myself sick on them. Hubby definitely said that I can make these again and again. A great compliment to almost any meal. Will also make them as an appetizer to bring for card night.