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5-Ingredient Baked Cauliflower Tots

Skip the spuds and ditch the deep fryer in favor of cheesy cauliflower tots made with just five ingredients.
4.45 from 18 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 35 tots

Ingredients  

  • 2 medium heads cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1/4 cup small diced onion
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup finely ground breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a nonstick baking sheet liberally with cooking spray. (See Kelly's Notes for air frying instructions.)
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to the water and cook them just until fork tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Thoroughly drain the florets and transfer them to a food processor. Pulse the cauliflower for a few seconds just until the it breaks down into small pieces (about the size of grains of rice). (Do not overmix the cauliflower or the mixture will be too wet to form.)
  • Measure out 3 packed cups of the cauliflower and add it to a large bowl. (See Kelly's Notes.) Stir in the diced onion, Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, mixing until thoroughly combined. (The mixture should be roughly the consistency of mashed potatoes.) Using your hands, scoop up 1- to 2-tablespoons of the mixture and mold it into a tater tot shape. Place it on the prepared baking sheet and repeat the shaping process with the remainder of the mixture, spacing the tots about 1 inch apart.
  • Bake the tots for about 20 minutes then flip them and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until crisped. Remove and serve with ketchup, pesto, hummus or your preferred dipping sauce.

Notes

  • The onion should to be cut small enough so that it’s not too chunky and can be easily mixed into the cauliflower mixture.
  • Any extra puréed cauliflower can be turned into my go-to mashed potato substitute, Mashed Cauliflower with Cheese and Chives.
  • To air-fry the tots: Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Coat the basket with cooking spray then add a batch of tots. Air-fry the tots for 6 minutes, then flip them once and air-fry an additional 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
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