Crispy, cheesy and tasty, these Baked (Low Carb) Parmesan Cauliflower Tots are the answer to a healthy dinner side dish everyone in the family will love.
Cauliflower Tots
I have to admit I was a little skeptical at the idea of what cauliflower tots might taste like. As we all know, it can be really challenging to swap out potato for another vegetable and still make it taste delicious and satisfying. Carbohydrates are so hard to replace in the yummy department. And quite honestly I had to play with the recipe many times to get it just right taste and texture wise. The end result are these very delicous Baked (Low Carb) Cauli-Tots. I promise you’re going to love them.
Are Cauliflower Tots Healthy
Since cauli-tots are made with cauliflower and not potatoes, they are most definitely a healthy alternative to traditional tater tots or French fries. In fact, recipes replacing potatoes with cauliflower as one of its main ingredients contain about forty-five percent fewer calories than their counterparts. Yay for this!
I highly suggest you also give my Old Bay Cauliflower Salad, Mini Cauliflower-Boursin Souffles, and my Cheesy Cauliflower Ranch Bites a try. You will love every bite of these recipes and save yourself a boatload of calories, without the loss of a delicious, comfort food, dish. And you definitely won’t feel guilty about eating more than a handful of these cauli-tots.
These mock tater tots are also a great way to get your picky vegetable eaters to try something different!
Are Cauliflower Tots Keto Friendly
Not all cauliflower tots are keto friendly, especially if they are covered in bread crumbs or dredged in any type of all-purpose flour. However, this version of low carb tots is very keto friendly, with each tot only having 0.5 grams of net carbs. Amazing, right? You can definitely eat a few more than planned with those types of stats. Trust me, you definitely won’t miss the potato, and unlike many other cauliflower recipes, you can’t actually taste much of the cauliflower. It’s a win-win.
A food processor is needed to get the cauliflower into the right consistency for tot making. It will be almost paste like.
How Are Cauliflower Tots Made
- cauliflower is steamed
- mixture of egg, Parmesan, cream cheese and other seasonings are combined
- cauliflower and egg mixture is combined in a food processor
- tots are formed using a #50 scoop and placed on a baking sheet with Parmesan sprinkled on top
- baked in the oven for 30 minutes
Use Parmesan cheese that looks likes this to sprinkle on top of the formed cauli-tots.
Can Cauliflower Tots Be Made In The Air Fryer
I did try making this particular recipe in the air fryer and quite honestly they were not as good as when they were baked in the oven. The air fryer took about fifteen minutes to get them brown, but the texture was just too mushy. However, the air fryer is great for reheating the next day and takes about five minutes at 390 degrees F.
The tots come out the oven perfectly golden brown and crispy around the edges. I promise you are going to be craving these bite-sized tots!
What Can I Serve With Cauliflower Tots
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What Equipment Do I Need To Make Cauliflower Tots
- A food processor (11 cup capacity). This gets the cauliflower into the the proper consistency.
- A #50 scoop is essential to making the perfect sized cauliflower tots. The dough is very sticky, making it difficult to handle by hand.
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Baked (Low Carb) Cauli-Tots
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lbs cauliflower florets
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (green can)
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, chopped slightly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large pot, fitted with a steamer basket, steam cauliflower until it is fork tender, but not mushy. Let cool 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium sized bowl, mix together egg, grated Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, avocado oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper. It will be very paste like. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor (at least 11 cup capacity) add steamed cauliflower and Parmesan paste. Process until mixture is fully combined. Mixture will be very sticky and there should not be any large pieces of cauliflower visible.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a #50 scoop, scoop out cauliflower mixture and run a knife across the back to compact mixture, making it flat on one side. Repeat until all of the mixture is used. (Should make about 40 tots, so eight rows of 5 tots each.)
- Place store-bought shredded Parmesan on a cutting board and chop it slightly as the shreds can be a little long. (see picture above). Sprinkle some on the top of each tot, pressing it in slightly. Some will fall around the base of the tot when you do this and that's good. It forms a nice crunchy little base.
- Place tots in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Place a piece of parchment on top of the tots and bake for another 15 minutes. Tots should be nice and golden brown with a slight crunch, but will still feel slightly soft as these are not potatoes.
- Let sit for five minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
- These reheat great in the microwave, oven, air fryer or deep fryer.
Nutrition
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