We could all do with finding ways to get more vegetables in to our diet and these little cheesy baked broccoli bites are the best way. Crispy, cheesy and comforting, but packed with broccoli too. Kids will love this finger food and you can be happy knowing they are eating some veg too. You can batch cook them and keep them in the freezer for an easy side dish/snack too.

Broccoli isn't everyone's favourite food, but cheese makes everything better and it certainly makes this green vegetable more appealing to kids.
If you have tried convincing your kids that these little green trees will make them big and strong and with not a positive result, then try giving it to them a different way. Mixing broccoli with cheese and breadcrumbs and turning it in to finger food makes it much more exciting for kids and it's perfect for baby led weaning. Older kids will enjoy getting their hands dirty and making these broccoli bites too.
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Why should you try them?
- An easy way to get more vegetables in your diet
- Kids love them
- Freezable
- Ready in less than 30 minutes
What you will need
- Broccoli - you could use a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower
- baked broccoli bites
- Onion
- Mature cheddar - some feta would work well too.
- Eggs
- Garlic powder and dried oregano

Step by step
One: Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and then add to a large bowl and mash until very fine.

Two: Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl.

Three: Mix well.

Four: Take out 1 tbsp at a time and roll in to a small sausage and repeat until you have 20.

Five: Place on a lined or oiled baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 25 minutes until they start to crisp up.

Six: Serve the broccoli bites with your favourite dip, like our healthy tomato ketchup.

Are broccoli bites healthy?
These are a really nutrient dense snack or side dish, and a great way to "sneak" vegetables in to fussy eaters. I say "sneak" very loosely, as these are very green, so clearly have broccoli in them. But, with the easy bite sized shape and the addition of cheese, it's a simple way to get kids to eat more vegetables.
Broccoli is a good source of fibre (which helps with digestion) and protein, and also contains iron, potassium, calcium and magnesium. It is a good source of vitamins A, C, E, K.
How to adapt them
We love the specks of green you can see in these broccoli bites, but you could always swap the broccoli for cauliflower instead, or use a mixture of the two. For a little extra flavour, finely chop some spring onions or shallots and mix them in.
A really good quality mature cheddar is what we used to make this and because it's such a strong cheese, you don't need to use a lot of it. But, you could use a mixture of hard cheese like cheddar, Parmesan, Gouda or even add some mozzarella.
You could really mix things up with the flavours here. Like things a bit spicy? Add some Mexican seasoning!
Can you fry broccoli bites?
We baked these broccoli bites to keep them that little bit lighter as you don't need to use any oil (apart from a little on the baking tray). However, if you want to get them really crispy, then you can fry them for a couple of minutes each side. If you use Parmesan in the recipe instead of cheddar, this will help to get them really nice and crispy.
You can also make these crispier by swapping the wholemeal breadcrumbs for Panko breadcrumbs.

Turn them in to meatballs
I was just thinking, these would make AMAZING veggie meatballs. Just roll them in to balls instead of sausage shapes and still bake them and then just gently stir them in to some pasta sauce before serving. No need for vegetarians to miss out on meatballs.

FAQs
You can, and they hold together really well. Freeze them on a tray first and then once they are all frozen you can put them in to a freezer bag. Just take them out as and when you need them, defrost and reheat.
Extra tips
- Use a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower, or just cauliflower to change things up.
- You can stick to just mature cheddar, or you can use a mixture of cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella.
- Roll these in to balls, bake and then stir in to pasta sauce for some vegetarian meatballs.
- Get creative with the flavours! If you like things spicy, then add some Mexican seasoning.
- You can also make these crispier by swapping the wholemeal breadcrumbs for Panko breadcrumbs.
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Recipe card


Cheesy Baked Broccoli Bites


Ingredients
- 300 g Broccoli, chopped
- 3 slices Wholemeal bread, blended into bread crumbs
- ½ Onion, finely diced
- 60 g Mature Cheese
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Add the broccoli to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes. Drain and then add to a large bowl and mash until very fine.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix well.
- Take out 1 tbsp at a time and roll in to a small sausage and repeat until you have 20.
- Place on a lined or oiled baking sheet and cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F for 25 minutes until they start to crisp up. Serve with your favourite dip.
Notes
- Use a mixture of broccoli and cauliflower, or just cauliflower to change things up.
- You can stick to just mature cheddar, or you can use a mixture of cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella.
- Roll these in to balls, bake and then stir in to pasta sauce for some vegetarian meatballs.
- Get creative with the flavours! If you like things spicy, then add some Mexican seasoning.
- You can also make these crispier by swapping the wholemeal breadcrumbs for Panko breadcrumbs.
- Weight Watchers Smart Points: 1
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Eileen
I absolutely adores these!! What a great idea, thank you soo much.
AmySG
Hi, I am new to your site and have found so many recipes I can’t wait to try!
These bites look delicious, however, please can you put on your recipes whether they are freezable or not as this would be super handy or even how long they will keep for in the fridge?
Thank you!
Dannii
Hello! It says in the text that they are freezable :) They would keep in the fridge for a couple of days. Enjoy!
Aish Padihari
I can eat these all day long. I have pinned the recipe as well. Great recipe as always. You rock!!!
Chloe Ciliberto
These sounds absolutely delicious!!! I would happily make a load of these and freeze them for my daughter (or me). x
Nicole @ Foodie Loves Fitness
Yum! I totally sneak veggies into my meals all the time too. My favorite recently has been using a bag of frozen berries with kale for smoothie bowls!
Stephanie
What a great idea, I have pinned! Nice to get some more veg in to you too.
nadia
Yum! I used to make broccoli cheese bites all the time. Now I need to find a dairy-free version that tastes just as good!
Claire
My friend would love tbese, she loves broccoli and cheese.
Melanie Edjourian
These look delicious, I wonder whether my girls would eat them. It's worth trying.
WhatLauraLoves
Ooh these are different to anything I've tried before but I love broccoli and cheese so I'm sure I'd enjoy them!! xxx
kerry norris
I am definitely going to try these. Both my girls would love them. They look fab
Harriet from Toby & Roo
Oohh I love a good strong cheddar - this looks SO yummy! H x
Hannah
I need to try these, they look so good!
Charlie @ The Kitchen Shed
Mmmm! These look SOOOO good! I bet they are a bit addictive too. I shall have to try them on the kids.
Megan
I love this combination of flavors - can't wait to try these out for football munchies!