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This low carb recipe idea was born when I was eating a bowl of the Cheesy Cauliflower Puree from last week and I had some leftovers. Since the cauliflower was so like potatoes in texture, I thought it might work the same way as potatoes in other low carb cauliflower recipes. So I decided to try and make low carb & gluten free “tater” tots out of them.
Well my first attempt was a disaster! I heated some oil in a pan and piped the cauliflower puree out of a pastry bag – but within a few seconds they disintegrated into the oil. Right away it was clear that frying them this way wouldn’t work.
I mulled it over the rest of the day, and the next day I had a brainstorm.I cooked a new batch of cauliflower but for half as long as I do for the puree. I then ran them through my magic bullet with some cream, butter and cheese but only on pulse until I had a partly chunky consistency. Then I whipped a few egg whites and folded the cauliflower mixture into it to give it some body. I put that mixture into a pastry bag and piped it into one inch lengths onto a greased cookie sheet. This time I baked them for about 10 minutes to dry them out and firm them up -THEN I pan fried them!
It worked! You can skip the frying because they are good right out of the oven, but the frying definitely adds a more authentic feel to them.
Now a brief disclaimer. If you eat one of these low carb cauliflower tots, and then a real tater tot or hash brown, it’s going to be different. You can’t get quite that same crunch as a potato out of it–though they are crunchy to a degree. If you are someone who has decided to eliminate potatoes and other starches from your diet though and you miss eating french fries, tater tots, or anything with a crispy fried coating, then these cauliflower tots are going to taste like heaven to you! They did to me and I’d only been eating low carb for a week! Even my four year old ate some, and he’s very picky.
Great as a low carb side dish for dinner, they also work well with breakfast. Try them alongside these other low carb favorites: Cream Cheese Pancakes, Spinach, Goat Cheese & Chorizo Omelette, or Eggs in a Cloud.
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Cheesy Cauliflower Tater Tots
- Yield: At least 50 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Cuisine: Tater tots
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 4 egg whites
- salt & pepper to taste
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Clean and trim the cauliflower, adding the florets to a microwave safe bowl. Add the cream and butter to the bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower and cheese to a magic bullet or food processor and blend until still chunky – kind of like a cooked oatmeal consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
- Chill for at least half an hour.
- Whip the egg whites to a stiff peak. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the cauliflower mixture to lighten it up. Then fold the cauliflower mixture into the rest of the egg whites and gently mix until combined.
- For best results, chill for another half hour or they won’t hold their shape as well.
- Fit a pastry bag with a round or star tube with about a 3/4 inch opening. Spray the inside of the bag with nonstick spray. Gently squeeze out 1 inch sections onto a greased cookie sheet, cutting with a butter knife as you go.
- When finished, bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes (or longer if you’re skipping the frying) until puffed and slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve – or heat 1/4 inch of oil in a saute pan and when it’s very hot add the tots. It doesn’t need long, a minute per side to turn them golden brown and crispy.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
These are still tasty after they cool but they start to lose their crunch only minutes after they come out of the oil so if crunch is what you’re after, eat them right away!
Regarding nutrition info on these, I will give you the info per batch of tot mix but depending on how large you make them, etc, I have no idea what the breakdown would be per tot. Also, I don’t know how many calories would be added by frying them after baking since it’s hard to quantify how much oil would be absorbed. To lower the calories, use half and half instead of heavy cream, and substitute a lowfat cheddar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 50
- Calories: 864
- Fat: 63g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Protein: 47g
Download your copy of The Gluten Free Low Carber Cookbook today, to get the recipe for version 2.0 of these cauliflower tots! The flavor and texture are better, they are easier to make, and they are baked in the oven, no frying necessary to get this beautiful crispy exterior! You guys are going to love these!
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Unknown says
I just tried these, and I wish I would have read all the comments first. I didn’t cool the cauliflower before putting them in the food processor, and continuing with the instructions. Even though it had cooled some before mixing in the egg whites, the whites did not hold. I made a good effort of piping them onto Silpat sheets and baking, but they fell/flattened. In the end they tasted pretty good, but they looked nothing like the picture. I served with a chipotle/adobo mayonnaise, which I recommend.
So, in conclusion, cooling the cauliflower is a MUST. Next time I will cook several hours before, process them with the cheese, then cool them in the refrigerator for w few hours before moving on to the next step.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks for the feedback! I checked the recipe and I’m going to add cooling time to it – I assumed it was in there but it really doesn’t say so I’ll fix that. Chipotle/adobo mayo sounds awesome! I love that stuff and I stick it in everything lately but I never tried mixing it with mayo! I’ll be doing that soon though, maybe even today! Thanks!
Gina says
You know, I can’t wait to try this, as I love all things cauliflower. But it just occurred to me that they are almost like gnocchi too. Might be great with some spaghetti sauce on them. :)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Cool idea Gina! Let us know if you try it and how they come out! :)
HRHNeenerita says
what would it be like to cook them in a waffle iron? I do hash browns and love the crispy bits by doing this.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I don’t know but I wish I had a waffle iron so I could try it out! Sounds like a great idea, if you do try it and it works I hope you’ll let us know!
Alli says
These look delicious, and a great way to disguise vegetables for kids. Great recipe and presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Alli – I love it when they are a hit with the kids!
Catherine Lewis says
These look wonderful, I will try them next week, would you mind if I post your image and a link back to your blog with recipe etc. on my website http://www.portlandsprouts.com
I think these would be great to list in out toddler food section. Anything to get these little ones to eat veggies!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sure Catherine, you can use the photo with a link back as long as you don’t post the recipe itself on your site! Thanks!
Anonymous says
So, i saw this recipe last week and tried it over the weekend – really good! I didn’t get the fluffy consistency though, my egg whites never made it to the “stiff peaks” consistency :/ so i ended up putting them into muffin cups. for additional flavor i also added some garlic and onion powder. i didn’t fry them either, and reheated some the next day in my toaster over on 400 for about 10 minutes – delicious again! :) Thanks for sharing!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I have mini muffin tins, might try that on my next batch, great idea! Glad you liked them!
Samuel H. Nathans says
I realize you are attempting to avoid carbohydrates and starches in your diet and this recipe but one way of getting that nice exterior crunch on these would be to dust them in either potato or corn starch before frying or (after spraying with oil and dusting) baking.
Frying potatoes only affects a very thin layer of the exterior starches to produce crunch, so simply adding only the exterior amount of starch needed you wouldn’t have to sacrifice texture to low carbohydrate intake.
I would also be careful about the “Drying them out in the oven” step as what keeps fried foods crispy and prevents them from absorbing excess oil is the steam released from the surface of the food. By attempting to dry them out in the oven you are reducing the amount of moisture only from the surface rather than the interior moisture which is the root cause of each “tot” falling apart on you. Instead I would chill them briefly to firm them up and then cook them in the oil or oven to make up for the lower starting temperature and lessened pre-cooking.
Both of these tips will help improve texture in the finished “tot.” Just be reminded that a “Tot” is traditionally diced or coarse chopped potatoes (or other desired vegetable substitution) rather than a puree and interior texture is just as important as exterior. 60% Mash (or puree) and 40% roughly chopped would be the ideal ratio in my humble opinion. Maybe add some onion or garlic for flavour too.
Thanks for reading these suggestions whether you try them or not I still wish for you nothing but further enjoyment in your culinary endeavors.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks for the detailed feedback on the recipe, though I am unsure if you actually tried making it or not based on your comment. In my experimenting I did try to chill them and fry them but they still fell apart on me – baking them first firmed up the egg white in the (partially chunky per the instructions) mix which kept them together for the frying portion. I was happy with them but I appreciate your suggestions – I am intrigued by the dusting them with corn starch pre frying – or maybe coconut flour which I’ve only started using recently – that probably would give a nice crunchy exterior – I’ll give it a try next time I make these. Thanks!
Samuel H. Nathans says
No indeed I have not cooked from your recipe, but I have experimented with cauliflower, Celeriac, and Misc Winter Squash “Tots” thus my suggestions. By “chilling” I meant to nearly frozen (Approx. 33-34 Degrees Fahrenheit) although perhaps you already tried it even at that cold temperature. I understand your point around the egg whites, just be careful as cooking egg whites at elevated temperatures (required for frying, roasting, and baking) for extended or multiple periods of time can cause it to turn rubbery; and from what I understand half the point of folding them whipped into the mixture wasn’t just for binding but also to make the texture more light and airy, thus my point about avoiding as much extra exposure to heat after they have “firmed” up. I have never heard of Coconut Flour, that is indeed interesting, however (and a conclusion due to my lack of knowledge on the ingredient) would I be permitted to conclude that Coconut Flour has a certain sweetness about it, similar to Almond Flour? Perhaps using a powder fine Chickpea Flour (Mostly protein and fiber) would offer a similar effect if fried at a high temperature (to produce the Mailard Reaction that would result in crisping and browning).
Anyways, just an afterthought. Thanks for your response and my apologies if either of my posts were uppity, snobbish, smart alec-y, know-it-all-ish, contained a lack of self deprecation (which this should remedy), or overly formally worded. It was only my intention to share some ideas and not give the appearance or implicit intent of me telling you how to cook your own food from your own recipe.
Postscript: By reading through some of your comments on this page I have noticed your dedication to nutritional research, for which I commend you. This is the first post I have read on your site but I hope to enjoy browsing through the archives of your posts.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Samuel and your comments did not offend me. It’s clear that you take a more scientific approach than I do and your knowledge is definitely obvious, so I appreciate you taking the time to make suggestions on how to improve the recipe. Coconut flour does have a slight sweetness but the flavor works well with the cauliflower I have found. I have some garbanzo bean flour and may try that as an alternative as well. I’m going to be publishing an ebook soon and this recipe will be included in it along with some improvements. I’m going to try freezing the tots raw first and see if that helps in the frying process – I chilled them but not to the point of freezing when I tested it so maybe that will make all the difference! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
ROFL
Megan C. says
I wanted to know too!
Riza says
Did I miss something…? I count my calories, I just wanted to know.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sorry ladies, I have no idea what the nutrition facts per tot are. I have calculated the batch nutrition data as the recipe is written and added it to the post, you’ll have to break it down yourselves based on how many tots you get out of the batch. If you are watching calories, you may want to sub in some lower fat ingredients. Hope that helps!
Riza says
This looks great! May I ask the nutritional facts per tot?
Laughing Larry says
WOW. Looks really good. I plan on giving this a try. I have some really picky eaters at home and getting the kids to eat vegetables can really be a nightmare. This looks like something that might just slip past the visible recognition as being a vegetable, and at least they may try it. Thanks for sharing.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hope they pass the kid test Larry! My son eats them and he’s pretty picky, they taste good dipped in ketchup too!
Anonymous says
I am making these now and I made them in a mini cupcake pan and it worked really well!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Great idea! Totally trying that next time!!!
Algebrina says
I took the mini cupcake pan approach as well. I tried to pipe them first, but I accidentally added too much cream and there was too much liquid for them to hold their shape. They turned into little pancakes…so the mini cupcake pan worked much better! For a bit of crunchiness, I sprinkled Panko on top and skipped the frying. Delicious!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sounds great!
Blue Star Vermont says
Thank you, thank you for for adding a wonderful much needed new recipe to my list of low glycemic foods!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
You’re so welcome! I hope you like them!
Natalie says
Hmm…cauliflower isn’t “low carb” at all. It’s 64% carb! http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2391/2 That said, these look delicious.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hi Natalie, thanks for the comment. I noticed the chart you linked to on self says that 64% of the calories in cauliflower come from carbs – which is to be expected considering there is no fat and almost no protein content which make up the other 36%. But if you notice on that same chart you reference it says that it rates a 1 on the glycemic index which is obviously extremely low. Net carbs is calculated by deducting the fiber which has no impact on blood sugar from the total carbs. So at less than 3g of net carbs in a one cup serving, cauliflower is considered a very low carb vegetable. By comparison using the same website you are, the equivalent amount of chopped, raw onions has 12 grams of net carbs, 90% on the chart, and a glycemic index of 5. And potatoes, which is what I used cauliflower to substitute for a lot of the time have 22grams of net carbs, also a glycemic load of 5 and are 92% carbohydrate calories. This makes cauliflower an excellent “low carb” alternative.
Hutchinsons says
Found you from the Ferry-Morse Seed Co on FB. This looks delicious. I have cauliflower in my fridge that I was about to roast up. Wonder if it would work with it roasted instead of just cooked?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
It does! Has a slightly different flavor but I think it’s great – sweeter I think from the roasting. Hope you like it!
Anonymous says
What do you suggest if you don’t have the pastry bag to ‘pipe’ them on to the baking sheet? Could you make drops like a cookie dough?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Yes, you could drop. Or you can spoon it into a large ziploc bag and cut the tip off and squeeze out “tots” and use a knife to cut them to size.
sonja says
OR you could take a large ziploc (or any brand) bag- cut off one corner to desired opening, fill bag about 1/2 way (this is why you need a large bag) then twist top and wrap in between fingers (so you can squeeze like a pastry bag). Hope this helps :0)
SusyCS says
Hi Mellissa,
Nice and very creative recipe! I was wondering if adding Panko breadcrumbs to the mix would make the “tots” a little bit crunchier . . . what do you think? Susy :)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Susy! I think it would help, especially if you rolled the tots in the panko so the outside got nice and crisp. Of course it would add more carbs but probably minimal if just rolling on the outside. Sounds yummy though – go for it and let us know! :)
Anonymous says
Instead of Panko use crushed pork rinds. I use them a lot for different things to keep it low carb.
Anonymous says
I just tried to make these and the taste is fabulous! But the texture was so watery I couldn’t even back them in the oven. Any ideas?? I am wondering if the egg yolk wasn’t
t stiff enough or too much cream?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sorry you had trouble with the recipe! The egg white has to be at stiff peak and the cauli can’t be too hot when you add it or the egg will break and it will get really watery. Since I have been experimenting with the cauli I’m going to reduce the amount of cream in the recipe because it just doesn’t need that much – but when I was making it that way it was never watery so it could have been the eggs – or maybe your cauli head was small so the ratios were off?? Hard to say but I would definitely try less cream next time, make sure the egg whites are stiff and had no yolk in them when you whipped or they’ll fall, and make sure your cauli is cool when you gently fold it in. Hope that helps!
Moni says
these came out soo delish! i did use goat milk since i’m lactose intolerant and use 2 eggs with the yoke, b/c i only had 2 eggs left in the house. so i did add some bread crumbs… my young boys and hubby ate them up fast!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I’ve never tried goat’s milk though I love goat cheese! Glad your family liked them!
Wolfdog says
I really like this idea, and will probably try it tomorrow. I’ve made pizza crust from cauliflower, and I think maybe adding a little bit more cheese would give it more crunch. That recipe called for a little bit of oil under the crust, and it really crisped up, so I wonder if you could do the same with these little guys? Either way, I love the idea!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Wolfdog – more cheese is never a bad idea in my opinion! Hope they work for you, and please share your tweaks with us if they come out great!
Anonymous says
I decided to see what would happen if I didn’t microwave the cauliflower first.
The first problem I ran into was that (and I should have thought about this before hand) was that the cream and butter didn’t incorporate into the cauliflower the same way. Raw cauliflower doesn’t absorb liquid. Maybe sour cream would work instead (2 carbs).
The second problem was that I had trouble with the pastry tip. The mixture just wasn’t soft enough and the cream dripped out of the bag around the tots. I switched to a tiny scoop (think cauliflower cookies) and that worked out.
They baked well (375 for 20 minutes) and I sprayed them with some cooking spray at the end to help them brown. (I didn’t fry them.) They were still yummy, but they still softened up fairly quickly.
Oh, and I sprinkled in a little taco seasoning to one batch. YUMMY!
Great recipe and I think I’m going back to the way it’s written next time. – Kim
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Kim thanks for reporting back on your experiment – sorry it didn’t work out the way you’d hoped! Sadly they do soften up fairly quickly out of the oven or even the oil. Best eaten right away which is ok since they are so good they don’t last long anyway! Taco seasoning sounds really good! I love mexican flavors so may try that myself! Thanks so much for sharing!