Healthy Broccoli Cheese Patties

These nutritious broccoli patties are made using raw broccoli rice and a moderate amount of cheese.  Ready in under 20 minutes, they make a delicious snack or appetizer.

Raw broccoli rice for broccoli patties

These broccoli patties use broccoli rice, cauliflower rice’s less popular cousin.  Both are made by blitzing until they turn into a crumbly mixture (more on this below).  Both are equally easy to make and equally delicious.  Broccoli rice, however, comes with the added bonus of having a bright green colour.

What’s more, this colour remains bright green even after cooking!  Certainly in this vegetable cakes recipe it does.  And this for me is one of the best things about it.

Broccoli rice not only retains its vibrant green colour in cooking, it also taste absolutely delicious! Turning broccoli into a crumbly mixture makes it cook very quickly but because the cooking process is brief, these patties have a sharp, refreshing flavour, quite different from fully cooked broccoli (even al dente).  Give these patties a go and see for yourself!

I’ve also used broccoli rice in vegan creamy broccoli spinach soup recipe as well as healthy broccoli pasta alfredo with ricotta.

What part of broccoli is best to use in broccoli fritters recipe

Mainly the florets.  Use the thin stems but I don’t recommend using the main thick stem as it’s full of moisture and you don’t want watery patties.  (If you are adding broccoli rice to something like mac and cheese or another recipe with lots of moisture in it it’s perfectly fine to blitz the stem along with the florets).

But don’t discard the stem! It’s delicious raw as a snack or you could grill it and make this broccoli stem hummus recipe.

Equipment you’ll need

• Cutting board and knife
• Blender
• Large bowl, spoon and plate

How to make healthy broccoli fritters: step-by-step

1.Chop the raw broccoli into chunks, throw in a blender and blitz until the mixture becomes crumbly.  This should take approximately 10 seconds.  Be careful not to overblend and turn the mixture into paste.  You should still be able to see bits of broccoli in it.

1. Broccoli rice.

2. Next, add the cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic and onion granules and blitz again briefly until the mixture starts coming together and becoming sticky.  It should still be grainy.  Do NOT puree until smooth.  Season to taste, then add the egg and breadcrumbs and stir thoroughly.

2. Broccoli rice and cheese mixture ready to turn into patties.

3. Finally, form small fritters and coat in the breadcrumbs.

3. Patties coated in breadcrumbs ready for frying.

You might also like cauliflower patties, which are prepared in a similar way.

How to cook broccoli patties with cheese

Give these broccoli cheese cakes plenty of space in the pan.  As they are quite soft it will be easier to turn them over without spoiling their shape.  I recommend using a large flat pancake pan if you’ve got one or a large shallow pan to fry them in.

Heat up about 2 tablespoons of the oil and place the patties in the pan.  Lower the heat and fry on each side for about 3 minutes or until lightly browned.  It is important to cook them over a low heat as they need a bit of time to cook inside without browning too quickly on the outside.  Add a bit of oil once you’ve turned them over.

Top tips

• If you have a small blender it is best to work in batches.
• Be careful not to overblend the broccoli mixture.
• Do not overcrowd the frying pan.  Fry these veggie fritters on a low heat so they have a chance to cook inside without browning too much on the outside.
• I do not recommend using raw onion instead of onion granules as raw onion is full of moisture so you’d need to use more breadcrumbs to bind the mixture (this might impact the flavour).  Onion granules (or onion powder) have an intense flavour, which works really well as raw onion substitute.
• This recipe will only work if you use raw broccoli rice, so it is not suitable for using leftover cooked broccoli.  Cooked broccoli would work better combined with mashed potatoes or another starchy binding ingredient.  And it would taste different too!

What to serve with broccoli and cheese cakes

These broccoli cheese patties would go well with a number of dips, including healthy ranch dip and minty guacamole.  They would pair well with vegan caesar dressing and simple yogurt dip with lime and chives. Or you can enjoy them simply as a snack on their own.  They are delicious hot or cold.

Other veggie patties recipes you might like

Beetroot Patties with Cheese and Polenta

Healthy Mushroom Cakes with Beans and Cheese

KEEP IN TOUCH!

How have your broccoli fritters turned out for you?  Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Broccoli Rice Patties with Cheese

These nutritious broccoli patties are made using raw broccoli rice and a moderate amount of   cheese.  Ready in under 20 minutes, they make a delicious snack or appetizer.

Prep Time14 mins

Cook Time6 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Appetizer, Party Food, Snack

Cuisine: International

Keyword: broccoli, rice

Servings: 10 small patties

Author: Monika Dabrowski

Ingredients

• 300 g broccoli florets roughly chopped
• 70 g mature cheddar cheese coarsely grated
• 30 g parmesan cheese, or alternative, ensure it's vegetarian coarsely grated
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp onion granules/onion powder
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs plus more for coating
• Fine sea salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil for frying 2-3 tbsp per batch

Instructions

• Make the broccoli rice by blitzing the florets until crumbly, but still quite coarse (about 10 seconds). Do this in batches if you have a small blender.
• Add the cheddar, parmesan, garlic and onion granules and blitz again until the mixtures starts becoming sticky and coming together. This will take a further 10-15 seconds. Be careful not to overblend. The mixture should not be completely smooth. (This step can also be done in batches)
• Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the breadcrumbs and egg and stir thoroughly using the back of a spoon. Form small balls, flatten a little and coat in breadcrumbs.
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, shallow pan (I used a flat pancake pan) and fry the patties over a low heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. It is important not to overcrowd the pan as this can make turning them over tricky. Better to fry them in batches. Serve immediately.

Notes

• If you have a small blender it is best to work in batches.
• Be careful not to overblend the broccoli mixture.  
• Do not overcrowd the frying pan.  Fry these veggie fritters on a low heat so they have a chance to cook inside without browning too much on the outside.
• I do not recommend using raw onion instead of onion granules as raw onion is full of moisture so you’d need to use more breadcrumbs to bind the mixture (this might impact the flavour).  Onion granules (or onion powder) have an intense flavour, which works really well as raw onion substitute.
• This recipe will only work if you use raw broccoli rice, so it is not suitable for using leftover cooked broccoli.  Cooked broccoli would work better combined with mashed potatoes or another starchy binding ingredient.  And it would taste different too!

RECIPE LINK PARTIES

I am bringing these nutritious broccoli parmesan fritters to Fiesta Friday.  This week’s co-hosts are Antonia @ Zoale.com and Abbey @ Three Cats and a Girl. Also sharing with #CookBlogShare which I have the pleasure of hosting this week!