There is a seriously high ratio of broccoli in these! These Broccoli Fritters are a great way to hide a lot of greens into irresistible little bites. And they’re freezer friendly too!
“You will be amazed how little batter there is for the mound of broccoli used.”
I’ve been posting a broccoli recipe every week for the last few weeks because it’s been insanely cheap lately! For those of you in Australia, it’s currently $1.00/kg (that’s $0.50 / lb) at Coles (usually it’s $4+/kg!). So me being me, who can never resist a good bargain, I stocked up big time which means I’ve had to get seriously creative to get through the ridiculous amount of broccoli stockpiled in my fridge. Here’s what I’ve shared lately:
- Creamy Bacon, Chicken and Broccoli Bread Bake – made from scratch, ready to pop into the oven in just 15 minutes, this is a great way to use up any leftover stale bread lying around.
- Magic Broccoli – it truly is magic how a little roasting with garlic, a drizzle of lemon juice and a scattering of parmesan completely transforms broccoli!
Plus prior to this, I also posted a Creamy Broccoli Soup (amazing how creamy it is even without cream!) and Roasted Broccoli with Pangritata (which is a fancy word for toasted bread crumbs).
So the Broccoli Mission continues. And today it’s bite size goodies in the form of Broccoli Fritters, that even kids love! These are seriously tasty fritters. And you will be amazed how much broccoli there is in them. There is an entire head of broccoli to make 6 fritters, and it only uses about 3/4 cup of batter. The “secret” step is to use a potato masher to lightly crush the cooked broccoli. This loosens them up so you only need enough batter to hold them together, and they mould into a fritter shape with a smooth golden brown surface rather than lumps of broccoli sticking out.
“These fritters freeze well. Just pan fry briefly to reheat them so you get the crispy crust.”
I made these Broccoli Fritters with a quick yoghurt sauce but you don’t even need the sauce to be honest, they are great eaten plain. These also freeze really well! To reheat, just thaw then cook them quickly in a dry fry pan to make the surface slightly crispy as well as heating them through. I don’t recommend microwaving them as they will go soggy, and in the oven the underside goes soggy though the top crisps up nicely.
Adapted from a recipe by Smitten Kitchen (I think! I don’t have the actual original recipe but a reader was kind enough to point me in that direction and I recognised the recipe!)
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Parmesan Garlic Broccoli Fritters
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets and stem , roughly chopped into 2cm/1 inch pieces (see notes) (about 1 medium head of broccoli)
- 2 tbsp oil (vegetable, olive oil, canola)
Batter
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp milk (low fat or full fat)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Yoghurt Sauce
- 1/4 cup plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Steam or boil the broccoli until quite tender (but not mushy). I did this in the microwave using a steamer, it took 3 minutes on high.
- Use a potato masher to roughy "squish" the broccoli. Not to look like mashed potato, but just to squish it a bit so when cooked it can be flattened with a spatula to make fritters with a smooth surface rather than having big lumps sticking out.
- Combine the Yoghurt Sauce ingredients and mix well.
- Place egg in a bowl and use a fork to lightly beat the egg. Add the remaining Batter ingredients and mix until combined. The Batter may seem a little thick but it will loosen up when you add the broccoli because when you squish it, it will release some liquid.
- Add the broccoli and mix to evenly disperse throughout the Batter.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a fry pan over medium heat.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of Batter and drop into the pan and use a spoon to gently flatten to about 1cm/1/3" thickness. Cook 3 fritters at a time.
- Cook each side for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with remaining Batter.
- Serve with the Yoghurt Sauce and extra lemon wedges, if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
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These were delicious. The yoghurt to accompany them was fantastic. My four year old ate 5 fritters before I noticed and stopped him! 🙂 I love all your recipes. I must cook your recipes 5/6 nights a week these days. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with everyone.
Awesome!!! Thanks for the great feedback Jessica!
Just made these! Very good, fast and easy!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Cibdy, thanks for letting me know! N x
I’m late to the party on this recipe, but was trying to keep ahead of my CSA. I had two smaller heads of broccoli and I was tired of roasting. These fritters came together in no time and they are fantastic! A nice change from the usual broccoli line-up 🙂 Thank you so much for the recipe.
Never too late to a recipe party! 🙂 Pleased to hear you enjoyed it Suzanne, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Hello Nagi,
I’m looking for an appetizer recipe. Have you any experience making fritters half size? I’m looking forward to making these big and little.
Jane
Oooh yes I have! I made these in tots size, like my zucchini tots. It was fab!
Is the nutritional info for one fritter? Thanks for the great recipe!
HI Dana! Yes it is. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I’m doing a 24 Day Advocare Challenge and finding tasty yet healthy variations for eating veggies can be a challenge. I’ll definitely be making these again (the hardest part was keeping myself from going back for seconds)!
To keep these a little more Paleo I subbed the flour for Almond Meal, and used Almond Milk (but kept the parmesan – just wouldn’t be the same without the cheese) and fried them in coconut oil. Absolutely FANTASTIC!! And would be wonderful with a curry sauce as well.
Oooh! I love knowing that this works for Paleo – I must let my sis know, she’s gone paleo!!! (Since 1 Jan… 😉 )
Hello,
I have quite a lot of frozen broccoli that just doesnt feel the same when i cook it normally. I want to use it all up to make this recipe and was wondering if i make 1 huge batch, is it possible to store it in portions? I have around 50 cups of broccoli to go through.
Thanks!
Woah that is a LOT of broccoli!! yes you can definitely store these, in fact I have frozen them. They are best reheated on the stove – a quick pan fry to make the outside crispy again and reheat inside. 🙂
Forgive me, Nagi, for I have strayed. I strayed from your recipe by adding an ingredient. That ingredient be chorizo. And the fritters were OUT OF THIS WORLD!
These were really good. I did make one (small) fritter without the chorizo and I loved the cheesy garlicky batter around the still slightly crunchy broccoli. I added 2 chorizos (quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced) which I fried off in the pan to release the beautiful golden oils. These little morsels were set aside on some paper towels, and I kept the remaining chorizo oil in the pan which I used to fry the fritters, for extra flavour. I doubled the batter mix as I was adding the chorizo, and yielded 12 fritters which were almost completely demolished by me and J Daddy. We little piggies enjoyed these fritters tonight, and it will be interesting to see who gets the leftovers (2 rather tasty fritters) tomorrow.
From J Daddy: “These are really tasty, my love. Are you cooking from Nagi’s recipes again?” This is coming from a man who doesn’t pay attention to the weekly menu, and has no idea where I get my recipe ideas from, but knows a good thing when he eats it. And he knows your recipes are amazing. 🙂
Ohhhhh….I saw your fritters on Instagram! Talk about stepping up the humble fritter!! I am so jealous. Did you save me one?
Special request from J Daddy today, after we had your Crispy Cheesey Sausage Hash Browns last week: “Can you please make those amazing Broccoli Fritters this week? I think they’re even better than the hash browns.” So, this is going in the menu this week! I’ll be adding bacon – I have some bacon in the fridge that needs to be used up.
Oh, and I’m making these tomorrow night – dinner will be served just after 8pm. If you’re in the area, just follow your nose! 🙂
OMG! Seeing your message totally reminded me of these, I just got an ENORMOUS bag of broccoli from Coles for $0.99/kg!! N x
Broccoli is my all time favorite food & I’m always looking for different ways to cook with it! For a post workout meal I paired these with salmon & oh my goodness on of the best side dishes I’ve ever had. So yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And YES! I’ve added tinned salmon into this before too! So yum, makes it a complete meal 🙂 Thank you for coming back to share your thoughts!!
I made this tonight, but I roasted the broccoli first & switched out the parmesan for cheddar. Delicious.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Were you amazed how little batter there was compared to broccoli?? Hidden greens to the max!
These sound wonderful. Not the kind of thing I usually make, but I’m definitely saving the recipe for when I want something different.
This is definitely NOT my type of cooking either! I rarely make sweet things. Give me a choice between something sweet and something savoury, I’ll go savoury every time! But sometimes it’s nice to do something different. 🙂
I make a version of these with grated zucchini, using rice flour, parmesan, toasted pine nuts and cubed Feta and shredded basil (gluten free) Don’t forget to squeeze the water out of the Zucchini first.
Hi Rita! Yum, what a fab flavour combo. I learnt a great trick from a friend of mine – reduce the liquid amount in the batter and DON’T squeeze the water out of the zucchini. When you first mix it, the batter is super thick but you set it aside for 20 minutes, the zucchini sweats and hey presto! The batter is the perfect consistency for fritters! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe with us! I varied it by using coconut flour, and they’re still wonderful.
My boys and I have been on a broccoli and cheese sauce crave, it’s just so delicious it’s hard to resist! My youngest son just harvested some kale and collard greens from the garden, so I think perhaps sauteed greens, a little onion, maybe a slice of bacon (uncured) and some broccoli mixed in with a gently poached, fresh egg from our hens to go on top, and some of our home made baguettes will be on the menu today…
You should definitely try blanching and freezing florets, to extend the great deal you’re getting on broccoli.
Oh wow Kara, that’s so cool that you have your own veggie patch! I would love that. and fresh eggs too? Wow, you live in my dream home 🙂 So glad to hear it worked with coconut flour! I have a friend that is gluten free and she will be thrilled when I tell her that!
I have never tried a broccoli fritter before! These look delicious Nagi.. great idea!
This is brilliant! I LOVE broccoli, but my husband hates it – which means I don’t get to make it nearly as often as I would like. If I can hide the broccoli in this fritter as you mentioned (albeit you were referring to children and not an adult man) if think he’ll actually like this one!
Well actually, I did say “kids”, I didn’t say fully grown or underage!!
Girl, you just had to go there ! I don’t just care for my roast broccoli anymore ….. this one is much more enticing . Shame on you! Lol.
Oh please, your roasted broccoli is sensational!! Plus you’ve got the zing – and you know I love my spice!!
It’s all broccoli, baby! These look so good. I’m sitting at my son’s preschool and all the mom’s just gathered around to “ooh” and “aah” at your pictures. No better way to eat your veggies than these!
It’s definitely kid approved!! What is it with kids and food they can eat with their hands??
I can’t stop looking at these, they look so good!
Nagi, they look amazing, so fresh! A while ago I tried zucchini fritters and I really liked them, but broccoli and cheese sounds even better! And I’ve seen baked versions of these, but personally prefer the fried version!
Thanks Lyubomira! I really like zucchini fritters too 🙂 I have a theory any vegetable is tastier in fritter form!!
I love broccoli and these broccoli/Parmesan fritters look and sound perfect! I could eat a dozen of them. Yum! That yogurt sauce looks great also. Love how you’re cooking with the seasons. 🙂
Thanks Padaek!! I could DEFINATELY eat a dozen of them!!