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These easy to make Cottage Cheese Cauliflower Tots are a super fun and delicious guilt free snack or appetizer. And you’ll love that these are gluten free, low carb, keto, and baked rather than fried!
Cottage cheese tots recipe is a healthy option for kids of all ages. I’d even serve these for breakfast or game day snacks!
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Cottage cheese recipes
Cottage cheese is really having its moment! I love it and have for a long time. But you probably already know that about me. Here are some great ways to use it:
I adore cottage cheese for breakfast topped with fresh ripe peaches, or with peach butter.
Cottage cheese ranch for a savory way to use cottage cheese.
Chocolate cottage cheese pudding
Spinach provolone baked pasta with cottage cheese filling
And did you know that you can make Vegan Cottage Cheese!
These tots are a fun addition to a game day spread with some Pizza Biscuits as well!
How to make
These cauliflower tots using frozen cauliflower rice are quick and easy to make in just a few steps.
Whip cottage cheese, then mix it with cooked cauliflower rice, that’s really all there is to it! The cheese binds the bits of veggies together. Then, bake it for a bit to crisp up the outside.
The full printable recipe ingredients and instructions are available in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. You can find important tips and tricks in the post.
ingredients
There are just the two main ingredients plus some spices.
For the cottage cheese, use fat free, low fat, or full fat – your choice.
Obviously, fat free will have fewer calories, but it also tends to be a bit more watery and less flavorful. Full fat will make a thicker and more flavorful tot, but will add more calories to your snack. So, it’s your choice.
This recipe is originally from Weight Watchers, and if made with fat free cottage cheese, one serving has zero points.
For the riced cauliflower, make it easy on yourself and buy a bag of it already riced. It comes in the fresh produce area of the store, or in the freezer aisle.
If you want to make your own riced cauliflower, it’s best done in a food processor (less mess) with a head of fresh cauliflower.
If you’re using a frozen bag, allow it to defrost.
start cooking the cauliflower
Lightly cook the cauliflower in a nonstick skillet, there’s no need for cooking spray or anything.
Once the cauliflower is softened, spread it out onto layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. Let cool completely.
Some bags of frozen cauliflower can be steamed in the bag in the microwave. Just follow the directions on the bag to steam it. Then, spread it out onto layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. Let cool completely.
If your cauliflower is really wet, you can wrap it in a cloth and squeeze out the excess moisture.
whip the cottage cheese
If your cottage cheese is liquidy, be sure to drain off the excess liquid by placing the cottage cheese in a fine mesh strainer. If the cottage cheese is too thin the tots will not form well.
Puree the cottage cheese in a food processor or a blender until smooth.
mix it up and shape
In a medium bowl, stir together the cooked cauliflower, whipped cottage cheese, salt, oregano, and garlic powder.
For each tot, shape a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into a tot shape and place onto a baking sheet that’s lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
I recommend using a small cookie dough scoop to measure them out onto the baking sheet. This will keep them uniform is size. Once scooped, use your fingers to shape them into a log or “tot”.
If you don’t have a cookie dough scoop, just use a small spoon and try to keep the portions even so that everything cooks evenly.
Coat tots with cooking spray.
bake
Bake until browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
The tots will probably have flattened out a bit when you take them out of the oven. They are easy to reshape while they are still warm. Just use the side of a spoon to press them together.
You could also shape them like patties so you don’t have to worry about them flattening out after baking.
These bake up best in a convection oven. You can also make them in a regular conventional oven; just increase the temperature to 450° F.
Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your tots.
Serve these up with ketchup, Cottage Cheese Everything but the Bagel Dip, BBQ sauce, Honey Mustard, Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce, or Buttermilk ranch dressing.
These are delicate little bites, more delicate than regular potato tots. They will hold together when you pick them up, but if you dunk them in a thick dipping sauce, they might break apart.
Can I make cauliflower tots in the air fryer?
The fact that these work so well in a convection oven makes me think they would be great (maybe even better) in an air fryer.
I haven’t made them in the air fryer, but I would place a piece of parchment paper down, shape the tots on top of it, and pop them in the air fryer.
Air fry at 400° F and check them early to make sure they don’t burn.
The down side of making them in the air fryer is that you can’t make as many at one time.
How do I store them?
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
To reheat, place the tots on a baking sheet and broil them on high for a couple of minutes until heated through and crispy on the outside.
I also really like them cold from the fridge. You can also serve them on top of a green salad for a fun way to serve the second half of them.
Can I freeze cauliflower tots?
These freeze very well, either before being baked, or afterwards.
Arrange the tots on a baking sheet and pop them in the freezer. Once frozen transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, and store them up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake them, bake as directed directly from the freezer, adding a couple extra minutes to the bake time.
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Recipe
Cottage Cheese Cauliflower Tots
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen uncooked cauliflower rice thawed
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F (preferably convection otherwise 450° F in a conventional oven). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high (no need for cooking spray). Add the cauliflower rice and cook until almost tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Spread the cooked cauliflower out onto layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture. Let cool completely.12 ounces fresh or frozen uncooked cauliflower rice
- Meanwhile, in a food processor or a blender, puree the cottage cheese until smooth.1 cup cottage cheese
- In a medium bowl, stir together the cooked cauliflower, whipped cottage cheese, salt, oregano, and garlic powder.½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- For each tot, scoop out the dough with a small cookie dough scoop or rounded tablespoon of the cauliflower mixture into a tot shape and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Coat tots with cooking spray.Nonstick cooking spray
- Bake until browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Reshape tots as needed after they have come out of the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Kathleen
YAY! I’m eating Keto right now and these made me feel like I was enjoying tater tots! Loved them!
Rini
What a great use of cauliflower tots! It tasted much better than potato tots and I loved that they were so easy to make.
Jennifer
My tater tots came out like flat. As a penny do you think, adding an egg would help them be more firm and not flat
Debi
Jennifer, make sure you shape them before baking as well as afterwards. I think that the full fat cottage cheese works a bit better in these. Make sure to drain the cauliflower really well – any excess moisture will make these not stick together and flatten. With the two simple ingredients they do tend to flatten. You could also serve them as patties. Yes, I think that adding an egg will give them more structure. Let me know if you try that. You could also add some shredded cheese, like cheddar to give them more structure.
Michele Burgess
I obviously did something wrong. Mine spread out like a wrap. I still at it. The flavor was delicious.
Debi
Michele, the cottage cheese you used was probably too thin and watery. Try placing it in a strainer to drain out the water. And make sure you strain out the water from the cooked cauliflower. The batter (before being baked) should hold together and be thick. If it’s thin and spreadable, it’s too watery. (check out the pictures in the post) You could make it into disks or rounds as well instead of tot shaped. You could also bake it in small mini silicone muffin cups to hold it into a tighter shape.
Jennifer Rowe
Is this 10 calories for 24 tots? Or each tot is 10 calories?
Debi
Jennifer, it’s a breakdown of each tot, so each one is 10 calories.
Mike A
Went completely flat like others have said. I used whole milk cottage cheese, make sure the cauliflower was slightly cooked and dried/cooled. I would recommend finding a different recipe so you actually get tots.
ALISON
Mine came out flat too. I guess I should have read the comments before doing the recipe.
Rob
I read the other reviews and frankly, mine came out great. Not sure what those other people did wrong. I had a little reshaping to do, like you said in the recipe, but they held together and were fun. Nice flavor too. I think people expect too much from keto type recipes. You can’t expect cottage cheese and cauliflower to be exactly like bread or potatoes. Anyway, I’ll make these again!