Have you ever tried Zucchini Tots before? If you haven't, you are in for a treat. If you have ever had a tater tot before, the concept is similar except in place of grated potatoes, you have shredded zucchini. I find they are great for veggie averse kids since they are cute and fun to eat and the shredded zucchini is well hidden among the other ingredients.
One of the reasons I love this zucchini tots recipe so much is that it tricks my kids into eating more veggies. It doesn't hurt that these zucchini tots contain two kinds of cheese. More cheese is always a good thing!
For another yummy way to use zucchini, try this simple Bisquick Zucchini Quiche. It makes for a nutritious and delicious breakfast.
Zucchini Tots
You will need some shredded zucchini for this recipe. Shredding zucchini is a step that should be done by adults because of the potential for little hands to scrape and cut themselves.
Once the zucchini is shredded, use a cheese cloth to squeeze out the water from the zucchini.
My daughter was so excited to help with the recipe, but not excited enough to put down her crayon. I'm just glad we didn't end up with a yellow crayon in our zucchini tots.
We used a mini muffin pan for our zucchini tots. You can also just mold them by hand into small tater tot sized pieces and bake them on a greased cookie sheet. I prefer the mini muffin pan because it keeps your hands from getting dirty and the size tots it makes are just perfect for kids.
I like baking these up until they become slightly crispy on the top and bottom.
My kids loved these little zucchini tots. My youngest liked dipping them in ketchup. They made a great veggie side dish for adults too.
FAQs For Zucchini Tots
Yes, it’s important! Use a clean towel or paper towels to squeeze out as much liquid as possible so the tots hold their shape and don’t turn soggy.
You can prep the mixture ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few hours before baking. They’re best served fresh, but leftovers reheat well too.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to bring back some crispiness.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Tots
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini roughly one cup of zucchini after the water has been squeezed out
- ¼ cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 egg
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Grease a mini muffin pan.
- Shred one zucchini and wrap in cheese cloth. Squeeze out excess water from the zucchini.
- In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup shredded zucchini,egg, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper.
- Using a spoon, scoop the mixture into a greased mini muffin pan. The mixture will make 12 zucchini tots.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees until tops start to crisp.
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this zucchini tots recipe, you'll love:
Gina says
The directions in this recipe need to be revised to say "shred instead of "grate", as it pertains to the zucchini. This makes a huge difference. The photos in this recipe display shredded zucchini and not grated. I made them the first time and grated the zucchini and it tasted like a savory muffin. I am encouraging Vicky to revise the wording, because grated zucchini produces an entirely different food item.
Vicky says
Gina, thanks for the kind comments. I think you'll like the update. 🙂
Justlookingforyummyfood says
I made these just now...I also just ate more than half of them...opps.
Delicious! I had to use mostly all marble cheese as its all I had and I added just a little bit of chopped green onion (I had to use up)
Oh MAN these are so good. I don't even have kids haha...there will probably be none left by the time hubby comes home.
Vicky says
Thanks so much for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed them. Love the variations you made!
Candace Berkley says
I added chopped cooked bacon, a scallion, and garlic powder. Lots of great flavor!
eleni michael says
I believe that if we mix in it grated onion and parsley, the taste will rock.
Vicky says
I love this idea Eleni. I will have to try it and see if I can sneak it past the kids. 🙂
Sunny Drohan says
I am asking the same question as Heather. How many cups of shredded zucchini? If we have too little it won't be right or too much also won't be right. Please help. Much thanks.
I can't post a fair review yet. So putting 3 in hopes an answer will be forthcoming.
Thanks.
Sunny
Vicky says
Hi Sunny, Roughly 1 cup of zucchini after the excess water has been squeezed out. Hope this helps!
Lisolio says
Have you ever tried freezing these, and if so, did it work, or were they mushy when you thawed them? Thx!
Vicky says
I have never frozen them myself. If you decided to, I recommend using an airtight container. When you are ready to use them bake for about 15 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
Betty says
The egg is listed in the ingredients but not in the preparation?
Vicky says
Sorry, typo. All fixed. Thanks!
Heather says
I should like to make this with my grand-niece but medium is such a loose word especially when talking about zucchini which can grow huge..or what if I only have a few smaller ones...how many cups of grated zucchini should I have. In the pics it looks like about 4...is that right?
Sallie says
I googled on the internet "how many cups in a medium zucchini & found: 1 medium sized zucchini about 8 inches long, 2 inches in diameter and weighing about 5 ounces for our how many zucchini in a cup testing samples.
When sliced, 1 medium zucchini yielded about 1 to 1.25 cups and if grated, you end up with about 2/3 cup of tamped down zucchini" from http://www.howmuchisin.com/produce_converters/zucchini
Vicky says
Heather, the medium zucchini I had made one cup of grated zucchini after squeezing out the excess water.
Kari says
Bake at how many degrees please?
Vicky says
The recipe calls for it to baked at 400 degrees.
Bette Behrens says
can they be made in regular size muffin tin? If so how long would you bake them?
Vicky says
Since I have always made them as tots - bite sized yummies for my kids - I don't know how they would work in a larger muffin tin. I would expect they would need to be baked longer, but can't give you an exact number.