Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls
By Carine Claudepierre
Published on 05/12/2022 - Last updated on 05/20/2023
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These Broccoli Cheese Balls are delicious and healthy vegetable-loaded appetizers that can be served with a barbecue or as a food platter bite.
It’s delicious dipped in any sauce like tomato sauce, hummus, or guacamole.
What Are Baked Broccoli Balls?
Broccoli Cheese Balls are simple, healthy appetizers that are made with a large amount of broccoli, some cheese, and some healthy flours.
They can also be made with breadcrumbs, but the healthiest version contains almond flour and psyllium husk for a good amount of fiber and nutrients without the carbs.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe is a great simple appetizer that tastes delicious on an entrée platter.
- Healthy
- High in Fiber
- Low in Carbs
- Keto-Friendly (1.6g of Net Carbs)
- Gluten-Free
- Grain-Free
How To Make Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls
Making these broccoli cheese balls is so easy you can make it with your kids.
Ingredients
- Broccoli – Broccoli is a delicious low-carb vegetable. Remove the feet of the broccoli, and chop the head finely.
- Eggs – Eggs are necessary to create the binding.
- Almond Flour – Almond flour is a low-carb flour, perfect as a healthier replacement for panko crumbs.
- Psyllium Husk
- Grated Mozzarella – or any cheese like Emmental, cheddar cheese, or Gruyere freshly grated with a box grater.
- Onion – finely diced
- Herbs and Spices – such as Paprika, Dried Oregano, Cilantro, Salt, Garlic Powder, and Pepper.
Preparing The Broccoli
Start by removing the feet of the broccoli florets. You can use them later to make a soup.
Only use the softer parts of the broccoli and chop them finely.
Steam the chopped broccoli for just 4 to 5 minutes over high heat. This short time cooking avoids losing the nutrients from the vegetables.
You can also boil them for longer and the recipe would still work but steaming is better to keep the nutrient and green color.
Drain the broccoli florets using a clean towel and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
Making The Broccoli Ball Batter
Add the eggs, grated cheese, and all the other ingredients.
Combine the broccoli cheese ball batter with a spatula until it becomes dense and sticky.
Line a large baking tray with lightly oiled parchment paper and form 20 broccoli balls with your hands.
Baking The Balls
Make sure to leave one or two inches of space between each broccoli cheese ball.
Bake the balls for 15 to 20 minutes at 400°F (200°C) until they have turned golden and the surface is crispy.
Let them cool down for 5 minutes before serving them hot.
Serving Broccoli Cheese Balls
These broccoli cheese balls are perfect for a finger food platter. They can be served with any dipping sauce like:
- Homemade Ketchup
- 4-Ingredient Guacamole
- Eggplant Dip
- 3-Ingredient Alfredo Sauce
- 3-Ingredient BBQ Sauce
- Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip
They can also be served as a side dish to a Steak Alfredo, Almond Flour Chicken Tenders, or my creamy Chicken Marsala.
Storage Instructions
You can keep the baked broccoli cheese ball leftovers for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
They can also be frozen in zip-lock bags. Wait until they are fully cooled down before freezing them for up to a month.
Defrost the broccoli balls in the oven, or place them frozen on a cooking tray covered with parchment paper.
Cook them until they have defrosted and are crispy – it takes about 8 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Don’t overcook are they will dry out.
Allergy Swaps
You can’t swap the egg in these baked broccoli cheese balls, but you can replace the psyllium husk and almond flour with other non-keto ingredients.
- Almond Flour: Substitute the Almond Flour and Psyllium Husk for Panko Breadcrumbs, pick gluten-free breadcrumbs if you eat gluten-free.
- Broccoli: if you don’t like broccoli, make my Spinach Balls or Zucchini Balls instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
These vegetable bites can be baked in an air fryer. Place them on a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook them for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
Broccoli is one of the keto-friendly vegetables with only 4 grams of net carbs per 100 grams.
No, you can’t replace the egg in this recipe.
More Appetizer Recipes
If you like this quick appetizer recipe, I recommend trying the other low-carb party food below to pair with the broccoli bites.
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Baked Broccoli Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups Broccoli Head remove feet, finely chop the top part
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Almond Flour
- 2 tablespoons Psyllium Husk
- 1 cup Grated Mozzarella or grated emmental
- ¼ cup Onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Ground Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cover a baking sheet with lightly oiled parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Remove the broccoli feet and finely chop the broccoli head into tiny pieces. It will precook faster. Place into a steamer and steam for 2-4 minutes or until slightly tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process and maintain the green colors. Don't overcook the broccoli to avoid a puree, All you want is slight softer broccoli pieces. You can also boil the broccoli pieces in a pot filled with boiling water, for the same 2-3 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer the broccoli pieces into a mixing bowl, cool them down for 3-5 minutes, then add all the other ingredients: almond flour, eggs, psyllium husk, onions, paprika, oregano, salt, garlic powder, and mozzarella cheese.
- Combine with a spatula until it forms a batter that you can easily shape into balls with your hands.
- Slightly oil your hands with vegetable oil, scoop about a tablespoon of mixture, and roll it in your hands into balls. Press and roll until it comes together and shapes well. Wash your hands every 3-4 balls as it sticks a lot.
- Place the balls on the prepared cooking sheet, leaving a thumb of space between each broccoli ball.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on the outside.
- Serve hot out of the oven as an appetizer.
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About The Author
Hi, I'm Carine, the food blogger, author, recipe developer, published author of a cookbook and many ebooks, and founder of Sweet As Honey.
I have an Accredited Certificate in Nutrition and Wellness obtained in 2014 from Well College Global (formerly Cadence Health). I'm passionate about sharing all my easy and tasty recipes that are both delicious and healthy. My expertise in the field comes from my background in chemistry and years of following a keto low-carb diet. But I'm also well versed in vegetarian and vegan cooking since my husband is vegan.
I now eat a more balanced diet where I alternate between keto and a Mediterranean Diet
Cooking and Baking is my true passion. In fact, I only share a small portion of my recipes on Sweet As Honey. Most of them are eaten by my husband and my two kids before I have time to take any pictures!
All my recipes are at least triple tested to make sure they work and I take pride in keeping them as accurate as possible.
Browse all my recipes with my Recipe Index.
I hope that you too find the recipes you love on Sweet As Honey!
Disclaimer
The recipes, instructions, and articles on this website should not be taken or used as medical advice. You must consult with your doctor before starting on a keto or low-carb diet. The nutritional data provided on Sweetashoney is to be used as indicative only.
The nutrition data is calculated using WP Recipe Maker. Net Carbs is calculated by removing the fiber and some sweeteners from the total Carbohydrates. As an example, a recipe with 10 grams of Carbs per 100 grams that contains 3 grams of erythritol and 5 grams of fiber will have a net carbs content of 2 grams. Some sweeteners are excluded because they are not metabolized.
You should always calculate the nutritional data yourself instead of relying on Sweetashoney's data. Sweetashoney and its recipes and articles are not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Sweetashoney cannot be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or advice found on the Website.
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Wow I am so happy I just came across your site! I have been so nervous about introducing new foods into my baby’s diet and I don’t want her to have any baddies in her body so I want to make all of her food myself. I’m so glad I came across this 🙂 Thank you!
Hello Carine! Thank you for your great ideas and wonderful recipes. I have been blessed with 10 grandkids and ANY recipe that helps promote vegetables is appreciated! And these are “fun sized ” for the youngest to the oldest! I always look forward to your emails! Warm wishes to you and your family!
Sincerely,
Christina in California ?
You are so sweet. The blog wouldn’t exist without my kids around, they are my inspiration. I am so happy to read your message and see that those recipes are actually made and appreciated by other kids around the world! Love form NZ to you Christina and all your grankids. You must be so busy with 10! XOXO Carine