When I was a kid, tater tots were one of the few things my mom would actually buy frozen. She usually served them with steak and it was one of my favorite meals! In retrospect, I think my mom was probably a little offended that one of our favorite side dishes came from a bag but we were kids, what did she expect? As an adult, I have a much deeper appreciation for home cooking so I decided to try and make my own version of tots.
Tater tots are one of my greatest weaknesses in the world! I order them every time I’m in a bar that has them even if I’ve already eaten dinner, it’s a problem. I’d like to say I tried to make a healthier version of tater tots with this recipe, but lets be honest, it’s still not healthy. It is however, full of cheesy deliciousness AND it’s gluten free optional for all my gluten free ladies and gents out there!
If you spend as much time on Pinterest as I do, you’ve probably came across a recipe for cauliflower tots. This recipe is basically a product of lots of Pinterest browsing but I added my own spin by adding white cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a kick! The other selling point here is the Sriracha Mayo dipping sauce which is creamy, spicy and just flat our addictive. It’s modeled after the “Crispy Green Bean Sauce” from P.F. Changs, which is quite possibly the best sauce on earth. It’s not an exact copy but it’s a damn close decoy.
These are a truly great picnic or barbecue food for the summer coming up and this recipe can be easily doubled without extra effort. Beware though, they won’t last long, they’re extremely addicting.
Until Next Time,
Jackie
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Cheesy Herb Baked Cauliflower Tots
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 12-16 tots 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Side, Snack
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, gluten free
Description
These cauliflower tots are cheesy, crispy and packed with flavor and perfect dipped into creamy sriracha mayo! Bring them to a Barbecue as a shareable finger food or just eat the whole batch yourself!
Ingredients
Scale
- Cauliflower Tots
- 1 large head cauliflower, chopped
- 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup brown rice flour* *(see notes)
- 1 cup bread crumbs (see notes)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbs garlic powder
- 1 tbs onion powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- pinches of salt and pepper
- Sriracha Mayo
- 1/2 cup Vegenaise*
- 1 tbs lime juice
- 2 tbs sriracha
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbs scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While it is preheating, bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chopped cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, make the sriracha mayo sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the vegenaise, sriracha, lime juice, onion powder and scallions together. Reserve some scallions for garnish and set the sauce aside.
- When the cauliflower is tender, drain it and add it to your blender or food processor. You want to lightly pulse the cauliflower so that it breaks up but be careful not to over mash it. About three pulses should be fine.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and add in the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley, breadcrumbs, both cheeses and the eggs. Mix all the ingredients together until they are combined. You can you a hand mixer for this or just mix vigorously with a large spoon. It should have the consistency of mashed potatoes but with some of the cauliflower pieces in tact.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cauliflower mixture out of the bowl one tablespoon at a time and use your hands to mold it into a tot shape. Repeat this until you’ve used the whole mixture. You should end up with 12-16 tots. Bake the tots for 15 minutes on each side. They should still be soft but golden brown on the outside! Serve alongside the Sriracha Mayo. Enjoy!
Notes
*Since this recipe is not Vegan, feel free to use regular Mayo as well. I just prefer Veganaise.
*I make mine gluten free with gluten free breadcrumbs and brown rice flour, but you are free to use any breadcrumbs that work for you and all purpose flour.
