Perfect for a healthy snack, side dish or even the star of the show these vegetable tots are super simple to put together and baked for a really crisp outside and soft, fluffy insides!

Until I’d made these vegetable tots I’d never had a tot!  The name ‘tot’ originates from an American frozen food company that makes the Tater-Tot.  I think in the UK the closest we get to these small, cylinder shaped, deep fried side dish are potato croquettes.  I used to love a croquette as a kid.  I’ve mentioned before how my mum hated cooking.  She’d get too hot, flappy and didn’t know how to juggle multiple things cooking at the same time.  But she was really good at serving up things already made – I’m looking at you here Findus Crispy Pancakes and Arctic Roll.  And potato croquettes was one of her specialities.  Dad and I were carb fans, so anything made with potato was always relished.

So these vegetable tots are a nod to both my mum and dad and all those years of beige food.  There’s a little bit of colour in these veggie tots though as we’ve got both broccoli and spinach.  And I wanted something that was easy to make but a little bit healthier than a deep fried potato thing.

I also love a dippy thing.  Because these tots not only make a lovely side dish but they’re a delish little snack, full of flavour and dipped into a herby, garlicky mayo is just the thing when you want something really tasty.

How to make vegetable tots:

Grate the potato.  Guided by the original Tater-Tot, grated potato is a given.  I don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub the skins clean unless they’re particularly gnarly.  Then the hardest bit of the whole process is giving the potatoes a good squeeze.  The first time I tried these I skipped this part and the tots were so soggy I had to add a tonne of flour to have anything I could even remotely get into a tot shape.  Put the grated potato into a clean t-towel and squeeze to get rid of as much water as you can.

Put the broccoli florets into a food processor.  Add the spinach and whizz until it’s very finely chopped.  Then tip in the squeezed grated potato and all the spices, herbs, flour and cheese as well as a good pinch each of salt and pepper.

Scoop out spoonfuls of mixture, shaping them into cylindrical ‘log’ shapes.  This mix makes roughly twenty tots that are about 2 inches (5cm) long each, but you can make them smaller if you’d prefer.  Place the shaped tots onto a lined baking sheet.  Don’t bunch them up too much together, you want the outsides to crisp up and if they’re too close they’ll steam rather than bake.

Once you’ve shaped them all brush each one with a little olive oil.  Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, then carefully flip each tot over and bake for a further 10 minutes.

While they’re baking make the herb and garlic mayo.  Simply mix together all the ingredients for the mayo and put into a small bowl.  I’ve used homemade vegan pesto for this but if you don’t have any to hand you can just add a little extra basil.

You can serve these hot or cold and they make great leftovers!  Simply chill, store in the fridge until needed then reheat thoroughly.  These vegetable tots make delicious finger food while you’re watching your favourite Netflix tipple.  And the dogs watch you.

Looking for more easy, healthy and vegan ideas?  Try these:

Buffalo Broccoli Bites

Minted Pea Guacamole

Tortilla Wraps with BBQ Jackfruit

Peri Peri Tacos with Sweetcorn Salsa

Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Dressing

I’d also love to hear from you if you make these Vegetable Tots! Just leave a comment as it’s so helpful and I love to hear how the recipe worked out for you! Thank you so much!

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