Zucchini Tots Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jan 27, 2026 
When I want to sneak extra veggies into my kids, I serve them my stealthily-healthy zucchini tots recipe that both kids and adults go crazy for. They are crispy on the outside and packed with sweet, tender shredded zucchini on the inside. These easy and cheesy baked tots are delicious, nutritious, and great for dipping.
These zucchini tots are satisfying, bite-sized, and so damn cute! If you’re a zucchini lover like me, then you’ve got to add these tots to your healthy snack roster alongside this zucchini chips recipe. Every little bite is packed with fresh shredded zucchini, herbs, cheesy goodness, and serious crunch. Great things really do come in small packages, and kids loooove these tots. They’re perfect for dunking into sauces, or fabulous just on their own.
Dyedreamer – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I wish you all could have seen my sons eyes light up after his first bite. This ones a winner for sure! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Nutritious and Baked – These gluten-free tots are so crispy that you’d think they were deep-fried. But no, these are packed with nutritious vegetables and baked to perfection.
Kid Approved – Kids can be picky eaters, so the fact that they love these veggie tots says a whole lot. PLUS, it’s a great way to sneak in those greens!
Quick and Easy Snack – I love that these tots come together with just a handful of simple ingredients and in a few easy steps. In just 30 minutes, you’ll have crispy, bite-sized treats to snack on! Just make sure to make plenty of these because they disappear fast.
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Zucchini – Shredded and squeezed, fresh zucchini is the main star of this recipe.
- Eggs – I add eggs into the batter because they help hold everything together.
- Italian blend cheese – For some added flavor and cheesiness, I use an Italian blend of provolone, parmesan and asiago. This also adds some healthy fats to the tots.
- Rice cereal – If you don’t need to make this gluten-free you can use regular panko breadcrumbs here.
- Aromatics – I use a blend of Italian seasoning and garlic powder to boost the savory flavors of these tots.
How To Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep the zucchini – The first thing I do is shred the zucchini. Then I pack it tightly into two cups and drain it really, really well using paper towels to press out the moisture. It’s super important to drain out all the water, otherwise you’ll get soggy tots. Once that’s ready, I place the drained zucchini in a large bowl where I’ll add everything else.
Make the batter – I make “breadcrumbs” by crushing rice cereal into really fine crumbs. I add those into the bowl and mix them with eggs, cheese, and seasonings.
Scoop and bake – I like to use a cookie scoop to make evenly sized tots. I place them onto a parchment lined baking dish and bake for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re golden and crispy.
Recipe Variations
- Squash – If you prefer yellow squash, swap it for the zucchini.
- Veggies – Add in corn or red bell pepper for an extra pop of color and crunch.
- Cheese – Swap the Italian blend cheese with feta cheese or chunks of mozzarella cheese for a more serious cheese-pull.
- Bacon – Mix cooked, crumbled bacon into the batter for a smoky and meaty twist.
Serving Suggestions
These nutritious vegetable poppers make a wonderful side dish or snack for kids and adults alike, and they’re great for dunking and dipping. Here are some of my favorite sauces to pair them with:
- The classics like ketchup, honey mustard, ranch, or blue cheese
- Homemade Yum Yum sauce
- Avocado crema
- Magic aioli sauce
- Tzatziki sauce
- Marinara sauce
- Comeback sauce
Once baked, they have the consistency of tater tots yet offer a lot more punch, including zesty flavor, protein, vitamins, and minerals! They are like mini zucchini cakes or zucchini fritters you can pop with your fingers. Here are a couple of main dishes that these tots go so well with:
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is lower in carbs than traditional potato tater tots. However, it is not low carb, keto, dairy-free, or vegan. You can make some minor swaps for a dairy-free recipe, using plant-based cheese.
To save time, you can use store-bought shredded zucchini or even zucchini ribbons, roughly chopped.
Yep! Air fry these at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until they get nice and crispy.
Storing
If you have any leftover zucchini tots, store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days! You can reheat them in a microwave; however, they won’t stay crispy. To keep them crispy, reheat in an oven or air fryer.
As a bonus, these are easy to freeze! Just bake them according to the recipe, place them in a zip bag, and freeze. When you’re ready to use them, warm them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes! Or, you can use the air fryer to warm them up until heated through.
Looking for More Nutritious Zucchini Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
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Baked Zucchini Tots
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups packed shredded zucchini
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (could use low fat cheese)
- 1/2 cup crushed rice cereal, such as Rice Chex or gluten-free rice puffs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Shred the zucchini and measure out 2 cups tightly packed. Dump the zucchini onto a paper towel. Then use another paper towel to press out as much moisture as possible. Discard the paper towels. Place the zucchini in a large bowl.
- Crush the rice cereal into fine crumbs. Add the eggs, cheese, crushed rice cereal, herbs, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Mix well to combine.
- Using a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop, spoon out tightly packed portions of zucchini mixture and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
You just blew my mind and made me realize that puffed rice cereal are basically gluten free panko. OH THE COOKING THAT IS TO BE DONE WITHOUT BEING MASSIVELY OVERCHARGED.
The first time i made these i didnt like them as they were odd. My kids loved them so made them again this time i put them in mini muffin trays and they are so much better i sprinkled alittle bit of cheese on top yummy thanks
These came out soggy on the inside but were crispy on the outside. A bit strange in texture. I made two batches at the same time and unfortunately they all went in the bin.
Hi Jennifer,
Sorry to hear that. It sounds like you need to squeeze out a bit more of the liquid in the zucchini before baking.
They taste great, but I did not get enough water out of zucchini, so they are shaped more like cookies. Next time I will use my usual method of getting water out of zucchini. I look forward to trying again. I might try bread crumbs, as they are more absorb any then rice cereal.
They are delicious
Awesome!!
I wish you all could have seen my sons eyes light up after his first bite. This ones a winner for sure! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Please note that not all rice cereal is gluten free due to malt being an ingredient. If you are serving this to someone with Celiac or might be gluten sensitive, please only use rice cereal that is void of malt.
I made these this weekend but I switched the Italian cheese & seasoning to Mexican. Delicious!
My kids didn’t want to like this or admit to liking them, but they all disappeared in a flash My garden won’t stop producing zucchini, so I will be producing and freezing these for the school year when we are short on time and need a quick dinner. Thanks for the great recipe and addition to our diet.
This came out great ! The family really loved them! Great way to get my daughter to eat Zucchini!
I LOVE these! I have Gastroparesis and have a VERY restricted diet. I made these and substituted the regular cheese for a low fat grated Parmesan (used about 3 tablespoons instead) and used egg beaters in place of the eggs. I also peeled the zucchini and modified the spices, per my diet restriction. These worked so well for me and sat amazingly on my stomach. Highly recommend for all of my GP people! Thanks for sharing a life changing recipe.