Broccoli Cheese Balls are crispy fried baslls with a melty broccoli and 3-cheese interior. They are amazing!!
Broccoli Cheese Balls make a delicious finger food for holiday parties or game day. Make them as an after school snack and your kids will think you are the coolest parent ever. Next to Fried Mac and Cheese, I think these fried broccoli balls are the best kid snack ever.
Crispy on the outside with a Panko crumb coating and totally cheesy on the inside with 3 kinds of cheese. The little bits of fresh broccoli are totally coated in gooey, melted cheese.
Are Broccoli Cheese Balls Spicy?
I add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes to give them some spice. You can reduce it to 1/4 teaspoon if you like.
Make Ahead
You’ll need to go ahead and make the Broccoli Cheese Ball mix a little ahead of time and then shape them into balls. You want to refrigerate them at this point for at least 30 minutes so they hold their shape better.
Then they’re coated in flour, dipped in egg wash, coated in Panko crumbs, and fried until golden. For best results, use a thermometer to keep the oil at about 375 degrees.
More Awesome Appetizers To Try
- Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts
- Spinach Cheese Balls
- Broccoli Crescent Squares
- Fried Jalapeno Popper Bites
- Pulled Pork Egg Rolls
Broccoli Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 heaping cups fresh broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded Colby cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces Velveeta, cut into small chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 1/4 cups Panko crumbs,, divided
- 1 egg,, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs,, lightly beaten
- Vegetable or Canola oil
Instructions
- Steam broccoli until slightly softened. Let cool.
- Finely chop broccoli. You want the pieces to be 1/4-inch or less. Place in a large bowl.
- Add cheese, red pepper flakes, 1/4 cup Panko crumbs, and 1 egg to bowl with broccoli. Stir well.
- Use your hands to shape mixture into balls using about a rounded tablespoon for each ball. You should get 12-14.
- Place balls on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Place flour in a bowl.
- Place the 2 lightly beaten eggs in a second bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon water.
- Place remaining 2 cups Panko crumbs in a third bowl.
- Pour about 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Heat oil to 375 degrees. For best results use a thermometer.
- Remove broccoli balls from refrigerator, coat in flour, dip in egg mixture, and then coat in Panko crumbs.
- Fry about 4 balls at a time cooking until golden brown on all sides.
- Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from: Simply Done, Well Done
Originally posted November 9, 2017.
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These were easy to make and delicious to eat. To make them taste even better, we dipped them in a touch of ranch dressing. My husband is not a broccali fan, but he loved these! So did I!
These are amazing!! I added grated cheese to inside and to Panko. I added onion ,pepper Jack cheese to broccoli and red pepper flakes to Panko. I make them different every time depending on what cheeses I have in fridge. Everyone loves these!! You can prepare them ahead of time and just fry them when guests are here. Great easy recipe
Has anyone ever froze the left overs? Second time making this recipe and these are so good. I follow the recipe but kind of wing it at the same time. We added bacon so you can believe that it put these over the top. We also use whatever cheese we have on hand and they come out great. Thanks for sharing.
Great…
But, NOT a healthy “snack for kids”
what is not healthy about broccoli & cheese?
These are amazing and easy. I use pepper Jack, Colby and Monterey Jack, little Christmas now of velveeta and I added grated cheese garlic and onion. They are delicious and so have made them so many ways and every time everyone loves them!!!
I used myfitnesspal and added everything into the recipe sections, if it yielded 13 servings, this would be the nutritional breakdown:
Nutrition Facts
Servings 13.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 168
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11 g 16 %
Saturated Fat 5 g 23 %
Monounsaturated Fat 3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 176 mg 59 %
Sodium 284 mg 12 %
Potassium 74 mg 2 %
Total Carbohydrate 13 g 4 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g 3 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 12 g 24 %
Vitamin A 91 %
Vitamin C 15 %
Calcium 68 %
Iron 3 %
these loolk so good. i made potato cakes today and can not get mine to form nice. they break and are soft. i tried w/oil real hot; they brown on one side; when i go to flip, they just look like mashed potatoes. i use egg flour and seasonings. should i be using a griddle? i hope i have better luck w/these. thanks for the delicious recipe.
Phyllis
Can these be made ahead and dropped in oil just before serving or will the panko get soggy?
Have you tried these in an air fryer? Were they a success Or a fail?
Thank you
made these today for an afternoon snack for the kids and boy they were delicious. I used cheddar and pepper jack cheese because that’s what I had on hand. Will definitely make again. My kids asked me if I could combine cauliflower with broccoli next time so of course I will. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It popped up today as a suggestion and glad it did.
Nutritional info? At least the macros; carbs, fat & protein.