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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Awesome! I added Mexican cheese, pepper cheese, cream cheese and hot paprika instead of pepper flakes. So good!
Really good. Added some finely diced fresh jalapeños and substituted the Colby with jalapeño jack cheese to spice it up a bit more (I love spicy!).
Leftovers (if there are any) reheat well. Made for football watching appetizers the first time. Making a batch just for me right now.
This was delicious! I didn’t use too much velveeta because I only had velveeta slices but it didn’t matter.
My 4 children and husband and I love them. I make them atleast 2 times a week.
I have a lot of zucchini this time of year so I substituted the broccoli with shredded zucchini. It was a big hit!
Just tried it. It’s delicious! And my toddler loves them too 😊
I haven’t tried these yet, but they look very tasty. Can you make these in the oven somehow? I don’t like to deep fat fry and don’t have a fryer.
This was a easy and very tasty recipes. Nice way to get my greens in. Will make again.
Bien me gusta puedes enviar recetas a mi correo henaldrick@hotmail.com gracias
I’ve been making a version of these for years. I use thick cut shredded mild cheddar, chopped fine, add chopped bacon and and roll in bread crumbs only. I freeze before frying. We dip in a tiger sauce. It is a copy cat version of the bayou broccoli balls at my favorite restaurant, Copelands in New Orleans.