This broccoli fritters recipe is so easy, yet tasty, it's unbelievable! It only requires broccoli, eggs, all-purpose flour, and some seasoning to create the veggie fritters, which are then lightly fried until golden in some olive oil. These fritters are a great breakfast, brunch, or afternoon snack treat, and can be personalized with some sour cream, bacon, or with the addition of cheese, such as Parmesan or cheddar, although the recipe as it stands is dairy-free. Enjoy!
Tasty, freshly steamed broccoli florets as mushed with eggs, seasoning, and all-purpose flour to create the perfect broccoli fritters in this simple, yet delicious recipe.
You will need very little prep time, mainly to clean and boil the broccoli, and only a handful of minutes to cook these broccoli pancakes [they are a bit of a cross-over between fritters and pancakes] to perfection.
They can be served on their own or as part of a larger breakfast and can be personalized with the addition of cheese [a nice tablespoon of Parmesan cheese works wonders] or different seasonings to the batter [chili flakes, anyone?].
Get your florets ready, this brunch is going to be unique!
Broccoli Fritters Ingredients
- Broccoli Florets: Fresh or frozen broccoli will work well in this recipe.
- Whole Eggs and All-Purpose Flour: The binding factor.
- Seasoning: To taste.
How to cook broccoli fritters?
- To start, divide your broccoli florets from the broccoli stalks using a sharp knife on a cutting board, as these can be quite tough when raw; boil the broccoli in a large pan of salted water until tender, but not overdone (this should take about 6 minutes, depending on the size of the broccoli stems).
- Once the broccoli florets are ready, drain them and mash them; this can be done in two ways, depending on the consistency desired. Should you prefer to have some small pieces of broccoli in your broccoli fritters, then like me, you can use a potato masher or a fork, should you instead prefer a smoother consistency, then you can use a food processor to do so.
- Allow the mashed broccoli to cool down for 5-10 minutes before proceeding with the next step.
- In a large bowl add the all-purpose flour, black pepper, and salt and mix well; next add the eggs and mix well once more, until a smooth batter is achieved.
- Lastly, to finish preparing the batter, add the boiled and mashed broccoli florets to the large bowl and mix well once more.
- To cook the broccoli pancakes, warm up a frying pan or non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and coat it with olive oil; once this is warm, using a soup ladle, cookie scoop, or a large spoon, create the fritters on the pan and allow to cook on medium heat until half-way ready. Once the pancakes are halfway done, flip them and finish cooking them thoroughly. To eliminate any excess grease, rest them on a piece of parchment paper or a paper towel; do this until all the batter is used.
- Enjoy!
Good news, broccoli fans, you can turn this broccoli fritter recipe into a cheesy one very quickly! Should you wish to make these cheesy, simply add the chosen type to the batter and mix well; when doing so, be sure to reduce the quantity of flour and salt used. As the recipe calls for 3 spoons of flour, should you decide to use Parmesan cheese, then perhaps try with 2 spoons of flour and one of parmesan. Another great cheese option for this recipe is cheddar cheese (ps: adding cheese is great also when making cauliflower fritters!)
Absolutely yes. This broccoli fritter recipe would work very well with chickpea flour or almond flour, which are both gluten-free; given these are salty pancakes, I would not recommend using sweeter options, like coconut flour. Just swap the all-purpose flour for your chosen alternative and adjust the quantity of required.
Can I prepare these broccoli fritters in advance? How to reheat broccoli pancakes?
These broccoli pancakes can be prepared in advance; once prepared, allow them to cool down and then store them in the fridge in an airtight container, where they will keep well for a couple of days. To reheat them, simply place them on a non-stick pan with a little olive oil and warm up on both sides until piping hot, or place them in the microwave and heat until ready, checking on them every 15 seconds.
Should you have one, a toaster oven is also a great tool to reheat these veggie fritters.
A few notes:
- Crispy broccoli fritters: to make these extra crunchy, simply shallow fry them in olive oil or sunflower oil a little longer, and once ready (perfect when they are golden brown) rest them on a baking sheet or cookie sheet.
- Favorite dipping sauce: these fritters pair very well - especially if eaten without the bacon - with sour cream or unsweetened Greek yogurt, but also with a bit of ketchup.
- More flavor: add some garlic powder to the batter for extra taste; this would work extra well also if preparing zucchini fritters if looking to prepare this recipe in a different way.
- Make it cheesy: if you find any special cheese in the grocery store and you think it could work with these salty pancakes, then why not give it a try? Not only parmesan or cheddar cheese, think gorgonzola (try it with some crumbled Gorgonzola Dolcelatte by Galbani!) , stilton (classic with broccoli), or pecorino. These would definitely elevate your broccoli cakes!
- Side dish: you can treat this fritter recipe as a side dish and serve it with almost anything, like grilled chicken, skewers, or poached eggs.
- Leftover broccoli: this is a great way of using up leftover broccoli! Although fresh broccoli that is still warm is easier to mash using a potato masher, leftovers can be lightly warmed in the microwave!
- Keto broccoli fritters: to make these broccoli patties keto-friendly (so lower in carbohydrates), simply change the type of flour for an approved substitute. A good option is almond flour, which may be the most used substitute when making a recipe keto-friendly! Also, remember that cheese is a keto-approved ingredient, so you could go 50-50 for a twist.
This recipe is absolutely easy, delicious, and a great way to make brunch fun!
If you are a fan of broccoli, you will love this in any case, but if you know someone who is not, I am sure this will be the way to make them enjoy an entire head of broccoli without a single question!
If you loved this, take a look at these too:
🍽️ Recipe
Easy Broccoli Fritters Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g Broccoli in small florets
- 2 Whole Eggs Large
- 3 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the broccoli florets until soft.
- Drain the broccoli well and then, using a potato masher, break them down. You do not need to make them smooth, as a bit of a bite can be pleasant.
- To the mashed broccoli add the flour, parmesan, salt, black pepper, and egg and mix well, until uniform and without flour knots. The consistency will be thicker than the one of regular pancakes, but resist the temptation to add any liquid to the batter: the broccoli are full of it and will release some while cooking.
- In a frying pan, add the olive oil, and warm-up; once it is warm, add ¼ of the broccoli batter to it, spread it evenly like a pancake (I do mine about 5mm thick), and allow to cook on a low flame. This will take, on a low flame, about 4 minutes on each side, so if you have a large pan, you may do two or more at the same time.
- Once one side of the pancake is cooked, flip; allow to finish cooking through and through.
- Enjoy!
Jen
I made these and the end result is still quite mushy. Is there a hack to make it less so? Or is this just the nature of a fritter?
Elle
Hi Jen,
Thank you for your comment!
May I ask whether they came out like pancakes? If so, then it's about adding a bit less egg, draining the broccoli better, and perhaps frying them in a bit more oil for crispiness.
If they didn't stick together at all, then there is too much water [from the broccoli, for example] and not enough egg and/or flour to keep them together.
Also, make sure you heat up the oil well and keep the flame at least medium while cooking them.
My fritters usually come with a light crunch outside and softer inside, they are not super crispy, as I don't add too much flour and like to keep the taste of broccoli.
Please let me know how it went and whether I can help more!
Also - thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to write, it is really appreciated!
Elle
Mary
So good ?
Elle
Thank you, Mary! ? And healthy!
Liz
Omg, I’ve just made these, I’ve been craving a Pancake for a while now, delicious and healthy!
Elle
Thank you, Liz! ? I love broccoli and pancakes, so I'm happy to have them together! ??