Broccoli Cakes

I love making these broccoli cakes since they're crispy on the outside, tender inside, and made with wholesome ingredients like riced broccoli, cheddar, eggs, onion, and almond flour.

These have quickly become one of our favorite low carb broccoli sides, especially served hot from the pan with a dipping sauce.

Things to Know Before Cooking Broccoli Cakes

• These broccoli cheddar cakes are cooked in a skillet, not baked in an oven.
• They're made with raw riced broccoli, which you can buy or make yourself. You don't need to precook the broccoli.
• Almond flour helps bind the mixture instead of flour, while keeping the recipe lower in carbs and gluten-free.

If you're looking for more low carb vegetable recipes, try our Cheesy roasted green beans, Low carb cauliflower mac and cheese, and Crock Pot cabbage with bacon.

Ingredients You'll Need

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

• Riced broccoli - Use store-bought broccoli rice or make your own by pulsing fresh broccoli florets in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Eggs - Large eggs work best here.
• Onion - Use finely diced yellow, white, or red onion.
• Almond flour - Use finely ground almond flour rather than almond meal for the best texture.
• Cheddar cheese - Sharp or medium cheddar both work well. Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend can also be used.
• Salt and black pepper - Adjust to taste depending on how salty your cheese is.
• Olive oil - Use olive oil or avocado oil for pan frying, or you can use a non-stick skillet or non-stick cooking spray in a stainless steel pan.

How to Make Broccoli Cakes

If you want to make your own riced broccoli, follow our easy tutorial here.

Step 1: Prepare the broccoli mixture

Add the riced broccoli, eggs, and diced onion to a medium bowl.

In a separate small bowl, mix the almond flour, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Stir the dry mixture into the broccoli until everything is evenly combined.

Step 2: Heat the skillet

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

The oil should be hot before the broccoli mixture goes in so the cakes start browning right away instead of soaking up the oil.

Step 3: Form the broccoli cakes

Drop heaping spoonfuls of the mixture into the skillet and gently flatten them with a spatula.

I keep them fairly small so they're easier to flip and less likely to fall apart.

Step 4: Pan fry

Cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through.

Work in batches of about 4-5 cakes at a time and add more olive oil if the skillet starts to look dry.

You can keep finished broccoli cakes warm in a 250°F oven while the remaining batches cook.

Recipe Tips

• Watch the moisture - If your fresh riced broccoli seems wet, let it drain or pat it dry before mixing. One reader noted that fresh broccoli released quite a bit of liquid, and excess moisture can make the patties harder to hold together.
• Keep the cakes small - Smaller patties are easier to flip and stay together better.
• Wait for the pan to get hot - A properly heated skillet helps the outside brown quickly.
• Don't flip too early - Let the first side brown and set before turning the cakes over.
• Add more oil as needed - Since these cook in batches, the skillet may need a little extra oil between rounds.
• Keep finished cakes warm - A 250°F oven works well while you cook the remaining batches.

Substitutions and Variations

• Make broccoli cheddar bites - Use smaller spoonfuls of the mixture to make bite-sized cakes for an appetizer. I haven't personally tested them at that size, so watch the cooking time closely.
• Change the cheese - Parmesan, Gruyere, Colby Jack, or a Mexican cheese blend can all change the flavor while keeping the same basic recipe.
• Try another vegetable - Riced cauliflower or shredded zucchini can work in a similar style, although wetter vegetables such as zucchini need to be drained very well.
• Make them dairy-free - The cheddar can be left out. A reader asked about this, and the egg and almond flour are the more important binders in the recipe.
• Use frozen riced broccoli - Thaw it completely and drain it very well before using.

Air fry them - One reader reported excellent results cooking them in a convection-style air fryer for about 20 minutes at 420°F. Since that wasn't my original tested method, I'd treat it as an optional reader-tested variation.

What to Serve with Broccoli Cakes

Broccoli cakes pair well with simple mains like baked pork chops, oven-baked ribs, roasted chicken, or grilled sausage. They're also good with eggs for breakfast or served on their own with sour cream, ranch, or another favorite dipping sauce.

Meal Prep and Storage

• Store leftover broccoli cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• For the best texture, reheat them in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute per side.
• You can also reheat them in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. The microwave works when you're short on time, but the cakes will be softer instead of crisp.

Macros

Per serving, these low carb broccoli cakes have approximately:

• Calories: 250
• Protein: 11g
• Total carbs: 7g
• Fiber: 3g
• Net carbs: 4g
• Fat: 21g

With about 4 net carbs per serving, these broccoli cakes make an easy low carb side dish or appetizer.

FAQs

Why are my broccoli cakes falling apart?

Broccoli cakes are more likely to fall apart when the mixture contains too much moisture or when they're flipped before the first side has set. Drain wet broccoli well, keep the cakes fairly small, and let them brown before turning.

Can I use frozen broccoli for broccoli cakes?

Yes. Frozen riced broccoli can work, but thaw it completely and squeeze or drain out as much moisture as possible before mixing it with the other ingredients.

Are broccoli cakes low carb?

Yes. These broccoli cakes use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour and are made with broccoli, eggs, cheddar, and onion, making them a lower-carb option.

Are broccoli cakes the same as broccoli fritters?

The terms are often used interchangeably. These are small pan-fried broccoli patties, so they can reasonably be called broccoli cakes, broccoli fritters, or broccoli cheddar fritters.

Low-Carb Vegetable Recipes

Looking for more low carb keto sides? Try these!

• Cauliflower mash
• Bacon wrapped green beans (air fryer recipe)
• Green bean casserole (low carb)
• Mashed butternut squash
• Brussels sprouts casserole with bacon
• Steakhouse creamed spinach
• Cauliflower casserole with bacon
• Low carb roasted radishes

More Broccoli Recipes

• Keto Broccoli Salad
• Chicken Divan Casserole (low carb keto)
• Roasted Broccoli
• Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup

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