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Home Recipes Appetizers Easy Broccoli Cheese Bites

Easy Broccoli Cheese Bites

25 minutes
Jump To Recipe Video Print Recipe
By: Britni Vigil
7/08/2022Updated: 7/08/2022
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These broccoli cheese bites make the perfect side for dinner or a great healthy comfort food option! Or better yet - serve them as an appetizer at a brunch or baby shower!

These broccoli cheese bites are the perfect quick and easy appetizers, full of veggie and cheesy goodness. Everything you love about a broccoli cheese casserole all in one tiny bite. These broccoli bites are perfect for a weekly dinner side or served at a brunch! 

Broccoli bites are a great appetizer for a dinner party

When I was growing up, my mom would make us like the same twenty meals all the time. One of those meals was pizza loaf and another was French dip sandwiches with tater tots.

A third was a broccoli cheese chicken casserole topped with Ritz crackers. I remember thinking it was like the best thing ever. I actually recreated a grown up version of that easy broccoli cheese casserole recipe here if you want to see my inspiration for these broccoli bites!

One of the things that I remember being best about the Ritz broccoli casserole was the melted cheese with the crunchy Ritz cracker top!

I host a lot of parties and am always looking for party appetizers that taste good both warm and at room temperature.

These broccoli bites are a bite-sized version of that Ritz broccoli casserole I mentioned earlier, and they’re great for serving at any party!

Or if you’re not looking for a party appetizer, these make great finger foods for picky eaters and a great option for getting some veggies in for the whole family! They’re always a big hit with kids and adults, and a fun way to serve healthy foods without just doing a standard veggie tray.

Why You’ll Love This Broccoli Bites Recipe

  • Simple – all you need to do is mash up some crackers, mix all the simple ingredients together, and bake!
  • Healthier Alternative – these are a great healthier alternative for an appetizer compared to something like these bacon wrapped dates or these grape jelly meatballs.
  • Versatile – these work great for all sorts of occasions from a baby shower brunch to a game day football party! They don’t really have a particular theme, which means you could make them all year round!

Ingredients

Ingredients to make broccoli bites with labels

Ingredient Notes

  • Broccoli – you’ll need three cups of fresh broccoli florets that are cooked and chopped up into small bite-sized pieces. You can either use raw broccoli that you cut and cook yourself or something like broccoli wockly that’s already cut up for you and ready to cook. I do not recommend using frozen broccoli because it adds too much liquid to the broccoli bites.
  • Ritz Crackers – I used about 30 crumbled up crackers to make these but if you want a little less, you can skip adding the cracker crumbles on top of the broccoli cheese bites.
  • Salt – while it’s not pictured above, you’ll also need to add a little salt to pull all of the flavors together nicely. Salt is the easiest way to really bring out the natural flavors of food.
  • Cheddar cheese – you can either buy store-bought shredded cheese or shred it by hand, just make sure it’s thinly shredded so it’ll mix with the other ingredients nicely. You could also make these with a combination of 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, but I prefer the classic cheddar cheese combo.

How to Make Broccoli Bites

Making these broccoli cheddar bites is so easy, seriously. It’ll take you about 20 minutes tops!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees and spraying a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. You could also use a mini muffin tin if you want to make mini bites, I just prefer the full-size ones.

While your oven is preheating, cook your broccoli. You can either steam it (here’s a great tutorial if you’re not sure how) or use a micro-steamer like this to make the process faster!

Then throw the pieces of broccoli in a food processor along with 25 of the Ritz crackers, cheese, egg, and salt. Pulse until everything is well combined into one broccoli mixture.

I picked up this food processor on Prime Day last year, and it’s been worth every cent!

Ingredients for broccoli bites in a food processor

Once the egg mixture is ready, spoon the mixture loosely into muffin tins until they’re about 3/4 full either using a large spoon or cookie scoop. Do not press down on the mixture or it’ll get drier than you want.

filling muffin tins with broccoli bites mixture

I prefer to use a silicone muffin pan like this one so that they slide out easily once baked but you can use any muffin tin you’d like. Once all of the muffin tins are filled, sprinkle the remaining crumbled Ritz crackers on top before baking.

hand sprinkling ritz crackers on broccoli bites

Bake in muffin cups for 12-15 minutes and you have yourself bite-sized bites of broccoli and cheese goodness. The cooking time may vary depending on how quickly your oven bakes and the actual size of the broccoli bites.

Let cool for just a minute then use a small silicone spatula to slide those bites out! So much cuter than a casserole.

hand grabbing a broccoli bites in a muffin tin

They were perfect for my game day party!

They’d also go great paired as a great side dish with this almond chicken or even this balsamic chicken – great way to make eating veggies fun for both younger and older kids! Or just stack them on a plate and serve as is!

stacked pile of broccoli bites on a white cake stand

Expert Tips & Storage Info

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. After the three days either freeze using the instructions below or throw away.

Freeze in a freezer safe airtight container for up to three months. When you’re ready to thaw and reheat, I recommend reheating in the oven by placing them on a baking sheet and putting them in the cold oven. Set the temperature to 350 degrees and let the broccoli bites warm up with the oven. Enjoy once they’re warm.

Spice them up. If you want to add a little more flavor and kick (not recommend for kids), you can add 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to the mixture.

FAQs

Can you make broccoli bites without crackers?

These broccoli bites can be made without crackers by replacing the cracker crumbs with something else you’d prefer such as bread crumbs, panko bread crumbs, gluten free bread crumbs, almond crackers, and more. You’ll want about 1 1/2 cups total of whatever crumbs you choose.

Can you make these mini broccoli cheese bites?

If you’d prefer to make mini bites, similar in size to something like broccoli tots, I recommend filling mini muffin tins 3/4 full and then baking for 6-9 minutes or until the crumbs on the top are slightly browned.

What are broccoli bites made of?

Broccoli bites are made of broccoli, cheddar cheese, Ritz crackers, egg, and salt. The ingredients are combined together into bite-sized broccoli cheese bites of delicious flavor!

stacked broccoli bites on a white plate

More Easy Finger Foods

If these broccoli cheese bites aren’t quite what you’re looking for, here are some more delicious broccoli cheese recipes!

  • Bacon brie bites – bacon and brie cheese combines together in these delicious bite-sized snacks!
  • Cheese bomb – bacon and cheese stuffed inside a biscuit turns into a delicious bomb of flavor!
  • Bisquick sausage balls – five-ingredient sausage balls with tons of yummy flavor!
  • Pizza twist recipe – all the flavors of your favorite pizza twisted into a grab and go snack!
  • Pigs in a blanket with cheese – classic pigs in a blanket gets a cheesy upgraded into this favorite!
 

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Print Rate
4.20 from 73 votes

Broccoli Cheese Bites

These broccoli cheese bites are the perfect quick and easy appetizers, full of veggie and cheesy goodness. Everything you love about a broccoli cheese casserole all in one tiny bite. These broccoli bites are perfect for a weekly dinner side or served at a brunch! 
These broccoli cheese bites are great quick and easy appetizers, a great healthy option for a brunch or party!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Serves12 bites

Ingredients

  • 3 cups broccoli , cooked and chopped
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 30 Ritz crackers , crumbled
  • 1 egg
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Spray muffin tin with non-stick baking spray.
  • Cook broccoli.
    3 cups broccoli
  • Combine broccoli, cheese, 25 Ritz crackers, egg, and salt in a food processor until everything is well combined.
    3 cups broccoli, 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt
  • Spoon mixture loosely into muffin tin until about 3/4 full.
  • Sprinkle with remaining Ritz crackers.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until crackers are slightly browned on top and mixture is fully cooked.
  • Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tips & Notes:

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days. After the three days either freeze using the instructions below or throw away.
Freeze in a freezer safe airtight container for up to three months. When you’re ready to thaw and reheat, I recommend reheating in the oven by placing them on a baking sheet and putting them in the cold oven. Set the temperature to 350 degrees and let the broccoli bites warm up with the oven. Enjoy once they’re warm.

Nutrition Info

Calories: 127kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 299mg, Potassium: 100mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 350IU, Vitamin C: 20mg, Calcium: 158mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Author: Britni Vigil
Course:Appetizer, Side Dish, veggies
Cuisine:American
Did You Make This?Tag @PlayPartyPlan on Facebook and Instagram and hashtag it #playpartyplan so I can see your creations!
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  1. Michele says

    Posted on 12/31 at 1:41 pm

    4 stars
    I just made them, great! I used shredded mozzarella instead of cheddar cheese. What amount of breadcrumbs can I use instead of crackers?

    Reply
  2. Michele Silla says

    Posted on 12/31 at 1:26 pm

    4 stars
    I just made them, they are great! I used shredded mozzarelli instead of cheddar cheese. If I used breadcrumbs next time instead of ritz crackers, what amount would I use. Happy New Year
    Thanks Michele S

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 1/30 at 10:46 am

      I’ve never done bread crumbs before but if you test it out, please let me know how it goes.

      Reply
  3. Michele S says

    Posted on 12/29 at 11:13 am

    Making today for New Year’s Eve! They look sooo good!

    Reply
  4. Michele says

    Posted on 12/27 at 7:37 pm

    I’m planning to make these for New Year’s Eve. Instead of ritz crackers how much bread crumbs should I use. Thanks for the help!

    Reply
  5. Fay says

    Posted on 11/23 at 2:35 pm

    5 stars
    I didn’t have a mini muffin tin so I doubled the recipie and made 12 regular size muffins, adjusted the cook time to 20 minutes and they came out perfect. Great snack for while everyone is watching football before Thanksgiving.

    Reply
  6. Mello says

    Posted on 8/12 at 8:42 am

    5 stars
    I made these yesterday…I added a little curry paste to them to match the rest of my meal. So I would say these can be created to suit any meal…next time I make a Mexican meal I will add chipotle pepper and maybe add some corn to them….great recipe! Thanks!

    P.S. I made them with gluten free crackers and them came out perfect! Next time I will double the recipe 🙂

    Reply
  7. Chris says

    Posted on 5/6 at 12:31 pm

    Can’t find where the recipe says how many this makes. Thanks for your help. Sounds delish.

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 5/25 at 9:48 am

      It makes one twelve cup muffin tin full, sorry must not have pulled over when I made some updates to my blog!

      Reply
  8. Eleni says

    Posted on 5/4 at 6:20 am

    5 stars
    I just made them…I love it!! I will do it again and again! My little girl is 2 and a half years old and she loved it too!! Thank you!

    Reply
  9. mona says

    Posted on 4/29 at 10:53 pm

    could this dish be frozen? I was going to make them for my daughters wedding and I need to make them ahead of time.

    thank you

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 5/25 at 9:51 am

      I’ve never frozen them Mona, so if you’re going to do that, I would recommend trying a small batch first to see how it goes.

      Reply
  10. Lucy says

    Posted on 4/26 at 3:03 pm

    Hi, I would love to make these with my nutrition students! How many does 1 batch make, 8-12 mini muffins?

    Reply
    • BritniV says

      Posted on 5/25 at 9:52 am

      Yes!

      Reply
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