Low carb, broccoli cottage cheese balls made with the goodness of Paneer and gooey cheese will be your next favourite snack which is not only keto friendly but also gluten-free!
Broccoli cottage cheese balls and a cream cheese dip are a match made in Low carb heaven! Just like you I never believed in ‘meatless meatballs’ and that was off course till I made these amazingly tasty gluten-free broccoli cheese balls. One fine day with a whole broccoli lying in my refrigerator waiting to be made into creamy garlic chicken with broccoli , I surprisingly decided to make some snack out of it. But thanks to this happy change of mind I now have a crowd pleasing appetizer recipe for just about everyone in your family from fussy kids to adults!
For all of you who have been following my Keto journey on my Instagram and Facebook know that I have been enjoying it to the fullest with each day being a new challenge of how to make the otherwise boring Keto/ Low carb menu interesting and yummy (Don’t forget to checkout my keto paneer makhani and keto cheddar crisps 2 ways recipe !!!) I generally love to alternate between vegetarian and non vegetarian Low carb meal ideas every day but I got to admit that the vegetarian Keto meals do tend to become boring sometimes. Determined to bring some variation in my keto menu, I decided to give this Low carb Broccoli cottage cheese balls a try and boy! I am so glad I did.
You know the one thing that you will be really surprised is that how much fibre that this Broccoli cottage cheese balls recipe contains, so good for you specially on Keto when you constantly keep looking for ways to add fibre to your diet. The high fat cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese make the dish rich in protein and high in good fat which makes the dish absolutely perfect to help you reach yours macros for the day.
To make it a lot more healthier I tried making these Broccoli cottage cheese balls in my Paniyaram pan or Appe pan ( It’s a cast iron pan with holes in it which is traditionally used for making traditional south Indian cuisine especially paniyaram). A Paniyaram pan is such a blessing to have in one’s kitchen given that it helps in making mouthwatering snacks with a drop of oil imparting crunch and taste better than fried snacks! I tried making the recipe in Paniyaram pan/ Appe pan but you can instead bake the balls in an oven or simple deep fry it in oil. Also because I made these Broccoli cottage cheese balls in my Paniyaram pan , you will notice that they have a super round shape to it.
Is Broccoli bad for Thyroid?
Broccoli belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, kale etc which contains natural chemicals like ‘goiterogens’ that can interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis in human body. This is something to be particularly kept in mind by people already suffering from Hypothyroidism. The good news however is that the goiterogens in these foods can be inactivated by cooking them or steaming them well.
Hence I always (yes! always!) cook all cruciferous vegetables well before having them and you will find the same applicable for this recipe of Keto Broccoli cottage cheese balls as well. Do make sure to cook the broccoli in hot water for couple of minutes before chopping it to add to the recipe.
Anyways let’s get down to action and make these lip-smacking and super easy Keto Broccoli cheese bites and if you try this recipe do let me know if you liked them in the comments below.
Low carb, broccoli cottage cheese balls made with the goodness of Paneer and gooey cheese will be your next favourite vegetarian snack which is not only keto friendly but also gluten-free!
- 2 cups broccoli florets cooked and drained
- 75 gms cottage cheese or Paneer (mashed or grated)
- 100 gms mozzarella cheese (grated)
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano powder
- organic ghee / olive oil spray
- 1 egg
- 2 green chillies (optional)
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Wash the broccoli florets and cook them in boiling water for 5-7 minutes with salt and then dip them in a bowl of cold water (this helps retain the green colour).
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Drain all the excess water from the broccoli florets and chop them finely.
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In a bowl add finely chopped broccoli, grated cottage cheese (Paneer), grated mozzarella cheese, egg, garlic powder, salt, black pepper powder, paprika powder, dried oregano powder, finely chopped green chillies and mix them well.
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In another bowl add the almond flour and flaxseed meal and mix them well.
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Divide the broccoli mixture into equal parts and keeping them between your palms roll each one of them them into round balls.
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Dip these broccoli cottage cheese balls into the almond flour and flaxseed meal mixture and roll them well so that the almond flour and flaxseed meal mixture gets evenly coated over the balls on all sides.
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You can keep these balls in your refrigerator and fry them whenever you want.
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Way 1: For frying the balls, heat a Paniyaram pan/ appe pan and add few drops of organic ghee or olive oil in each of the holes of the Paniyaram pan. Add the balls into the holes and let them cook for 7-8 minutes on one side. Carefully flip the balls onto the other side and let them cook for another 7-8 minutes till they are golden brown on all sides.
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Way 2: Alternatively, if you don't have a Paniyaram pan/ Appe pan you can line a baking sheet over a baking pan and even place the broccoli cottage cheese balls and spray it with olive oil spray evenly and bake it for 20- 25 minutes or till the balls turn golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside.
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Way 3: In a deep fry pan, heat oil and add the broccoli and cheese balls making sure to not over crowd the pan. Fry the balls for 7-8 minutes or till they have become golden brown and crisp on all sides. Drain away the excess oil after deep frying over a paper towel.
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Serve the broccoli and cheese balls hot with a dip of your choice.
- You can either chop the cooked broccoli florets with a knife or alternatively blitz them in a food processor for a finer texture of the broccoli.
- Make sure to drain all the water after cooking the broccoli florets by patting them on paper towels.
If you like this recipe, pin it for later on Pinterest.
Hi Sayantani,
Tried it and it was delicious. I fried some with coconut flour, some with flaxseed n some on its own. They all are really good. Can these be fried n freezed? Thanks
Can u use normal cottage cheese?
Yes, you can use any kind of home made cottage cheese!