Cheesy Zucchini Bites

Cheesy baked zucchini tots, perfect for brunch, lunch, or an after school snack! With cheddar, parmesan, lemon, and rosemary.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated March 30, 2023
Elise Bauer
Cheesy Zucchini Bites
Elise Bauer

If there is one thing you can count on during the summer, it's zucchini, and plenty of it!

These cheesy little zucchini bites are a great way to put all that zucchini to use. They're like tater tots, but made with zucchini, in a mini muffin pan. They're sort of a riff off our broccoli cheddar bites, and like their broccoli cousins, are perfect for breakfast, a quick snack, or a school lunch.

A touch of rosemary with some lemon zest with cheddar cheese and Parmesan work great with the zucchini. The lemon and rosemary are just enough to make these bites interesting, but not so much as to overwhelm.

Cheesy Zucchini Bites
Elise Bauer

The trick to this recipe, as with so many recipes that use shredded zucchini, is to first salt the zucchini and let the excess water drain. That's the best way to avoid a mushy mess when you bake it.

You can make them ahead, freeze them, and just reheat in a toaster oven or microwave. They're rather addictive, so freezing them is my strategy to keep from eating them all in one go!

Cheesy Zucchini Bites

Prep Time 35 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 24 bites

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds zucchini, grated (large holes of a box grater)

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup diced fresh bread (without crust)

  • 1/2 cup minced green onions (including green parts)

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced, about 2 teaspoons

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

  • 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons of olive oil, to coat mini muffin tins

Method

  1. Salt and drain the zucchini:

    Toss the grated zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and place in a colander to drain (in a sink or over a bowl). Let drain for 30 minutes to an hour.

    cheesy-zucchini-bites-method-1
    Elise Bauer

    After at least 30 minutes, use your (clean) hands to press and squeeze the grated zucchini against the colander to release more moisture.

    Then use double layered sturdy paper towels or a clean tea towel to wrap up the zucchini and squeeze out even more moisture.

  2. Whisk together the mayo and eggs, then whisk in the bread, green onions, garlic, zest, rosemary, cheeses, pepper:

    While the zucchini is draining in step 1, whisk together in a large bowl the mayonnaise and eggs until smooth.

    Then add the bread, green onions, garlic, lemon zest, rosemary, grated cheddar, Parmesan, and black pepper. Let that sit while the zucchini is draining so that the bread breaks down in the mixture.

    cheesy-zucchini-bites-method-2
    Elise Bauer
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

    Grease the wells of 2 mini-muffin tins with olive oil.

  4. Stir the zucchini into batter and spoon into mini-muffin tins:

    Stir the drained, squeezed zucchini into the egg mixture until evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture into the wells of the mini-muffin tins, about a heaping tablespoon each.

    cheesy-zucchini-bites-method-3
    Elise Bauer
    cheesy-zucchini-bites-method-4
    Elise Bauer
  5. Bake:

    Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F.

    cheesy-zucchini-bites-method-5
    Elise Bauer
  6. Let sit for 5 minutes:

    Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the zucchini bites to loosen them from the pan. Remove from the pan to a rack to cool further.

    Eat warm or cool to room temp, then chill or freeze to reheat later.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
131 Calories
9g Fat
9g Carbs
5g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 131
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 235mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 11mg 55%
Calcium 78mg 6%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 250mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.