• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Free Email Series!

5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

Free email series of my best tips!

Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Free Email Series!

    5 Time and Stress Saving Cooking Secrets

    Free email series of my best tips!

  • Visit my other Site: Pancake Recipes

Rachel Cooks®

Food, Family, Fun

  • Recipe Index
  • Popular
    • Instant Pot Pinto Beans
    • Green Beans with Bacon
    • Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
    • Roasted Sugar Snap Peas
    • Beef Stew Seasoning
    • Chili Seasoning Recipe
    • Thousand Island Dressing
    • Poppy Seed Dressing
    • Copycat Panera Squash Soup
    • Chocolate Chip Blondies
    • Instant Pot Pork Loin Roast
    • Frosé
    • Best Chocolate Cake
    • Dill Vegetable Dip
    • Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
    • Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs
  • Learn to Cook
    • Crostini
    • Delicata Squash
    • Butternut Squash
    • Kabocha Squash
    • Spaghetti Squash
    • Guacamole
    • Croutons
    • Snap Peas
    • Baked Potatoes
    • Baked Bacon
    • Balsamic Glaze
    • Whipped Cream
    • Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
    • Simple Syrup
    • Pickled Red Onions Recipe
    • Toasted Pine Nuts
    • Roasted bone-in Chicken Breasts
    • Poached Chicken
    • Roasted Whole Chicken
    • Easy Cheese Sauce

Dinner Made Easy:

Slow Cooker

5 Ingredients

Grilling

Make Ahead

Sheet Pan

Tacos

Pizza

Home Recipes by Cooking Method Air Fryer
AF Air Fryer DF Dairy-Free FF Freezer Friendly VG Vegetarian 5I 5 ingredients or less

Air Fryer Tater Tots

5
/5
36 mins
Leave a comment
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 05/12/2021Updated: 03/07/2022

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Tots in a basket, text overaly reads "air fryer tater tots"
Tots in a basket, text overaly reads "air fryer tater tots"
Tots in a basket, text overaly reads "air fryer tater tots"
Tots in a basket, text overaly reads "air fryer tater tots"

Hot out of the air fryer, these crunchy nuggets are irresistible! Try homemade air fryer tater tots — they’re easy to make!

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: They aren’t difficult to make and taste so much better because they are homemade.

How long it takes: about 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: food processor, mixing bowl, air fryer
Servings: makes 28-30 tots

Overhead view of tater tots in a small metal basket on a white background.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About This Recipe
  • 3 What You’ll Need
  • 4 How To Make This Recipe
  • 5 FAQs
  • 6 Make It Your Own
  • 7 Make-Ahead Ideas
  • 8 Storage & Reheating Tips
  • 9 Leftover Love
  • 10 More tater recipes
  • 11 Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Tater Tots

Crispy on the outside, soft and warm inside, once you bite into a homemade air fryer tater tot, you’ll wonder what took you so long to try them.

One of my friends is always on the lookout for restaurants that serve tater tots. Yes, some eateries specialize in tater tots and they have almost a cult following. You’ll find lots of add on options, like bacon, sausage, shredded chicken, grilled or fresh veggies, and cheese. These are tater tot dinners.

You’ll love air fryer tater tots. Like everything else we’ve tried in our air fryer, they’re done perfectly: crisp on the outside but soft and moist inside.

How do you like your tater tots? Straight up, with nothing added? With ketchup? How about this Fry Sauce? or Healthy Ranch Dressing? or maybe Jalapeño Ranch Dip if you like a little heat. Maybe you’re more of a BBQ Sauce or Salsa type.

About This Recipe

This recipe uses pre-shredded potatoes for convenience. Some recipes show you how to start from a raw potato but it involves parboiling the potatoes, shredding them with a cheese grater, and pressing the moisture out with towels. Whew! Sounds like an ordeal.

I keep things a lot simpler for you. You’ll be able to have these tots in the air fryer in 20 minutes. Most of that time is spent shaping the tots so if you can enlist some help (your kids will love to play with these), it will go even faster.

You’ll find the complete printable recipe near the end of this post.

Tater tot being dipped into a small white dish of ketchup.

What You’ll Need

  • Shredded Hash Brown Potatoes: Isn’t it nice you don’t have to shred your own potatoes? We like Simply Potatoes Shredded Potatoes which aren’t frozen, but frozen ones are fine, too, just thaw them ahead of time.
  • Olive Oil: Just a couple of tablespoons. Other kinds of oil are fine, too, such as avocado or grapeseed.
  • Flour: Helps to stick the tater tots together.
  • Seasoning: Garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Other seasonings can be added, if desired.
  • Olive Oil Cooking Spray: Misting the tater tots with oil spray before frying helps crisp them up and turn a golden brown.
Overhead view of ingredients: shredded potatoes, olive oil, flour, and spices.

How To Make This Recipe

Homemade tater tots are easy to make. Using a food processor, pulse the shredded potatoes briefly to chop them into smaller pieces.

Add them to a large bowl, along with the rest of the ingredients, and mix everything together lightly. Have a light touch with this because you don’t want to mash the potatoes up. A little texture here is good.

Uncooked hashbrowns in a mixing bowl.

Scoop out a spoonful of the mixture and form it into a tater tot shape, or whatever shape you like. Keep scooping and shaping until you have about thirty tater tots.

Uncooked homemade tater tots on a baking sheet.

Place the tater tots in a single layer into your air fryer and spray them lightly with oil. “Fry” them up until they are crisp and golden brown.

Cooked air fryer tater tots still in basket.

Enjoy them just plain or with your favorite dipping sauce. They go great with sloppy Joes or pulled pork sandwiches.

Overhead view: small baskets of tots, ketchup.

FAQs

Are air fried tater tots healthy?

Homemade tater tots are better for you than store bought. You control the amount of salt and fat that’s added to your tots.

How do I make my tater tots crispy?

An air fryer is your friend here. Make sure you don’t overcrowd the air fryer. A single layer is ideal. Give the tots a shake halfway through the cooking time so they get crispy on all sides. A light spritz with oil helps them crisp up, too. Still not crispy enough for you? Cook them a few more minutes.

How do you cook frozen tater tots?

If you have a bag of frozen tots you purchased at the grocery store, make them in your air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F-400°F (or skip the preheat and just add a couple minutes to the cooking time). Spray the frozen tots with oil spray, sprinkle with salt, if desired, and put them in the basket. Cook them about fifteen minutes, shaking the basket frequently.

Close up of tater tots in a tiny fryer basket.

Make It Your Own

  • Jazz up your tater tots by stirring in green onions, chives, cheddar cheese, minced garlic, or whatever you like.
  • Change the seasoning. Instead of garlic powder and onion powder (or along with them), add chili powder, taco seasoning, or Italian seasoning.

Make-Ahead Ideas

Prepare the tots up to a day ahead, refrigerate them, and fry them when you’re ready to serve them.

Storage & Reheating Tips

Leftover tater tots can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days, or frozen for a month.

For best results, reheat in your air fryer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Your toaster oven or a heated skillet are great options, too. The microwave, not so much. If the tots are frozen, double the reheating time.

Leftover Love

Try a tater tot casserole. You know you want to. This tater tot breakfast casserole with sausage, bacon, and eggs from Buns in My Oven sounds really great.

Tater tots in a small metal basket with parchment paper.

More tater recipes

Not into tater tots? I have lots of ways to make potatoes. Try one of these “tater” recipes:

  • Air Fryer French Fries – so crispy!
  • Air Fryer Potatoes – crispy with hardly any oil!
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes – perfect every time!
  • How to Make Baked Potatoes
  • Instant Pot Baked Potatoes – easy!
  • Seasoned Grilled Potatoes Recipe
  • Grilled Rosemary Potatoes – easy side dish
  • Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes (so easy!)
  • Garlic Roasted Potatoes with Paprika
  • How to Make Crispy Roasted Potatoes – with video

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Air fryer tater tots in a tiny metal basket.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Tater Tots

5 from 2 votes
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 16 mins
Total Time: 36 mins
4 servings
Print Rate Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Hot out of the air fryer, these crunchy nuggets are irresistible! Try homemade air fryer tater tots — they're easy to make!

Ingredients

  • 1 bag (16 oz.) shredded hash browns (thawed if frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Olive oil cooking spray, for frying

Instructions

  • Using a food processor, pulse the shredded hash browns until finely chopped. 
  • To a large mixing bowl, add potatoes, olive oil, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt; mix lightly, trying not to mash the potatoes.
  • Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the mixture, shaping a one inch tot in your hand. Place in a greased air fryer pan. 
  • Mist the tots with an olive oil cooking spray and bake at 400°F for 16-18 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through cooking so the tots cook evenly.
  • Remove from the fryer, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and enjoy while warm.
  • Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • If your hash browns aren’t fully thawed, they might not stick together. If that happens, add a beaten egg to the mixture and they’ll come together perfectly.
  • Suggested add ins: green onions, chives, cheddar cheese, minced garlic.
  • Reheat in the air fryer, oven, or toaster oven for best results.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 7tots, Calories: 147kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 310mg, Potassium: 253mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
Did You Make This?Be sure to upload a photo & tag me at @RachelCooksBlog. I love seeing what you made!
Share A Photo! Tag on Insta Rate It
Free email series

Get my Air Fryer Quick-Start Guide!

Free email series of my best tips!

FREE BONUS!

You May Also Like...

  • A potato split open and topped with sour cream, bacon, and green onions.
    Air Fryer Baked Potatoes - PERFECT potatoes!
  • Crispy potatoes in a blue-rimmed white bowl, with a spoon in the bowl.
    Air Fryer Potatoes - crispy with hardly any oil!
  • Close up of perfectly done air fryer brussels sprouts cut in half.
    Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts (& Optional Glaze)
  • Air fryer mozzarella stick being pulled apart with a cheese pull.
    Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks - best method!
Mixed vegetables in a glass jar with liquid.
Previous Post
Pickled Vegetables – spicy or not!
Portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs.
Next Post
Vegetarian Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

Recipe Rating




The maximum upload file size: 1 MB. You can upload: image. Drop files here

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I'm Rachel! Life can be complicated, cooking shouldn't be! I believe that you can put a delicious meal on the table without stressing. It's possible, and I'm here to help. Have a seat at my table...let's chat, eat, and have fun! Read more...

Air Fryer Instant Pot 30 Minutes One Pan Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Slow Cooker Vegetarian 5 Ingredients

Trending

Cooked salmon fillet on a grey-toned plate with cooked asparagus spears. The salmon is being flaked with a fork.

Air Fryer Salmon – easy and delicious!

Pizza pasta being scooped from a pan with a wooden spoon.

Pizza Pasta – 1 pan, 20 minutes

Image of a giant bowl of spaghetti with turkey meatballs.

Baked Turkey Meatballs

Asparagus Panzanella Salad

Seasonal

15 Healthy Sheet Pan Meals

Pile of crispy zucchini slices.

Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

These easy vegetarian cauliflower tacos are full of flavor and protein! Even meat-lovers are going to flip over these fun tacos. Whether it's for Meatless Monday or a full-on vegetarian lifestyle, you're going to love these! They're also easy to make vegan. Make them tonight! 

Cauliflower Tacos with Chickpeas – Vegetarian

Overhead view of cauliflower steaks on a sheet pan with parmesan and chimichurri.

Cauliflower Steaks Recipe

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
Free Bonus!

5 Cooking Secrets to Save Time & Stress

Free email series of my best tips and recipes!

Featured On:

Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Press
  • Work with Me
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
© 2022 Rachel Cooks®
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled