Best Homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots

These are the lightest and crispiest air fryer tater tots anyone can make at home! Get perfect tater tots that are creamy inside but crispy outside every time. 

If you have an air fryer at home, this is a sign to consider homemade tater tots over store-bought ones.

They’re surprisingly quick and easy to make and are cooked with less oil and preservatives, making air fryer tater tots much better than frozen ones.

This recipe only needs a few ingredients, and delicious tots that are crispy outside and soft inside are ready in under 30 minutes.

And best of all, these homemade tater tots are versatile and can be loaded with various ingredients, favorite dipping sauces, and seasonings desired!

What Are Tater Tots?

Tater tots are popular appetizers or snacks made from grated potatoes. They are then shaped into bite-size cylinders and fried to get a crispy golden brown crust contrasting with the soft, creamy interior.

Because of convenience and availability, most people buy frozen tater tots for deep frying.

However, like other frozen food types, these store-bought tots are full of preservatives, and cooking them in hot oil is just a way to add trans fats (yikes!)

Enter this air fryer tater tots recipe not loaded with preservatives and trans fats. They’re ready to enjoy in 25 minutes and can be modified with flavors for every palate.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The homemade version of tater tots is much better than the frozen ones because the ingredients are guaranteed fresh.

But if you’re having doubts about grating potatoes and taking out the air fryer for this recipe, these three things are sure to convince anybody:

• Ready In Less Than 30 Minutes – This homemade tater tots air fryer recipe is finished in 25 minutes. Enjoy flavor-packed potato bites without preservatives and season them to your preference with a short preparation and cooking time.
• Easy And Versatile Homemade Tater Tot Recipe – Air fryer tater tots are one of those “don’t knock it ‘til you try it” recipes. It’s surprisingly easy and enjoyable to grate and shape potatoes into the desired tater tot size with favorite seasonings compared to unsatisfying, bland, and mushy frozen ones.
• Uses Less Oil Without Losing The Perfect Golden Crisp – Deep-fried frozen tater tots can sometimes get soggy with oil. Try air-fried tater tots for a change and get consistently crispy tots that are soft and hot inside without being drenched in oil.

What Do Air Fryer Tater Tots Taste Like?

Air fryer tater tots taste like classic tater tots, crispy snacks with a creamy interior, but even better.

Why? Because they are air-fried and won’t get soggy, mushy, or greasy.

This homemade tater tots air fryer recipe uses a tried and tested delicious flavor combination of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Every bite is savory and not just salty.

These air-fried tater tots are also versatile for different dips; feel free to incorporate other ingredients in the recipe for an extra flavor boost.

Are Air Fryer Tater Tots Healthy?

Air-fried tater tots are crispy and tasty as if deep-fried but without excess oil. The air frying cooking process means these crispy and creamy potato bites are made with less oil than deep-fried tater tots.

Your heart is happy not just from the tasty, crusty, and creamy homemade tater tots but also because they’re not fried in fats that can cause various heart problems.

Additionally, making tater tots at home means you can control the seasonings to satisfy the taste buds and still regulate the food’s sodium content to a healthy level.

Knowing each bite is not packed with preservatives is more reassuring than frozen tater tots.

But to make these air fryer tater tots healthier, serve them with healthy dishes like salads, roasted vegetables, or fruits.

What Are The Benefits Of These Homemade Tater Tots?

After trying these air fryer tater tots, you’ll surely ignore the frozen ones the next time you’re grocery shopping.

Twenty-five minutes will be nothing if it’s the only time you need to enjoy homemade tots that taste like fast food without the guilt of processed food doused in oil.

These tater tots are also easy to make with the taste, shape, and size wanted compared to preservative-filled and bland store-bought tater tots.

Enjoy the classic umami flavors in this recipe that work with any dip or ingredient.

Ingredients For Air Fryer Tater Tots

• Potatoes – Use Russet potatoes for crispy homemade tater tots that are fluffy inside. They’re starchy with low moisture, so the yummy bite-size cylinders won’t break when cooked.
• All-purpose flour – A must-have for the perfect air fryer tater tots because the flour binds the potato mixture together. Can also use a gluten-free flour mix for those with allergies.
• Salt – Add as much as needed to the tater tot recipe.
• Black pepper powder – The heat and earthy flavor gives this homemade tater tots air fryer recipe dimension over frozen ones that are just salty.
• Garlic powder – The slightly sweet and mild garlic flavor is perfect with the fluffy interior of these air-fried tater tots.
• Onion powder – Sweet and savory taste that’s versatile with various ingredients to be added in this air fryer tater tots recipe.
• Chili flakes – Add some kick to the crispy, creamy air fryer tater tots. It would also especially taste delicious with a cheese dip.
• Oregano – Oregano is not only delicious with roasted potatoes, but it’s a fantastic pair with hot air-fried potato nuggets because of its grassy aroma. 
• Chopped parsley – Another wonderful herb addition to homemade tater tots because of the bright taste.

Tools Needed To Prepare Tater Tots

• Bowl for mixing the potatoes and favorite seasonings to form the tater tot dough
• Grater for grating the potatoes
• Air fryer for cooking the crispy and fluffy homemade tater tots
• Tongs for flipping the tater tots in the air fryer

Ingredient Additions & Substitutions For Air Fryer Tater Tots

Bacon bits

Bacon bits make a flavorful and convenient addition to this easy, crispy homemade tater tots air fryer recipe. Add as much as preferred to achieve the desired smokey taste and chewy texture.

Grated parmesan

Who wouldn’t like crispy and hot potato nuggets that are fluffy inside with parmesan? Stir grated parmesan into the tater tot mixture and sprinkle more cheese on the hot air-fried tots before serving.

Cajun seasoning

This air fryer tater tots recipe is already perfectly seasoned, but feel free to experiment since people have differences in flavor preferences. For example, a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning adds just the right boldness and earthiness to the fluffy and crispy tater tots.

How To Make This Easy Homemade Tater Tots Air Fryer Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound boiled potatoes
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ cup chopped parsley

Tools you need

• Bowl
• Grater
• Air fryer
• Tongs

Instructions

STEP 1: Gather all the homemade tater tots air fryer ingredients.

STEP 2: Transfer the grated boiled potatoes to a large bowl.

STEP 3: Stir in the all-purpose flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes, oregano, and chopped parsley into the potatoes and mix to create a dough.

STEP 4: Portion the dough into small balls and reshape them as tater tots. This recipe makes around 20 balls.

STEP 5: Preheat the air fryer to 350°F for 5 minutes.

STEP 6: Place the tots in the basket of the air fryer and brush them with some oil on top.

STEP 7: Cook for 8 to 10 minutes and flip. Cook for 5 minutes more until light brown.

STEP 8: Serve the air-fried batch warm with a favorite sauce or mixed seasoning for a flavor boost.

What To Serve With Air-Fried Tater Tots

Tater tots are versatile appetizers or snacks that work well with most dishes. This homemade tater tots air fryer recipe can partner with dips like barbecue sauce, sour cream, blue cheese sauce, or sriracha.

They can also go with filling meals like a grilled cheese sandwich or a lighter French onion soup.

Alternatively, why not serve these air fryer potatoes hot with roasted greens or baked beans to get some veggies in?

And, of course, the crispiest tater tots would never go wrong with comforting pasta recipes.

Try these equally easy and delicious pasta dishes with homemade tater tots!

• Easy Instant Pot Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Best Dairy-Free Shrimp Scampi
• One-Skillet Bacon Mac and Cheese

And if you’re in the mood for another fun recipe, I highly recommend this jalapeno tater tot casserole.

Alternatively, relish these air fryer potato skins. It is the perfect way to make a snack or appetizer that is both delicious and weight watchers friendly.

You can use the same air fryer technique to make tater tots, but potato skins will give you a slightly different flavor.

Plus, you can make variations with different kinds of cheese and seasonings, which is a great way to try something new.

Tips About Making Homemade Tater Tots

Air fryer tater tots are incredibly easy and hassle-free to make. But to get perfectly crispy and fluffy tater tots every time, keep these in mind:

• Experiment with ingredients and seasonings to modify this recipe into the desired flavor. This can mean incorporating cheese, herbs, or spices into the potato mixture.
• Always use starchy potatoes for air-fried tater tots because they won’t disintegrate from the oblong shape and ensure a fluffy interior.
• This air fryer recipe can also be done in the oven. Cook the tater tots at 400°F for 16 to 18 minutes on one side and 8 to 9 minutes on the other.

How To Store Homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots

Whether you have leftovers or have made a big batch for later munching, these crispy air fryer tater tots store well in the fridge or freezer!

Fridge: Cool the air-fried tater tots completely and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for four days.

Freezer: Store these delicious homemade tater tots for longer in an airtight container in the freezer for a month.

Reheating: To avoid mushy leftover air fryer tater, reheat in the microwave at a high-medium setting. Reheat the tots in batches to ensure that the potatoes are heated evenly.

Are Tater Tots Gluten Free?

Tater tots can be gluten-free, but not all tater tots are gluten-free. For this homemade tater tots air fryer recipe, use gluten-free flour and check all the seasonings and ingredients for their labels.

Are Hash Browns And Tater Tots The Same?

Tater tots and hash browns are not the same, but they’re both grated potatoes fried afterward. The difference is that tater tots are bite-sized crispy potato puffs, while hash browns are bigger and flat.

Are Tater Tots French Fries?

While both are indulgent finger foods, tater tots are not French fries because the latter are strips of potatoes that are then fried. On the other hand, tater tots are grated potatoes made into the signature cylindrical shape before frying.

 FAQ About Air Fryer Tots

Conclusion

This is your sign to skip frozen tater tots and make air fryer tater tots at home! The crispy and fluffy potato puffs packed with flavors and zero preservatives only take 25 minutes to complete.

Air-frying these homemade tater tots also means less oil to make each bite guilt-free.

And for picky eaters, these easy air fryer eats can be modified with various ingredients and seasonings.

If you liked this easy and crispy air fryer tater tots recipe, you’d love these must-try snacks and appetizers:

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