These Homemade Tater Tots are a great game-day snack or side dish that you can make in the air fryer.

With just a few simple ingredients, these homemade tater tots are delicious with a crispy outside and a fluffy inside.

If you’ve never made homemade tater tots, your missing out. I love making these tots as a side for my egg roll in a bowl, meatball sliders, and pulled pork sandwiches.

air fryer homemade tater tots on a plate with a side of ketchup.

Air Fryer Homemade Tater Tots

  • These tater tots taste so fresh and crispy and only take eight ingredients to make.
  • These tater tots make a great game day snack for a tailgate or football game day at home too!
  • While these tater tots do take a little more time to make than air fryer frozen tater tots, the taste is so worth it!
  • To make them a little healthier I would make them in the air fryer.
  • I highly recommend you make a batch for the freezer to save some time later.
air fryer homemade tater tots ingredients.

Ingredients for Homemade Tater Tots

  • Potatoes: I used russet potatoes, but feel free to pick any variety! Be sure to peel and half them.
  • Water: You’ll need a good amount of water to boil the potatoes, add more as needed!
  • Flour: All-purpose flour is best for forming the shape of your tater tots.
  • Seasoning: I used garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
  • Cooking spray: You’ll need some olive oil cooking spray for your tater tots to prevent them from sticking.
  • Garnish: Add parsley for garnish as well as any other preferred ingredients such as cooked bacon pieces, green onions, or fresh chives.

Kitchen Tools

You will need an air fryer or deep fryer, I use my air fryer because it’s healthier and easier. A large pot to make the potatoes, a baking sheet, and some good kitchen knives ( I have this set & love them!).

step-by-step process of how to make homemade tater tots./

How To Make Homemade Tater Tots

  • Prep: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 
  • Cook Potatoes: Add the potatoes and water to a large pot and bring to a boil.
  • Shred: Once cooled, shred the potatoes with a box grater.
  • Form: Place the shredded potatoes into a mixing bowl and add all dry ingredients.
  • Air Fry: Set your air fryer to 400°F and cook for 7-9 minutes.
  • Serve: Garnish with parsley and serve with ketchup or ranch dressing.
crispy homemade tater tots in the bottom of the air fryer basket.

Expert Tips

  • The best type of potato. I highly encourage you to use russet potatoes because they will hold up best.
  • Oven. It’s easiest to make these tater tots in the air fryer but you can also make them in the oven. Bake in the oven at 425°F for 20-25 minutes.
  • Temperature. Adjust the temperature as needed. If they’re getting dark quickly, lower the temp. If taking too long, increase the temp and turn tots more frequently.
  • Overcrowd. Don’t place too many tater tots in the air fryer or deep fryer at once. Work in batches for the best results.
  • Seasoning. Mix it up and try different seasonings for tater tots like chili powder, garlic powder, ranch dressing mix, or even taco seasoning.
  • Dipping sauces. Of course, ketchup. But we also love to dip them in queso dipranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and even blue cheese dressing.
homemade tater tot being dipped in ketchup. /

Frequently Asked Questions

How long to cook homemade tater tots in air fryer?

Depending on how crispy you like your tater tots, you will need to cook the tots for 15 minutes.

Is it better to put tater tots in the air fryer or deep fryer?

Air fryer tater tots are healthier than traditional deep-fried tater tots. Air fryer tater tots are crispier than in the deep fryer where they can get mushy if they soak up too much oil.

What ingredient is in tater tots?

Homemade tater tots are made of a few simple ingredients. Potatoes, water, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

homemade tater tots on a plate with a side of ketchup. /

What To Serve With Tater Tots

You can’t go wrong with tater tots because they go with pretty much anything. Here are some of my favorites!

homemade tater tots with air fryer in the background. /

Storage & Reheating

  • Store. You can store any leftover tater tots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
  • Reheat. Reheat tater tots in the air fryer, and cook at 400°F for 2-3 minutes or until crispy. You can also reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm. I don’t recommend reheating them in the deep fryer.
  • Freezing. Place cooked tater tots onto a plate or tray and put them into the freezer until they are completely frozen. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag. Use within about 3-4 months for best results.

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If you’ve tried these Homemade Tater Tots recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing about your experience making it and it also helps anyone else making the recipe too.

homemade tater tots recipe
5 from 16 ratings
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Servings: 6 servings

Homemade Tater Tots

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
With just a few simple ingredients, these homemade tater tots are delicious with a crispy outside and a fluffy inside.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
 

  • 2 large russet potatoes, (2 pounds) peeled and halved
  • 4 cups water, more as needed
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • â…› teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
  • Olive oil cooking spray

Instructions
 

  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
  • Add the potatoes and water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until they are slightly tender. Be careful not to overcook.
  • Drain and cool for about 15 minutes, until you’re able to handle them.
  • Shred the potatoes with a box grater.
  • Place the shredded potatoes on 2-3 layers of paper towels and squeeze the moisture out.
  • Place the shredded potatoes into a mixing bowl and add all dry ingredients; stir to combine.
  • Start forming the tater tots by squeezing them in your hand to make an oblong shape about 1-inch wide. Or you can use a heaping tablespoon to form tots.
  • Cut them so they are 1 1/2-inches long. Reshape if needed and place onto prepared baking sheet. Spray tots with olive oil cooking spray.
  • Preheat air fryer to 400F and place the tots in a single layer. Cook for 7-9 minutes or until cruspy.
  • Remove the air fryer tater tots from the tray using tongs and transfer to a plate.
  • Garnish with parsley and serve with ketchup or ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Oven. Bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes.
  • Deep fry. Preheat oil to 350°F. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until crispy.
  • Store. You can store any leftover tater tots in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
  • Reheat. Reheat tater tots in the air fryer, and cook at 400°F for 2-3 minutes or until crispy. You can also reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds or until warm. I don’t recommend reheating them in the deep fryer.
  • Freeze. Place cooked tater tots on a tray until completely frozen. Transfer to a bag and use within 2-3 months. Cook at 400°F for 10-12 minutes when ready.
Calories: 64kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.02g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 400mg, Potassium: 309mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.5g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Side Dish
Author: Jennifer
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