Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside, these homemade air fryer tater tots are a fantastic snack or side dish! Making things from scratch in your air fryer can be intimidating. But not this recipe—it’s easy, quick, and delicious.
Don’t have time to make homemade air fryer tater tots? Pop some Ore Ida tater tots in your air fryer for 15 minutes and call it a day.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Tater Tots in Air Fryer
- Ingredients you control: If you’re trying to steer clear of sodium acid sulfate, pyrophosphate, and “natural” flavors, this recipe is for you. These homemade tater tots give you the same great taste without the preservatives.
- An affordable air fryer recipe: With just a few simple ingredients, this recipe is ultra-affordable. That’s why it’s a great option for home chefs on a budget.
- Unbeatable crispiness: Making homemade tater tots in air fryer might just be the best way to get that extra-crispy crunch. The hot air hits all sides of the tots, making them crunchier, faster.
If you love homemade tater tots, check out these Air Fryer Tater Tot and Egg Cups. They’re the perfect grab-and-go breakfast.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Personalize it with your favorite add-ins: These classic tater-tots are great as-is, but you can also add your favorite add-ins to the mix. Try adding some shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped garlic to add some extra flavor.
- How to form picture-perfect tater tots: Once you’ve made your tater tot mixture, you can form the tots by rolling the dough into small balls with your hands. Or, you can roll the entire mixture onto a board and use a knife to cut it into small rectangular pieces.
- For extra crispiness, spray your tater tots with oil before cooking: After placing your tots in the air fryer basket, give them a light spray with oil to get that perfect golden-brown color.
How to Store Homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots
You can store these homemade tater tots in an airtight container in your fridge for 3-4 days.
If you’d like to make it ahead of time to air fry it later, you can also freeze your uncooked tater tot pieces. Place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and freeze for about an hour. Once frozen, put them in a plastic freezer bag and store in your freezer for up to 30 days.
When you’re ready to cook them, just place the frozen tots directly in your air fryer and cook at 400°F for 18-20 minutes.
Looking for more homemade air fryer recipes? Try these Homemade Air Fryer Pop Tarts or our Homemade Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Pizza.
What to Serve with Homemade Tater Tots
Tater tots are a fantastic side for, well, almost anything! How about air fryer frozen hamburgers with tots? Yes, please. Or classic corn dogs with crunchy tater tots? I’ll take that, too.
Chicken nuggets and tater tots are another classic combination (or for a healthier option, try these unbreaded chicken tenders in the air fryer).
More Air Fryer Potato Recipes You’ll Love
- Air Fryer Potato Skins: Perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, these potato skins are topped with shredded cheese, crispy bacon, sour cream, and chives (and packed with flavor).
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Casserole: With a fluffy sweet potato, cinnamon-spiced filling, and a crunchy brown sugar pecan topping, this sweet potato casserole is a favorite! It’s dairy-free and gluten-free (and a winner at any social gathering.)
- Air Fryer Potato Wedges: These rustic French fries are the perfect side dish. They come out of the air fryer perfectly crispy every single time.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know in the comments below! We love hearing from fellow home chefs and air fryer fans. Comment below, follow Air Fryer Eats on Instagram, pin this recipe to Pinterest, and join our Air Fryer Recipes Facebook group too.
Air Fryer Homemade Tater Tots
Equipment
- Air fryer
- Pot
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp dried herbs
- 1/3 tsp paprika
- 1/3 tsp onion powder
- 1/3 tsp garlic powder
- 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes until soft.
- Once the potatoes are cool, remove the potato skin and grate or mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
- Add salt, spices, herbs, and cornstarch to the mashed potatoes.
- Mix thoroughly until you get an almost homogeneous sticky potato dough.
- Shape the potato dough into small portions. Roll them in breadcrumbs until fully covered.
- Spray your air fryer basket with olive oil. Place the tater tots into the air fryer basket.
- Cook at 380°F for 7 minutes. Shake the basket and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the tater tots are lightly browned.
Notes
- Do not peel the potatoes before boiling them. To get that perfect tater tot texture, boil your potatoes with the skin on. This helps avoid water-saturated potatoes and ensures the other ingredients mix into the mashed potatoes perfectly.
- How to form the dough into small tot-sized portions: You can wet your hands and roll the dough into small portions (you can even form them into little balls if you’d like). Or, roll the entire mixture onto a board and cut into small pieces (about 1 inch long and ½ inch thick).
Frequently Asked Questions
Russet potatoes are the best option for making tater tots because they have a high-starch, low-moisture content. Translation? They turn into crispy, crunchy, delicious tots every time.
Boiling potatoes with the skin on keeps them from absorbing too much water, making it easier for the spices and starch to mix into the mashed potatoes. It’s a simple step that helps you get that perfect, crispy tater-tot texture.
No, this recipe is not gluten-free because it uses breadcrumbs. However, the rest of the ingredients are gluten-free (including the potatoes). To make this recipe gluten-free, simply substitute the breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.
