Ore Ida Tater Tots in the Air Fryer cook up super crispy using these easy instructions. Your tots will be ready in half the time that it takes to bake them in the oven, and everyone loves them!
How To Cook Ore Ida Tater Tots In Air Fryer
Wondering how to perfectly cook a bag of Ore-Ida Tater Tots in your air fryer? Amazing! That’s exactly what I’m about to show you.
Ore Ida Tater Tots in the air fryer are a perfect side dish for any meal. Kids love them, adults love them, really everyone loves tater tots!
Using this recipe, you’ll be able to air fry Ore Ida Tater Tots in less time than it takes to preheat the oven. Plus, tater tots in the air fryer are crispier than oven-baked ones, so it’s a win-win.
Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots
You can use this recipe to air fry any brand of tater tots, but we all know that the Ore Ida brand of tots is superior. They are extra crispy on the outside and soft on the inside without being mushy.
Look for the bright red bag of golden tater tots, follow these air fryer instructions with the exact time and temperature for Ore Ida tater tots, and you can’t go wrong!
If you love air frying tater tots, be sure to grab instructions for Air Fryer Frozen Curly Fries, Air Fryer French Fries, and the best Alexia Sweet Potato Fries in the Air Fryer too.
Ingredients Needed
Tater Tots – It works best to cook just half a bag, or 16 ounces of tater tots at a time. If you’re using an oven-style air fryer, you may be able to cook more. There’s no need to thaw the tater tots! Cook them directly from frozen.
Olive Oil Spray – While not entirely necessary, a spritz of oil will help the tots to become extra crispy, and help your salt and any seasonings stick to them better. Avocado oil or vegetable oil spray will work just as well.
Salt – I like to add a little bit of extra salt to my tater tots. You can skip this part if you’re watching your sodium or planning to dip your tots into a salty or savory sauce. Regular fine-grain table salt will stick to the tater tots better than kosher salt will.
If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you ASAP
How to Make Ore Ida Tater Tots in Air Fryer
Oh my gosh, it’s so easy! Here are the simple steps you need to take to make the perfect air fryer Ore Idea tater tots:
- Get Ready: Pull out your ingredients, and preheat the air fryer at 400°F/200°C for 5 minutes.
- Fill the Basket: Add the tater tots to the air fryer basket and spray them with a few spritzes of olive oil spray. Shake the basket to evenly coat the tater tots with the oil.
- Air Fry: Cook Ore Ide Tater Tots in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400°F/200°C. Then shake well and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, or until they are as crispy as you like them.
- Serve: Sprinkle the tater tots with salt and shake in the basket to distribute the seasoning. Serve right away with your favorite dipping sauce.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe card below.
Recipe Tips
- Preheat the Air Fryer: I don’t always recommend preheating the air fryer, but for the crispiest tots in the shortest amount of time, I do recommend it here! If your air fryer doesn’t have a “preheat” setting, just set it to cook at 400°F for 5 minutes with nothing in.
- Add Seasonings at the End: I’ve found that it’s best to add any salt or extra seasonings to the tater tots after they’ve finished cooking. The hot tots will absorb the seasonings better.
- Make a Half Bag: You can cook half a bag of tater tots in any large basket-style air fryer, but if you’re using a small air fryer, you may need to cook fewer tots. Keep an eye on the tater tots, if you’re cooking less than 16 ounces, they may need a bit less time.
- To Make the Whole Bag: I suggest cooking the tater tots in two batches. If you overfill the air fryer basket, the tots will not get crispy because they will steam.
- Adjust as Needed: Remember that all air fryers cook a little bit differently. We tested this recipe in our Cosori air fryer, but you may need to adjust the time or temperature if you’re using a different model.
Air Fryer Tater Tot Variations
Tater tots are kind of already the perfect food, but you can make them even better with some creative seasonings!
- Garlic-Parmesan Tots: Sprinkle the cooked tater tots with ½ teaspoon garlic powder and ⅓ cup grated parmesan in Step 4.
- BBQ Tater Tots: Season the tots with 1 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning or rub and serve with barbecue sauce or BBQ ranch for dipping.
- Taco Tater Tots: Add a teaspoon of taco seasoning in step 4 and serve with queso dip, smoky red pepper crema, or sour cream and salsa.
- Buffalo Style: Shake the cooked tater tots in buffalo sauce (not too much, or they’ll get soggy) and serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing.
You can use these tater tots as the base layer for a pile of loaded tater tot nachos too!
What To Serve With Air Fryer Ore Ida Tater Tots
Tots go with everything! I especially like them with Air Fryer Hamburgers, Air Fryer Hot Dogs, or crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders.
FAQs
Of course you can! The air fryer is the perfect machine for reheating all types of crispy foods. Preheat the air fryer to 350°F/170°C. Then cook the leftover tots for 3-5 minutes or until they are warm and crispy again. You can also use the air fryer to reheat fries or reheat pizza!
Crispy Crowns are just like tater tots, but they are smaller and flatter coin-shaped tots. The instructions for cooking crispy crowns are the same, but you will likely only need to cook them for 4-6 minutes after shaking. The same is true for Ore Ida Mini Tater Tots.
At 400°F, in a preheated air fryer, it takes 15-18 minutes to perfectly cook Ore-Idea tater tots in the air fryer. Cook first for 10 minutes, then shake and cook again for 5-8 minutes until they are perfectly crisp.
Pro Tips
More Frozen Foods to Make in the Air Fryer
We all know that the air fryer makes the best frozen french fries and frozen chicken nuggets, but there are so many more frozen foods that you should try!
Trader Joe’s Frozen Cauliflower Gnocchi come out of the air fryer crispy on the outside and so tender in the middle, perfect for serving with your favorite marinara sauce.
And speaking of TJ’s, have you tried their Frozen Orange Chicken in the Air Fryer? I love this as a quick and easy weeknight meal.
If you need a fast and easy crispy snack, try Frozen Fried Pickles in the Air Fryer, Frozen Taquitos in the Air Fryer, or Air Fryer Mini Corndogs!
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Ore Ida Tater Tots Air Fryer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen Ore Ida tater tots (about a half of a regular bag)
- Olive oil spray
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer using the preheat function or by heating it at 400°F/200°C for 5 minutes.
- Add the tater tots to the air fryer basket and spray them with a few spritzes of olive oil spray. Shake to coat the tots evenly in oil.
- Cook the tater tots 400°F/200°C for 10 minutes, then give them a shake and cook for an additional 5-8 minutes, or until your desired doneness.
- Sprinkle the tater tots with salt and give them a shake to coat them evenly. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Preheat the Air Fryer: I don’t always recommend preheating the air fryer, but for the crispiest tots in the shortest amount of time, I do recommend it here! If your air fryer doesn’t have a “preheat” setting, just set it to cook at 400°F for 5 minutes with nothing in.
- Add Seasonings at the End: I’ve found that it’s best to add any salt or extra seasonings to the tater tots after they’ve finished cooking. The hot tots will absorb the seasonings better.
- Make a Half Bag: You can cook half a bag of tater tots in any large basket-style air fryer, but if you’re using a small air fryer, you may need to cook fewer tots. Keep an eye on the tater tots, if you’re cooking less than 16 ounces, they may need a bit less time.
- To Make the Whole Bag: I suggest cooking the tater tots in two batches. If you overfill the air fryer basket, the tots will not get crispy because they will steam.
- Other Brands Work: Ore Idea tater tots are my favorite, but this method and recipe work with any brand of tater tots.
- Adjust as Needed: Remember that all air fryers cook a little bit differently. We tested this recipe in our Cosori air fryer, but you may need to adjust the time or temperature if you’re using a different model.
