Homemade Tater Tots (Air Fried) are a delicious, quick and easy homemade side dish that the whole family will love. They’re fried without a ton of oil, so they’re not super greasy either.
If you love air frying potatoes, try my Air Fryer Animal Fries and my Crispy Air Fryer Breakfast Potatoes. They are both family favorites.
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Why this Homemade Tater Tot Recipe is a Keeper
I love this air fry tater tots recipe because it’s an easy homemade alternative to store-bought tots.
- Crispy Perfection: Golden outside with a soft, fluffy center.
- From Scratch: Made with real potatoes and simple ingredients.
- Air Fryer Easy: No deep frying or messy cleanup.
- Family Favorite: Perfect for snacks, sides, or appetizers.
- Serve these tots with: Cornflake Chicken or my Air Fryer Fish Sticks.
Why Are My Homemade Tater Tots Falling Apart?
Too much moisture will cause tater tots to fall apart. Not draining the potatoes well. Not squeezing out moisture after grating. Using russets that were overcooked and waterlogged. After grating, squeeze the potatoes in a clean towel until they feel fluffy and dry.
Fun Fact for Homemade Tater Tots
Tater Tots were never meant to be a product at all. In the 1950s, the founders of Ore‑Ida had piles of leftover potato scraps from cutting French fries. Instead of tossing them, they chopped the scraps, seasoned them, and pressed the mixture into tiny cylinders. What started as a thrifty way to reduce waste turned into one of the most iconic freezer‑aisle sides of all time.
Ingredient Notes for Air Fry Tater Tots
You only need a few simple ingredients and most are pantry staples.
This is an overview of key ingredients. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Potatoes: You will need pre-boiled potatoes to make homemade tots. Try it with high starch potatoes like Russet potatoes.
- Seasonings: You will also need several seasonings to flavor your tater tots.
Variations and Substitutions for Homemade Tater Tots Recipe
This homemade version of fried tater tots is super customizable. Try it spicy, cheesy or with sweet potatoes. Making tots from scratch will become your favorite side.
➡️ Add Cheese: Mix in grated cheddar cheese for extra flavor.
➡️ Season It Up: Add garlic powder, paprika, or herbs.
➡️ Make It Spicy: Add cayenne or chili flakes.
➡️ Try Sweet Potatoes: Try sweet potatoes! Shred the potatoes for a slightly sweeter potato mixture.
Kitchen Tools To Make Homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots
You probably have all the tools you need to make tater tots at home.
- Box Grater or Food Processor with Shred Disc: Grating the potatoes creates the classic tot texture; fine enough to hold together, but not mashed.
- Large Mixing Bowl: Gives you room to combine the grated potatoes, seasonings, and binder without overworking the mixture.
- Air Fryer: Crisps the tots with minimal oil.
How to Make Homemade Tater Tots
This recipe comes together in 2 easy to follow steps. This air fried tots recipe is so good, I can’t get enough of them.
These are just highlights. Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Season the Potatoes: Grate the cooked potatoes into a large bowl. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, chopped parsley, all-purpose flour, oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Shape and Cook: Divide and shape the dough into 20 small tater tots. Gently place them in a preheated air fryer basket, and brush a little vegetable oil on top. Air fry for 8 minutes, flip, then fry until lightly golden browned.
Prep Ahead and Short Cut Tips for this Potato Recipe
I like to prepare ingredients ahead of time for my homemade tater tots so that I don’t have to do all of the steps at once when I’m making dinner.
➡️ Prep Potatoes Early: Grate and store in water, then dry well before using.
➡️ Shape in Advance: Form tots and refrigerate until ready to cook.
➡️ Freeze for Later: Freeze shaped tots for quick future meals. Store in a freezer safe bag or airtight container until you’re ready to cook frozen tots.
➡️ Use Food Processor: Shred potatoes with a food processor for minimal effort.
Alternate Cooking Methods
This easy recipe is best in the air fryer, but you can switch it up by making them deep fried or baked.
- Oven Method: Bake homemade tater tots on a baking sheet until golden and crispy, flipping halfway.
- Deep Fry Method: Make your own homemade tater tots deep fried for extra crisp texture (if desired).
What is the Best Dipping Sauce After you Make Tater Tots?
Try crispy homemade tater tots with ketchup, or try my homemade dipping sauces Chunky Blue Cheese Sauce, Spicy Honey Mustard Sauce, Garlic Aioli or Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
Store, Reheat and Use Leftovers Air Fryer Tots
- Storing: Store leftover tater tots in an airtight container in fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Air fry the tater tots for best crispiness. Add a couple minutes more for frozen tater tots.
- Using Leftovers: Serve these perfect tots in breakfast bowls or Dutch oven casseroles.
Expert Tips for Making Easy Tater Tot Recipe
➡️ Dry Potatoes Well: Removing moisture is key to crispiness. Pat any hot oil off with a paper towel to keep them from getting soggy when they cool too.
➡️ Keep Size Uniform: Helps tots cook evenly.
➡️ Don’t Overcrowd: Airflow is key for crisping, so make sure they’re in a loose, single layer.
➡️ Flip Halfway: Flip homemade tater tots to ensures even browning.
➡️ Test First Batch: Adjust timing based on your air fryer.
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Homemade Tater Tots (Air Fried)
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Potatoes, boiled
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Chili flakes
- ½ cup Parsley
- 1 Tablespoon All-purpose flour, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Oil, for brushing on top
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350℉.
- Grate the boiled potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl.
- Add salt, black pepper powder, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flakes, chopped parsley, all-purpose flour, and oregano.
- Mix everything to combine; it should be like a little sticky dough.
- Divide the dough into 20 small balls and shape them like tots with the help of your hands.
- Place the tater tots in the preheated air fryer basket and brush a little oil on top.
- Air fry for 8-10 minutes. Flip and then cook for another 5 minutes or until lightly brown.
- Serve hot with your favorite dip or ketchup and enjoy.
Christina’s Notes
- This Recipe Can be Doubled: This a recipe you’ll want to double. To doubled air fried tater tots, just proportionally increase and cook in 2 batches.
- Potatoes: Try to use extra starchy potatoes like russets for a tender and fluffier interior. However, you can use any other variety if you don’t have those.
- Dipping Sauces: Dip these tater tots in BBQ sauce, ranch, buffalo honey mustard, blue cheese, ketchup, mayo, or garlic aioli.
- Loaded Tater Tots: Load your tater tots with your favorite toppings, such as bacon bits, sour cream, chives, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, cheese sauce, etc.
- Nacho Tots: Make these tater tots nacho styles by using with taco seasoning and topping with sour cream, guacamole, beef, salsa, and queso.
- Sweet Potato Tots: You can also use this method to make sweet potato tater tots, just like the ones from Wahlburgers.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.