Mini Tater Tots in Air Fryer
Discover how to effortlessly make delicious homemade Mini Tater Tots in your Air Fryer with this straightforward recipe.
These tasty treats are seasoned with garlic, onion powder, salt, and pepper, and have a crisp exterior with a soft, delightful interior.
Air Fryer Tater Tots are crunchy, golden brown, bite-sized snacks and also provide a tasty twist to your potato side dishes.
The air fryer works its magic, creating a perfect mix of textures that everyone loves.
Making your air fry tater tots at home is way more satisfying than the store-bought frozen ones.
Please continue scrolling down to find the recipe card below, which contains the complete list of ingredients with measurements, detailed recipe instructions, additional notes, and nutritional information.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Potatoes – Use floury potato varieties such as King Edward, Maris Piper, Russet, or Rooster for these mini tater tots in air fryer.
- Seasoning – For seasoning, I go for garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, cajun spices, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. But don’t hesitate to try various seasonings and tweak the amounts to match your own taste.
- Flour – All-purpose/plain white flour is the best option for shaping your tater tots.
- Cheddar – I usually go for cheddar but pick your favorite hard cheese to add an extra layer of flavor.
- Oil – Give the tater tots a light coating of olive oil or vegetable oil for added crispiness.
How to Make Mini Air Fryer Tater Tots?
Important Note
Before you start cooking, note that times may differ among air fryers. I develop my recipes using a Cosori 6.8 air fryer. If you’re using a different air fryer, view my recipes as a general guide and tweak the cooking time—add a bit more or cook slightly less as needed.
Making these crispy and delicious Air Fryer Mini Tater Tots is a straightforward process.
To achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Peel the potatoes, cut them in halves, and place them in a large pot filled with plenty of cold water.
Bring the pot to a boil on high heat and cook the potatoes for approximately 7-8 minutes, or until they become slightly tender.
Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool until they are easy to handle.
Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, grate them using a box grater.
In a big mixing bowl, combine together grated potatoes, plain white flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, Cajun spices, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are evenly blended.
Grab a small handful of the potato mixture and form it into a cylindrical tater tot.
Keep repeating this process until you’ve used all the mixture, and place the tater tots on a plate or tray.
Preheat your air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for about 5 minutes.
Lightly spray the tater tots with oil on all sides. This will help them crisp up in the air fryer.
Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper.
Gently position the tater tots in the air fryer basket, ensuring there’s ample space between them for proper air circulation.
Quick Note
You may need to cook tater tots in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
Air fry the tater tots at 200°C (400°F) for around 20 minutes or until they become golden brown and crispy.
Once cooked to your liking, carefully remove the tater tots from the air fryer basket, and allow them to cool slightly before serving.
Serve the homemade tater tots as a delightful snack, appetizer, or side dish alongside your favorite dipping sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Shredding the potatoes and air frying results in tater tots with a crunchy outer layer and a tender, creamy interior.
- Air frying tater tots gives the same tasty deep-fried goodness but in a healthier way.
- This recipe brings out the authentic flavor of potatoes through a combination of garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper, resulting in a delicious and enjoyable snack.
- People of all ages love tater tots. Whether as a side dish, appetizer, or quick snack, these bite-sized treats always please a crowd!
- Creating homemade air fryer tots with this recipe is straightforward. The clear instructions and basic ingredients make it achievable even for beginners, ensuring excellent results.
- Using basic pantry ingredients, these homemade tots are budget-friendly.
Expert Tips From the Chef
- Opt for floury potatoes such as Desiree, Russet, or Maris Piper for the best outcome. These varieties have more starch, giving your potato side dish a fluffier texture.
- Partially boil the potatoes until they’re slightly tender before grating. This step ensures that the grated potatoes maintain their shape and texture during cooking.
- When shaping the tater tots, make sure they are the same size to ensure even cooking and consistent results.
- Make sure to leave sufficient space between the tater tots in the air fryer basket to allow proper airflow and ensure even browning. Overcrowding may lead to uneven cooking and less crispy tater tots.
- Before air frying, lightly coat the tater tots with olive oil cooking spray to achieve a crispy texture and golden-brown color.
- The cooking times might differ based on the size, and thickness of your tater tots, and the type of air fryer. Keep an eye on them and adjust the cooking time as necessary to achieve your preferred level of crispiness.
What Goes Well with Air Fryer Tater Tots?
Crispy air fryer tater tots are a tasty and versatile snack or side dish that goes well with different dips.
Try them with classic sauces like ketchup, barbecue, or ranch for a familiar and delicious combo.
For something new, pair them with gourmet dips like garlic aioli, spicy mayo, or Tartar Sauce with Capers for an extra added flavor.
Enjoy tater tots as a side dish alongside Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, Best Air Fryer Crab Cakes, Air Fryer Steak Bites and Mushrooms, Air Fryer Marinated Salmon Recipe, Chicken Tenders in Air Fryer, Meatloaf in Air Fryer, or Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Legs.
Serve tater tots as a brunch side dish alongside Kaygana (Turkish Omelette), Air Fryer Sausage, or Cilbir (Turkish Poached Eggs) for a hearty and flavorful morning meal.
Storing and Reheating the Leftovers
If you have leftover tater tots, let them cool completely before storing them.
Keep them in an airtight container or a zip-top bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat tater tots in the air fryer, preheat to 180°C (350°F) for a few minutes.
Put the tater tots in a single layer in the basket and heat for 5-7 minutes until they’re warm and crispy.
For a quicker option, use the microwave. Place the tater tots on a microwave-safe plate, and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring or flipping occasionally, until heated through.
Recipe FAQs
Cooking tater tots in an air fryer usually takes around 12 to 18 minutes. Keep an eye on them and adjust the time as needed for your preferred crispiness.
This recipe for air fryer tater tots is not gluten-free because it includes flour as a binding agent. However, if you are gluten intolerant, you can substitute wheat flour with a gluten-free version.
Yes, you can prepare the tater tots ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to cook.
Place the shaped tater tots on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, follow the recipe instructions.
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Please give us a five-star rating and leave a comment below.
I hope you enjoy the process of preparing these golden and crispy Air Fryer Tater Tots just as much as you enjoy eating them! 🙂
Bon appétit!
Mini Tater Tots in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 700 g floury potatoes (desire, russet, or maris piper)
- ½ tbsp plain white flour / all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp cajun spices
- 50 g grated cheddar
- spray oil
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes, cut them in halves, and place them in a large pot filled with plenty of cold water.
- Bring the pot to a boil on high heat and cook the potatoes for approximately 7-8 minutes, or until they become slightly tender.
- Drain the potatoes and allow them to cool until they are easy to handle.
- Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, grate them using a
- In a big mixing bowl, combine together grated potatoes, plain white flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, Cajun spices, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are evenly blended.
- Grab a small handful of the potato mixture and form it into a cylindrical tater tot.
- Keep repeating this process until you've used all the mixture, and place the tater tots on a plate or tray.
- Preheat your air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for about 5 minutes.
- Lightly spray the tater tots with oil on all sides. This will help them crisp up in the air fryer.
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper.
- Gently position the tater tots in the air fryer basket, ensuring there's ample space between them for proper air circulation. You may need to cook them in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Air fry the tater tots at 200°C (400°F) for around 20 minutes or until they become golden brown and crispy.
- Once cooked to your liking, carefully remove the tater tots from the air fryer basket, and allow them to cool slightly before serving.
- Serve the homemade tater tots as a delightful snack, appetizer, or side dish alongside your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Opt for floury potatoes such as Desiree, Russet, or Maris Piper for the best outcome. These varieties have more starch, giving your potato side dish a fluffier texture.
- Partially boil the potatoes until they’re slightly tender before grating. This step ensures that the grated potatoes maintain their shape and texture during cooking.
- When shaping the tater tots, make sure they are the same size to ensure even cooking and consistent results.
- Make sure to leave sufficient space between the tater tots in the air fryer basket to allow proper airflow and ensure even browning. Overcrowding may lead to uneven cooking and less crispy tater tots.
- Before air frying, lightly coat the tater tots with olive oil cooking spray to achieve a crispy texture and golden-brown color.
- The cooking times might differ based on the size, and thickness of your tater tots, and the type of air fryer. Keep an eye on them and adjust the cooking time as necessary to achieve your preferred level of crispiness.
