Air Fryer Tater Tots Crispy and Quick

Name: Air Fryer Tater Tots
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 20 oz bag of tater tots (organic preferred); 1 tsp olive oil

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Crispy air fryer tater tots are simply the best! Enjoy them for breakfast, a snack, or as a side dish. Made with quality frozen tots, and a touch of oil, the air fryer creates tot perfection in minutes!

Golden brown tater tots in air fryer basket.

When we entered the lenten season my husband decided he was going to give up potatoes. This was a big deal for him as potatoes were a part of his daily diet.

My husband has been going to the grocery store as of late, and since we’re one week past Easter Sunday potatoes have made a reappearance in our home. I opened the freezer to find a bag of organic frozen tater tots. This recipe is not for homemade tater tots, but they are just as good, and A LOT easier!

Without hesitation, I pulled out my air fryer to make some crispy air fryer tots in minutes! The best part of this recipe is that you only need 2 ingredients! Tots, and a little oil! Feel free to sprinkle some extra seasoning such as black pepper if you want a bit more spice!

As soon as I put the golden brown tots on the kitchen island my three guys lunged for them. I ran upstairs to grab a sweater, came down, and the bowl of tots was gone! I made them again for our Friday movie night, and now they’ve become a tradition!

These tots make for an easy vegan appetizer, side dish, or snack!

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients and Notes
Tools and Equipment
Instructions
FAQS
How to Serve
Expert Tips
More air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Tater Tots

Hand holding tater tot dipped in ketchup.

Why This Recipe Works

Perfectly crispy
Less oil reduces calories
Healthier than deep frying
Done in 15 minutes
Add to your favorite easy recipes!
No need to preheat an oven or use a deep fryer
Easy prep
Two ingredients

Ingredients and Notes

Bowl of frozen tater tots, and jug of olive oil on counter top.

Bag of Organic Tater Tots
1 teaspoon olive oil

You’ll need a standard-size bag of organic tater tots. I prefer the Alexia brand. Their Organic Yukon Select Puffs have a few simple ingredients including potatoes, vegetable oil, sea salt, and apple juice (for browning).

Tools and Equipment

You’ll need your Air Fryer to make this recipe. If you don’t have one already there is a lot to choose from on the market today. I have a compact Dash Air Fryer which is great for small jobs, but not ideal for larger recipes.

I used my Dash for these tater tots and they turned out perfect. Unlike many air fryer recipes, you don’t have to worry about overcrowding the air fryer with tots. They don’t need to be in a single later as long as you toss the basket a few times during the cooking process.

Instructions

Step 1: Using paper towels and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, wipe the air fryer basket with oil.

Hand wiping air fryer basket with paper towel.

Step 2: Fill the air fryer basket with the frozen tater tots in a single layer for best results.

Frozen tater tots in air fryer basket before they've been cooked. — Frozen tater tots in air fryer.

Step 3: Set the air frying setting to a temperature of 400 F, and a cook time of 15 minutes.

Step 4: Toss the tater tots at the half way point, about 7 ½ minutes through cooking time.

Frozen tater tots in air fryer basket after they've been cooked for half the time. — Tossed at 7 ½ minutes

Crispy golden brown frozen tater tots in air fryer basket after they've been cooked. — Tots finished after 15 minutes

Step 5: Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with ketchup of your favorite dipping sauce.

FAQS

What are tater tots?

Tater tots were first created in 1953 in the Ore-Ida facility when the founders wanted to figure out what to do with the chopped-up bits of potato that were leftover. They mixed up the bits of potato with flour and seasoning and formed them into cylinders. They deep-fried cylinders then froze and packaged them for sale. At first, they were not a very popular item. However, when they increased the price it suddenly became more desirable. Now tater tots are a familiar favorite potato recipe for many different occasions!

Are air fryer tater tots healthy?

Less Oil-Air fryer tater tots are healthier than deep fried tater tots. The air circulation in the air fryer allows for a crispy finish without the need for access oil.
Organic Tots-Using organic tots that are Non-GMO improves the overall quality of the ingredients.

How do you store and keep leftover tater tots?

These tater tots are perfect for a game day appetizer, served as a side dish, or made into a vegan hash for breakfast topped with avocado, salsa, and sautéd vegetables. The classic way to serve tater tots is with a side of ketchup, or mix it up and top with hot sauce! When making tater tots in the air fryer only use as much as you want to serve. In order to retain that crispy finish you want to make each batch fresh.

Hand dipping tater tot in bowl of ketchup.

How to Serve

Ketchup is of course the most popular way to serve these tots, but you can really get creative. Try serving with vegan sour cream and a sprinkle of green onions. These also taste great dipped in vegan honey mustard. Make as a side dish to serve with carrot dogs or veggie burgers instead of fries. You can also create your own tater tot casserole or how about tater tot nachos!

Expert Tips

Use quality tater tots.
Bake at a higher temperature for a crispy texture!
Look for tots with a few simple whole food ingredients. I recommend the Alexia brand.
Use a small amount of oil, I recommend olive or avocado oil. Moderately coat the air fryer basket with oil.
Some air fryers need to be preheated. Preheat your air fryer if needed.
Be sure to toss the tots at the halfway point, 7.5 minutes to guarantee an even fry.
Use aluminum foil in the air fryer for easy clean-up.

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