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Home » Courses » Sides and Appetizers » Air Fryer Tater Tots Crispy and Quick

Air Fryer Tater Tots Crispy and Quick

Published: Apr 20, 2020 Modified: Sep 3, 2020 by Alison Corey

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air fryer tater tots

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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!

tater tots in air fryer

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.

As I’ve mentioned in the past, white potatoes, and French fries are not a regular occurrence in my diet. I can take them or leave them, but the rest of my family is crazy for potatoes!

My husband has been doing the grocery shopping 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.

Without hesitation I pulled out my air fryer to make some crispy tots in minutes!

As soon as I put the bowl of crispy 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 were gone!

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

hand holding tater tot dipped in ketchup

Why You’ll Love these Air Fryer Tater Tots…

  • Perfectly crispy
  • Less oil reduces calories
  • Tastes like deep fried without the extra oil
  • Done in 15 minutes
  • No need to preheat an oven or use a deep fryer
  • Easy prep
  • Two ingredients

Ingredients You’ll Need

ingredients for air fryer tater tots
  • Bag of Organic Tater Tots
  • 1 tsp 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

  • Air Fryer

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

How to Make Air Fryer Tater Tots – Step by Step

Step 1: Using a paper towel and 1 tsp of olive oil, wipe the air fryer basket with oil.

paper towel and air fryer

Step 2: Fill the air fryer basket with the frozen tater tots.

air fryer basket filled with tater tots
Frozen tater tots in air fryer.

Step 3: Set the temperature to 400 F for 15 minutes.

Step 4: Toss the tater tots at the half way point, about 7 1/2 minutes through cooking time.

tater tots in air fryer basket
Tossed at 7 1/2 minutes
tater tots in air fryer basket
Tots finished after 15 minutes

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

air fryer tater tots in serving bowl

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 the 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 to Serve and Keep

air fryer tater tots in serving bowl with a side of ketchup

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.

tater tot dipped in ketchup

Top Tips for Making Air Fryer Tater Tots

  • Use quality tater tots.
  • 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.
close up of crispy tater tots

Check out these other air fryer recipes!

  • Air Fryer Potato Wedges
  • Air Fryer Frozen French Fries
  • Air Fryer Butternut Squash
  • Air Fryer Carrots
  • Air Fryer Asparagus
  • Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

If you’ve tried these Air Fryer Tater Tots, please rate the recipe and let me know how they turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!

air fryer tater tots in serving bowl

Air Fryer Tater Tots

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!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer tater tots
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5
Calories: 140kcal

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • 20 oz bag of tater tots organic preferred
  • 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Using a paper towel and 1 tsp of olive oil, wipe the air fryer basket with oil.
  • Fill the air fryer basket with the frozen tater tots.
  • Set the temperature to 400 F for 15 minutes.
  • Toss the tater tots at the half way point, about 7 1/2 minutes through cooking time.
  • Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with ketchup of your favorite dipping sauce.

Video

Notes

  1. Use quality tater tots.
  2. Look for tots with a few ingredients that you can read to avoid processed ingredients. I recommend the Alexia brand.
  3. Use a small amount of oil, I recommend olive or avocado oil. Moderately coat the air fryer basket with oil.
  4. Some air fryers need to be preheated. Preheat your air fryer if needed.
  5. Be sure to toss the tots at the halfway point, 7.5 minutes to guarantee an even fry.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4.5g | Sodium: 230mg | Potassium: 240mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g
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Comments

  1. Farah Maizar

    April 23, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    Yaay! I have an air fryer and barely use it, and this definitely inspired me to break it out! thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  2. Scarlet

    April 23, 2020 at 5:16 pm

    I love the air fryer for crisping things up. I have to try these air fryer tater tots soon. Yum.

    Reply
  3. Anita

    April 23, 2020 at 5:27 pm

    5 stars
    This is definitely the easiest way to prepare tater tots. Now I can serve this often for our Sunday brunch. 🙂

    Reply
  4. Rebecca

    April 23, 2020 at 5:34 pm

    5 stars
    I LOVE tots! this is such an easy way to cook them & get ’em super crunchy! Yum

    Reply
  5. Emily Liao

    April 23, 2020 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    These air fryer tots are the best! Perfectly crispy and was the perfect appetizer. Will definitely make this again for when I have guests over.

    Reply
  6. Jenn

    April 23, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    5 stars
    I’m just getting used to my air fryer so I’m collecting tips, recipes and ideas, so I really appreciate learning how to make tots in my air fryer! thanks for the instructions – I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  7. Cheri

    December 18, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    The air fryer makes the best tator tots hands down!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Alison!

I'm a plant-based vegan, married to a meat eater, with two picky kids. I use whole food plant-based ingredients to create a delicious compromise in the kitchen. My goal is to create simple and flavorful main dishes, salads, snacks, and the occasional dessert that I feel good about feeding my family, and they delight in eating.

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