Crunchy, Golden, and Undeniably addictive!!! No one can replace the place of Air Fryer tater tots in our hearts and stomachs. Let me tell you how to cook tater tots in Air fryer like never before. Picture this: perfectly crispy from the outside, tender from the inside, and made with less oil to cut calories!!!

All the tater tot fans and addicts, we welcome you to our article regarding air fryer tater tots! In this article, we will help you to explore the world of air fryer tater tots to revolutionize your snacking experience. Make your tastebuds prepare as things are starting to get seriously crispy from now onwards!!!

What are tater tots?

Tater tots are bite-sized snacks made out of grated or chopped potatoes. The idea originated in the United States in the 1950s to utilize the leftover potatoes and wastage of French fries.

Tater tots are typically made by deep frying grated and chopped potatoes bound together in a bite-size cylindrical shape. Their crispiness outside and tenderness inside make them one of the tastiest side dishes. They are one of the most common staple foods of American cuisine because of their taste and convenience.

Why cook Frozen Tater Tots in Air Fryer?

You might be wondering why cook tater tots in air fryer. There are pretty solid reasons to do so, which are as follows:

1. They are heather as compared to the deep-fried ones as less oil is used in them.
2. As the tater tots are exposed to a minimum high temperature, they are more nutritious.
3. The air fryer cooks them more evenly than deep frying.
4. You can try out different flavors of tater tots in the air fryer.
5. They save you time as they get ready in less duration of time.

Nutrition comparison between Air Fryer and Deep-Fried Tater Tots per 100 grams

There is a difference in the nutrition present in both types of tater tots. The following comparison highlights how tater tots in air fryers are healthier than deep-fried ones:

What Ingredients Are Required for Air Fryer Tater Tots?

Air frying tater tots isn’t a hectic process. You just need these three ingredients to cook amazing, delicious tater tors in air fryer:

1. Frozen Tater Tots
2. One Teaspoon of Olive oil (or any oil that you prefer)
3. Salt as per taste

Cooking Instructions

To make the tater tots in air fryer, follow the below-mentioned instructions:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It does not only make the cooking easier but also enhances the crispiness of the tater tots.
2. Spray the air fryer basket with oil.
3. Spread the frozen tater tots in air fryer
4. Sprinkle the salt over it.
5. Leave tater tots in air fryer for 10-12 minutes.
6. Take them out once they are crispy and golden brown and serve them as snacks or as a sider.

Tips for perfectly cooked Tater Tots

To make the perfectly cooked tater tots in the air fryer, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Use good quality cooking oil. A good quality cooking oil will prevent the tater tots from sticking to the basket.
2. Do not add a lot of tater tots and overcrowd the fryers. Spread them evenly so that they can cook in a better way.
3. Shake the basket once the tots are half done. Doing this will make tater tots cooked evenly from both sides.

How long to air fry tater tots?

The timing for cooking tater tots in the air fryer varies as per the brand and model of the air fryer. Moreover, your preferred crispiness and tenderness also result in variations in the cooking timing. Typically, they are cooked for 12 to 15 minutes. After that, check the crispiness. If it is ok for you, serve them, but if you want them to be crispier, cook them for a few minutes more. All in all, as the timing for the air frying varies; keep an eye on them while cooking to adjust the air fryer tater tots time and temp accordingly.

How to make crispy tater tots air fryer?

To make crispy air fryer tater tots, you need to do certain things which are as follows:

1. Make sure that the air fryer is not overcrowded. They should be spread in a single layer in the basket. Otherwise, all of the tater tots would not be exposed to the hot air which makes them crispy.
2. Increase the cooking timing of the tater tots. Typically, cooking them for 15 minutes makes them crispy. However, it varies from air fryer to air fryer. Find out which timing gives your desired crispiness and go for it.
3. Moreover, once they are half cooked, shake and flip them. It would make them crispier and give them the perfect golden-brown color.

How to reheat tater tots in the air fryer?

To reheat tater tots in the air fryer, follow the below-mentioned steps:

1. Preheat the air fryer to around 350°F (175°C) for a few minutes.
2. Spread the foil and place the leftover tater tots in the basket.
3. Set the temperature to 350°F and cook them for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. You can also shake or flip them halfway (optional).
5. Check them for desired warmth. If you need them to be hotter, cook them for a few minutes more.

How to make homemade tater tots in the air fryer?

Making air fryer tater tots homemade is a healthier option compared to readymade ones. Here is a recipe to make homemade tater tots in the air fryer:

Ingredients for Air Fryer Tater Tots from scratch

1. 4 medium-sized potatoes
2. 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3. 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon paprika
6. Salt and pepper to taste
7. Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Peel the potatoes and rinse them under water to remove any dust present on them. Dry them with a kitchen towel.
2. Grate the potatoes and remove their moisture by seizing them in the kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
3. In a bowl, combine the grated potatoes, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly incorporated.
4. Shape the mixture into cylindrical tots of bite-size.
5. Preheat the air fryer to 400 Fahrenheit for a few minutes.
6. Grease the basket with oil and place the tater tots into it. Make sure that you do not overcrowd the basket and there is only a single layer of tater tots present on them.
7. Cook them for 10 to 20 minutes at 400 Fahrenheit until they are crispy and golden brown.
8. When they are cooked, remove them and serve them with your favorite sauce.

Note: The time of cooking depends on the air fryer. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on these things.

» Try these other great recipes: Air Fryer Chicken Fries and Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes.

In what ways you can serve the Air Fryer Tater Tots?

Although there are endless possibilities to serve the Air Fryer tater tots, there are some ideas from us regarding serving these versatile snacks!!!

1. Side Dish: Tater tots air fryers are one of the classic side dishes that go with burgers, sandwiches, and meat. You can add your favorite sauce to make your meal more flavorful.
2. Loaded Tots: Just like loaded fries, you can make loaded tots as well. Add some cheese before air frying and load it with your favorite toppings. Some good options include chicken, mushrooms, sour cream, jalapenos, green onions, capsicum, etc.
3. Tot Casserole: You can make a casserole by topping it with cooked ground beef, vegetables, and cheese. Air fry it in the oven until the cheese melts for a perfect meal.
4. Tot Skewers: You can also make Tot Skewers and serve them as a party appetizer. Skewer air fryer tater tots with cheese, chicken, beef, vegetables, etc., and air fry them for 5 minutes.
5. Tot Nachos: Spread the tots in the basket and top them with your favorite nachos toppings such as cheese, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, etc. Once they are air fried, garnish them with sour cream or our favorite sauces.
6. Tot Breakfast Hash: You can also make a breakfast hash by using tots as a base. You can add your favorite meat and vegetable and air fry hash for your breakfast. Serve it with fried eggs to complete the meal.

Tater Tots Air Fryer Serving Size Per Person

Typically, the serving size of tater tots is around 60 to 80 grams per person. It means 6 to 8 pieces. However, this can be adjusted as per personal preference or dietary needs. One of the correct ways to know the serving size of the tater tots is to look for the other components of the meal to make sure that you are serving a varied and balanced diet full of nutrients.

Best Seasonings and Dips for Air Fryer Tater Tots

You can pair the air fryer tater tots with the seasonings such as:

1. Salt and pepper
2. Garlic and Herb
3. Smoky Paprika
4. Spicy Cajun
5. Parmesan and Herb

Some best dips that go with the tater tots air fryer are:

1. Ketchup
2. Creamy Ranch
3. Spicy Siracha Mayo
4. BBQ Sauce
5. Spicy Nacho Cheesy Dip

Our New Air Fryer Tater Tots Recipe

To all the tater tot fans, we are introducing a new recipe for you. It is called Spicy Parmesan Garlic Air Fryer Tater Tots.

Ingredients

For this recipe, you need the following ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen tater tots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust according to spice preference)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make seasoning by mixing olive oil, minced garlic, smoked paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
3. Add tater tots in air fryer basket and coat it with the seasoning. Do not overcrowd them and cook them in batches.
4. Air fry at 400 Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.
5. Flip and toss them once they are halfway done.
6. Once cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and sprinkle them with freshly chopped parsley.
7. Pair it with your favorite dips and enjoy!!!

FAQs

Why do tater tots fall apart in an air fryer?

There are a few reasons why tater tots fall apart in the air fryer. Sometimes they are not frozen properly. Due to that, when the air pressure is applied on them, they break. Sometimes, we overcrowd the air fryer. As the tater tot overlap each other, they fall apart.

Are air fryer tater tots healthy?

Compared to deep-fried tater tots, air-fried tater tots are one of the healthier options. They contain less oil and have lower fat content. Moreover, they have more nutrition. However, it is important to keep in mind that they are still processed food and we should eat them less often.

Can you stack tater tots in the air fryer?

No, you cannot stack tater tots in an air fryer. As the food is cooked in the air fryer through hot air circulation, stacking them would result in uneven cooking and would make them less crispy.

How do you keep tater tots from falling apart in an air fryer?

To keep tater tots from falling apart, you should make sure that they are completely frozen as they are hard to break. Moreover, if you would not overcrowd the basket and place them in a single layer, they would be less likely to fall apart.

Why aren’t my air fryer tater tots crispy?

There are two possibilities why your tater tots aren’t crispy and crunchy:

• One of the biggest reasons that the tater tots do not turn out crispy is that they are not cooked long enough at high temperatures.
• Another reason for making the air-fried tater tots is that less amount of oil is applied or less flipping is done. Apply the oil properly and flip it halfway to ensure crispiness.

How many calories are in air fryer tater tots?

On average, 100 grams per serving of tater tots contains 160 to 180 calories.

What is the difference between a hash brown and tater tots?

Although both of them are made from grated potatoes, they are different from each other. In hashbrowns, the grated and shredded potatoes are turned into a flat patty shape and cooked until they become crispy. Compared to that, tater tots are made from grated or chopped potato mixture mixed with seasonings and some other ingredients.

Conclusion

Air Fryer tater tots are the healthier and better alternative for deep-fried tater tots. Additionally, they consume less oil compared to deep-fried which makes them economical too.

We have shared the best recipes and techniques to make perfect tater tots. Whether you want to serve them as a snack or a side dish, the air-fried tater tots will surely satisfy your craving.