Air Fryer Tater Tots
Posted: 09/06/19
Updated: 06/25/22
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Air Fryer tater tots are just the best, hands down! This method produces tater tots that truly taste deep fried but are way healthier. Easy to make from frozen tater tots in just about 15 minutes. You’ll never, ever cook tater tots any other way.
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- This is a healthier way of cooking a favorite game day snack and side dish.
- It only takes 15 minutes to cook the tater tots from frozen.
- They are seriously delicious! They taste deep fried but are so much healthier!
- You only need three ingredients for unbelievably crispy tots!
What are Tater Tots?
Tater Tots are made from grated potato that is then deep fried. They are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. They are naturally vegan and you can get varieties that cater to specific diets such as gluten-free.
A Healthier Way to Cook Them
There’s nothing quite like a crispy tater tot, but to get that restaurant quality crunch means you need to be reaching for the deep fat fryer. But no more! You can achieve the same crunchiness with far less fat by using an air fryer.
It’s so quick, easy and hassle free, and you can cook the tots right from frozen. This is for sure a must have dish for game day Sundays!
Serving Suggestions
Tater Tots are a classic side dish or party food. You can serve these with a meat main course as a potato side dish, or serve to a crowd of people as a party appetizer along with your sauces of choice.
You can also add various toppings to your cooked tots; cheese, sriracha, salsa and guacamole all work amazingly well!
Chef’s Tips
- Pre-heat your air fryer for the crispiest tater tots.
- The cooking spray and salt really help to crisp the tater tots, so don’t skip these ingredients!
- Flip the tots in the basket during cooking, so they cook evenly.
- Use organic frozen tater tots for the healthiest version
- Serve immediately!
Be sure to check out these other popular recipes!
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Recipe
- Baked Potatoes on the Grill
- Crockpot Potato Soup
- Sausage in the Air Fryer
- Mashed Potato Pancakes
- How to Toast Pecans
- How to Cook Acorn Squash
- Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe
- Crock Pot Chicken Wings
- Shrimp and Cabbage Stir Fry
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Air Fryer tater tots are just the best, hands down! This method produces tater tots that truly taste deep fried but are way healthier. Easy to make from frozen tater tots in just about 15 minutes.
servings
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen tater tots
- air-fryer-safe avocado oil (or other cooking spray)
- salt
Equipment
- Air fryer
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 400ºF. Coat the frozen tots with a little cooking spray, like avocado oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.
- Cook for 15 minutes on 400ºF – flip them in the basket every 5 minutes or so until crisp and golden and medium brown in a few spots. Add extra time if you want them crispier.
Notes
- I recommend using organic frozen tater tots for the healthiest version.
- This is the air fryer I use.
- This method works for any number of tater tots, though if your air fryer is small or you’re cooking a large amount of tots, you’ll want to work in batches.
Video
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 206kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 602mg, Potassium: 301mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 15mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 27g
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
I love your instructions on cooking Potato Gems/Tater Tots. So easy, and so much healthier than cooking them in a deep fryer.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Easy and very good
Agreed!
I love my air fryer and I absolutely love tater tots in the air fryer. Made according to your recipe. They are the best! Ty
Thank you, April! We couldn’t agree more. 🙂
Best tater tots ever!!
Thank you! We agree. 🙂
Used this recipe just yesterday and they were the best tater tots we’ve ever had! Done in 15m and were perfectly brown and crispy. Yum!
Just got an air fryer and looked up recipes for tater tots. Saw this one and it turned out perfect! So easy, too! Turned out crispy outside and soft inside!
So simple but they made the tater tots SO GOOD
A wine paring with tater tots? I love it! Turned out great!
So tasty!!
These were VERY close to deep-fried tater tots; not quite as good as ones from a restaurant deep-fryer, but definitely better than what I can bake in the oven! I’ll definitely make them again (I really want to toss them with truffle salt before serving). I do have a request: can the recipe have an approximation as to how many tots constitute one serving? The nutritional data from the package of my tots was a bit more specific, and it appears the kcals & CHO on this page would be for about 10 tots (give or take). Regardless, these were pretty dang good.
This recipe is definitely better than the oven. So crispy with less fat than frying!