Air fryer tater tots deliver crispy perfection in record time! No need to wait for the oven or deal with deep frying – just pop the frozen tater tots in the air fryer and enjoy golden brown crunchy tots in minutes.
Why you’ll love air fryer tater tots
- Air frying tater tots gets them crispy and perfectly browned without the hassle of deep frying.
- It is faster than oven baking, with no need to wait for your oven to heat up.
- Make the ideal amount for one or two people – they are perfect for an after school snack for the kids.
Scroll down for the printable recipe card for these air fryer tater tots, or read on for all the details!
What do you need?
Frozen tater tots – Pick up a bag of any frozen tater tot variety from the freezer section. Popular brands like Ore-Ida Tater Tots work great, but you can also use off-brands. Potato Gems or Potato Royals can be substituted in as well.
Olive oil spray – A light spritz or olive oil before air frying helps them get extra crispy and browned.
Salt – Sprinkle the hot, cooked tater tots with salt right when they come out of the air fryer for flavor. Kosher or sea salt work best to season.
When choosing an olive oil spray for your air fryer, look for the type that spritzes rather than an aerosol. The propellant in aerosol oil sprays can damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer.
How to air fry frozen tater tots
- Preheat air fryer to 360°F / 180°C. Preheating is important because the air frying time for tater tots is short so you need the air fryer to be hot when the tater tots go in.
- Place tater tots in the air fryer basket. Try not to overload the basket – cook them in a single layer if possible.
- Air fry tater tots for 8-12 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Shake the basket (or quickly flip with tongs) halfway through cooking to redistribute the tater tots and ensure they cook evenly.
How long to air fry frozen tater tots
Exactly how long to air fry frozen tater tots depends on a few factors, including how many you are cooking, and how powerful your air fryer is.
A small batch of tater tots in a single layer in the air fryer should take around 8 minutes to cook. If you are air frying a large number of tater tots and they are piled up in the basket, then It will take closer to 12 minutes, or even longer.
Check the progress towards the end of the cooking time and air fry tater tots for additional 1-2 minute intervals if needed until they are just right.
Serving ideas
You can serve tater tots as a side to a main meal as an alternative to fries, or as a snack on their own with a dipping sauce. Serve them plain, or try on of these fun serving ideas:
- Loaded up with cheese, bacon, scallions, and ranch dressing for cheesy bacon tots.
- Topped with melted cheese, chili, and pickled jalapeños for totchos.
- Mixed with scrambled eggs and sausage for a tasty potato tot breakfast skillet.
- Sprinkled with Cajun seasoning before air frying for spicy, crispy tots.
- Tossed in buffalo sauce post-fry for buffalo tater tots.
Storing and reheating
Store any leftover tater tots in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 3 days.
You can reheat tater tots in the air fryer – simple place leftover tots in the air fryer basket, and air fry for 5 minutes at 360°F/ 180°C until they are piping hot.
Air Fryer Tater Tots (from frozen)
Ingredients
- 16 oz / 450 g tater tots (/ Potato Gems)
- Olive oil spray
- Salt (to taste)
Directions
- Place frozen tater tots in the air fryer basket, and give a quick spray of olive oil.
- Place basket in air fryer, and air fry tater tots at 360°F/ 180°C for around 12 minutes.
- Shake the basket after about 5-6 minutes (no need to stop the air fryer), and again after 10 minutes.
- At this point check to see how well cooked the tots are. If they are not quite cooked enough return them to the air fryer and cook for additional 2 minute intervals until they are done to your liking.
- The tater tots are cooked when they are a light golden brown, though you can cook them longer if you like them extra crispy!
- Remove tater tots from the air fryer and season with salt to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.