Nothing says fun food like a crispy pile of hot tater tots. While these delectable, starchy bites are usually reserved for kids, they absolutely shouldn’t be!
Tater tots are everything that’s good about cooked potatoes—crunchy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and thoroughly addicting!
Beyond just enjoying these bite-sized treat with ketchup or dipping sauce, they could be used to top a hot-dish (casserole), cover a pot pie, or even be served along with some scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Today, we’re using the best hack to make these crispy potato delights in no time—air fryer tater tots! It’s as easy as making fries in your air fryer.
✦ Fun Fact: The term “tater tot” is a registered trademark of Ore-Ida.
In Australia, these bite-sized potato treats are commonly known as “potato gems,” while non-Ore-Ida brands have come up with names like “tater treats,” “tasti taters,” “potato crunchies,” and “spud puppies.”
Ore-Ida humorously refers to these alternative versions as “imi-taters.”
Table of Contents
Level Up Your Air Fryer Tater Tots!
✦ You can find the exact measurements of the recipe ingredients and customize the serving size in the recipe card after the detailed step-by-step instructions section.
- Frozen tater tots
- Your favorite dipping sauce
These crunchy potato treats are great on their own, especially when paired with your favorite dipping sauce.
Want to go a step up with your mini taters? Try preparing loaded tots!
Start by air frying some bacon bits (use this step from our Air Fried Omelette recipe). Then, air fry your tater treats as directed below. When they are crispy and golden, transfer them to a plate.
Sprinkle the tater tots with shredded cheddar cheese, drizzle with ranch dressing, and top with the cooked bacon bits. A little sprinkle of freshly-chopped scallions and you’ve got a tater tot masterpiece perfect for any movie or game night!
Recipe Video
How to Cook Tater Tots in the Air Fryer?
Cooking frozen tater tots in the air fryer is about as easy as air fryer cooking gets; in less than 15 minutes, the frozen tots will be transformed to golden beauties.
Step 1: Preheat your air fryer to 380°F (193°C).
If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 380°F (193°C) and then let it cook for 5 minutes without food.
🚨 Important: Reduce the cooking temperature to 360°F (182°C) if you’re using a 4-quart air fryer or smaller. They generate more heat because of the heating element’s proximity to the food.
Step 2: Have the frozen tater tots ready.
No need to thaw the tots, simply have the package open and ready.
Step 3: Air fry tater tots for 8-10 minutes until crispy.
When the air fryer is preheated, add the tots in a single layer to the air fryer basket and air fry until golden, about 8-10 minutes, tossing occasionally.
✦ I used a 6-quart air fryer to test this recipe. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the number of servings you are making. For optimal results, begin with the lower end of the suggested cooking time.
If you’re air frying more than one layer of frozen tater tots, you need to adjust the cooking time accordingly. You’ll know they’re done when they turn golden and crispy.
Step 4: Serve and enjoy your air fried frozen tater tots!
When the tots are golden, carefully transfer them to a plate and serve with dipping sauce of choice!
Like we mentioned above, there are so many great ways to serve tater tots.
Loaded tater tots, shepherd’s pie topping, buffalo chicken tater tot casserole, and as a topping on chili, breakfast burrito filling are all really fun and delicious ways to serve your freshly-cooked tots!
Be creative and have fun with your delicious tots!
How to Limit Acrylamide Formation
Air fryers are being frowned upon because of acrylamides. However, in reality, choosing the air fryer over a deep fryer already reduces the development of acrylamides significantly!
To further reduce the formation of these harmful compounds while air frying, be sure to cook your food for the shortest amount of time and only until it’s golden brown (not charred).
The best way to do that is to preheat your air fryer, reducing the food’s cooking time, and ensuring that you remove your food as soon as it’s golden and delicious!
Recommended Air Frying Time & Temperature
The best way to air fry tater tots is to cook it at 380°F (193°C) for 6-quart or bigger air fryers and 360°F (182°C) for 4-quart air fryers and smaller. At this temperature we’re going to limit the browning of these mini potato treats.
As for the cooking time, a single layer of these mini potato treats will take 8-10 minutes to crisp up. If you’re filling your air fryer basket up to 1/3 of its capacity, the cooking time will be 15-20 minutes. The more you add, the longer they are going to cook.
Oh, and don’t forget to shake your tots once or twice once they start to crisp up.
Reheating Tater Tots in the Air Fryer
Tots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. To reheat, add to an air fryer preheated to 380°F and air fry until heated-through and golden, about 3-4 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can definitely air fry tater tots! In fact, it’s one of the quickest ways to cook these frozen treats into golden and crispy perfection.
The cooking time of tater tots in the air fryer will vary depending on the amount of these frozen potato bites and the cooking temperature you choose. Generally, a pound of these bite-sized treats will take around 8-12 minutes to cook at 380°F (193°C).
At 400°F (204°C), a pound of frozen tots will take 8-10 minutes to cook in the air fryer, shaking occasionally. The more servings you make, the longer it’s going to take.
For perfectly golden and crispy tater tots, begin by preheating your air fryer to a temperature range of 360°F – 380°F (182ºC – 193ºC). Next, place a pound of these bite-sized potato treats in the air fryer and cook them for approximately 10-12 minutes, shaking halfway through. Continue cooking until you achieve a golden brown crust. That’s when you know it’s crispy!
This ingredients checklist is interactive; you can use it as your grocery list.
Ingredients
- 1 pound tater tots frozen
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380°F (193°C). Please see note if your air fryer is 4-quart and below.
- Have the frozen tater tots ready.
- Put the mini tater tots in the air fryer basket and arrange it in a single layer for even cooking. Air fry tater tots for 8-10 minutes until they are slightly golden. Shake halfway or flip. If you prefer your tater tots to be extra crispy, you can continue air frying them for an additional 2-4 minutes until you achieve your desired level of browning.
- Serve your air fryer tater tots. You can enjoy it as is with a side of ketchup, or you could also add it to a breakfast wrap. You can also serve it as a side dish alongside burgers or sandwiches, used as a topping for loaded nachos or poutine, or even as a base for a flavorful tater tot casserole.
Recipe Video
Notes
- If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheating option, you can set the temperature to 380°F (193°C) and then let it cook for 4-5 minutes without food.
- For compact countertop convection ovens like our Ninja Foodi 4-Quart Basket Air Fryer. It is recommended to reduce the cooking temperature by 20°F or 10°C, or decrease the cooking time by 1-2 minutes. Smaller air fryers are hotter due to the heating element being closer to the food.
- Tater Tots, fries and other starchy foods can produce acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures. It usually forms during the browning process. To minimize the formation of acrylamide, it is advisable to cook the food to a slightly golden brown finish.
- I used a 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus to test air fryer frozen tater tots. Cooking time and temperature may vary depending on your air fryer and the amount of mini tater tots you are cooking.
Nutrition
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