Crispy, crunchy, and delicious, frozen tater tots are made easily in the air fryer. This tasty potato side dish or appetizer can be cooked from frozen in 15 minutes.
Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots
If you haven't tried tater tots, you'll be in for a pleasant surprise because they taste so good. They are crispy, crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
We love anything potatoes here, specially my kids! Tator tots are great as a snack or an appetizer. They're served as a side dish too. But it doesn't last that long in our house to make it to the dinner table!
The frozen tater tots are typically fried to get a crunchy texture. I used to bake it in the oven but it's not the same and seemed like a lot of work for a quick snack or an appetizer.
Since the Air fryer works by circulating hot air around to cook the food, the tater tots turn out super crispy and cook faster. No need to thaw and it gets cooked straight from frozen. As a busy mom, I really love cooking food in the Air fryer as it frees up the oven for more time-consuming or laborious cooking.
I love cooking Air Fryer Frozen Pizza, Air Fryer Frozen Burgers for quick meals, or Air Fryer French Fries, Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries as side dishes.
For our favorite Air fryer recipes, check out the Air Fryer Recipes Collection.
What Are Tater Tots?
Tator tots are potato bites made from grated, parboiled potatoes and shaped cylindrically. They come frozen and typically deep-fried or oven-baked. Tator tots are served as a side dish or an appetizer with a dipping sauce.
The name Tater tots is registered to Ore-Ida company. Taters tots are also known as - Potato Puffs, Tater Rounds, Tater Puffs, and Tasti Taters.
Why We Love To Cook Frozen Tater Tots in the Air fryer:
- Healthy with no deep frying and less oil
- Crispy and crunchy
- Requires less time than baking in the oven
- Great as an appetizer or side dish
INGREDIENTS
Frozen Tater Tots - You can use the original Ore-Ida brand or any brands like Krogers, Trader Joe, McCain, Whole Foods, etc. I use McCain brand Tasti Taters here in Canada. This recipe is for a 16oz bag.
Cooking spray - This is optional but using a cooking spray on the tater tots lightly will help them not stick together. I use an olive oil spray but any cooking oil would work.
Salt - You can keep it simple and sprinkle only salt or get fancy by adding the following seasonings.
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Parmesan cheese
How To Cook Frozen Tater Tots In Air Fryer
A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.
Preheat Air fryer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Or at 400F for 3 minutes.
Remove the tater tots from the bag and spread them on a baking sheet. This is totally optional but I do this step because it makes it easier to coat the taters with oil and season them properly. NO THAWING is needed.
Spray the frozen tater tots with olive oil or your preferred oil. We DONT use aerosol cooking spray directly in the Air fryer basket as it will chip the coating. Even if you're spraying it on food, there's a chance the basket might get sprayed. It's safer to do this before placing the tots in the Air fryer.
You can then season the tater tots. Although they come preseasoned I find it really bland. I like to sprinkle some salt. You can add your favorite seasonings or from the list below. Toss to coat.
Place tater tots in the Air fryer basket in a single layer.
Air fry tater tots at 400F for approximately 10 minutes. Shake the basket. This ensures that all the tots crisp up evenly. Cook for another 5 minutes or until how crispy you want it to be. For crispiest tater tots I let it cook until slightly golden brown.
Remove the tater tots from the Air fryer and serve warm with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.
Best Tips To Make Air Fryer Potato Tots
Preheat the Air fryer. This ensures you get crispy air fryer tater tots. If you skip preheating, add an additional 3 to 4 minutes to your cooking time.
Oil and season the tater tots before placing them in the Air fryer.
Place them in a single layer. Cook in batches if needed.
Common Questions
Seasoning ideas for frozen tater tots
You can just sprinkle salt or add different seasonings to the tater tots to make it exciting.
Here are some seasoning ideas for you to try. Make sure you spray some oil and salt the taters before tossing them in the seasonings to make them stick. You can mix the spices together or use them individually.
- Garlic powder - ½ teaspoon
- Onion powder - ½ teaspoon each
- Ground black pepper - ½ teaspoon
- Smoked paprika - 1 teaspoon
- Parmesan cheese - 1 tablespoon
Are tater tots healthier in the air fryer?
Yes, they are healthy compared to frying. Air frying has fewer calories since no oil is being used. Make sure you buy a brand that has fewer additives.
How long to cook frozen tater tots in Air fryer?
I like to cook frozen tater tots at 400F for 10 minutes, shake the basket and cook for another 5 more minutes.
How to Serve Tater Tots
Tater tots are normally eaten with ketchup as an appetizer or snack. You don't have to stop there. They are great with a wide variety of dipping sauces. Serve them with
- BBQ sauce
- Ranch dressing
- Spicy mayo sauce
- Sweet chilli sauce
- Cheese sauce
Kids and adults alike will love them served as a side dish with steak, fish, chicken, or shrimp. Tater tors will be delicious with any main dish.
How To Store
If you want to store any leftovers, place them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for 3 days.
Reheating Tater Tots In Air Fryer
Tater tots will taste fresh and crispy if you reheat them in the air fryer. No more soggy and limp microwave tater tots!
Preheat air fryer to 400F. Place the tater tots in the Air fryer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until they are warm and crispy.
More Frozen Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Frozen Burgers
- Air Fryer Frozen Pizza
- Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer French Fries
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Garlic Steak Bites
- Crispy and Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Shrimps
- Air Fryer Chicken Nugget
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Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots
Equipment
- Baking sheet optional
Ingredients
- 1 lb tater tots
- cooking spray
- salt
Instructions
- Preheat Air fryer according to the manufacturer's instructions. Or at 400F for 3 minutes.
- Remove the tater tots from the bag and spread them on a baking sheet. Spray lightly with oil and season with salt. Use any seasonings if you prefer at this stage and toss to coat.
- Place the tater tots in the Air fryer basket in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Shake the basket and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes until crispy or slightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Store - leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat - in the air fryer for 2 to 3 minutes at 400F until warm and crispy.
- Seasoning options -
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- ground black pepper
- smoked paprika
- parmesan cheese
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