Air Fryer Tater Tots

Name: Air Fryer Tater Tots
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup Tater tots; Cooking spray (Optional); Salt or seasonings of choice (Optional)

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Air fryer frozen tater tots are the crispiest crunchiest tater tots around! Quick, easy and so much less mess than with oven baked tater tots!

air fryer tater tots on white plate with dish of ketchup

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Air fryer tater tots are super crunchy, healthy and quick! I am convinced that frozen tater tots in the air fryer are the absolute easiest cooking method! Eat them with quick and juicy Frozen Hamburgers in Air Fryer for the perfect easy dinner.

You can also enjoy your tater tots for breakfast. They are delicious with these air fryer nectarines for a fully rounded breakfast! Air Fryer Biscuits are also a great breakfast or brunch option. You will also love them with this Protein French Toast or Sourdough French Toast!

You will also love my Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings, the easiest way to make crispy crunchy wings!

Frozen Egg Rolls in Air Fryer are also quickly becoming one of my favorite snacks to make in the air fryer.

Quite frankly, I am obsessed with my air fryer. Similar to convection oven allows air to circulate while cooking which produces the absolute crispiest tater tots you have ever tasted! And speaking of savory and delicious, be sure to check out my sweet and spicy Bacon Jerky!

If you want to serve these tater tots for breakfast, they are delicious with Ube Pandesal which is a sweet bread breakfast roll.

Why this air fryer tater tot recipe is the best!

Cooking in an air fryer is way healthier than deep frying. If you want a healthy burger to go with those tater tots, check out these lean and healthy Elk Burgers!
Air fryer tater tots are super crispy and crunchy, with easy clean up!
Frozen tater tots in the air fryer cook up FAST! You will also love my Air Fryer Pizza Rolls and Air Fryer Corn Dogs for a super fast appetizer or snack.

Ingredients for frozen air fryer tater tots

Tater Tots, Tater Puffs or Tater Rounds: You can use any brand including the original Ore-Ida brand. You can also check out Whole Foods 365 Tater Puffs or Kroger Tater Rounds.
Cooking Spray: Cooking spray is optional. However, cooking spray helps sticking if you are cooking a larger batch.
Salt: Optional. See recipe notes for optional seasoning ideas. You can also sprinkle with some Rosemary Salt to make things exciting!

How to make air fryer tater tots

tater tots in the air fryer process shots 1 through 4

Preheat air fryer to 400°
Optional: Lightly spray tater tots with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt or other seasonings of choice. Cooking spray and salt/seasonings are optional. However, cooking spray helps the tater tots from sticking to each other if you are cooking a larger batch.
Arrange tater tots in fryer basket leaving room so they do not touch each other.
Cook for 10-15 minutes.
Depending on your air fryer, the size of your fryer basket and amount of tater tots in the basket, you can shake the basket and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until you reach your desired level of crispness as needed.

What are tater tots vs tater rounds?

Tater tots are grated or finely chopped potatoes shaped into small rounds or cylinders and deep fried or baked. They are a popular appetizer, snack or side dish at breakfast, brunch or lunch.

Tater tot is a registered trademark of the company Ore-Ida so other brands will often refer to their taters as tater rounds, tater bites or tater puffs.

Are tater tots healthier in the air fryer?

Yes! Tater tots are healthier in the air fryer because they are not deep fried. Unlike cooking tater tots in the oven, they require less oil when cooking in the air fryer basket which allows the air to circulate around them as they cook. You can check out the Ore-Ida website for exact tater tots nutrition.

Best air fryer tater tot dipping sauce?

You cannot go wrong with the standard favorites: ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce or honey mustard. However, if you want to be extra exciting, check out some of my favorite dipping sauces:

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wing Sauce (which is really great for dipping everything from chicken wings, to pizza, to tater tots!).
Bang Bang Sauce: a sweet and spicy mayonnaise based dipping sauce.
Chili Crisp: a delicious Asian sauce packed with spicy umami flavor!

Are tater tots gluten free?

While many brands of tater tots are gluten free, not all tater tots are gluten free so it is important to check the ingredients carefully. Both Ore-Ida Tater Tots and Kroger Tater Bites brand packaging indicates that their tater tots are gluten free.

Do you have to preheat your air fryer before cooking frozen tater tots?

You do not have to preheat your air fryer before cooking frozen tater tots but I recommend it. If you choose not to pre-heat, add about 3-4 minutes to your cook time. Check for crispiness at the end of your cook time and add additional cook time as needed until your tater tots reach desired level of crispiness.

How long do you cook frozen tater tots in air fryer?

You cook frozen tater tots in air fryer for about 10-15 minutes on 400 degrees (preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees). Depending on your air fryer, the size of your fryer basket and amount of tater tots in the basket, you can shake the basket and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes to your desired level of crispness as needed.

What temperature do you cook frozen tater tots in air fryer?

Cook frozen tater tots in preheated air fryer at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. If you cook tater tots at a lower temperature, you will need to increase cooking time.

air fryer frozen tater tots on white plate with dish of ketchup

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