Grab your favorite dipping sauce because you’re going to need it when you make these Crispy Air Fryer Tater Tots! These perfect tater tots make a great side dish when you’re serving burgers and hot dogs, and will quickly become one of your favorite snacks because of how easy they are to make.
Air Fryer Tater Tots Recipe
With an incredible crunch, these crispy tater tots have quickly shot to the top of the list for air fryer potato recipes that I’ve tried.
They’re the best way to make sure that you have the greatest side dish to pair with your family cookout or school lunches – my kids have given this technique a 5 star rating.
This recipe will take those soggy tater tots from the grocery store to the next level and make sure you get maximum crispness. Use them to make my Pulled Pork Totchos!
Why are air fryer tater tots better?
- Healthier than oil
- Crispier than baking
- Easier to prep and clean up
- Quicker than the oven
- Just 3 ingredients!
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Ingredients Needed
Frozen tater tots – Use a bag of your favorite brand of frozen tater tots. They can also be swapped for french fries or sweet potato fries instead.
Cooking spray – Choose a vegetable oil or avocado oil if possible. You can also use olive oil if necessary.
Salt – I like pink himalayan sea salt, but you can also use seasoning salt for a little more kick.
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How To Make Air Fryer Tater Tots
First: Preheat air fryer to 400F. Spray air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray. Spread tater tots in a single layer evenly along the bottom.
Second: Cook in preheated air fryer for 5 minutes. Pull out the basket and give it a good shake before spraying tots with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
Third: Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until crispy. Remove and place on serving tray. Sprinkle with more salt if desired.
Fourth: Serve air fryer tots warm with your favorite sauce or condiments, like ketchup or barbecue sauce.
For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How long do they last?
These delicious air fryer tater tots are one of my favorite things to make and store, because the leftover tater tots are super easy to heat up.
Once you’ve finished eating, leftovers can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge for 3 – 4 days.
To reheat, simply follow the cooking time that is shown in the recipe card. You can usually put them for less time, if you have stored them in the fridge instead of the freezer.
Make sure to coat them in a little bit of oil before placing them on the air fryer racks.
Why Choose The Air Fryer?
I always prefer using the air fryer to cook your tater tots, as opposed to deep frying them or cooking them in the oven.
Using a deep fryer requires a lot of oil, and you tend to get very greasy results, which I personally don’t like as much.
If you use the conventional oven as your cooking method, you’ll tend to have a longer cook time than if you use a small air fryer.
Air fryers use condensed hot air to cook, and provide a faster, better way to get the same great thing in half the time (while creating the same crispy potato puffs).
I personally love my Ninja Foodi air fryer, and constantly catch myself choosing it over my conventional oven. All I have to do is walk over and press the preheat button, and throw them in!
What Should I Serve These With?
I absolutely love tater tots because of how versatile they are. I’ve found that they’re one of the best simple side dish recipes!
With a potato side dish, I usually recommend other American style foods, like burgers and hot dogs.
For a twist on the best air fryer tater tots, you can also try making tater tot nachos. Roll your frozen tater tots in some extra oil and taco seasoning before baking.
Once done, top with cheese sauce, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, or sour cream.
How long does it take to cook tater tots in an air fryer?
I like to start with 10 minutes and check them every 1-2 minutes until I get just the right level of crispiness!
Seasoning Options
How do you make extra crispy tater tots?
A spritz of cooking spray will not only allow the salt to stick to the tots better but will make the outside super crispy!
What to serve with tater tots?
These are a great snack or a side dish along with a BBQ chicken sandwich, a juicy burger, or a well dressed hot dog!
Dip them in this delicious remoulade sauce for a cajun kick!
Tapas Tips & Tricks
- preheat your air fryer so there are no cold spots.
- a quick spritz of cooking spray will help them get even crispier and browner and help with seasoning stick better.
- be sure to shake or flip your tots half way through the cooking process so they are evenly cooked.
- add your seasoning half way through so it can stick and doesn’t burn.
- use good quality tater tots. My fave brand is Alexia!
- serve right out of the fryer for best results
My favorite air fryer to use
I have a DASH model but I prefer a digital temperature read out so I bought this model too.
Do you have to preheat your air fryer?
No, but I would highly recommend it.
How many can I put in the air fryer at once?
I like to keep mine in a single layer for the crispiest tater tots but if you have to cook a bigger batch, be sure to shake the basket a couple of times during cooking so all the tots get crispy.
Tapas Tips & Tricks
- If you want your tater puffs to have some extra flavor, you can mix your salt with garlic powder, onion powder, or italian seasoning.
- For the best results and even crispier tots, I recommend air frying your tots at a higher temperature for a few extra minutes – you can even try broiling them.
- If you’re creating a tater tot casserole, I highly recommend following this recipe, so that you can get that crunch that the casserole needs.
- Not a fan of frozen tater tots? Try looking up a recipe on how to make your own homemade tater tots, and then cook according to the instructions provided.
- An easy way of making sure that your air fryer potatoes are crispy is to make sure that you rotate them while cooking, so that each side is evenly exposed to the hot air.
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Out of all of the air fryer recipes that I’ve tried, this is my favorite way of getting the best results for the crispiest tater tots. Paired with your favorite seasoning and favorite sauce, these air fryer tater tots are a great addition to any main dish. They’re on the top of the list when it comes to easy recipes, and these crispy tots are my new go-to snack for any time of day.
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 28 ounces frozen tater tots
- Cooking spray
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Spread tater tots evenly on bottom of basket in a single layer.
- Cook at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Open the air fryer, shake the basket, and spray the tots with a little cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt.
- Place tater tots back in air fryer and cook for another 5-6 minutes or until crispy!
- Remove tater tots and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle with more salt if desired.
- Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce or condiments.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Appetizers
- Taco Tater Tots
- Steakhouse Tater Tots
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- 40+ Air Fryer Appetizers
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