These air fryer tater tots are hot, crispy, and ready in just 10 minutes - no thawing required! Whether you serve them plain, seasoned, or loaded with toppings, this easy air fryer recipe turns frozen tater tots into the perfect side dish or snack with almost zero prep.
AIR FRYER TATER TOTS: TIME AND TEMPERATURE
Frozen tater tots (any amount will work, just be sure not to crowd them): 400°F for 10 minutes, shaking the basket (or turning them over) halfway through.
Why You'll Love These Air Fryer Tater Tots
- No thawing required: Toss them straight from the freezer into the air fryer! There's no prep involved unless you want to add a seasoning, and even then it's just sprinkle and toss.
- Crispy every time: The air fryer gets tater tots even crispier than the oven and in less time. Be sure that each tot has a little space and they're not overcrowded; they need air on all sides to get them nice and crispy.
- Ready in just 10 minutes: Fast enough for busy weeknights, last-minute snacks, or feeding hangry kids. I've been known to throw a few in the air fryer later at night when I need a late night snack. You can fry just a few or the whole bag!
- Endlessly customizable: Keep them simple with salt and ketchup (I like mustard!), or level up with seasonings, a little melted cheese, your favorite dipping sauces, or even load them up to make totchos.
- They're a great side dish or snack: Pair your air fryer tater tots with burgers, brats, breakfast, or enjoy them all on their own.
How to cook tater tots in the air fryer
My air fryer recipe is not only the quickest way I've found to make tater tots but it also gets them the crispiest. Starting from frozen, whether they're store-bought or homemade tater tots, is perfect since they're easy to keep on hand and there's almost zero prep.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- First you'll preheat your air fryer to 400° F/205° C. This is important for crispy tater tots.
- Place the frozen tater tots in the air fryer basket. Spray them lightly with cooking spray, sprinkle evenly with some coarse salt and toss them gently to coat. You can also add more seasonings if you like. See below for some suggestions.
- "Fry" the tater tots for 5 minutes, then shake the basket and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Don't skip shaking the basket as this will help prevent each frozen tater tot from sticking together and ensure that all sides have air exposure so they're crispy all over.
- Check to see if the tater tots are as crispy as you like them. If needed, cook for another minute at a time until they're perfect!
- Serve the tater tots on their own or with your favorite dipping sauce. We love all the usual dipping sauces, such as ketchup, ranch, barbecue sauce, or even blue cheese dressing. They have a fairly neutral flavor so they'll go with just about any sauce you like. Try some sriracha if you like spice!
How long should you air fry your tater tots?
Frozen tater tots in the air fryer take just 10 minutes to get crispy (be sure to shake them halfway through). Check them after 10 minutes and, if you prefer them even crispier, continue cooking them for a minute at a time until they're as crispy as you like.
Although they don't need additional oil before cooking, spraying them lightly with cooking spray will give them more of a deep-fried texture.
Why aren't my tater tots crispy?
- You probably put too many tater tots in your air fryer. It's important not to overcrowd your tots so that each one has air circulating on all sides. If you need more tots, work in batches to make sure they all get crispy.
- Another common cause is that you didn't let your air fryer preheat fully. You don't want your tots to spend their first few minutes just coming up to temperature, you want the crisping to start right away. So be sure to preheat!
- Tater tots will crisp up just fine without any oil, but if you prefer yours even more crispy, you can spray them with a small amount of oil before cooking.
- Make sure to shake your basket (or turn each one over) halfway through cooking. This allows for all sides to get a good air flow around them which also helps get them crispy.
Best Seasonings for Air Fryer Tater Tots
Crispy air fryer tater tots are great on their own but they can be even better with some seasonings added. Here are some suggestions that we've tried and love. The amounts are merely suggestions; add more or less seasoning according to your tastes. Check to see if the seasoning you're using has salt so you can adjust or omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Old Bay Seasoning - 1 ½ teaspoon (perfect when serving with seafood)
- Montreal Steak Seasoning - 1 - 1 ½ teaspoon (great with steaks or burgers)
- Smoked Paprika - 1 tsp
- Jerk Seasoning - 1 tsp
- Taco Seasoning - 1 ½ teaspoon (this is especially good on loaded tots)
- Aleppo Pepper - 1 tsp
- Italian Seasoning - 1-2 teaspoon (dip in marinara)
- Seasoned Salt - 1 tsp
- If you're a garlic lover, add a little garlic powder to any of these seasonings for an extra flavor boost
- Trader Joe's has quite a few unique seasonings, so they're worth a look if you want to try something different!
What to serve with tater tots
- Air fryer tater tots make a great side dish with burgers, sandwiches, or even steak.
- Season them with some taco seasoning before cooking and serve them alongside tacos.
- Skip the hash browns and serve them with a breakfast casserole or bacon and eggs.
- Try them with a bowl of chili - so good!!
- Of course, they're great as a snack all on their own.
- If you're serving them with burgers or sandwiches, try adding a little shredded cheese, turn off the air fryer, then allow the tots to sit for a couple of minutes until the cheese melts. They're just like cheesy french fries! (After it's plated, you can add crumbled cooked bacon, sour cream, chives or green onions, or even a little chili for loaded tots.)
- We love them with brats in the air fryer, and you can make them all at the same time!
- Try wrapping them in bacon - they're SO good! Just parcook the bacon first or it takes too long for it to get crispy - don't want to overcook your tots!
- This tater tot casserole is the ultimate comfort food (and it can be frozen)!
- To help get your veggies in, try making crispy zucchini in your air fryer for an extra side dish.
- They go great with wings! If you forgot to thaw yours, just make air fryer wings from frozen.
What's the best brand of tater tots?
We love the Alexia brand when we can find it (especially the roasted garlic & black pepper version) but Ore-Ida tater tots is what we use most often. They even have an onion, extra-crispy, and mini tater tots! Both brands are good so use whichever you prefer.
And just a note for you while shopping: Ore-Ida trademarked the term "tater tots" so you'll find them marketed as "potato puffs", "crispy tots", "potato tots", and "tater rounds" by most other brands. This recipe was tested using the frozen Ore-Ida brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do you cook frozen tater tots in the air fryer?
Frozen tater tots cook in about 10 minutes at 400°F, with a shake halfway through for even crisping. If you prefer them even crispier, add 1-2 more minutes until they're just how you like them.
Do I need to preheat the air fryer?
Yes, preheating your air fryer to 400°F before adding the tater tots helps them cook faster and get crispier. It only takes a few minutes and it really does make a noticeable difference.
Should I spray the tater tots with oil before air frying?
You don't have to, but a light spray of cooking oil helps them get crispier! You can also toss them lightly in oil, but be careful because too much oil can make them greasy.
Can I season air fryer tater tots before cooking?
Absolutely, it's my favorite way to make them! You can season them with salt, garlic powder, or your favorite seasonings before cooking (check out our suggestions above if you missed that section).
How do I make cheesy or loaded tater tots in the air fryer?
Once the tater tots are cooked and crispy, sprinkle on shredded cheese and close the air fryer (turned off) for a minute or two until it's melted. Then you can add more toppings if you like: bacon, green onions, sour cream, diced jalapeños or whatever you like!
Can I reheat leftover tater tots in the air fryer?
Yes! Reheat leftover tater tots at 350°F for 3-5 minutes until hot and crispy again. They reheat MUCH better in the air fryer than in the microwave. They won't get as crispy as the first time you cooked them, but they're still darn good.
We hope you'll try these easy air fryer tater tots and please let us know how you like them. As always, feel free to reach out to us anytime with questions or leave us a comment below. And be sure to check out our other air fryer recipes!
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Tater tots made in the air fryer get nice and crispy with hardly any effort! Serve them with your favorite seasonings and dipping sauces.
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen tater tots
- Cooking spray, a light coating (optional)
- Coarse salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (205°C).
- Prepare the tater tots: Place the frozen tater tots in the air fryer basket in an even layer. Lightly coat with cooking spray, if using, and sprinkle with coarse salt or your preferred seasonings. Toss gently to coat.
- Air fry: Cook for 5 minutes, then shake the basket to ensure even cooking. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
- Check for crispiness: Check the tater tots and cook for an additional 1–2 minutes if needed, until golden brown and crispy.
- Season and serve: Transfer the tater tots to a serving bowl. Add more salt or seasonings to taste, toss gently, and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- Avoid overcrowding: Arrange the tater tots in a single layer for the crispiest results. Cook in batches if needed.
- Shake the basket: Shake halfway through cooking to help the tater tots brown evenly on all sides.
- Cooking time: Air fryer models vary. Start checking after 10 minutes and add 1–2 minutes as needed for your preferred crispiness.
- Serving size: Makes 4 servings, approximately 4 ounces of frozen tater tots per serving, measured before cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 533mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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Joyce says
First time airfryer for tots. Turned out perfect