How To Cook Air Fryer Tater Tots

Last Updated on 2nd February 2022 by

I’m back with another air fryer article, and this time we’re cooking a breakfast favorite of mine- tater tots. Of course, tater tots are a food you could have at any time of day, but they pair so well with scrambled eggs, a side of bacon, and a hot cup of coffee that it would be almost irresponsible not to have them for breakfast.

I’ll cover everything you need to know about how to cook tater tots in air fryer, including tips for making sure they don’t overcook. The advantage to making tater tots this way is that you can keep them really healthy. You don’t have to use a lot of oil like you would if you were deep frying them.
That makes for a lower calorie, less fatty food that you don’t have to feel as guilt about eating.

I definitely recommend using the air fryer when you have the option between that or deep frying a dish.

How to Air Fry Tater Tots

I’m going to share with you my recipe first of all for how to make tater tots, and then I’ll get into some of the little tips you can use to make sure they come out perfectly.

Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the fryer has heated up, you can put a little cooking spray on the tater tots. We’re using 16 ounces of frozen tater tots for this recipe. Any number of cooking sprays will work just fine.

Then, add a little salt and toss your tater tots so that they get salt on all sides. Then, cook the tater tots for 15 minutes, giving them a flip at about the 5-minute mark and then again at the 10-minute mark. This ensures that they cook on all sides.

How Long to Air Fry Tater Tots

Typically, you’re going to cook the tots for about 15 minutes, if you’re cooking around 16 ounces of tater tots. If you’re cooking more at once, you’ll need to extend your cooking time. For smaller amounts, reduce the cooking time just a little bit.

You want to cook potato tots until they’re nice and crispy, and how long you cook them will depend on how crispy you want them to be. Some people prefer theirs to be a little bit mushy, so that’ll be up to your preference.

You may be wondering how long do you cook frozen tater tots in air fryer, and the recipe I gave you above is for frozen tater tots. Usually, you’re going to use frozen tater tots with the air fryer. I don’t recommend letting them thaw out. That can make them overly mushy. If they do get thawed before you have a chance to cook them, I suggest sticking them back in the freezer for a little bit to let them get properly frozen.

This method for how to make tater tots in air fryer ensures that you get the right consistency and texture with your potatoes.

Tips for Cooking Tater Tots in the Air Fryer

If you want your tater tots to come out really crispy, it’s a good idea to cook them for the full 15 minutes. You should also use some type of cooking spray on them. Coating them with a cooking oil ensures a crispy texture, but you can use olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil, or whatever else you’d like.

How long to cook tater tots in air fryer? That depends on how crispy you want them. You want to be careful about overcooking them, though. Check on them at the 10-minute mark to make sure they’re not getting cooked too much or starting to look too brown.

Once the tater tots get a little darker than when you took them out of the bag, they were probably done cooking. They shouldn’t get much darker than their original color, otherwise they are starting to burn.

Make sure you rotate the tater tots through their cooking time. They should be rotated two or three times during the entire process to ensure that they cook evenly on all sides and get a nice, even texture.

Also make sure that you preheat the air fryer before putting the tater tots in. If you put them in at the same time you turn on the air fryer, they’re not going to cook like they should. They could end up a little soggy if you’re not preheating your air fryer first.

In the recipe up above, I recommend adding salt on the tater tots before frying them for a simple reason. The salt helps the tater tots achieve a crispy texture as well. With air fryer tater tots, it’s really important that they turn out crispy so that you get the right experience with this dish. They’re not going to taste right if the outside of the tater tots is soft.

What to Serve with Air Fryer Tater Tots

When served as a breakfast item, tater tots pair well with meat and eggs. They can be part of a dinner or lunch as well. They can take the place of fries and pair alongside a burger, sandwich, or piece of meat.

They can also be part of a larger spread that might include macaroni salad, baked beans, cornbread, and other Southern staples. Tater tots are typically identified as a southern United States dish, usually as a side and not a meal on their own.

If you want to elevate tater tots to the main dish, you may want to add melted cheese, bacon bits, or pieces of sausage in with them. Add a little seasoning to make them more flavorful, and you have a dish that can stand on its own. You may want to try some different toppings on your tater tots to come up with something original or check out more recipes online that do some interesting things with this potato dish.

They should always be served hot and straight from the air fryer or wherever else you’re cooking them. This keeps them crispy and honestly just makes them taste better.

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Pauline Loughlin

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I'm Pauline, a retired patisserie chef, mother of four and now a full time food blogger! When i'm not cooking i love long walks, reading thriller novels and spending time with my grandkids. Head to my about me page to learn more about the woman behind the food! You can find my Facebook here