These Air Fryer Tater Tots are perfectly crispy and cook quickly! The best way to cook tater tots!
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I know.
Frozen tater tots?! Are you serious?
But you know what? Tater tots are delicious, and I won’t apologize!
These Air Fryer Tater Tots are the absolute crispiest tots and they cook so quickly, which is perfect for any last minute tot cravings 😉
We don’t eat a lot of frozen convenience foods, so I don’t feel at all guilty about whipping up a batch (or 2, or 3) in the air fryer!
Serve them with this JUICY Air Fryer Chicken Breast, Air Fryer Salmon or Boneless Air Fryer Chicken Thighs to round out your meal!
How to cook frozen tater tots in the air fryer:
- Preheat your air fryer (set it to temperature and let it cook nothing for a few minutes). Is this necessary? Not entirely, but you’re either going to add a few minutes for preheating or add a few minutes to your cook time.
- Place tater tots in the air fryer in a single layer: I prefer to do one layer at a time, because they will cook more quickly and more evenly. You can stack them up a bit, but you’ll spend more time opening and flipping.
- Brush the air fryer rack with canola oil or spray with a non-aerosol cooking spray. For extra crispiness, you can spray with a non-aerosol cooking spray before cooking, but the reality is that frozen tater tots are already partially fried, which means they contain the oil and fat necessary to crisp them up without adding any.
- Cook! Various temperature and cook times will work, and I’ve included all my thoughts on that below.
frozen tater tots with oil and seasoning salt brush air fryer basket with oil brush tater tots with oil before cooking cooked, crispy air fryer tater tots
How long do tater tots cook in the air fryer?
Frozen tater tots will take about 10-15 minutes to cook in a 400 degree F air fryer.
I like to cook for 8-10 minutes, and then check and maybe turn them.
Turning them isn’t completely necessary, but the top will get crispier than the bottom if you do not.
For maximum crispness, I like to cook at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, but you do need to keep an eye on them as they will cook (and brown) quickly.
Are air fryer tater tots healthier?
Nope. But are they delicious? Most definitely.
Since tater tots are already partially fried when you buy them at the store, they contain some extra fat. When you bake tater tots, you don’t need to oil or spray them or even spray the pan, and then turn out perfectly crispy. This is because they already contain the oil needed.
With the air fryer, the same is true, although I like to lightly grease the bottom rack to ensure nothing ever sticks.
That being said, we still enjoy some frozen tater tots here and there, because they are yummy! There’s no harm in that 🙂
What do I serve air fryer tater tots with?
Anything you want! I love a big plate of tater tots with some ketchup for a snack in the evening (or, let’s be real, any time of day), but they also make a great side dish.
They would pair perfectly with this Crockpot Pulled Pork or this Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken.
They’re also great with a big juicy burger or a grilled turkey burger!
Air Fryer Tater Tots
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 35-40 frozen tater tots
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 375 for 5 minutes.
- Open air fryer and brush basket with 1 teaspoon oil.
- Arrange tater tots in a single layer on the rack. Brush with remaining oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Cook at 375 degrees F for 7-8 minutes. Open air fryer and flip (if desired, to brown the other side). Cook an additional 5 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness.
Nutrition Information
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Darlene Bond says
When I make them in my air fryer they fall apart because the arm that continually spins and moves them breaks them apart. Do.you do something to stop this from happening?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Darlene! That is odd. I actually don’t know of any air fryers like that. Mine doesn’t have anything that spins. I would check if there is some way to turn that off