Air-Fryer Tater Tots: Quick, Crispy, Golden Treats

Tater tots are a popular side dish and snack, and cooking them in an air fryer is a quick and easy way to achieve the perfect crispiness. This guide will show you how to make delicious air-fried tater tots, with tips on seasonings and serving suggestions to elevate this simple dish.

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/205°C

Preheating your air fryer is an important step in the process of making tater tots. It ensures that your tater tots cook evenly and helps them get that extra crispy texture that is so desirable. Depending on your air fryer, you may need to preheat for up to 10 minutes. The ideal temperature for cooking tater tots is 400°F/205°C.

Some air fryers require you to preheat the appliance empty, while others allow you to place the basket or tray inside during preheating. Check your air fryer's instructions to ensure you are preheating correctly.

Once your air fryer has reached the desired temperature of 400°F/205°C, you can proceed to the next step of placing the frozen tater tots into the basket or tray. Remember to arrange them in a single layer for even cooking, and don't stack them. A single layer ensures that hot air circulates around each tot, giving you that crispy exterior and fluffy interior.

If you are making a large batch of tater tots, you may need to cook them in multiple batches to maintain that single layer. It's worth the effort to get that perfect crispiness!

So, to summarise, preheating your air fryer to 400°F/205°C is a crucial step in achieving the best results for your tater tots. This step ensures even cooking and helps deliver that sought-after crispy texture.

Place the tater tots in a single layer

Placing the tater tots in a single layer is an important step in the process of making tater tots in an air fryer. This is because it helps to ensure even cooking and crispiness. If the tater tots are overlapping or stacked, they are more likely to stick together and may not cook evenly, resulting in some being crispy while others remain soft.

When placing the tater tots in the air fryer, it is best to fill the basket no more than halfway. This allows for proper air circulation and helps to achieve that desired crispiness. It is also important to note that the size of your air fryer will determine how many tater tots you can cook at once. For example, if you are cooking for four people, a large-size air fryer should be sufficient. However, if you are cooking for a larger group, you may need to cook the tater tots in batches to ensure they are all cooked properly.

Additionally, when placing the tater tots in a single layer, it is important not to try to flip or move them for at least the first few minutes of cooking time. This allows the tater tots to crisp up and helps prevent them from sticking to the basket or cooking surface. Once they have started to crisp, you can shake the basket or flip the tater tots to ensure even cooking on all sides.

Spray with cooking oil

Spraying your tater tots with cooking oil is a great way to enhance their crispiness. While tater tots generally have enough oil in them, a light coat of cooking spray can make them even crispier.

If you're making your tater tots from scratch, you can also use cooking spray to lightly coat the tater tots after tossing them in cornstarch. This will help them cook more evenly and become crispier.

However, if you're making homemade tater tots, keep in mind that you can skip the oil and cornstarch coating if you prefer. The tater tots will still cook fine, but they may not be as crispy and could brown unevenly.

Additionally, if you're using an oven-style air fryer, you may need to increase the temperature to 450°F/230°C to achieve the same level of crispiness.

Cook for 10-15 minutes

Once your air fryer is preheated, you can place the tater tots inside. It's important to ensure that they are in a single layer, with no stacking or overlapping, so that they cook and crisp evenly. If you are cooking a large batch, you may need to do this in batches.

Air fry the tater tots for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to prevent them from sticking together and to ensure all sides are exposed to the air. This will help them cook evenly and become crispy all over.

If you are cooking from frozen, the tater tots will take around 12-15 minutes to cook. If you prefer your tater tots extra crispy, you can cook them for an additional 1-2 minutes.

If you are cooking unfrozen tater tots, place them in a single layer and air fry for 6 minutes, then flip and air fry for an additional 4-6 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Once the tater tots are golden brown and crispy, they are ready to serve!

Flip halfway through

Flipping your tater tots halfway through the cooking process is an important step in ensuring that they cook evenly and become crispy on all sides. This is because the hot air in the air fryer cooks the side of the tater tots that is exposed to it, so flipping them partway through the cooking time gives the other side a chance to crisp up.

When flipping your tater tots, it's important to be gentle, as they can easily break apart, especially if they are store-bought. You should also wait until at least halfway through the cooking time before attempting to flip them, as they will be more likely to stick to the basket or cooking surface if you try to flip them too early. If you meet resistance when trying to flip them, let them cook for a little longer, as this is a sign that they are not yet ready to be flipped.

If you are cooking your tater tots from frozen, you may find that they cook better and are less likely to break apart if you keep them in a single layer. However, if you are cooking a large batch of tater tots, you may need to cook them in more than one layer to fit them all in your air fryer. In this case, it is especially important to flip your tater tots halfway through cooking to ensure that they cook evenly.

Frequently asked questions