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    Home » Recipes » Mains

    Air Fryer Tater Tots

    Published: Mar 24, 2022 · Modified: Mar 10, 2025 by Romy · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Easy homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots - perfectly golden and crispy in the air fryer every time! This recipe is gluten free, kids friendly and made to a vegan-friendly recipe using Maris Piper potatoes alongside delicious seasonings. These tater tots are simply perfect served alongside tasty dips, such as tomato ketchup or egg-free mayo.

    This air fryer recipe is:

    • homemade and kid friendly
    • 100% vegan and plant based
    • egg-free, dairy-free and gluten-free!
    • easy to make & simply delicious
    • better than frozen tater tots
    • using only natural ingredients & made from Maris Piper or Russet potatoes
    • crispy & made in an air fryer
    air fryer tater tots in a serving bowl alongside ketchup

    This tater tots recipe are one of my favorite air fryer recipes as it's so easy and delicious to make and works well served with homemade tomato ketchup, vegan mayo, Vegan BBQ Sauce or other dips - such as this Spicy Butter Bean Dip. They are super easy to make and they turn out wonderfully golden and crispy in the air fryer each time.

    If you love using your air fryer, definitely give these Crispy Air Fryer Gnocchi a try and make some Easy Air Fryer Burgers for dinner this week!

    Jump to:
    • Why this recipe works
    • Ingredients & Notes
    • Equipment:
    • Instructions (Step-by-Step)
    • How to Serve Tater Tots
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • You might also enjoy these recipes:
    • 📖 Recipe Card

    Why this recipe works

    There are a few things I love about this recipe:

    • it's so easy to make! All you need is an air fryer and the right type of potato (more details below!)
    • they turn out crispy and golden every time
    • the air fryer is such a quick and easy way to prepare tater tots
    • the recipe uses only natural ingredients and compared to store-bought tater tots you know exactly what goes into them
    • there are no black spots in homemade tater tots, which happens occasionally with frozen tater tots
    • they taste better than frozen tater tots
    • they are easy to make from scratch and a great way to get the kids involved in the kitchen!
    • they are lower in fat compared to frozen tater tots
    • the air fryer tater tots are ready in just a few minutes!

    Ingredients & Notes

    The recipe for these air fryer tater tots is pretty straightforward and uses only a few simple ingredients:

    ingredients for air fryer tater tots on a marble table
    spices and seasonings for homemade tater tots
    • Maris Piper potatoes: The star of the show - the humble potato! It's a great all-rounder and becomes wonderfully crispy and crunchy in the air fryer. Just how I like my tater tots! The key is to use a starchy type of potato. Instead of Maris Piper, you can also opt for Russet or King Edward potatoes which are all on the starchy side.
    • Salt: The salt in this recipe is divided between the potato cooking water and the additions to the tater tots.
    • Spices and seasonings: For this air fryer tater tots recipe I've used onion granules, dried thyme, nutmeg, garlic powder and black pepper, which gives these tater tots a well rounded flavor that works well with your favorite dips and sauces.
    • Oil spray: to lightly coat the air fryer and tater tots to prevent them from sticking.

    What type of potatoes to use for tater tots?

    The best type of potatoes to use for this air fryer recipe are starchy potatoes. I have used Maris Piper potatoes on this occasion, which are a great all-rounder potato with a high starch content, but you could use either of the following:

    • Maris Piper
    • Russet
    • King Edward

    Equipment:

    • Air fryer: The one I use is from Ninja Kitchen and called the 'Ninja Foodi'. Learn more about Best Practises for Using an Air Fryer in this post.
    • 1 large saucepan
    • 1 large mixing bowl
    • grater or food processor with grater attachment

    Instructions (Step-by-Step)

    You can make these homemade Tater Tots in just a few simple steps! Please read through all of the steps and details below to allow for some successful tots.

    Step 1: Prepare the potatoes for your tots

    Place the potatoes into a medium saucepan and cover them with water. Bring it to a boil and cook the potatoes for 9-10 minutes, then drain the water. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and carefully peel them with a small knife. Set aside to cool down until they are cool enough to handle.

    maris piper potatoes in a saucepan

    Grate the potatoes into a large bowl - you can use a food processor to make it easier/quicker.

    shredded potato in a saucepan

    Step 2:

    Season the shredded potatoes with sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, and black pepper.

    tater tot ingredients in a large saucepan
    tater tot mix in a saucepan

    Mix until well combined.

    Step 3:

    Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the mix and shape a tater tot with wet hands. Repeat until the potato mix is used up and place the tater tots onto a lined tray.

    Potato tots neatly arranged on silicone baking mat

    Thinly coat the homemade potato tots with the cooking spray.

    Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (204°C) and set the timer to 15 minutes. Once your air fryer is preheated, place a layer of tater tots into the fryer basket without the tots touching.

    uncooked tater tots in an air fryer basket

    After 5 minutes of cooking time, carefully open the air fryer and give the tater tots a little toss. Repeat after another 5 minutes to allow for even cooking. If needed, add another 3-5 minutes to the cooking time (this might depend on your air fryer).

    Once done, transfer the cooked tater tots into an oven dish and keep them warm in the oven at low temperature whilst you cook the rest of the tater tots in the air fryer.

    cooked tater tots in an air fryer
    homemade tater tots air fried in a white bowl

    They're now ready to enjoy!

    If you make this tater tots recipe at home, I would love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a recipe rating and let me know what you thought. 😊

    How to Serve Tater Tots

    There are a few different and delicious ways to enjoy tater tots. I personally just love them dipped into tomato ketchup or vegan mayo - or also drizzled with some melty vegan cheese (oof!).

    Here are a few more delicious options of what to serve with tater tots, in case you fancy trying something new:

    • Spicy Butter Bean Dip
    • Vegan Cheese Dip
    • Spicy Harissa Paste
    • Pineapple BBQ Sauce
    Air Fryer tater tots in a white bowl with ketchup in the middle, on a marble table with yellow napkin
    close up of air fried tater tots next to a serving of ketchup

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which potatoes shall I use for making tater tots?

    Starchy potatoes such as Maris Piper, Kind Edward or Russet potatoes work best for this recipe.

    Which air fryer can I use for tater tots?

    I personally use a Ninja Foodi which is booth an air fryer and health grill - and allround fantastic multi-purpose device that I can only recommend.

    How long do I need to cook tater tots in an air fryer?

    In my personal air fryer, the Ninja Foodi, the tater tots need at total of 15 minutes at 400°F (204°C) to become golden. If you use a different device, the cooking time might vary slightly. I recommend checking in on them every 5 minutes to turn or shake up the tater tots and add an additional 3-5 minutes to the cooking time if needed.

    What if I use a different air fryer?

    This recipe can easily be adapted to your own air fryer model! There's, unfortunately, no magic to finding out how long your own air fryer needs to make crispy tater tots, but what I recommend:

    - make sure to let the air fryer preheat to 400°F (204°C) before adding the tater tots to the fryer basket.

    - start with setting the time to xx minutes and check on the tater tots after 5 and after 10 minutes. You might have to adjust the cooking time to be slightly longer or shorter depending on your air fryer, so I recommend checking in regularly to make sure you don't overcook yours.

    - give the tater tots a little toss during the air frying process to ensure they cook evenly and get crispy on all sides.

    You might also enjoy these recipes:

    • Air fryer kale chips on a tray with a bowl of vegan cheese and onion seasoning next to it
      Air Fryer Kale Chips
    • Easy Vegan Cauliflower Wings
      Vegan Cauliflower Wings
    • air fryer fingerling potatoes on a white parchment with a dip on the side and fresh thyme
      Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes

    📌 If you love Pinterest you can pin any of the images to your boards!

    📖 Recipe Card

    air fryer tater tots in a serving bowl alongside ketchup

    Air Fryer Tater Tots

    Romy
    Easy homemade Air Fryer Tater Tots - perfectly golden and crispy in the air fryer every time! This recipe is gluten-free, kids-friendly, and made to a vegan-friendly recipe using Maris Piper potatoes alongside delicious seasonings. These tater tots are simply perfect served alongside tasty dips, such as tomato ketchup or egg-free mayo.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4 people

    Equipment

    • 1 air fryer
    • 1 large saucepan
    • 1 grater or food processor
    • 1 mixing bowl

    Ingredients
      

    • 35 oz Maris Piper Potatoes (1 kg)
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • oil spray

    Instructions
     

    • Place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with water, then add half of the salt. Cook the Maris Pipter potatoes for 9-10 minutes, then drain and carefully remove the potato skins. Allow for them to cool down until ready to handle.
    • Grate the potatoes into a large bowl and add the rest of the salt, onion powder, thyme, nutmeg, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix to combine well.
    • Shape bite-size tater tots with your hands and preheat your air fryer to 400°F (204°C).
    • Spray a little oil spray into the basket of your air fryer and place a layer of tater tots across the air fryer basket without them touching. Spray a little oil onto the tater tots to lightly coat them and fry the tots for 15 minutes, turning them about every 5 minutes.
    • Once golden, remove them from the air fryer and enjoy alongside your favorite dips!

    Notes

    • The best potatoes to use for this recipe are starchy potatoes, such as Russet, Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes.
    • The cooking time might vary depending on your air fryer. Check in on the tater tots every couple of minutes and add a few extra minutes, if needed, until they're golden.
    Keyword air fryer, air fryer tater tots, easy tater tots, homemade tater tots, tater tots, vegan tater tots

    *Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links and sponsored links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information in my Privacy Policy.

     © 2025 Romy London / Romina Callwitz | All images, videos, wordings and content are copyright protected and belong to Romina Callwitz. Please do not use any of my content without prior permission. If you wish to re-publish any (part of my) content, please get in touch via email. Thanks for your support!

    *Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links and sponsored links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information in my Privacy Policy.

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