These Air Fryer Tater Tots are ridiculously easy to make and just so crispy and delicious! You'll never cook frozen tater tots in the oven again!
I'm not gonna lie, it took me a while to jump on the air fryer train. But ya'll, now that I'm on board I am never getting off! It really is as great as they say!
The Air Fryer can do a lot of magical things but what it does with frozen tater tots exceeded my expectation. My kids love tater tots but especially during the summer I just don't want to go through the hassle of preheating the oven and cooking for 20-30 minutes. Not only does the air fryer save time, taking only 15 minutes from frozen to fully cooked without preheating, but it gets them so much crispier than my oven ever could! Hooray for air fryers!
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How does the air fryer work?
Despite what's implied in the name, an air fryer doesn't actually fry at all. It uses a perforated basket to cook food by blowing extremely hot air all around it, similar to a convection oven.
This hot air cooks food evenly and quickly from all sides, making it extra crisp and delicious!
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Equipment
All you need for this recipe is an air fryer!
I personally use the Power XL Vortex. It holds up to 7 qts and I love the non stick basket. It's super easy to use and clean and honestly I'm just really happy with it! But pretty much any air fryer will work for this recipe.
Ingredients
- Frozen Tater Tots: I like Cascadian Farms tater tots or Alexia Yukon Puffs. Your favorite brand will work!
- Olive oil spray: I highly recommend using pure olive oil spray when cooking in the air fryer.
- Salt
Recipe FAQs
Honestly, it depends on the air fryer and how much of a hurry you're in. I typically do not preheat the air fryer when making these tater tots and it doesn't seem to make a huge difference.
However, if you have an air fryer that doesn't heat up as quickly then you can preheat it at 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes before cooking just to make sure you get your tots extra crispy.
No. PAM and similar nonstick sprays should never be used in a nonstick air fryer or any nonstick surface. They contain an ingredient called soy lecithin which can damage the nonstick surface of your air fryer.
I highly recommend using pure oils and oil sprays, such as olive oil spray.
You certainly can! My kids prefer simply salted tater tots but you could add really any spice or seasoning you like.
They'd be delicious with chili or chipotle powder, old bay, seasoned salt, go crazy and get creative!
It can be! Just make sure to purchase gluten free tater tots.
You sure can! Simply throw them in the basket and cook at 400 for 2-3 minutes until hot and crispy.
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Made this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen tater tots
- pure olive oil spray Canola or vegetable oil also works. Just do NOT use PAM or similar nonstick sprays.
- salt
Instructions
- *Optional* Preheat your air fryer at 400 degrees for a few minutes.Pour 1 bag of frozen tater tots into the basket of an air fryer. Spray or toss with a little olive oil. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Shake the basket and then cook at 400 degrees for an additional 4-5 minutes. Immediately season with salt and toss. Serve and enjoy!
oliva
love these!