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Cook tater tots in air fryer for the perfect side dish for your next family dinner! These air fry tater tots come out beautifully crispy and tender.
If you can get the perfect temperature and time, the air fryer is the absolute best way to cook frozen tater tots! Luckily, I’ve done all the experimenting for you. The whole family agreed that a shorter cooking time at a higher temp gave us the ideal crunchy exterior with that deliciously almost-creamy inside. These hold up well to toppings like chili, cheese, bacon, etc., and it’s flexible enough for every brand of standard-size frozen tater tots. Air Fryer Tater Tots are the perfect quick side dish for busy families!
Want more potatoes? Try Air Fryer Frozen French Fries, Air Fryer Potato Wedges, or Frozen Hash Browns in Air Fryer!
Ingredients for Crispy Tater Tots
- Frozen Tater Tots – I used Ore-Ida, but feel free to use your favorite brand.
- Spray Oil – This is optional, but it does provide that gorgeous golden-brown color and the best crisp exterior texture.
How to cook frozen Tater Tots in an Air Fryer
This is an incredibly simple side dish; all you need is an air fryer.
- Preheat. Let your air fryer come up to 390 degrees F for one minute. Sure, the manual says you don’t have to, but I promise you get a more even cook if you do.
- Spray. Spray your basket or rack with oil to prevent sticking, then add your tater tots. Don’t overcrowd it because you need good air flow for a crispy texture. Spray the tater tots with the oil.
- Cook. Cook the tater tots for 13-15 minutes. Flip or shake halfway through for the absolute best crunch and most even cooking.
What should I serve with Tater Tots?
- Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets
- Easy Lentil Burgers
- Air Fryer Steak Tips
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Tips for the best Air Fryer Tater Tots
- Be sure to preheat your Air Fryer so your tots come out super crunchy!
- Flip your tots halfway through so they are cooked through
- The olive oil really helps in making the tots crispy, so don’t skip this step!
- Add toppings! Salt, pepper, cheese, chili, gravy or taco meat are all great! If you’re adding toppings while the tater tots are in the air fryer (like cheese, something you want to melt), scootch all of the tater tots together, add the topping, then cook for another 1-2 minutes to melt.
Air Fry Tater Tots FAQs
Air fryers are basically small convection ovens that fit on your countertop. It can cook super quickly with little or no oil.
You can get crispy, non-greasy tater tots in about 15 minutes with the air fryer! Tater tots cooked for 14 minutes at 390 degrees F result in the perfectly crunchy tater tot!
Yes, tater tots are generally gluten free, but some brands do add flour so check the package and ingredients to be sure. At the time of this writing, Ore Ida, Alexia, Kroger and Walmart are all gluten free!
More easy Air Fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Fish and Chips
- Crispy Fish Tacos
- Taquitos in Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
- Air Fry Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Tater Tots
Ingredients
- Frozen tater tots
- Spray oil
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F for 2 minutes
- Spray the bucket or rack with oil, then place the tater tots in an even layer. Cook for 7 minutes, flip, then cook an additional 7 minutes.
