The exact cook time can vary. Read below for our tips!
If you like making frozen tater tots in the air fryer but you’re all out, fear not! You can make potato tots from scratch in less time than you might have thought.
Made from simple ingredients such as parboiled russet potatoes, corn starch, salt, and bread crumbs (optional), these tots turn out crispy on the outside, soft and potato-y on the inside, and oh-so dippable!
You can snack on these homemade tots just like the frozen ones and dunk them in your favorite dips like cheese sauce or ketchup!
Ingredients
- Potatoes – Preferably russet potatoes; the potatoes should be parboiled.
- Corn starch – Helps bind the potato mixture. Instead of corn starch, you can also use potato starch.
- Breadcrumbs – Optional. You can roll the tots in breadcrumbs for some extra crispiness if you like.
- Salt – To season the tots; adjust the amount to taste.
- Granulated garlic – Or garlic powder. To add more flavor to the tots.
- Paprika – For extra flavor and a bit of color; preferably mild paprika. Smoked paprika works as well but may be to overpowering.
- Vegetable oil – For spraying or brushing the potato tots and the air fryer basket. You can also use avocado oil, canola oil or similar if you prefer.
Recipe Tips
- If you have a food processor, you can use it to grate the potatoes faster. Just don’t overprocess them.
- You can use a clean kitchen towel or cheese cloth to squeeze out the extra liquid from the potatoes.
- If you decide to use breadcrumbs, use regular (seasoned or unseasoned) breadcrumbs, not panko.
- Spray or brush the tots with oil before air frying. This will help them become crispy and golden brown.
- Don’t overcrowd your air fryer or the tots may not cook and crisp evenly. You may need to cook in batches if you have a very small air fryer.
Step by Step Instructions
First, peel the parboiled potatoes and grate them into a bowl. You can use a food processor if you have one.
Then squeeze out any excess liquid from the potatoes and discard it.
In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with the salt, granulated garlic, and paprika.
Then add the starch mixture to the grated potatoes, making sure everything is well combined. You should end up with a sticky potato mass.
At this time, preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until it indicates that it is preheated.
In the meantime, using damp hands, form small portions of the mixture into cylindrical tots, about 1 inch long. Optional: Roll the tots in breadcrumbs until evenly coated.
Grease the air fryer basket with oil and add the potato tots in one even layer. Spray or gently brush the tots with oil.
Now air fry the potato tots at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown on top.
Flip the tots over to the other side and spray or brush with more oil. Cook them for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
Serve the homemade tots hot with your favorite dipping sauce. They can be part of a classic game day snack spread, served for breakfast, as a side dish, or just as part of your regular snacking session.
You can serve them however you like. Usually a dip like cheese sauce or ketchup are popular – we’ve also eaten them with spicy mayo before and it’s tasty, too.
Enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you have leftover homemade tots, allow them to cool and then store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
They will get soft over time, but they can be revived in the air fryer.
Use a higher temperature (such as 350 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit) to reheat the center and get a bit of a crisp on the outside. You can also spray them with a little more oil if you like.
These potato tots can be frozen for 2-3 months (either before or after air frying). Place them in the freezer on a baking sheet without touching, then transfer to a freezer container once frozen.
If you didn’t air fry the tots before freezing, cook them as directed above plus a few extra minutes.
Related Recipes
Here are some other classic potato recipes for the air fryer that you can make:
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Fries
- Air Fried Homemade Potato Skins
- Potato Pancakes in the Air Fryer (Homemade)
- Air Fried Red Potatoes
Homemade Air Fryer Potato Tots
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes, parboiled
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/3 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/3 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons breadcrumbs, optional
- oil (spray)
Instructions
- Peel the parboiled potatoes and grate them into a bowl. Squeeze out any excess liquid and discard.3 medium russet potatoes
- In a small bowl, combine the corn starch with the salt, granulated garlic, and paprika.2 tablespoons corn starch, 1/3 teaspoon salt, 1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1/3 teaspoon paprika
- Add the starch mixture to the grated potatoes, ensuring everything is well combined. You should end up with a sticky potato mass.
- Preheat the air fryer to 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until it indicates that it is preheated.
- Meanwhile, using damp hands, form small portions of the mixture into cylindrical tots, about 1 inch long. Optional: Roll the tots in breadcrumbs until evenly coated.4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- Grease the air fryer basket with oil and place potato tots in one layer. Spray or gently brush the tots with oil.oil (spray)
- Air fry the potato tots at 360 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown.
- Flip the tots over to the other side and spray or brush with more oil. Cook them for another 5 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve the tots hot with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- The potatoes need to be parboiled, not raw. Boil them in a pot of boiling water for about 6-8 minutes until half cooked.
- If you have a food processor, you can use it to grate the potatoes faster. Just don’t overprocess them.
- You can use potato starch instead of cornstarch.
- You can use a clean kitchen towel or cheese cloth to squeeze out the excess liquid from the potatoes.
- If you choose to use breadcrumbs, use regular (seasoned or unseasoned) breadcrumbs, not panko.
- Spray or brush the tots with oil before air frying. This will help them become crispy and golden brown.
- Don’t overcrowd your air fryer or the tots may not cook and crisp evenly. You may need to cook in batches if you have a very small air fryer.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Can you freeze these?
Yes, you can freeze them for 2-3 months (either before or after air frying). Place them in the freezer on a baking sheet without touching, then transfer to a freezer bag or container once frozen. If you didn’t air fry the tots before freezing, cook them as directed above plus a few extra minutes.