Tater tots are an all time favorite breakfast item right next to hashbrowns. They are extremely easy to make at home and this is the perfect recipe for you. I found that the air fried version actually worked surprisingly well and the only problem was that it was slightly less crispy.
Important steps for homemade tater tots
Grate, rinse, and dry your potatoes
This is important to get rid of the starches in your potatoes. I will typically soak the grated potatoes for 10 minutes in icy cold water. Afterwards, you want to dry them off in a towel.
Cook potatoes in a pan with oil until softens
What this does is pre-cook the potatoes so that they are soft when fried afterwards. It also creates a coating of oil on the potatoes that will help bind and shape them easier. I will cook them over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
Season potatoes for tater tots
Season the potatoes however you want. I used salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and corn starch. Be gentle with the salt because you can also salt more afterwards. The corn starch is used to bind together the potatoes and form them into the proper shapes.
How long to freeze tater tots
You should freeze the tater tots for at least 2 hours but I like to leave it overnight so that they are ready to be eat in the morning.
Air fried vs deep fried
Instead of deep frying, you can also just air fry them for 10 minutes at 375F. This will result in a slightly less crispy but still golden brown outcome. As you can see in the picture below, the left is the air fried version and right is the deep fried.
Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 2 russet potatoes
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1½ tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Peel and grate potatoes.2 russet potatoes
- Place grated potatoes in ice water for 10 minutes.
- Dry with a towel.
- Add oil to a medium heat pan and add the dried potatoes.¼ cup oil
- Continue stirring for 15 minutes until begins to soften.
- Season potatoes with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and corn starch. Mix well.1 tsp salt, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1½ tbsp corn starch
- Form into your tater tots. Should make 20-25.
- Place over parchment paper and freeze for at least 2 hours and up to overnight to harden.
- Heat up oil to 350F and cook tater tots until golden brown. Make sure you don't move them around in the oil for the first minute otherwise they will break.
- Alternatively, you can air fry at 375F for 10 minutes.
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