Air Fryer Frozen Tater Tots

We smothered this bowl with cheese and a drizzle of ketchup, but plain is just as delicious. They’re a great easy air fryer recipe. Let me show you all the tips to make these in your fancy kitchen gadget.

I bet you remember these babies from your childhood. Whether they were served alone as a quick snack, or a side dish with meatloaf they are just so yummy. NOW you can make them even BETTER with a bigger crunch in just 10-15 minutes!

THIS is the new way to cook them though that is WAY better than in a convection oven y’all. NO more need during the hot summertime to heat up your entire house to enjoy these. Not only does an enclosed hot air machine cook quicker but they are better, like at a restaurant crunchy.

You may have used these to make our tater tot casserole with ground beef recipe. That one is a bit heavy to make it often, but plain alongside protein for dinner we like to pair these for dinner quite a bit.

How Long to Cook Tater Tots in Air Fryer

You need 10-15 minutes total depending on how many you cook at once. In either case you want to shake the baskets to rotate them and turn each piece over every 5 minutes to get the ideal texture and crunchiness on each piece.

How do you make tater tots extra crispy?

If you don’t think that they are crispy you probably aren’t rotating them often enough. Especially if you are cooking quite a bit and they are overlapping you want to shake the basket or flip every few minutes. Beyond that you should spray the top with olive oil which will produce a deeper golden brown for you.

Tips

There aren’t very many steps to this. You literally pour them right out of the bag and into your basket. I do like to spray it a bit with some non stick spray just in case but that is it!

Laying them in a single layer will get them as crunchy as possible. You can do this easier when cooking 1/2 a bag at a time. Shaking the basket is key to getting super crunchy potato bites. If using a Foodi you’ll want to use the lid that is attached.

Do you need to preheat your air fryer? Waiting 5 minutes for it to come to the temperature you want it is best to get the outer texture you ultimately desire. Period.

How to Make Them Cheesy

You will want to cook as directed in the recipe card below. Then sprinkle some shredded Mozzarella Cheese on top. Add 2 more minutes at 400 degrees. Remove and enjoy immediately for stringy cheesy tater tots. Remember to drizzle some ketchup on top for the ultimate snack.

Other air fryer recipes you’ll love

When you don’t have time to make these homemade, we have the next best thing. Paired withAir fryer pickles are great too, served with this fry sauce recipe for dipping.

We have frozen french fries air fryer and frozen chicken tenders in air fryer instructions here too! You can let your kids cook air fryer grilled cheese themselves for lunch too. Or make this Crockpot tater tot casserole for dinner.