Homemade Tater Tots
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Say goodbye to those frozen bags of tots! This homemade version is easy, freezer-friendly and better than store-bought!
There’s no shame in the frozen tots game. But after trying these homemade tots from scratch, there’s absolutely no going back to the store-bought version.
And the homemade version is super easy to whip up – special equipment like a potato mill or potato masher are not required here. All you need is a cheese grater to shred those parboiled potatoes and a clean dish towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible (for maximum crispness, of course).
From there, you can add in your desired seasonings, form them into beautiful little tots, and throw them into some hot oil to let these babies get amazingly crisp and golden brown.
All that’s left to do is serve these with some ketchup and you’re set. And if you manage to have some leftovers, you can freeze them for next time (up to 1 month)!
Homemade Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Place potatoes in a Dutch oven and cover with cold salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until parboiled, about 6-7 minutes; drain well and let cool.
- Using a box grater, finely shred potatoes. Using a clean dish towel or cheese cloth, drain potatoes completely, removing as much water as possible.
- Transfer potatoes to a large bowl. Stir in flour, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and dill; season with salt and pepper, to taste. The mixture should be workable but dry. Form potatoes into tots.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat until it registers 360 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
- Working in batches, add tots to the Dutch oven and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.*
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I can’t read the words tater tots without instantly saying it in a Napoleon Dynamite voice in my head and that makes me love this post so much more. I never knew tots were this easy. Why have I been eating frozen ones all my life?! YUM!
Can I sub the vegetable with avocado oil?
These look like the best tater tots I’ve ever seen! I’ve always wanted to try homemade, these are totally motivating me to do it! My kids would love these too!
Wow these look and sound amazing!! Your picture makes me want to go make them right know and I’m drinking my first cup of coffee in the morning 🙂 Definitely have to make these for my husband. He will love them!! Got to Pin this one. Thanks!
Wow! I kinda want to make them now and I already had dinner. I was just talking about how awesome tater tots were the other day. I haven’t had them in years and need to remedy that! Thanks!
Sounds wonderful! Keep sharing your great recipes with us!
I have a child on a gluten free diet. Can I substitute rice or corn flour for all purpose flour?
Yes, either should work just fine.
Can you use gluten free flour?
Yes, absolutely!
Sounds wonderful! Keep sharing your great recipes with us! Thanks for making cooking fun again.
I cooked the potatoes in the boiling water for 8 minutes. I skipped the water removal as there was no water. I also used fresh dill instead of the dried one. We love it. It is a wonderful side dish. I will definitely repeat the recipe next week. Have a great rest of your weekend.
These look like 200% better than those store bought frozen kind!
Yay! I love homemade tots and yours look fantastic!
Form potatoes into tots quick and easy by putting the mixture into a large pastry bag with NO tip. Squeeze a long line of potatoes, and cut to size. Voila! Tots! 😉
Awesome idea! Makes the forming all the easier. Also I’ve never liked the taste of commercial tater tots so I’ve always avoided them, but now maybe I’ll give tots another try.
Thank you for this wonderful tip. It works great.
The pastry bag and idea is BRILLIANT. Thank you so much for sharing this tip!
Mmm delicious! I love the crisp golden surface of these 😀 I have made tater tots a couple of times, but that was with sweet potato, also works a treat 😀 Thanks for the recipe, and I hope you have a great Saturday! xx
OMG those look amazing!!! I have tried to make homemade hash browns before and they turned out terribly. Will have to try your tips and tricks. I don’t think I squeeze out enough water!
HOLY YUM! These look amazing and they would be such an easy side dish (or even dinner 😉 ) when stocked in the freezer!
Yeah Just stash them and microwave them whenever you need to eat them!
Could I bake these instead?
Yes, absolutely, but these are honestly best when fried!
I made them baked. I put my oven at 425º, put some oil on the baking sheet, and heated the oiled sheet for 3 minutes. Then put on my tots. 10 minutes, flip, 5 minutes more, and delicious!
Great. Thanks for that idea I prefer to bake too
Lovethis ideaI reallywantedtobakethemtoo
Thank you so much for that! I tried her original proach and did not work. I always prefer baking! So much healthier to and controlled oil usage!
Definitely bake them …. oil is pure fat and who wants your yummy potato to be covered in oil and end up in our bodies
Wow. What a great recipe! Thank you for the technique- I would not have thought to parboil and would have ended up with raw tots ( never a good thing, raw tots). My excitement? I can now add ANYTHING to this recipe!!! I’m so excited! Bacon bits, or a bit of ranch seasoning, or, heaven forbid, taco seasoning! This recioe can become one incredible make-it-your-own appetizer! My creative juices are flowing. I’ll post on anything I try…
These look yummy – now I can have a home-made stash in the freezer. Please may we have some more home-made copy-cat food? This way, we will know what went into them without the extra sugar, preservatives, etc. Our waistlines will thank you for it. 🙂
Wow, your pictures are always amazing. I swear I could smell the tots frying as I read.lol. must be my middle of the night hunger pain.
Lisa, I could smell them, also. How weird… 🙂
Kelli
Wow do these look yummy! I stopped buying tator tots because my son didn’t really like them plus I figure not the healthiest food. However, yours not only look delicious but it’s nice to know exactly what goes into them. I do think my son will eat these up!