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 love tater tots
Has anyone tried this with Gluten Free flour?
Use potato flour, that is what the commercial ones do
Better than Dunkin Donuts, we love tater tots and I wanted to make something special for breakfast. They were a hit and easy recipe to follow!!! Thank you so much for posting this.
Yes
These are simple to make, fun with a toddler (similar to playing with play dough), and delish. We went a little overboard on the pepper in one batch, and added parsley (don’t do that) but we will for sure be making these again.
We froze them raw, and did them on a stone sheet in the air fryer. I know they aren’t as good as fried, but that’s easy and works for our family.
I have a third batch of potatoes cooled, and we might make them into patties for a different feel. We just used the small scoop from pampered chef, and the toddler rolled some of the balls into logs.
what setting and temp did you do for the air fryer?
I taught my 18-year-old Grandson how to make these today. He is so proud of the way they turned out! We shredded 6 potatoes and had enough for 2 meals so we froze half uncooked to fix for another meal. He did all the work with my supervision and I did the frying. The biggest surprise for him was the amount of money he could save plus tasted better than what you get at the store!
Oh boy! Oh boy! Mmmm these are heavenly i mean these tator tots were sent froom heaven lol. The only thing i did different was add cheese and bacon it and deep fried them. These made me gain 5 pounds but so worth it
N/a. Is it possible to bake these tots?
Yes. We used our air fryer (same thing as baking, really), and they are still delicious. If you spray them with a little oil before you bake they will crisp up on the outside.
To the queen that made these delish so good best tater tots ever.
Great recipe! I would like to know if it would work with an air fryer…..
This not a review…l.yet…lol….has anyone used an air fryer? I have one in my in wall convection oven. Thanks!
Great great recipe apparently can’t find them after they are frozen cuz they break apart
Made them 3 times now. Mistake I made first time that I grated the potato bits too large. Very difficult to roll and shape. But parboiled, food processer, spot on!!! Because the potatoes are parboiled its nice and sticky. Changed some of the seasoning around, but will be a regular thing at our dinner table from now on.
To shape, I rolled them in plastic wrap into a log and then cut them into perfect ‘tot’ shapes. It was so easy I thought I’d share.
Thanks for the suggestion. Worked perfectly!
I made half a recipe, which was plenty for the two of us, using the air fryer. They were sticky to form, easier with a medium scooper (Pampered Chef). I set them on a plate in a puddle of oil as I formed them and then gave them a lite spray of oil before putting them in preheated 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Taste like Tater tots only better.
Not a good idea. I split a batch into two, baked one and fried other. Fried ones are so much better than baked. Some things you have to accept the way they are meant to be.
That’s why she put them in a puddle of oil and sprayed them additionally with oil and it worked. Did you do THAT?
No?- There you go!
Rude of you to reply this way.
Wow ANNIE
That you for your comment. I decide to split a batch into two, fried one batch in oil and air fried the other. Air fried ones are so much better (taste wise and health wise) than the fried in one cup of oil method. Some things you have to accept the way they are meant to be. Which of course is the way that each individual wants them. So, no one has to like the way you prepare them or I prepare them. Have a nice day!
Recipe worked as described. Surprised my wife with them and she was so happy with them.
Just the look on my husbands face was enough for me. When I told him we were having steak and Tater Tots he was not excited. He doesn’t like tater tots. When he took his first bite he just looked at me and couldn’t believe it. Savory Spice has a garlic onion blend that I used and Truffle salt. I used the little scooper like in the video so it was perfect. Did not need to drain Water from the, and when they were formed I put them in the refrigerator until I needed to cook them. Definitely a keeper.
Turned out amazing!
This sounds amazing!
Could I substitute Corn Starch for the flour? I’m trying to go with less gluten…
You can use any gluten-free flour mix, and if it already has xanthan gum in it, it’s a bonus that should work out better than mixes without it. You can use Bob’s red Mill 1:1 flour with xanthan gum or the regular GF flour without, or try King Arthur GF flour mixes. Many brands will say Cup for Cup or Measure for Measure or 1:1 on the label. It just means that the mix already has xanthan gum in it, and you can swap it in at the exact measurements as the gluten flour that you are leaving out. And the xanthan gum helps it bind together. Corn starch will not hold it together and will definitely burn at high temperatures, as do all the starches. I have celiac. I know.
Awesome Tater tots dear. These are my kid’s favorite now, loving them.
Fantastic. But next time I am going to bake the potatoes in the microwave ,let them cool off and peel and grate them. Then there is no water to squeeze out.
Gail, good tip on using the microwave to avoid water issues! How long do you bake the potatoes in the microwave? I would like to try making these tots your way!
Mine are sizzling away in the oven and they smell absolutely delicious! Trying to cut down on deep-fried and shallow fried delicacies. I added a little less than two tablespoons of oil and 1/4 cup grated marble cheese to my mix (because of the cheese, I didn’t add any salt). I’m baking them at 425°F first for 10 minutes on the middle rack and then another 15 minutes on the top rack. Can’t wait to dig in!
I just had one and it satisfied my craving for tater tots. Thank you so much!
I made these and they were delicious! I didn’t use the herbs or onion powder and it wasn’t missed. After I grated the potatoes, I put the potatoes in the refrigerator uncovered for 24 hours and it took away all of the gummy qualities. Next time I will use cornstarch instead of flour so my older son can have some. He is allergic to wheat.