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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Hey!! Hoping someone can offer a tip. Wanting to make tater tot casserole and I’m not sure how I would do that with this recipe. I have only ever used the frozen ones, and I just put them straight from the bag into the casserole. Does anyone have any ideas how I should do this?
Frozen, store bought, tater tots are already cooked. They flash freeze the tots then package them. So if you want to follow your recipe just throw your homemade tots in the freezer.
While staying home during the Corona outbreak I began cooking recipes I have always wanted to try and this one was on the list. These are nothing like commercial tator tots (or as my children call them Teeter Totters). Delicious. I read through all the comments and tried the sour cream / catsup dipping sauce, WOW that is a keeper for many things. Thank you for a great dinner. Now on to the next recipe!
These were great! This was my first time ever attempting homemade tater tots, and this technique is a keeper. I might experiment with different seasonings (Cajun, etc) for fun. My fiancé said, “These are waaaay better than the frozen ones!” 🙂
Thank you for this recipe!
I make these all the time, they are amazing! Prefer over frozen any time.
I’m on a low sodium diet. What amount of salt did you put in to come up with the 10.2 grams per serving? It doesn’t say how much salt in the recipe. 10 grams is great compared to the 430 in OreIda!
Note that grams are different than milligrams
Regarding the parboil. Do you put it on the stove for 6-7 minutes total or it should be boiling for 6-7 minutes? I boiled for 6-7 minutes and was not able to squeeze any water out. The potatoes were very gummy. Overall turned out well still. I’d triple the seasoning amounts though. 😉 I could taste any of it.
I started making them but completely spaced and forgot to parboil them! I went straight to grating. Is there any way to still successfully create tater tots without having parboiled these?
These were not bad. I don’t use vegetable oil so I just fried in a bit of avocado oil. My teenager didn’t like them. I liked the taste but thinking of maybe baking them next time. We’ll see.
How many pieces does this recipe make? It says there are 6 servings but not how many or serving. Thank you
Marvelous!! Just Marvelous!! Such a splendid recipe.
Awesome this is and I tried an Indian version adopted out of your steps. It was yummiest and even loved by my 2 year old niece. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe as it made our day and stomach happy happy. 🙂
What did you add to give it an Indian taste? That sounds delicious!
Excellent recipe!! We left out the dill and oregano and added bacon and cheddar. They were a big hit! Will definitely make again.
ive been living off of these for seven years and only these and they yum yum in my tum tum
COOLNESSNESS
AWSOMESAUSYNESS!!
Made these into hash brown patties the other day. They were delicious! Golden and crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside.
I added finely diced onions, bell peppers, onion and garlic powder, and some flaked parsley (didn’t have fresh). I didn’t use oregano or dill. I used the grater blade on my food processor. I didn’t really have liquid in them to drain so I skipped that step. Just bought a big sack of potatoes and am going to make more to freeze. Great recipe! Thanks!
These tater tots are so delicious and so easy to make. Thank you for the recipe. Have made it from 3 pounds potatoes for the chicken stew today and now my husband, the four kids and nectar happy.
You are a god among mere mortals
1st try was success a little teaking on molding but all in all good. 5 russet potatoes approximate 1lbs yields 30 tots
Hi Chungah! I use your recipes all the time and always love the results! Huge Asian/Thai food fan! Question on these yummy tater tots – can I fry them in olive oil?? I’m preparing them for a Wimbledon Champions Brunch this Sunday and one friend has several food restrictions. Appreciate your reply!! You are Damn Delicious!! Thanks, Teresa
Thanks for the kind words, Teresa! So generally, olive oil is best for pan frying only. It is definitely not ideal for deep frying due to its low smoke point, causing it to overheat.