Homemade Tater Tots
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
Say goodbye to those frozen bags of tots! This homemade version is easy, freezer-friendly and better than store-bought!
Featured Comment
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.
why i love this easy tater tot recipe
- No special equipment needed. Homemade tater tots is easier to make than you think! And you Special equipment like a potato mill or potato masher is not required. 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).
- Crowd-favorite. Tater tots are a huge hit with kids, teens, grown-ups, grandmas and great-grandpas alike. And they can be served with anything and everything any time of day – we’re talking afternoon snack, an appetizer or as a side!
- Freezer-friendly. Tots freeze beautifully before or after cooking (but generally preferred before) and can keep for at least 1 month in the freezer.
how to make the crispiest tater tots
- Peel and parboil the potatoes until just tender
- Shred the potatoes and squeeze out the excess moisture
- Stir in the seasonings and form into beautiful little tots
- Freeze for later, if desired, or fry the tots until crisp, golden brown goodness (in batches, of course)
- Serve with ketchup or your favorite dipping sauce (if you manage to have some leftovers, you can freeze them for next time)
tips and tricks for success
- Parboil the potatoes. Parboiling the potatoes before forming them into tots will partially cook the potatoes. This will help ensure the tater tots to cook evenly, holding their shape with a fluffy interior and crispy golden exterior. However, parboiling the potatoes for too long will make it difficult to shred.
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution for the hot oil.
- Use a candy thermometer for the most accurate results. The ideal temperature of the oil should be between 350° and 375°F.
- Fry in batches. If too many tater tots are added at once, the oil temperature will drop and the tater tots will absorb too much oil, resulting in soggy tots.
- Reheat in the oven. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, stirring halfway – we want crispy on the outside, warm on the inside.
- Freeze before cooking. Although tater tots can be frozen before or after cooking, freezing before cooking is preferred to preserve texture and for optimal freshness.
- Mix it up. Swap out the potatoes for sweet potatoes, add jalapenos + cheese to the mixture before forming into tots, or toss with buffalo sauce + sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles.
FREEZING AND STORAGE
Storage
Leftover tater tots can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
Freeze before cooking
Place the uncooked tater tots on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the tater tots to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. Cook as directed, adding 1 minute additional cook time as needed. Do not thaw.
Freeze after cooking
Let the tater tots cool completely. Place the tater tots on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Transfer the tater tots to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 1 month. Reheat in the oven at 400°F until warmed through, about 15-17 minutes. Do not thaw.
what to serve with homemade tater tots
Homemade Tater Tots: Frequently Asked Questions
Russet potatoes are best due to its high starch and low moisture content, yielding the crispiest tots possible. Yukon golds is not recommended as they may be too soft and moist.
Squeezing out the excess moisture will prevent the tater tots from falling apart. Too much moisture in the potatoes can lead to gummy, soggy tots.
Yes! These can be cooked in the air fryer, in batches if needed, at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Absolutely! Tater tots can be frozen before or after cooking, and can keep for at least 1 month in the freezer.
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
Equipment
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.*
Video
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
5 or 6 tots at a time? What pot are you using, like a easy bake oven size? Do they really need that much space?
You can add more tots if your pan is large enough – you just don’t want the pan to be overcrowded.
I agree about the 5 or 6 at a time. I am pretty sure unless they are hugs patties like Mickey Ds then you can put more in a pan
I make these often, I’ve baked them, and fried them. Nowadays I use an air fryer after I give them just a tiny spritz of oil (don’t use commercial sprays, a pump sprayer with olive oil works great) I’m not a big tot fan but my s/o adores them.
these are a great option it just tool a while to grate all of the potatoes
You know garlic and onions currently still grow in the ground and exist as real vegetables and they actually both store incredibly well. THERE’S NO REASON TO EVER USE GARLIC POWDER OR ONION POWDER. Despite what you may think, you soire in the proccesed food section of the grocery store has not ended until you give up the vegetable powders. Hate to break it to ya.
You, sir, need not be rude. Many who feel the need to steer clear of processed foods can absolutely go nuts dehydrating their onions, garlic and more, to make their own powdered versions. I have done so myself in the past. I feel that the flavor dispersion is greater and the dried version adds a lovely undertone that only fresh cannot always provide. I LOVE fresh and powdered. I do buy the best powdered I can afford, but it’s not always realistic to use fresh, depending on a ton of different factors including that you just ran out or as in this recipe, the moisture level wouldn’t support them keeping shape.
LeJoy, Very good reply as to why you need dry powdered spices for this recipe–Another tater tot recipe makes use of dried chopped onion for the EXACT reason you mention–to keep a drier mixture. I love onion and garlic–and try to keep both dried and fresh on hand.
I made these today. I found the potatoes to be very sticky and difficult to shape. Wetting my hands after every 6th tot or so helped with this problem. May be I did something wrong that caused this. I’m not sure.
I don’t like the mess of frying so I decided to bake half of them to see how they turned out. The fried batch was delicious and didn’t even make it off the paper towels onto a plate before my hubby and I had gobbled them up.
The baked ones didn’t brown at all, even after 20 minutes and a temperature increase. They were mushy and didn’t taste very good. So I decided to try and fry them to brown them. This worked fantastically, even better than just frying because the tots held their shape better. They tots tasted even better, too.
In conclusion, this is delicious recipe, but it is also a lot of work. I think I’ll stick to store bought tots!
I have been fascinated with tater tots since I came here in 1970 – have copied and pasted everyone’s ideas on another sheet of paper so that I can cross off what doesn’t work, if I need to make adjustments. I like the idea of baking the potatoes first and I think I will do that before trying the original idea of boiling them. Thanks everyone for your ideas. Will add comments later if I have any brilliant ideas like you all had.
I just want the ones from the restaurant.
Oh, please do not fry in oil! I make some very similar to this and shape them then place on parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees. If you really feel the need to use oil, you can lightly spray before you place in the oven and turn about half way through baking.
how long did you bake it?
These look delicious! I never even thought to try to make my own tater tots!
To make hash browns, many ppl do the same thing…boil and then squeeze out the excess water. To save a lot of time and work, bake your potatoes first, then shred, then follow the rest of the recipe. You’ll find it a thousand times easier!
I can’t wait to make these.
These are delicious and taste great with sour cream too. I actually made a sauce with equal parts of ketchup and sour cream to dip them in. Wonderful!
Great Idea– of Sour Cream and Ketchup– I’ve only mixed Ketchup with Mayo to make a type of Thousand Island dressing (without chopped sweet pickle relish) BUT your idea sounds much better. Thanks
I parboiled my potatoes whole for 6 minutes. Then I let them cool completely. I shredded them in the food processor and it took maybe a minute. If you use russet potatoes there is no need to remove water. I deep fried them at 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes until nicely golden brown. They are so amazing!! I didn’t use the oregano or the dill. That combo just didn’t sound good to me. I will never buy store tots again. I have reheated them in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes and they come out perfect. I would never heat them in the microwave as they would lose their nice crispness. My husband and son love them. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Carol, I agree with you– Use either oregano OR dill OR neither…a dill/oregano combo does not work for me even though I love both herbs.
Also Thank you for your other suggestions.
Would this work with sweet potatoes?? Just a thought.
Yes!
I have a campfire themed dinner potluck in a couple weeks and I am designated to bring appetizers. This is perfect! There are a few allergies so I am going to try using rice flour…. I hope it turns out!
Also, I will be cooking these there, and I don’t have access to a stove top. Do you think a BBQ would be work well? I’m weighing my options between pre-frying, freezing, and re-heating on the bbq or only prep and cook there on the bbq. Any suggestions to which would be better?
I should also mention I am planning on making them into skewers with bacon, and melting cheddar cheese with green onions. It will be served with ranch sour cream!
Did I just make you hungry?
Yes!
Unfortunately, I have not tried this on a BBQ so I cannot really say with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
I would put a cast iron skillet on the bbq with oil and fry them like that.
Is there any way to incorporate leftover mashed potatoes into this lovely recipe? I have about 2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes (smashed, more than mashed – still lumpy pieces of potato) that have sour cream and cream cheese in them. This looks like a fun recipe to try to use them up. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you, Penny
Yes, that sounds amazing!
I wonder if you could make them with sweet potatoes or yams?
That sounds amazing! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
These are the best tots I’ve ever had, and that includes “housemade” restaurant tots!
Did you know that if you add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp (depending on amount of oil) ground ginger to your hot oil then add the tots (or any other food) the oil does not absorb into food?
The interwebs does not seem to support your theory….
I didn’t want to mess with frying so instead I cooked in a waffle maker. Yum, crispy edges all over and no frying. Delicious.
Does anyone remember tater tots from the grocery that had little bits of onion in them. These were my favorite but you can’t find them anymore. They were so flavorful! I’m going to try this by finely chopping some onion or chive and adding in. Let you know on the outcome. Thanks for the recipe.