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 JUST made these! yum, yum. Works very well without the spices, too! I just added the flour (I used almond flour) to equal the amount of powdered spices as well.
Help I need suggestions! I clearly did something wrong haha my first few turned out like crispy birds nests, all spread out and pokey. the others were better but had potato sticks poking out. (I have a photo but can’t show it.) None of them were beautiful balls like in the photo. I got all the water out and added flour till it was dry but…workable? they wouldn’t really stay in balls well. Was it TOO dry? Could it be I didn’t parboil them long enough? (they were a bit chewy, though still delicious, because what isn’t delicious after being fried? lol) maybe boiling longer would have made them stickier? I don’t know 🙁
I’m not entirely sure what could have happened here – it seems like the mixture may have been too dry – how much flour did you add?
My tots kept sticking to the bottom of the pan and left me with a mess 🙁 any suggestions?
Sana, did you have enough vegetable oil?
Can anyone tell me approximately how many individual tots this makes? it says 6 servings, but I’m planning to make these as one of several hors d’oeurves for a cocktail party, and it would be helpful to have a “grand total” of pieces (more or less) for planning purposes.
Made these the other day. Great recipe. My daughter was eating and one got caught it her throat. So please be careful swallowing tots.
I made these tots tonight and I have to say this recipe is perfect. I changed it a little simply because I am not an oregano fan and I added minced garlic (because we eat garlic in everything). They were great. A bit greasy but delish. Next time we make them we are going to try them baked.. wish me luck
Anyone looking at this recipe but not sure, This is the one to pick, its simple, quick and tasty!
First, these are awesome. Second, they are a huge batch and a huge time investment. One reviewer said to use a pastry bag….works great for the first two fillings, then blew out the side of my favorite bag, (this was a heavy duty bag!). Wet hands and “parastalsis” to form a “snake” then cut with sharp moist knife….keep rinsing knife when it gets too starchy. I am going to play with this some more and come back with additional comments.
I haven’t tried then yet, but was thinking about using my smallest scooper or even cookie press.
These are delicious!!! This was my first try at them and the recipe is bang on! I made them for our Garage/Bake Sale tomorrow. I am making breakfast muffins for the people working the sale. I just hope they enjoy them as much as I do! Thank you so much this is a great recipe!
Just made a batch….delicious! It was a bit sticky to handle and not easy to form into same shape and size……tried the pastry bag trick but mixture was a bit to hard to make that work easily. Would you have any tips for this? Many thanks
Bai, you can try adding a little bit more flour (1 TBS at a time) to help dry up the mixture.
i am not a chef nor do i really enjoy cooking -until now. My hub and I are from the states but live in Ecuador. i found your blog and subscribed. I have made your Asain chicken, hot and spicy green beans, and these tots. My presentation never looks like yours, but the flavor is top notch. We no longer miss many of our favorite foods, because your recipes do not include odd items that we can not get here. Love your food!
Not sure what I did, followed your recipe no changes but tots completely fell a part when I put them in the oil, I ended up with potato mush 🙁
Jody, did you drain the potatoes completely, removing as much water as possible? This step is crucial to avoid this kind of mishap.
These look so delicious!! Need them!
Hi Chungah,
Love your clever idea. It’s totally worth doing bit work and get delicious food.
Do you think I could deep fry these? It would be a lot less effort that way…
Yes, absolutely!
These look incredible! When I was at a brewpub last week I saw tater tots on the menu and they seemed to be the only thing that was vegan but when I asked the waitress, she said they used egg. I was so disappointed and a little concerned, wondering if all tater tots used egg! So I’m really glad to see your recipe doesn’t use them. I don’t think I could live the rest of my life with tots. Tater tot was even my nickname as a little kid! hehe
the egg acts as a binder….not neccessary! AWESOME RECIPE!
I love how simple yet tempting these are! I’ve never made tater tots at home, and haven’t had the frozen kind since I was a kid. I did always love them though I’ll be making these for sure 🙂
They look so so yummy !! In Australia we call them something else, can anyone remember????
In Australia they are called potato gems
HOLY YUM!!! my tummy started grumbling and my mouth started watering…time to head to the grocery store! 🙂
One more thing. Will any kind of potato work? No Russets here in Japan.
Yes, any kind of potato should work just fine.
Can you skip dill and add another spice
Yes.
Damn! I can’t believe it. You were already my favorite source for recipes, and after not being able to get the frozen kind at Costco here in Japan for several years now, who comes up with a recipe for them? You! Of course.