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Homemade Tater Tots Recipe: Easy Potato Gems

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So why would anyone go to all of the trouble of making homemade tater -tots? Well, because they are so easy, you can create endless variations (bacon tots, anyone?), and they even freeze well! Best of all – you’ll love the flavor! PSA: I LOVE them with this Jezebel Sauce instead of catsup.

For this recipe you’ll need these ingredients: potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, flour, oil (i like peanut oil the best)

homemade tater tots on a white plate with catsup on the side.

Table of Contents

  1. A Homemade Tater Tots Recipe You’ll Love
    1. Infinite Variations
      1. Tips for Making Homemade Tots
        1. More Great Side Dishes
          1. You May Need
            1. Tater Tots Recipe
              1. Share Your Images

                A Homemade Tater Tots Recipe You’ll Love

                And… I like that when I make this tater tots recipe they don’t have all of the junk chemicals in them.

                I loved tater tots long before I knew who Napoleon Dynamite was.

                My mother was the queen of frozen food so I had the opportunity to eat them a lot when I was growing up. There is something about the crispy outside and the tender inside that is addictive and I  had decided that I was going to make tater tots if it killed me (it didn’t) but if  I couldn’t get them right I wasn’t posting them. I wouldn’t even admit to trying.

                These were so right. So very right.

                Infinite Variations

                Not only is this homemade tater tot recipe easy but you can tweak it to your heart’s content. For example, you can add:

                • Cheese
                • Onion
                • Jalapeno
                • Poblano
                • Habenero
                • Cilantro
                • Chives
                • Cheese
                • Ranch dressing mix (the powdered kind)
                • Taco seasoning
                • Bacon
                • Crab
                • Shrimp
                • Chopped BBQ
                • Make them with sweet potatoes or yams

                OK — You get what I am saying, right? Experiment, y’all. How can you go wrong with potatoes as the base?

                A pile of homemade tater tots on plate with a puddle of catsup next to it.

                Tips for Making Homemade Tots

                This homemade tater-tots recipe is one of our favorites. It’s so easy to make and I love creating as many variations as I can think up! Here are some tips that will help ensure your success.

                • You can save time by using the shredded hash browns in the refrigerated section of your grocery store.
                • Don’t forget to parboil the potatoes.
                • Grate them gently after you parboil them – you don’t want them mushy.
                • If you are adding other ingredients do so sparingly – 1 tablespoon per cup of potatoes is about right.
                • You can use flour, cornstarch, or potato starch as a binder but go easy on it.
                • Use peanut oil unless someone has an allergy – it just fries better.
                • Make sure your oil is new and not rancid, and definitely don’t reuse oil more than once.
                • Use an electric deep fryer to keep the temperature even.
                • Never overcrowd the fryer.
                • If they seem to wet you might try making them with powdered dried onion or powdered garlic instead of fresh.
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                To Make in an Air Fryer

                If you’d like to try making these in an air fryer here are some tips:

                • Be sure to chill them first. You can also cook them from frozen.
                • Spray lightly with olive oil.
                • Place them in the air fryer so that the sides don’t touch.
                • Turn a couple of times during cooking.
                • This may take 15 minutes or so.

                Shaping Tips

                If there is any trick at all to make these tater-tots it is in the shaping.

                You can coarsely chop the potatoes in your food processor or grate them on the big holes in your grater. I think the grater works better and gives the texture I like but try both to see what you want to do.

                If you mash the mixture together too firmly you end up with the wrong texture. If it is not shaped firmly enough you end up with something that is flat or crumbles. I found that gently shaping the about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture into a log was just about right. It took me about 5 tries to get the hang of it.

                close up of the homemade tater tots

                More Great Side Dishes

                What’s a dinner without some great sides to go with it? Here are some of my very favorites – I think you’ll love them, too.

                You May Need

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                This T-Fal Deep Fryer has its own oil filtration system and plenty of room to fry your favorite foods. If you’re looking for an air fryer you can’t beat the Programmable Ninja Air Fryer!

                Tater Tots Recipe

                I make this recipe so often you’d think I’d have updated the images but we eat them as fast as they come out of the fryer! Unbelievably good, y’all!

                If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!

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                4.41 from 5 votes

                Homemade Tater Tots Recipe

                Basic homemade tater tot recipe that is crispy on the outside, light and delicate on the inside. Add bacon, cheese, onion, chives, or jalapenos for variety. (2 tbs total)
                Prep Time30 mins
                Cook Time10 mins
                Total Time40 mins
                Course: Side Dish
                Cuisine: Amercian Heritage
                Keyword: comfort food, copycat, salty
                Servings: 8 servings/5 tots each
                Calories: 68kcal
                Author: Marye Audet-White

                Ingredients

                • 2 pounds potatoes
                • 1/2 tablespoon flour
                • 1/2 teaspoon salt
                • Pinch of pepper
                • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
                • Oil for frying, (I prefer peanut oil)
                US Customary – Metric

                Instructions

                • Cut the potatoes in fourths and parboil them in a generous amount of water to cover.
                • Allow to cool, at least to the point you can handle them.
                • Grate them on the big holes of your grater.
                • Gently place them in a bowl.
                • Add the flour, salt, pepper, and onion and mix gently.
                • Let stand for about 5 minutes.
                • Heat the oil up to 355-360F
                • Use 1 1/2 teaspoons potato mixture for each tot.
                • Shape the potato mixture gently until it is in the shape of a tater tot.
                • Fry, a few at a time, in the hot oil just until they are golden brown.
                • Drain on absorbent paper.

                Notes

                Add up to 2 tablespoons finely chopped: bacon, cilantro, jalapeno, cheese, crab, chives, or other ingredients for delicious variations. You can also bake them at 400F. Sweet Potatoes work well, too. ALSO to make them gluten free you can substitute gluten free baking mix but you’ll also want to add a little egg to help bind it.

                Nutrition

                Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 468mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin C: 15.9% | Calcium: 3.4% | Iron: 20.4%

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                I'm so glad you tried the recipe! Upload your image so everyone can see what a great job you did... I'll approve it as soon as I can.

                Let's Keep in Touch! Make these easy homemade tater tots and say buh-bye to frozen tater tots from the store! Tons of variations, step by step directions and tips for perfection.

                Comments

                1. I live in PV Mexico, so we don’t have tator tots, but I sure miss them. Can’t wait to try & devour this recipe. I hope our potatoes work here. They are very starchy so might need a bit of modifications.

                  Reply

                2. I’ve heard using a ricer gets the nice fluffiness you want. I want to make these but still haven’t. I love tater tots.

                  Reply

                3. Mine fell apart too. I was sceptical only using a small amount of flour as a binder. Using an egg makes more sense. That’s what I did to save the rest of the batch.

                  Reply

                  • I am not sure why some people have made them successfully and others have not. I suspect it may be a difference in potatoes and/or not drying the potatoes enough. I am sorry it didn’t work for you.

                  • I put foil in a cake pan and put it in the freezer for about 40 minutes then lifted it out with the foil and cut the tots. They were much easier to work with that way! Also, using a thermometer and keeping the oil in the 355 – 360 range is key. Also, do not try to move the tots in the oil until they are starting to brown. They’ll fall apart if you disturb them too soon. Finally…this recipe ROCKS! Thanks!

                4. Can the mixture be refrigerated? If so for how long? Made a little to much and don’t really want it all right now.

                  Reply

                6. It is a good and simple recipe. I can’t say much about the taste because I still see improvements in my work after the first try, but the direction is good.
                  I personally won’t cut the potatoes in quarters next time though, because it’s nasty grating all these small pieces and I also have to watch my fingers all the time.
                  Thanks for sharing this!

                  Reply

                7. This is a great “blank canvas” recipe. You can do so much with these to personalize them. I followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect, didn’t fall apart. Thanks for sharing.

                  Reply

                8. Wait — I was impressed until I saw the suggestion, after makin’ them whole and pure at home, to add a bunch of chemicals in powdered salad dressing. ? Something wrong with that picture!

                  Reply

                  • Hmmm… add a little more flour and let them stand a litte longer until they are gluey…. you might also refrigerate them for awhile before frying.

                11. What type of potato is best? Russet, yellow…?
                  Russet is best for making fries, but I’m just curious if you’ve had great results with a particular potato. Thanks!

                  Reply

                12. I’m so sick of the simplest things in the store, even frozen potatoes, having all kinds of fillers / chemicals that if refused to buy store bought Tater Tots & decided to make my own & freeze them.
                  Thanks for posting this recipe.

                  Reply

                13. When you freeze them, is that before or after you fry them? I assume it’s after they’re fried, but I want to be sure. 🙂 From frozen, do you just bake in the oven as you would standard tater tots? I love tots, but hate the price and ingredient list.

                  Reply

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