Forget the frozen bagged version and make these Homemade Tater Tots on your own. Easy ingredients, big on flavor and super easy.
If I had to pick a favorite potato dish, I would say that Tater Tots are one of my favorite things and the ones I make the most.
I like when I can make things at home and these Homemade Tater Tots are no exception, plus they are super easy to make.
With just minimal ingredients, you can have these ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes!
Serve with any of your favorite main dishes, or just throw these together as an appetizer or side dish.
These Homemade Tater Tots are just great however or whenever you serve them, we gobble them up immediately.
If you are a fan of potatoes, and want to switch up your routine and make homemade then you have to make this recipe.
Some of my other favorite potato recipes that we have on our site include: Cheesy Smashed Potatoes, Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole and Loaded Potato Skins.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients and time, these come together easily.
- You can absolutely double the batch to have more to serve.
- These are great served with any of your favorite dipping sauces.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST):
Russet potatoes
All-purpose flour
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Black pepper
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Fresh parsley (optional)
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE TATER TOTS, STEP BY STEP:
- Add peeled potatoes to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with water, then bring to a boil. Boil for 6-7 minutes or until parboiled but still firm.
- Allow to cool, then using a box shredder, shred potatoes.
- Line a mesh sieve or a colander with a cheese cloth or thin dish towel, then place over a bowl. Salt potatoes then allow to sit for 10 minutes, pressing down onto potatoes halfway through and at the end to remove moisture.
- Add potatoes to a clean mixing bowl, discard water.
- Add flour and seasonings to shredded potatoes and mix well with your hands or a large wooden spoon.
- Using your hands, squeeze potato mixture into a ball, then roll into a 4–6-inch tube shape. Repeat with remaining mixture. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut tubes into 1 ½ inch long tater tot shape and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
- Fill a stockpot or Dutch oven with about 2 inches of oil, then heat to 370-375 degrees F.
- Add tots to oil in batches of 7-8 for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, moving frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Move to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet.
- Immediately salt the top, cool slightly, top with optional chopped parsley. then serve.
WHAT IS THE BEST POTATO TO USE?
You will want to use Russet Potatoes for this recipe, they are the best as they have a lower moisture content and higher in starch.
Which means that they will hold together well and not fall apart. You can try other potatoes, but we have not tested with anything else.
CAN I SEASON THESE WITH ANYTHING ELSE AFTER THEY ARE DONE FRYING?
Yes, absolutely. We go with just plain salt but you can really make these any flavor that you want. Some ideas include:
- Seasoning Salt
- Ranch Seasoning
- Cajun Seasoning
- Old Bay
- Garlic Salt
- BBQ Seasoning
The list can go on and on, you just season with what flavor you are really feeling at the time.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SHRED THE POTATOES?
For this recipe we use a box shredder, it is a little arm work but it is an easy and simple way to get those potatoes shredded.
If you want a quicker way you can use a food processor with the shredding blade as well.
DO I HAVE TO STRAIN THE POTATOES?
Yes, this is a step that you DO NOT want to skip. You want to get as much moisture out of the potatoes as you can.
If you do not, they have a chance of not holding together when shaping or frying.
Squeezing out the moisture is super easy to do and does not take much effort.
HOW TO STORE:
These can be stored in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze these. Make sure they are cooled fully and then place in a freezer container where they will keep for up to 1-2 months.
To defrost remove from the freezer into the refrigerator until thawed. To reheat, place in the oven or air fryer at 400 degrees F for 7-8 minutes until heated through.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Russet potatoes are the best potato to use in this recipe.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Use other seasonings before you serve, see above for some different options.
- Serve with any of your favorite dipping sauces.
- Make sure that you strain your potatoes of liquid, do not skip this step.
- You can switch up the seasonings inside of the tater tots if you wish.
- Use a box shredder or a food processor with the shredder attachment to shred the potatoes.
Love a good potato side? Then you have to make a batch or two of these Homemade Tater Tots!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these HOMEMADE TATER TOTS or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and what shenanigans I’m getting into!
Homemade Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 3-4 whole medium russet potatoes peeled
- 3-4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt + more for topping and processing potatoes
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Add peeled potatoes to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with water, then bring to a boil. Boil for 6-7 minutes or until parboiled but still firm.
- Allow to cool, then using a box shredder, shred potatoes.
- Line a mesh sieve or a colander with a cheese cloth or thin dish towel, then place over a bowl. Salt potatoes then allow to sit for 10 minutes, pressing down onto potatoes halfway through and at the end to remove moisture.
- Add potatoes to a clean mixing bowl, discard water.
- Add flour and seasonings to shredded potatoes and mix well with your hands or a large wooden spoon.
- Using your hands, squeeze potato mixture into a ball, then roll into a 4–6-inch tube shape. Repeat with remaining mixture. Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cut tubes into 1 ½ inch long tater tot shape and place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining potato mixture.
- Fill a stockpot or Dutch oven with about 2 inches of oil, then heat to 370-375 degrees F.
- Add tots to oil in batches of 7-8 for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, moving frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Move to a paper towel lined plate or baking sheet.
- Immediately salt the top, cool slightly, top with optional chopped parsley. then serve.
Notes
- Russet potatoes are the best potato to use in this recipe.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Use other seasonings before you serve, see above for some different options.
- Serve with any of your favorite dipping sauces.
- Make sure that you strain your potatoes of liquid, do not skip this step.
- You can switch up the seasonings inside of the tater tots if you wish.
- Use a box shredder or a food processor with the shredder attachment to shred the potatoes.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Leave a Reply