• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Simple Vegan Recipes
  • Recipes
  • Books
    • 40 Days of Green Smoothies
    • Bowls!
  • Recipe Videos
    • My YouTube Channel
    • Video Blogging FAQ
  • Simple Vegan Starter Guide
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Get the vegan starter guide!
  • Latest Recipes
  • Air fryer recipes
  • Instant Pot recipes
  • My YouTube channel
  • Podcast
  • Recipe video production
  • SHOP
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Vegan recipes » Air Fryer Recipes

    How to make perfect air fryer tater tots from frozen

    Last Modified: Jun 29, 2020 by Becky Striepe

    Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

    Recipe Video Print

    Wondering how to cook frozen tater tots in the air fryer? It's so quick and easy! Here's my foolproof method for making perfect air fryer tater tots every single time.

    close-up of crispy tater tots on a blue plate

    Jump To:
    • Important dos and don'ts
    • Calculating Cooking Time
    • Air fryer tater tots recipe
    • Bonus tips

    Y'all, my family LOVES tots. We eat them with veggie burgers, use them as a topper for breakfast casseroles, and make them late night for snacks. And this method for making perfect Air Fryer Tater Tots is how we cook them almost every single time.

    Want to learn more about air fryers? Get a helpful FAQ and my favorite vegan air fryer recipes here!

    Important dos and don'ts

    Before you add the tots to your basket, we need to go over two critical points: one DO and one DON'T. Let's start with the don't, then move on to the do!

    • Don't overfill your basket! An air fryer works by circulating hot air, and an overfull basket doesn't allow that to happen. I recommend not filling your basket more than halfway.
    • Do shake. Shaking is key to getting even results. When you shake, you move the tots from the center of the basket to the outside and move the outside tots in. That allows everything to get even exposure to that hot air that's doing the cooking.

    The more you fill your basket, the more often you ought to shake. If you're just making one to two servings, shaking once should do the trick. Making the whole bag? Shake three or even four times to get even results.

    frozen tater tots in a blue bowl
    frozen tots, ready to cook!

    Calculating Cooking Time

    OK, so the tl;dr when it comes to cooking time is: 400° F for 10-12 minutes. This cooking time will work almost always, unless you're buying some unusual-sized tots or way overfilling your basket.

    The longer answer to the cooking time question is to start by looking on the back of the bag. Any bag of frozen tater tots is going to have baking instructions.

    To calculate your air frying time for these frozen tots (or almost any frozen food), take the baking time and cut it in half, and cook by as close to the listed temperature as you can get.

    The tots I buy say to cook at 450F for 18-21 minutes. Most air fryers only go up to 400F, so that's the temp to choose.

    Since I went down on temp, I'm going to go with the top time recommendation, which is about 20 minutes in the oven. That means around 10 minutes in the air fryer.

    Since 450 is so much more than 400, I have started tacking on a couple of extra minutes for good measure.

    Voila: 400° F for 10-12 minutes!

    If you're ever in doubt or forget the time/temp for a frozen item, you can calculate it on the fly using the baking time and temp listed on the package.

    overhead photo of crispy tots on a blue plate

    Air fryer tater tots recipe

    Wondering how to cook frozen tater tots in the air fryer? It's so quick and easy! Here's my foolproof method for making perfect air fryer tater tots every single time.
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Snack
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Keyword: air fryer frozen tater tots, air fryer tater tots
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 130kcal
    Author: Becky Striepe

    Ingredients

    • 2 servings frozen tater tots - according to the package label (see note)

    Instructions

    • Pour the tots into your air fryer basket. Cook at 400F for 10 minutes, shaking every 3-4 minutes.

    Equipment

    • Air Fryer

    Video

    Notes

    You can make more than 2 servings! I recommend reading the post above for more details on making perfect tots in the air fryer. The basic things to keep in mind are: don't fill your basket more than halfway and don't forget to shake.
    The more you fill the basket, the more often you'll need to shake. If you fill the basket more, you may need to add 1-3 more minutes of cooking time to that 10 minutes. Just check for doneness, and add a minute or two at a time until they're done to perfection!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 130kcal
    Tried this recipe? Share your photo!Mention @GlueAndGlitter on Instagram or Twitter!

    Bonus tips

    Bonus tip #1: leave some space between the air fryer and the wall!

    The first tip is about air frying in general, but I like to remind people as often as I can. Make sure that your air fryer isn't right up against the wall when it's running!

    The vent at the back of the air fryer pushes out hot air, and that air can melt your plastic outlet cover!

    Move the air fryer so it's as close to the edge of the counter as you're comfortable with to prevent this from happening. It's an easy step that saves you a headache later.

    Bonus tip #2: frozen tots are usually deep fried

    The other tip is about the tots themselves. I know that a lot of people use an air fryer to avoid deep fried food. While the air fryer does cook frozen tots without added oil, know that those tater tots were deep fried before the company froze and packaged them.

    That said, air frying frozen tots is still better for you than deep frying them a second time! I just don't want you to think of these as health food.

    What they are, though, is delicious. And I'm all for crispy, air fryer tater tots.

    « Easy Baked Vegan Potato Cakes Made in a Muffin Pan
    15 Minute Vegan Buffalo Dip »

    About Becky Striepe

    Headshot of Becky Striepe in front of a teal wall

    Hi there! I'm Becky Striepe (rhymes with sleepy), and I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here.

    Learn more about me >>>

    Reader Interactions

    Have a question? Tried this recipe? Share your thoughts! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    About Me

    Glue and Glitter
    Hi! My name is Becky Striepe (rhymes with “sleepy”). I love using gadgets and shortcuts to create easy vegan comfort food recipes for busy people. Whether you love your Instant Pot, your air fryer, or just love delicious plant-based meals, stick around. You'll like it here. → READ MORE

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    As Seen On: Buzzfeed, How Stuff Works, Parade Magazine, Follow Your Kind Podcast, Peta, Curiously Veg Radio, Shape Magazine

    About

    • About Becky Striepe
    • Privacy Policy
    • About the Ads
    • Video Blogging FAQ

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Trending now

    • Two-ingredient Instant Pot yogurt from soy milk
    • Vegan spinach artichoke dip with garlic cashew cream
    • Crispy, flavorful air fryer tofu

    Copyright Notice

    All content Copyright © Glue & Glitter/Cattington Inc. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. You may post a short excerpt and/or one photo, as long as you provide clear credit and a link back to the original recipe or tutorial post at glueandglitter.com. Please do not repost recipes in full without my express permission.

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Glue & Glitter