How to Cook Frozen Tator Tots in Air Fryer

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Have you ever wondered how to cook frozen tator tots in the air fryer?  You won’t believe how perfectly they cook! Air fryers are an awesome way to cook up your favorite frozen appetizers and other meals! Your frozen tots will cook up with a crunchy, crispy outside in minutes!

Air Fried Tator Tots

How to Cook Frozen Tator Tots in Air Fryer

We are on a roll with this whole air fryer obsession!  We continue to use our air fryer daily! Words cannot accurately express how much we love our air fryer.  Yesterday we made up some air fryer pierogies – they came out PERFECT.  What an awesome machine! The cooking is so consistent and the food comes out perfectly cooked every time.

I have a new air fryer recipe for you today and guess what? It’s another frozen food favorite.  Just like the post that I wrote about frozen potstickers in the air fryerfrozen pigs in a blanket in the air fryer, air fryer frozen pierogies and frozen mozzarella sticks in the air fryer, this recipe might sound a little silly.  After all, it’s a pre-made food that just requires re-heating, right? Yes, and no. I have found that it can be tricky to cook up some of our fave frozen apps in the air fryer.  It takes a little experimenting to get the time and temperature just right.  So, since I figured it out on my end, I figured it would be helpful info to share!

Plus, here’s the thing about tator tots (or in this case, the ALDI version called “Potato Puffs”) – they can be tricky in a traditional oven. I like my tator tots to have a crispy outside and this can be hard to achieve using an oven.  More often than not, they come out mushy. They turn out perfect in a deep fryer, but I cannot justify the grease!  Yuck!  Air fryer to the rescue!  The air fryer cooks these tator tots perfectly – they have the consistency of a deep fryer WITHOUT the grease.

Potato Puffs ALDI Air Fryer

Make sure you check out the other air fryer recipes we have written:

15+ Incredible Game Day Air Fryer Recipes
25+ Easy Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
How to Cook Kale Chips in an Air Fryer
Lemon Dill Salmon Air Fryer Recipe
How to Cook Frozen Pigs in a Blanket in Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Potstickers in Air Fryer
Easy Air Fryer Roasted Eggplant
How to Cook Frozen Mozzarella Sticks in Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Pierogies in the Air Fryer
How to Cook Bacon in the Air Fryer
How to Cook Frozen Chicken Nuggets in the Air Fryer

And make sure you check out these EASY Air Fryer Donuts!!

Homemade Air Fryer Donuts

Give these Air Fryer S’mores a try for dessert!

smores

Cooking Frozen Tator Tots in an Air Fryer

Similar to other frozen apps, this food requires close to zero prep.

Simply spray the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the frozen tator tots in your air fryer in a single layer.

Tator Tots in Air Fryer

I cooked these tots at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. (Give the basket a shake halfway through the cooktime.)

Sprinkle the tots with a little salt before serving.

We enjoy tator tots dipping sauces including ketchup and ranch.  Want a crazy delicious snack?  Place the cooked tots on a baking sheet and top with shredded cheese and bacon pieces.  Stick under the broiler on high for about 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Delicious!

Air Fried Tator Tots

Air Fryer Tator Tots

Cook up frozen tator tots to perfection in the air fryer!
Prep Time1 minute
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time11 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer, tator tots

Ingredients

  • 1/2 bag tator tots frozen
  • salt to taste
  • nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

  • Spray air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. 
  • Arrange tator tots in a single layer in the air fryer basket. 
    Tator Tots in Air Fryer
  • Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, giving the basket a little shake at the halfway point.
  • Sprinkle salt on top of the tots and enjoy!

Air Fryer is a Healthier Cooking Alternative

I remember many years ago when my mom gave my dad a deep fryer for Christmas.  Consumer deep fryer models were super popular and you could plunk that contraption on your counter and deep fry your little heart out.  I remember him cooking all sorts of foods, from wings and chicken nuggets to french fries and tator tots.

I also remember the stinky smell of the oil that lingered in the kitchen (actually the whole house) for days after the last fried meal. Pair the smell with the fact that food cooked in oil typically isn’t the healthiest, and you have even more reasons to love an air fryer.

We started with a smaller air fryer and are already considering an upgrade to a bigger model.  In a typical week, we use our air fryer a minimum of 4 days out of 7, sometimes more than once a day. The air fryer has given many of our meals a healthy makeover without sacrificing the taste. (Actually, I’d be willing to bet that our meals are actually tastier now than they ever have been thanks to the consistent crispy cooking that we get with the air fryer.) If that’s not a plug to go buy an air fryer, I don’t know what is!

Do you have an air fryer?  If so, how often do you use it?


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How to Cook Tator Tots in an Air Fryer

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