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Homemade Tater Tots

Crisp, fluffy homemade tater tots: russets parboiled whole, grated, squeezed dry and seasoned, shaped into small logs, chilled, then fried golden. They freeze well for later.

Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
1 hr
Makes
About 50 tots, serves 6
Jump to the recipe
A basket of golden tater tots on checked paper
Photo: Jer Chung / Pexels

Store-bought tater tots are made from the potato scraps left after cutting fries, which is a good use of leftovers. Homemade tots taste of potato: crisp and golden outside, fluffy and soft inside. Making them is not difficult, but it hinges on one idea that sounds backwards: the potatoes are partly cooked before they are grated.

Raw grated potato is wet and full of loose starch. Shaped into tots and fried, it does not hold together well, cooks unevenly, and turns gluey in the middle while the outside darkens too quickly. Parboiling whole potatoes for about ten minutes, until a knife meets resistance in the center, sets the starch at the surface. Once cooled and grated, the shreds hold their shape, bind together lightly, and fry into a tot that is cooked through by the time the outside is crisp.

Use russet potatoes. They are high in starch and low in moisture, which gives the fluffy interior a tot should have. Waxy potatoes, like reds, stay dense and slightly gummy.

Cool the parboiled potatoes completely before grating; warm potatoes turn to mash on a grater. Refrigerating them for thirty minutes, or overnight, makes grating clean and easy. Use the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze the shreds in a clean kitchen towel to remove as much moisture as possible. Water is the enemy of crispness. Wet tots spatter in the oil and steam instead of crisping.

A small amount of flour or cornstarch helps the shreds hold together, and a little grated onion adds the faint savory note familiar from frozen tots. Season the mixture well; potatoes take a lot of salt, and seasoning after frying only reaches the outside.

Shape the mixture into small logs, about a tablespoon each, pressing them firmly so they do not fall apart in the oil. Chill the shaped tots for thirty minutes so they firm up before frying.

Fry them in oil at 350°F (175°C), in batches so the temperature stays steady, until deep golden. Too cool and they absorb oil and turn greasy; too hot and they brown before the center warms. Drain on a rack, not paper towels, which trap steam and soften the bottoms. Salt them immediately while still hot.

They can also be baked or air fried for a lighter version, brushed with oil; they will be a little less crisp but still very good.

Serve them with burger sauce or ketchup alongside black bean burgers or Big Mac wraps. For another crisp potato side, German potato pancakes use the same squeeze-dry trick.

Fried potato balls on a board with a bowl of ketchup
Photo: Jahra Tasfia Reza / Pexels

Tater tots from scratch

Crisp, fluffy homemade tater tots: russets parboiled whole, grated, squeezed dry and seasoned, shaped into small logs, chilled, then fried golden. They freeze well for later.

Russets, a little binder and the frying oil

For the tots

  • 2 lb (900 g) russet potatoes, about 3 large, scrubbed but not peeled
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour or cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp grated yellow onion
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

For frying

  • 6 cups (1.4 L) vegetable or peanut oil
  • Flaky salt, to finish
  • Ketchup or burger sauce, to serve

Parboil, grate, squeeze, shape, fry

  1. 1 Put the whole potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook 8–10 minutes, until a knife slides in about ½ in (1 cm) and then meets firm resistance. Drain.
  2. 2 Cool the potatoes completely, then refrigerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
  3. 3 Peel the potatoes; the skins slide off easily. Grate them on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the shreds in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
  4. 4 In a bowl, gently mix the potato with the flour, onion, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
  5. 5 Take about 1 tbsp of the mixture at a time and press it firmly into a small log about 1 in (2.5 cm) long. Set on a parchment-lined tray. Chill 30 minutes.
  6. 6 Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot to 350°F (175°C). Fry the tots in batches of 10–12, turning occasionally, until deep golden and crisp, 4–5 minutes.
  7. 7 Drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky salt immediately. Keep finished batches warm in a 200°F (95°C) oven while you fry the rest.

Air fryer, oven, freezing and cheesy tots

  • Air fryer: brush or spray the chilled tots with oil and air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 14–16 minutes, shaking the basket halfway.
  • Oven: arrange the tots on an oiled, parchment-lined sheet, brush with oil, and bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25–30 minutes, turning once.
  • Freezing: freeze the shaped, uncooked tots on a tray, then transfer to a bag for up to 3 months. Fry from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes.
  • Cheesy tots: mix ½ cup (50 g) finely grated cheddar into the potato mixture.
  • Tater tot casserole: use these on top of a ground beef and green bean casserole, baked at 400°F (200°C) until crisp.

Falling apart, greasy tots and parboiling

The potato was too wet or the tots were not pressed firmly and chilled. Squeeze the shreds very dry, add the flour, shape them tightly and chill before frying.

The oil was too cool, often from frying too many at once. Keep it at 350°F (175°C) and fry in small batches.

Yes. Raw grated potato makes tots that are gluey inside and brown too fast outside. Parboiling sets the starch so they fry evenly.

Russets. Their high starch and low moisture give a fluffy inside and crisp outside.