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    Home / Recipes / Vegan Sides

    Baked Tater Tots (New Air Fryer Option)

    Published: Jul 7, 2024 · Modified: Jul 7, 2024 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Making homemade baked tater tots is easy. This baked tater tots recipe has sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and zucchini. New tater tots in the air fryer option!

    Baked tater tots on a plate with ketchup.

    Who doesn't love baked tater tots? I grew up eating Ore-Ida Tater Tots. Those little tots were my favorite, with a whopping 160 calories for 8 tiny tots. I ate way more than 8 per serving. This baked tater tots recipe has 60 calories for 2 servings.

    As an adult, I still love these tiny tots. Fortunately, making vegan baked tater tots at home is easy, and I eat as many as I want. And the new air fryer tater tots are ready in 8 minutes!

    Jump to:
    • Tater Tots Ingredients
    • Tater Tots Ingredient Substitutions
    • How to Make Homemade Tater Tots
    • How to Cook Tater Tots
    • Air Fryer Tater Tots
    • Recipe Variations
    • Other Ideas for Baked Tater Tots
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Tips
    • Other Great Vegan Recipes to Try!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    Tater Tots Ingredients

    I am forming tater tots on a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.

    Although many assume making homemade tater tots is difficult, baked tater tots are simple, with few ingredients.

    • Sweet Potato: I make tots with both sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. The choice is yours. Or, use both sweet and baking potatoes.
    • Zucchini: Zucchini has a mild flavor and, combined with the potato makes gluten-free and low-carb tots.
    • Almond Flour: Almond flour is fine in texture and a gluten-free option.
    • Nutritional Yeast: Nutritional yeast provides a cheesy flavor and acts as a binder.
    • Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is ground-dried garlic.
    • Sea Salt: Seas salt brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
    • Black Pepper: I prefer fresh ground black pepper for the best flavor.
    • Cajun Seasoning: A little cajun seasoning enhances the flavors in the baked tater tots recipe.

    Tater Tots Ingredient Substitutions

    • Use a regular baking potato instead of a sweet potato.
    • Summer squash is similar to zucchini in texture.
    • Choose any flour of choice.
    • Soy sauce, tamari, liquid aminos, or miso paste are often used instead of nutritional yeast.
    • If you don't like spiciness, skip the cajun seasoning, or choose one of the varieties provided below.
    • Cayenne pepper is similar to cajun seasoning.

    You can make various types of tater tots recipes by choosing different seasonings and combinations of ingredients.

    • Rosemary: Rosemary gives the tots a note of evergreen, citrus, lavender, pine, sage, pepper, mint, and sage.
    • Dill: Dill is my favorite herb because it gives food a bright, sweet flavor.
    • Liquid Smoke: Liquid smoke gives the tots a smokey flavor. Choose hickory or mesquite flavor.
    • Onion: Chop fresh onion and add it to the mix!
    • Sriracha: If you like it spicy, add some Sriracha to the mix or add a little to the ketchup.

    How to Make Homemade Tater Tots

    Baked tater tots recipe on a plate served with ketchup.
    • First, you need to choose your potato.
    • Although I use sweet potatoes, you can use white baking potatoes if you like.
    • Despite my preference for the texture of the sweet potatoes for this particular tater tots recipe, any potato will do.
    • Then, cook them and add shredded zucchini and other ingredients. The fun is rolling them into tots. 

    By the way, this is a GREAT project for your kids to help with. Not only can they roll combine the ingredients, but they can roll the tots and watch them bake.

    Of course, the best part is dipping them in your favorite sauce once they are baked golden brown. 

    How to Cook Tater Tots

    Baked Tater Tots

    • Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400 degrees.
    • Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
    • Using your hands, form similar size tater tots.
    • Place each tot on the pan about ¼ inch or less apart.
    • Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
    • The size of the tots may change cooking times.

    Air Fryer Tater Tots

    • Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees.
    • Prepare an air fryer pan with parchment paper if desired.
    • Form the tater tots into similar sizes.
    • Do not overcrowd the air fryer pan (you may need to cook in batches)
    • Air fry for 8 minutes until crispy.
    • For larger or smaller tots, adjust the time accordingly.

    Recipe Variations

    In fact, you can make various types of tater tots recipes by choosing different seasonings and combinations of ingredients.

    • For instance, add some adobo chili sauce, a squeeze of Sriracha, or some red pepper flakes if you want a spicy hot.
    • Another idea is adding rosemary, garlic, fresh dill, and lemon zest for another flavor.
    • Regardless of your seasonings, the tots take on the flavors and bake inside. 
    • Furthermore, choosing a dipping sauce changes the tots tremendously.
    • If you prefer a spicy sauce, try adding Sriracha to your ketchup. BBQ sauce is another excellent dipping sauce, as are tahini dressing, vegan ranch dressing, and my favorite vegan buffalo sauce.
    • Or try avocado ranch dressing or lemon basil dressing.
    • Variety is the spice of life, after all. 

    Other Ideas for Baked Tater Tots

    Recently, my husband and I went to one of our favorite vegan restaurants, and they were serving "Totchos."

    Yes, it is just like it sounds like; tater tot nachos, so if that sounds good, load up the baked tater tots with layers of nacho ingredients.

    Or, if you are a coney sauce fan like me, use the tots for the base instead of french fries, like in mine, and cover with coney sauce and guacamole for chili tots. 

    Recipe FAQs

    What are the healthiest tater tots?

    Sweet potato, zucchini and pumpkin tots are the healthiest tater tots.

    Are cauliflower tots healthy?

    Yes! Unlike regular tater tots, cauliflower tots are lower in carbs and are gluten and grain free. 

    Are store-bought tater tots healthy?

    Crispy, salty, greasy tater tots may be a cafeteria favorite, but they aren't necessarily healthy. Even if you bake them from frozen rather than frying them, they've already had a significant amount of fat added during processing.

    Tips

    • I always double this recipe and flash freeze half the tater tots raw and bake them frozen when desired.
    • Form the tater tots the same size, so they cook evenly.
    • Smaller tots require less cooking time, while larger tots require additional time.
    • Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
    • Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.
    • If cooking frozen tots, bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
    • When air frying frozen tots, cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
    • Always preheat the oven or air fryer before cooking the tater tots.
    • To reheat cooked baked tater tots, I do not recommend microwaving. Instead, cook for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven or 5 minutes in a 350-degree air fryer.

    Instead of eating greasy, store-bought, frozen tater tots, try making baked tater tots at home! Or the new air fryer tater tots are ready in only 8 minutes!

    Other Great Vegan Recipes to Try!

    • Vegan Father's Day
      Vegan Father's Day Recipes
    • Easy Mexican Street Corn Dip
    • Easy White Bean Avocado Dip
    • miso mushrooms
      Miso Glazed Mushrooms

    If you love this baked tater tots recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

    📖 Recipe

    Baked Tater Tots

    Kathy Carmichael
    Guiltless tater tots! What more could you ask for? Gluten-free, fat-free, vegan, and oh-so-yummy! You'll love this baked tater tot recipe!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Course Small Bites
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 97 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Tater Tots

    • 1 Large sweet potato or baking potato peeled and cut into equal sized large chunks 2 cups mashed
    • 2 medium zucchini grated (1 ½ cup grated)
    • ⅓ cup almond flour or flour of choice more may be needed
    • ½ cup nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper to taste
    • 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or Cajun seasoning

    Variations

    • Add 2 Tablespoons chopped rosemary
    • Add 2 Tablespoons chopped dill
    • Add 1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
    • Add ½ small chopped onion
    • Add 1 tablespoon Sriracha

    Instructions
     

    • Peel a large sweet potato or regular baking potato and cut it into large similar sized chunks.
    • Place sweet potato chunks in a pan and cover with water.
    • Boil; reduce heat to medium-low until sweet potato is cooked and tender when stabbed with a fork (approximately 20 minutes).
    • Using a box grater, shred both zucchinis.
    • Using a paper towel, toss to get rid of some of the water in the zucchini.
    • When the sweet potato is cooked through, drain the water.
    • Place sweet potato is a bowl and mash thoroughly with a fork until no large chunks exist.
    • Add grated zucchini.
    • Add flour, nutritional yeast, and seasonings.
    • Stir together with a fork, mixing all the ingredients together.
    • The mixture will be damp. If it is wet, add more almond flour.
    • Preheat the oven or air fryer to 400 degrees
    • Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or an air fryer pan.
    • Using your hands, form similar size tater tots.
    • Place each tot on the pan about ¼ inch or less apart.
    • Ensure the oven or air fryer is hot and preheated before putting the tots.
    • Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or Air fry for 8 minutes until crispy.
    • The size of the tots may change cooking times.

    Notes

    • I always double this recipe and flash freeze half the tater tots raw and bake them frozen when desired.
    • Form the tater tots the same size so they cook evenly.
    • Smaller tots require less cooking time, while larger tots require additional time.
    • Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
    • Air fry at 400 degrees for 8 minutes.
    • If cooking frozen tots, bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
    • When air frying frozen tots, cook at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
    • Always preheat the oven or air fryer before cooking the tater tots.
    • To reheat cooked baked tater tots, I do not recommend microwaving. Instead, cook for 10 minutes in a 350-degree oven or 5 minutes in a 350-degree air fryer.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 402mgPotassium: 387mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5476IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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    Reader Interactions

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      5 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Fran

      July 09, 2024 at 1:16 am

      Ours came out with non crispy outside (but browned) and basically flavoured mashed potato on the inside… is that correct?

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        July 09, 2024 at 6:10 am

        Hi Fran, no, it sounds like they were undercooked possibly. Did you bake or use the air fryer?

        Reply
    2. Susan E Smeltzer

      March 01, 2024 at 2:25 am

      Could I just press this in a cookie sheet and cut it?

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        March 01, 2024 at 7:03 am

        Hi Susan, I don't know, but it sounds like a great idea! Let us know how it goes if you try it.

        Reply
      • hiker_annie

        March 02, 2024 at 7:37 pm

        That's a great idea!! I always roll out cookie dough and cut into squares instead of scooping and it saved so much time (they always end up baking into rounds anyway); the little cubes were also great for freezing to bake later. I used a big ol' pizza cutter and bet you could do the same thing for the tots!

        Reply
        • Kathy Carmichael

          March 03, 2024 at 6:57 am

          That's a great idea.

          Reply
    3. Jodi

      July 07, 2023 at 6:48 am

      I made them and they tasted great but were sticky to make and mushy.

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        July 07, 2023 at 8:00 am

        Hi Jodi, do you mean as you made them, they were sticky? Or that they were sticky when you ate them? Next time, add a little more flour if the mixture is too wet. It's possible that you needed to get more moisture out of the zucchini?

        Reply
    4. Erin

      February 12, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      Have you tried freezing these? I'd love to make big batches to keep on hand.

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        February 13, 2022 at 5:38 am

        Hi Erin, yes, you can freeze then uncooked, and then pop them in the air-frier or the oven. But, make sure to flash freeze them first so they don't stick together. Place the tater tots on a baking sheet, cover them, and place them in the freezer for an hour or two. Then transfer the tots into a zip lock. This way, they won't stick together. When you're ready to cook them, do not thaw completely. Place the tots frozen on a baking sheet or in the air-frier. You will, however, need to increase the baking/air-frying time.

        Reply
    5. Anne Weisbeck

      September 25, 2020 at 7:30 am

      Hi Kathy,

      These look great! Do you think wheat flour could be substituted for the almond flour? I can buy some almond flour if it’s necessary, but have plenty of wheat flour on hand. I just found your site and am finding many recipes I plan to try!

      Reply
      • Kathy Carmichael

        September 25, 2020 at 3:56 pm

        Hi Anne, yes, you can use wheat flour. I'm so glad you are enjoying the site. Let me know what you like. I appreciate any and all feedback.

        Reply

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