You need only 3 main ingredients for these fluffy, cheesy homemade tater tots. Baked or fried, these little bites are perfect snack for kids and adults alike!
Confession time…
I’m not a big fan of pre-packaged, frozen foods. Though I can’t say I never use them (because hello, frozen pizza!), I really try to stay away from them as much as possible. But there’re things that are worth buying pre-made, like said pizza, or puff pastry. And frozen tater tots are not one of them!
Because it’s SO EASY to make homemade tater tots from scratch with 3 simple ingredients. No preservatives, no additives, just pure (potato) deliciousness! And with lots of cheese!! YUM! You can also add whatever seasoning you like.
You can bake or fry your tater tots. Both methods yield delicious snacks with minor differences in texture. Yes, you’ll get beautiful crispy skin when you bake the tater tots. But let’s be real, fried crispiness and baked crispiness are a little different. In my opinion, frying yields light, crunchy and delicate crispiness, whereas baked crispiness is just crispy, not delicate crispy. (Does that even makes sense?)
When making this recipe, I wanted my tater tots with light and fluffy interior. To achieve that we first boil the potatoes till they’re fork-tender. Make sure they’re not falling apart tender, because we’re going to grate the potatoes. which adds nice texture.
Now, you may wonder why I’m not adding any eggs. Well, you see, I’m not making potato cakes here, in which case eggs would be perfect. For my tater tots, a little bit of flour is enough to bind everything together.
Oh, and you can make ton of these tater tots – probably need to double or triple the recipe though – and freeze them for up to a month.
Hope you try this easy recipe. Thanks for reading!
Cheesy Homemade Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes about 1 ½ lbs/650gr, peeled
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese or pepper jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons melted butter OR vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes in half and place them in a pot filled with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and bring it to a boil, over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until just fork tender, but not falling apart. Drain the hot water and add cold water. Let it cool for about 30 minutes.
- Grate the potatoes when they’re nice and cool to touch. You’ll get about 4 cups of grated potatoes.
- In a large bowl, combine grated potatoes, cheese and flour and mix until well combined.
- Salt and pepper to taste. (I added about ½ teaspoon of each salt and pepper.) Feel free to add other seasonings, like dried herbs, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper.
- Using a 1.5-tablespoon ice cream scoop, divide the potatoes mixture into equal sized balls. Form the balls into small cylinders, classic tater tot shape. (TIP: wet your hands slightly so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.)
- Baking instructions: Arrange tater tots on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper, or silicone mat. Brush on melted butter on each tater tot. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 25-30 minutes, or until nice and golden.
- Frying instructions: In a skillet, heat half an inch of vegetable, or canola oil until sizzling. Fry the tater tots a few at a time until nice and golden brown. Removed onto a plate lined with paper towel.
Tips & Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on November 24th, 2014.
This was a tasty snack. It came together quickly, no hassle, i even added a little garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper to add a little kick. It really perked things up. Also a nice bbq sauce dip! I will definitely recommend trying!
I added green chile to give them a New Mexican kick! They are great,
Awesome. So happy you loved it, Betsy. Thank you!!
Tasted yummy but came out like pancakes. What did I do wrong? Trying baking and frying with the same result.
Hi, Pancake Betty. Were potatoes semi-firm when you grated them? Or were they pretty soft and watery? I wonder if your potatoes were overcooked a little, or the water wasn’t drained well. Were you able to shape the tater tots before cooking, or were they not holding the shape to begin with? Sorry for too many questions.
Could you use these from frozen to top a casserole?
I think so.
Thank you, Shinee! I was looking for something different when I stumbled across your recipe. I did make the tots as directed and may I say… YUMMY. You knocked this one right out of the park. The only problem I found was trying to keep my family away from them until dinner was served. I have added this recipe to my rotation and may even try them with bacon bits for some extra pop.
Thank you!!!