Cheesy Homemade Tater Tots
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
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!
Yield: 30 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
Directions:
- 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.
For step-by-step photos and additional notes, read the post above.
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This recipe was originally published on November 24th, 2014.
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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!!!
Hi, at what point can we freeze them? After we shape them?
Hi, Cutype. Yes, freeze them after step 5. And when ready to cook, no need to thaw, just cook slightly longer. Hope this helps.
Wow these look amazing!!!
Thank you!! 🙂
This looks too good!
Thank you, Arman!
OMG. I’m headed to the pantry to go find potatoes right this minute!
🙂 Thanks!!
These might just be a side at every family dinner from now on. And the snacktime staple. I am SO in love!
Haha, I wouldn’t be mad if it appears at every meal time, Karly! Your kids would love it. Thanks for stopping by!
These look yummy. As it happens, I just boiled a whole bag of potatoes and am freezing most. But I’ll definitely give these a try. I pinned a photo onto my food board on Pinterest.
Thanks for pinning, Marian. Hope you’ll love these little nuggets, as much as we do. 🙂
These look WAY better than any tater tots you buy frozen! Yum!
Thanks, Lisa! They sure taste better too. 🙂
I can’t believe you make your own tater tots!! You’ve totally inspired me to try this over the holidays!!
They are so easy, Nagi! I hope you’ll love them!
I have Celiac and have to eat gluten-free. Do you think these would work with an all-purpose GF flour? They look SO good! Thanks.
Hi Linda! I’ve never tried this recipe with GF flour. But I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. We’re using just a little bit to bind everything. So give it a try and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Thanks! I will try it and let you know. They seem like a perfect pot luck dish, just in time for the holidays.
Oh god these tater tots look beyond delicious. Wish I had a massive bowl of them to devour now!
Thanks, Thalia! Sometimes, I really do wish we could share our food through the screens. Haha