Learn how to make crispy, golden brown tater tots at home! These are baked, not fried, but still come out perfectly crunchy and golden.
These baked tater tots are truly kid-friendly, but let’s be honest, adults love them, too. The base recipe couldn’t be easier: potatoes, salt, pepper, and a touch of cornstarch.
You could stop there and everyone would be happy, but we couldn’t resist adding a few extras. A bit of chopped fresh parsley and shredded cheddar make them even better. Hello, cheesy baked tots! If you love these, be sure to check out out tater tot breakfast casserole!
Key Ingredients
- Potatoes: Russet potatoes are the best for tater tots. They have the perfect texture.
- Cornstarch: This helps to absorb excess moisture and makes them crispier in the oven.
- Cheese: It’s optional, but I love mixing in a handful of shredded cheddar cheese!
- Spices: I keep the spices simple. I love adding salt, onion powder, black pepper, and fresh parsley when I have it on hand.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Tater Tots
Tip 1: Start with a cold-water soak. After peeling and chopping your russet potatoes, place them in cold water to remove excess starch. This quick soak helps the tots stay fluffy inside instead of turning gummy.
Tip 2: Chop into small bits. Add the soaked potato pieces to a food processor and pulse until tiny bits.
Tip 3: Partially cook in the microwave. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. The microwave cooks the potatoes just enough so they’re tender but still a bit firm, which gives us that classic tater tot texture. Once out of the microwave, you can stir in cheese.
Tip 4: Shape with damp fingers. The potato mixture can be a bit sticky, so dip your fingers in cold water or lightly oil them before shaping. It makes forming perfect little tots really easy.
Tip 5: Bake until golden and crisp. Slide the tots into a preheated oven and bake until deeply golden brown. Trust me, these homemade tater tots will tempt everyone within a 20-foot radius. They never last long!
My Favorite Dipping Sauces
Of course, the classic choice is ketchup, but we have so many homemade dipping sauces you might enjoy:
- Easy Creamy Fry Sauce
- Homemade Mayonnaise or try our Vegan Mayonnaise
- Garlic Aioli
- Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce
More Potato Recipes
- Baked Potato Wedges
- Homemade French Fries
- Sweet Potato Fries
- The Best Roasted Potatoes
- Or, see all of our potato recipes!
Homemade Tater Tots
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Skip buying that bag of store-bought tater tots and make this homemade tater tot recipe. We bake the tots instead of frying them to keep things easy and a bit healthier. A microwave and food processor makes quick work of the potatoes. Shaping the mixture can be tricky, but with a bowl of cold water next to you, you’ll quickly get the hang of it (see our notes in the recipe).
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled, 2 medium-to-large potatoes
2 tablespoons light flavored oil, like avocado or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon onion powder
⅓ cup (28g) finely grated cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons finely minced parsley, optional
Fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). If you have a convection setting, use it. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Prepare a large bowl of cold water.
2Soak the potatoes: Peel the potatoes, and then cut them into 1-inch chunks. Immediately place them into the bowl of cold water. Move them around to agitate them for about 15 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander for 1 minute, then place them into the bowl of a food processor.
3Chop into bits: Pulse the food processor until the potatoes are broken down into small bits (see video for reference). Empty the bowl into a clean dishcloth. Repeat with the remaining potatoes.
4Squeeze dry: Wrap the dishcloth around the potato bits and squeeze to wring out as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid, and transfer the potatoes to a medium microwave-safe bowl.
5Microwave potatoes: Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir the potatoes again (they might be a little sticky), then let them cool for 3 to 4 minutes.
6Season them: Sprinkle the potatoes with salt, onion powder, cornstarch, parsley, cheese, and a few grinds of black pepper. Gently stir to combine. The mixture will be sticky (a rubber spatula or fork works well).
7Form the tots: Using damp fingers, shape the mixture into cylinders about ¾-inch wide and 1-inch long. Place shaped tater tots onto the oiled baking sheet. The mixture will be a bit sticky. Slightly damp hands help.
8Bake: Drizzle the tops of tater tots with the remaining oil, then bake until golden brown on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Carefully flip each tater tot, using two forks to wiggle any that are stuck more than others. Then bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the second side is golden brown.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Processing the potatoes: Don’t overprocess them (they will turn gummy). If a few large chunks of potatoes remain, remove them and chop them into small pieces with a knife.
- Shaping: Keep a small bowl of water nearby. Occasionally wetting your fingers keeps the mixture from sticking to them and makes shaping easier. Pressing the potatoes into a tablespoon measure helps portion out each tater tot.
- Make ahead: To freeze the tots, follow the recipe through shaping, then continue baking. Instead of baking until both sides are golden brown, underbake them slightly. Transfer to a large plate in a single layer and place in the freezer for at least an hour. Transfer the frozen tots to a freezer-safe bag and store them for up to 3 months. To reheat, heat the oven to 400°F and bake until golden brown.
- Microwave alternative: If you do not have a microwave, simmer the potatoes until parboiled, about 6 minutes. Drain well and let cool. Once cooled, chop into 1-inch chunks, add them to a food processor, and continue with our recipe as written.
- Food processor alternative: If you do not have a food processor, use a box grater to grate the potatoes, then continue with our recipe as written. The texture will be slightly different inside the tots, but they will still taste great!
- Air fryer: You can make these tater tots in an air fryer (see our video for proof). We air fry between 375°F and 390°F for 10 to 15 minutes. You might find that you need to cook them in two batches.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Mine wouldn’t stick together. This might be because I used Yukon gold. There were no russet potatoes and produce guy said they were still in the truck so I asked AI who said use Yukon gold. Is that why they wouldn’t stick together to shape?
Hi Judi, I love russets for this recipe. They have more starch, which does help with the tater tots sticking together.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made them. They are better than any store bought we’ve had! So good! I’ll be making more to freeze. We eat a lot of tater tots and this will save us money!
Oh wow, that’s wonderful to read, Karen! Thanks for coming back and letting us know.
Good.
Didn’t have onion powder so used 2 small pickling onions and chopped them up with the potatoes – Used a Roast potatoe spice, not salt and pepper – and cooked them in my old wood stove oven – hot but no temp control- delicious
Glad you found us, and thank you for coming back!
I recently tried making homemade tater tots, and I must say, it was a delightful culinary adventure.
So happy you loved it and had fun 🙂
I found your recipe when I was searching for sides to go with my soup recipe. I love how easy it was to make!
I need to make these without the cheese. Should I change or add anything else to compensate for the lack of cheese? Thanks
Thanks for asking this question! I have the same need and was frustrated that after finally finding one that uses the oven, not a pot of oil, I’d have to keep searching for a cheeseless one. Thanks to you, I can end my search here.
You should be able to leave out the cheese without any other modifications.
These tots really are amazing! Thank you so much for posting! I would not change a thing about them. My family loves them so much that we wanted to create something with them. For Easter, we decided to make them into little patties that were 2 tablespoons each. It made about 22 pieces. We topped each fully cooked patty with some thin sliced medium rare beef fillet, a 1/2 teaspoon of homemade aioli and some chives. Next time we’ve got an even bolder idea with larger patties, more steak and asparagus or broccoli. I’d love to send a pic.
Soooo good. I used air fryer for 17 minutes … new favorite recipe. I actually doubled up on the cheese and used sesame oil, basil, and followed the recipe otherwise … YUMMY.
terrific recipe and came out superbly! – except 400F doesn’t get it done. you want ’em crisp, 450 minimum.
My specialty is a tater tot poutine with fresh curds and demiglace or veal gravy and an egg over easy on top. Will definitely try with homemade tots.
How might one do this? Sounds amazing…
I need to try this.
I am one of those Luddites who don’t own a microwave. Any alternative method of cooking the potatoes? These look gorgeous and I would love to try them. Thanks
Our microwave recently broke. I parboiled the potatoes and the tots came out great. I covered the potatoes with cold water and brought to a boil. I left the potatoes in for 10 minutes and then removed them to an ice bath where the cooled until I could handle them to grate them on my box grater. I put my formed tots on a plate and brushed them with olive oil. Then they went in the air fryer for 20 mins at 390 and they were crispy perfection.
Yes, instead of using a microwave you can bake the potatoes. There are instructions for baking in the note section of the recipe.
I need these in my life….and my belly.