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The most perfect Crispy Baked Parmesan Tater Tots. Made simply with shredded frozen potatoes, parmesan cheese, olive oil, herbs, garlic, and plenty of flaky sea salt. Each homemade, oven-baked tater tot is delicious…and even a little healthier too since these are not fried. The secret? Rolling each tot in a little olive oil before baking for a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside tater tot. Once the tots are out of the oven, sprinkle with garlicky parmesan cheese. SO GOOD. Serve these crispy tater tots with plenty of ketchup for dipping. The best appetizer, side dish, or game-day snack!
I’m not sure there’s a recipe that so many of my family members love more than these tots. At least not for most of my brothers. They pretty much lost it when they had heard what I made. Tater tots are everyone’s favorite, and while I’m never big on frozen, pre-packaged food, I can’t argue that a crispy tater is pretty darn delicious.
The story on these tots is pretty simple. My oldest brother, Creighton loves a tater tot more than any other human out there. They probably rank somewhere near the top of his all-time favorites. He’s been suggesting I make homemade tots for the longest time.
I had every intention to make these back in the fall but somehow managed not to get them tested before all the holiday craziness started. And then? I just completely forgot about taters tots…until a few days ago. I was looking at a note on my computer that I literally look at every single day. It has a mini to-do list that I make to remind myself of things. I was reading down my list when my eyes came upon the tots. Suddenly I knew exactly what I was making that day.
It was perfect because I was really looking for a healthier game-day style recipe to share. And suddenly, there were the tots.
With most of my brothers here in Colorado and the Super Bowl in just a couple of weeks, I knew it was the perfect time to finally figure out how to make homemade tater tots.
The one thing that was a must for me? Baking them instead of frying…ok, and making sure to make the recipe is as easy as can be. Because life is busy and no one has time to mess around with overly long, overly complicated recipes.
As I mentioned, these tots are baked, not fried. And for the most part, they are pretty darn easy to make. They took some trial and error, but guys, this recipe is as close to perfect as it gets.
Start with frozen shredded potatoes or hash browns. I love the 365 brand. They come in one-pound bags and cook up so nicely. You’ll want to lightly thaw the potatoes before getting starting. Thawing the potatoes, releases some of the water and makes rolling the potatoes into tots much easier.
Now, this next step is totally optional but will give you a more authentic tater tot. I pulsed my potatoes in the food processor to chop the shreds up even more to replicate a real deal tater tot. If you don’t own a food processor, you can skip this step, but if you do own a food processor I think it’s a step worth taking.
Next, add pretty much everything to a big ole’ bowl and toss it all together. I wanted my tots to be flavorful, but still simple. So I added in parmesan cheese, which not only flavors the tots, but also helps bind them together in the oven and gives them a pretty golden color once baked.
For rolling, I love to use my cookie scoop to easily scoop the potatoes out of the bowl. I pack the potatoes into the scoop, then release the mix into my hand and pack it into a ball. It’s important to pack the potatoes into a ball before shaping them into a cylinder. If you try to make the cylinder right away, the mix will just crumble on you. When you have all the tots formed, generously brush them with olive oil. Using olive oil is key to the crispy exterior of these tots, so I recommend it over a spray.
Alright, and the last thing, bake um up! To get these guys crispy all around I flipped them three times throughout cooking. Two would be enough for sure, and if you’re feeling lazy, just go for two, but if you want a more classic tater tot look, flip three times. Works perfectly.
As soon as the tots come out of the oven, toss them with additional parmesan. Then serve them up with sea salt and lots of ketchup on the side for dipping. I feel like you can’t really do tater tots up without ketchup.
And that’s it. The rolling process takes a little time, but it’s easy, and trust me, the extra effort is worth it. These tots are GOOD. Like really friggin’ good, as my oldest brother would say.
Pretty excited to have this recipe for Sunday night dinners and game day snacks. You can’t beat them and I’m just going to warn you now, these tots are addicting. You’re going to eat the first batch faster than you ever thought possible. Sounds dramatic, but I’m serious.
I’m excited to now have this recipe in my back pocket for upcoming Sunday game days, and holiday parties. They’re a hit with everyone, even the kids!
Looking for other fun snacks/appetizers? Here are a few to try:
Garlic Parmesan Herb Butter Polenta Fries with Lemon Aioli
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Everything Ranch Cheese and Pretzel Snack Mix
Lastly, if you make these easy Crispy Baked Parmesan Tater Tots, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Hi, they look amazing. I live in UK and you embrionem fresh potatos could be used, do I need to boil them first or grate raw potatoes??
Hey Iwona,
I would grate your potatoes and then follow the recipe as is. I hope you love them! xTieghan
Hello!
Do you need to remove any moisture from the potatoes? Or just use them as is (grated fresh or thawed)?
Hey Dalia,
You can just use them as is. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hey there!
We use to be able to buy shredded hash browns but now we can’t! Would the small cubes ones work? Or would you just suggest fresh grated? I find when substituting for fresh in other recipes it takes longer to cook. What do you think? Thanks I just love your recipes ❤️
Nisha
Hey Nisha,
I would just use fresh potatoes and grate them yourself, that will work just fine! I hope you love the recipe. Let me know how they turn out. xTieghan
Can you clarify the cook time? I don’t quite follow the last flip and bake?
Hey Catie,
You are going to bake 10-12 minutes, then flip, bake another 10 minutes, then flip, and then bake another 10-12 minutes. I hope this helps! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing. Have you tried them in an air fryer?
Hey Cheryl,
Thanks so much, I haven’t tested in an air fryer, but I’m sure it would work well. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Any chance you could help me with how to make these in an air fryer instead of the oven? Thank you for so many wonderful recipes!
Hey there,
I have not tested this, but I would do 10-12 minutes at 400, then flip and do another 10-12 minutes. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
These look so delicious! Can’t wait to try them. Could you use refrigerated shredded potatoes instead of the frozen hash browns? Either way I can’t wait to try these! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Hey Lynne,
Yes, those will work just fine. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
Amazing flavor..Im a tator tot lover as well so im very delighted to have another way to serve them to my family..
Yummy
Hey Sandra,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for trying it out!! xTieghan
Would love to make these, but kinda asking the same question as some others – if you’re using fresh potatoes, how would you prep? Grated? Any issue with potato liquid? Cooked/uncooked? Boiled and mashed? Don’t believe I’ve ever seen frozen shredded potatoes around here. But I will look out for them! Thanks, KT
Hey Katie,
You will just want to grate the potatoes and drain any liquid and then follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love them! xTieghan
Are you using fresh grated Parmesan or the shaker type like Kraft?
Hey Sharon,
I used freshly grated parmesan. I hope you love these, let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
Hi
I love all your recipes! These sound amazing for my grandkids. Can you make these with real potatoes? Would you cook and mash or shred them?
Hey Kathy,
Yes, totally fine to do, I would recommend grating them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I love ALLL YOUR RECIPES! I don’t usually comment on recipes, but I have a bajillion potatoes in my basement, could I possibly use non-frozen potatoes? Could this recipe still work? I’ve never worked with frozen potatoes before so I’m not sure how the substitute would work. Thanks so much!
Hey Jessica,
Yes, totally fine to use those, just be sure to grate them. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
Hi, Tieghan, will you do a roundup of favorite game day recipes? Trying to make our Super Bowl festive just for the family.
Thank you, these tots look perfect.
Hey Lori,
Here are some faves:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/oven-toasted-garlic-herb-cheese-ravioli/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/everything-ranch-cheese-and-pretzel-snack-mix/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/buffalo-cheddar-soft-pretzel-twist-everything-spice/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/buffalo-ranch-chicken-pull-apart-bread/
Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi love your recipes but being in the uk we don’t have frozen shredded potatoes. Could this recipe be made using
Original mashed potatoes please? ??
Hey Ann,
You could use fresh potatoes and grate them yourself. I hope you love this recipe. Let me know how they turn out! xTieghan
Wow – my kids would love these! I don’t think we can get frozen shredded potatoes in the UK – would it work with freshly grated potatoes or should I freeze in advance?
Hey Nia,
You could totally use fresh potatoes as long as you grate them. I hope you enjoy the recipe. Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan