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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.
2 bags what would that be ? I’m in Australia and I really want to make these but unsure of measurement. 🙂 x
Hi Sophie,
The recipe calls for 2-16 ounce bags of frozen potatoes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I want to make these!! Could you use leftover mashed potatoes? Thanks
Hey Carole,
Sure, that would work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
These were so yummy! I used fresh potatoes so they were a little more free formed. Will def make again!
Hey Elizabeth,
Awesome! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Hi! Any suggestions on what bonding agent I could use instead of the cheese to make them dairy free?
Thank you!!!
Hey Kim,
I would recommend using a dairy free cream cheese, most grocery stores should have that option for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Would grating fresh potatoes and using them work?
Hey there,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! Question on this: do you have an approximate number of tots this makes? I want to make these for Easter and I’m trying to figure out around how many I’ll get. Thanks!!
Hey Beth,
You should get about 35-40 tater tots. I hope you love the recipe and happy Easter! xTieghan
Hi! Do you think this would work with sweet potatoes? I did see your sweet potato tater tot recipe too but was hoping to have more of the tater tot texture versus it being more mashed. Would it work if I feared sweet potatoes here? Thank you!
Hey Christine,
That should work just fine! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xTieghan
Can I make these ahead in the morning and store in fridge until ready to bake for dinner? Also, can I freeze unbaked?
Thanks
Hey Amy,
Yes, both of those options will work well for you. I hope you enjoy the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is so delicious!! Going to be a regular in my kitchen for sure!
Hey there,
Thanks a bunch for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Obsessed with these! Instead of baking, we used an air fryer (at the insistence of my husband) and they came out incredible.
Hey Ashley,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday:) xTieghan
Not gonna sugar coat it- these were an epic fail. Half baked, and Serious Eats make up close to 50% of my weekly entree’s, sides, etc. Absolutely love your blog.
Not sure, but the mistake was proton my end. They didn’t hold together well, but most of all rather bland and uninteresting.
Hey Lee,
So sorry you did not enjoy the recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Huge hit! Adults and children loved! Love tater tots that don’t have the frozen taste!
Thank you!
Hey Amanda,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️ xTieghan
I made these tonight. They tasted amazing but they totally flattened and looked like potato pancakes instead of tots. What did I do wrong? I followed the directions. I did make them a day ahead and cooked them tonight. Would that matter??? Either way they still taste amazing!! Served them with the crispy quinoa burgers… sooo good !!
Hey Rachel,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! I really take my time to form them to make sure they are the shape that I want them to be. xTieghan
Taste was great but the tots stuck to my pan despite a very generous coating of olive oil and then the shape was ruined trying to get them unstuck. Don’t know what I could do to make sure they don’t stick so intensely. Tried parchment paper on a round too but that also didn’t help.
Hey Nicole,
So sorry they stuck for you, not sure what else to suggest besides more olive oil! xTieghan
I really wanted to love these, but they were really messy to make. The flavor was good, but they did not hold their shape well at all.
Hey Dana,
So sorry you had issues with the tots, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan