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The most perfect Baked (extra crispy) Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots. Made simply with sweet potatoes, parmesan cheese, butter, fresh herbs, plenty of flaky sea salt and black pepper. Each homemade, oven-baked tater tot is delicious…and pretty healthy too. The secret? Rolling the mashed sweet potatoes in Panko bread crumbs for a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside tater tot. Once the tots are out of the oven, drizzle with herb butter. SO GOOD. Serve these crispy sweet potato parmesan tater tots with ketchup. Or just simply enjoy them warm right out of the oven as is. Best autumn appetizer, side dish, or game-day snack!

overhead photo of Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots

These are without a doubt one of my favorite recipes. Oh my gosh.

SO GOOD.

But then, what’s not to love? Oven-baked sweet potato tater tots with herbs, garlic, and butter. Plus crispy Panko bread crumbs, and oh my gosh…parmesan too! The best ingredients all together in a cute little tater tot. Funny enough, this is a very old recipe. Yes, it’s actually a recipe from the first year of HBH that I majorly adjusted and reworked. I look back at some of my super old recipes. The ones from the early, early days of HBH, and wonder how I ever got this far. Man, those recipes…

ovehead photo of Sweet Potatoes before being coating in bread crumbs

Let’s just say that while some of them are amazing and delicious, some of them also need some serious re-working.

Which is what I did with these tater tots, and it was totally worth the effort. These are just about perfect in every way. Crunchy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside. Hinted with fresh herbs and garlic, and seasoned just right with chili powder, salt, and pepper. Delicious.

overhead photo of sweet potato tots being rolled in bread crumbs

Here’s how I make these sweet potato parmesan tater tots.

To quickly cook the sweet potatoes I absolutely LOVE using my instant pot. Instead of cooking the potatoes in the oven for an hour plus, I simply throw them into the instant pot for 10 minutes. They come out perfectly tender every single time. Using the instant pot to cook vegetables like this is one of my best time-saving tricks.

Of course, if you don’t own an instant pot, you can easily roast the potatoes in the oven. This works just as well, it just takes a little more prep time.

Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots before baking

Once the potatoes have roasted and are super tender, mash them with freshly grated parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slightly cool the mix, then simply scoop out tablespoon-size balls and roll in Panko bread crumbs seasoned with chili powder. I found it helpful to first scoop the potato mix out by tablespoonfuls and place each onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. As the potato mounds sit, they firm up a bit and become much easier to roll through the Panko crumbs.

Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots after baking

The trick here is not to stress. Your tater tots will not look like perfect cylinders, and you guys, that’s OK. All that matters is that you coat the potatoes in the bread crumbs. Promise, once baked the tater tots are going to look great…and taste great too.

Before baking, brush (or spray) each tater tot with olive oil. This will ensure a nice golden coloring on the outside of each tot.

side angled photo of Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tot sitting in ketchup

While the tots are baking, melt together the butter and fresh herbs, then drizzle the warm herb butter overtop.

So darn good. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, buttery, herby, and seasoned just perfectly. Every little tater tot is a delicious bite.

overhead close up photo of Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots with tot broken in half

These are best served warm, either as is or with ketchup. Honestly, they’re so delicious either way. I’m warning you now, these tots are addicting. But they’re also healthy…ish, so it’s cool. I’m excited to now have this recipe in my back pocket for upcoming Sunday game days, and even holiday parties. They’re a hit with everyone, even the kids.

And if you’re looking for more of a meal, try pairing the tater tots with these smoky chipotle cheddar burgers.

PS. with all of my family…and then some…currently in town, things are getting crazy over here, so the rest of the week’s posts will be on the shorter end. Normalcy will (hopefully) return next week once things settle down a bit, thank you for your patience!

overhead photo of Baked Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots with tot broken in half and ketchup on tot

If you make these baked sweet potato 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!

Watch The How To Video:

Sweet Potato Parmesan Tater Tots.

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 555 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake directly on the rack until tender, 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool.
    2. Once cool use your hands to peel away the sweet potatoes skin. It should just easily slip off. Place the potatoes in a medium-size bowl and mash well. Stir in the parmesan cheese, garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
    3. Combine the Panko and chili powder in a shallow bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    4. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato out of the bowl, roll into a cylinder and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sweet potato mix. The sweet potato mixture will be wet, don't stress, the shape does not need to be perfect. Roll the sweet potato cylinders in the crumbs to coat and place back on to the baking sheet. Lightly brush/mist each tot with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp.
    5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the herbs and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant. Drizzle the butter over the tots. Serve the tots warm, with ketchup and additional herbs, if desired.

Instant Pot

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. In the bowl of your instant pot, combine the potatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Cover and cook on high pressure/manual for 10 minutes. Once done cooking, use the natural or quick release function and release the steam. Drain the potatoes.
    2. Finish as directed above from step 1 on.

Notes

To Make Ahead: the tots can be made up to 4 days ahead of time. To warm, just place the tots on a baking sheet and warm in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve as directed. 
To Freeze: bake the tots as directed through step 5. Allow to cool, then freeze on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours, until frozen. Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. To warm, bake the frozen tots at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until warmed throughout. You can drizzle the tots in herb butter before of after freezing, it doesn't matter. 
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Comments

  2. Hi Teighan,
    Do you spray the tots with olive oil again when you flip them in the oven? Or do you just spray one side before putting them in? Can’t wait to try this recipe tonight!

    Reply

    1. Hi Aly,
      You can definitely spray them again after you flip. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. I have made these for dinner twice now. So easy and so perfectly delicious! I have a big family and I serve dinner to about 13-15 people every night!! Your recipes are enjoyed by us all. Thanks for sharing your creations!!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    These were INCREDIBLE. I only had Korean sweet potatoes and dried herbs but they came out exceptionally well.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and they are amazing!!! I was lazy and microwaved the potato because I don’t have an air fryer… or an extra hour to bake a potato. It worked great! Made some honey mustard for a dip.

    Reply

  7. Hi Tieghan! I tried making these, following the recipe, but when I tried to roll them out, the potato mixture was too wet to handle. I ended up having to just leave them on the parchment paper and top with the panko. Did you find your mixture was a little soft? How did you handle them so you were able to roll them in the panko and then bake? They were still delicious, but I would have loved to have the entire tot covered in panko, instead of just the top. Any suggestions? Thanks!

    Reply

    1. Hi Michael! If you let the sweet potato mix sit at room temp or even in the fridge for 20-30 minutes it should stiffen up and be easier to roll. You can also drop the sweet potato mix into the bowl of crumbs using a spoon, then roll and form into tots as you roll through the crumbs. Hope this helps!!

      Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. 4 stars
    Made these today! Turned put a little “softer” and not as crunchy. I’m not too sure what I did wrong but they are super tasty still!! Made some spicy mayo as a dip ?

    Reply

  11. 5 stars
    These are so tasty. Nice texture, too — crunchy outside, soft inside, as Tieghan said. I wish they’d stay warmer longer, but they’re so go that they’re usually not around long enough to get cold. 🙂
    I don’t have an instant pot (cough cough, daughter who works for Williams-Sonoma) so I microwave the potatoes.That’s worked just fine.

    Reply

  12. Hi Tieghan! These look so yummy! I’m planning to make a few days ahead of time for a party and had a few questions- do I follow instructions 1-4 and bake them as listed in the instructions ahead of time? If so, how do you suggest storing the tots for 1-2 days after baking?? I’m assuming allowing them to cool completely then storing in the fridge in an air tight container? I’m assuming the instructions for re-warming as listed above are for tots that are already baked 🙂 I hope these questions make sense- thank you in advance for your help!!!

    Reply

    1. Hey Jenna! Yes, bake the tots, then allow the tots to cool completely then store in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 5 days. To warm, just place the tots on a baking sheet and warm in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve as directed.

      Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply

  13. 5 stars
    Sweet potato tater tots were so yummy and a great accompaniment to brunch! Super easy to make and I assembled them the day before and baked them today! Definite keeper! ????????

    Reply

  14. I’d like to make these with leftover sweet potato mash, any idea of approximately how many cups of mashed potatoes for the recipe? Thanks so much.

    Reply

    1. Hi Sarah! It would be roughly 4-6 cups of sweet potato mash to replace the 4 baked sweet potatoes. What a great way to repurpose what you have on hand! Let us know how it turns out. Enjoy! X Kelly

      Reply

    1. Hi! Yes, that is 1 serving. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan

      Reply