Skip the freezer aisle and instead with just a couple of easy ingredients you can make your own Tater Tots From Scratch right at home!
I have a confession to make: I. Love. Tater Tots. I do. And I’m ashamed to say it’s been a secret love, but there all the same. McMenamins Cajun tots? Love. Blitz’s Tat-chos? Double love. Two bars that I otherwise don’t really care for, I will still go to just for the tots. I know, it’s terrible and I’m so embarrassed to admit it, but I just can’t help myself. They’re just crispy, greasy, potato heaven. Hi, my name is Tracy and I am secret tater tot lover. There, I’ve said it. But it’s ok, because now, ooohh now, we can make Tater Tots From Scratch at home!! (uh oh)
Who knew that the delightful little pillows of crispy potato were so easy?! I just shredded some potatoes,
then, like a hash, I lined a couple of towels with the shredded potatoes and squeezed out the moisture to ensure super crispy tots. Then, the addition of an egg as a binder,
a little bit of flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt all mixed well,
and formed into little ‘tot’ shapes.
Annndd then the best part. Fried in a pot of oil until perfectly crispy.
Even better, we had just made some homemade ketchup which made a perfect Tot dipping sauce.
Don’t you just want to nuzzle into the middle of this plate of deliciousness?! I might have.
Yeess. My Tater Tot love has finally been justified with a From Scratch version! And my workouts will probably have to increase exponentially to make it up for. Worth it!
Ingredients
- 3 large russet potatoes peeled
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 - 2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
- Vegetable or Canola Oil for frying
Instructions
- Fill a small sauce pan with oil halfway. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
- With a grater, shred the potatoes.
- Line the potatoes on a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out excess moisture.
- Transfer potatoes to a bowl, add salt, and mix. Add egg and mix well. Then add flour and other spices and mix until everything is evenly incorporated.
- Form potatoes into tot shapes
- Fry in oil until crispy.
- Cool on a paper towel lined plate and serve with your favorite condiment!
- Notes
- These guys are a little on the spicy side, but the best part of making them from scratch is that you can control what flavors you want! Add some oregano or thyme for a more savory tot or get crazy and add some nutritional yeast for a 'cheesy' tot!
Go ahead, Pin Me!
Loving these! My kids love tater tots and those yucky fast food hashbrowns. These would also be great for my totchos!!
Oooh great option for the kiddos then! And omg your tatchos…. definitely making!!
LOVE! I love tater tots too, and I’m not even ashamed to admit it. But I am ashamed that I have never made them at home! Pinning!
This is really good to know exspecially if you have a kiddo like me, pinning and sharing!
Yum! yum! yum! I love tater tots! And I am huge fan of making things from scratch! Congrats on doing these. They look fantastic! 🙂
These look so crunchy! It was actually the fiery sauce that caught my eye. 😀
I love tater tots! We call them croquettes here in the UK, but tater tots is way more fun! There’s a bar we go to when I visit Atlanta that do tater tot nachos, and I could honestly eat nothing but those for the rest of my life!
Gotta try these!
Thanks, Michelle!! Croquettes sound so much fancier! Anndd ooohh the Tatchos! They’re the BEST! Next on my list! 😉 xo
Crispy delicious treats☺
Indeed! 😀
I have seen tots from time to time but haven’t been inspired to make them at home until now. They look fabulous!
Aw, thank you! They were so much easier than I’d expected and super fun to make, too 🙂
Oh dear – we might be the tot twins – never saw one that ! could pass up! So I’ll just take that tray off your hands and ahem, pass them round the Fiesta Friday party goers. Not. Thanks so much for this – how fabulously easy to make these at home!
Thanks, Selma my tot twin! 😉 I hope you have a fabulous week!
Your tater tots look delicious! And, I love how you made them from scratch. We make a lot of side dishes like this from scratch so we have control over what allergens end up in the dish. After reading your recipe, I love how much creativity you can have with this recipe from the spices you use, etc. Happy FF, and have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks, Kaila! Being able to control exactly what’s in something is one of the main reasons to cook from scratch! You can totally do sooo much with the spices and flavors for these guys. Happy FF!! 😀
Mouth watering so much right now! What have you done to me, Tracy!? 😀
Hahaha! I’m always happy to induce mouth watering! 😉
I just love this idea! You make any ole flavor you want! Bacon and onion or cheese? Oh my!
YES Julie, totally! I was actually thinking after I made them that some nutritional yeast would have been fun to add a little ‘cheesyness’ 😀
Those look absolutely beautiful Tracy! I can’t wait to try to make these… I LOVE tater tots!!
Thank you, Dini! Me tooo 😉
Fresh tater tots straight from the frying pan? It doesn’t get any better than that! These look delicious!!
Sooo true Thao!! Thanks so much for stopping by! 😀
YUUUM!! These look wonderful! I loooove tots too!
Tot date soon, please!!! 😉
Just wanted to drop a note to let you know that I’ve chosen this fantastic post to be featured on this week’s Friday Favorites at 9pm (EST)! 🙂
Awwwwww!!! Thank you so much! That’s so exciting! 😀
Tracy, you. are. awesome!! Those tater tots look SO good 😀 Pinning 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe with Friday Favorites, we love having you join us each week 🙂
Thanks so much, Amanda!! Thanks so much for having me! 😀
Hey, Tracy! You got some cute treats here. I just saw Tater Tots from Bryan Talbot and I think they are just amazing. Super easy to make, too. I thought Tater Tots need this special cylindrical something to shape them, but yours are just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing! 😉
Aw thanks, Jhuls!! Oh man a cylindrical shaper would have made these guys even easier!! Happy FF! 🙂