Homemade Tater Tots

Tater tots aren’t just for eating out! Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these Homemade Tater Tots that just may be better than the fast food version.

Serve these homemade tater tots up with ketchup, homemade Chick Fil A Sauce, or even Homemade Ranch Dressing!

Tater tots have always been one of my little guilty pleasures. Whenever they are on a menu, I just have to get them.

There’s something about biting into the crispy potato gems that I just can’t get enough of.

But what if I told you that you can make them at home and that they are even better than the fast food tater tots?

And that you can make them with leftovers?

Yes, I know leftover mashed potatoes are hard to come by sometime (or is that just in my house with my mashed potato loving children?) But if you do happen to have some leftover, make sure you save them so that you can turn them into these delicious little bites the next day.

I know there are a lot of recipes out there using grated potatoes, which gives you more of that classic tater tot texture, but believe me when I say there is some magic with these mashed potato filled tots. It just works, and I may never go back to regular tots again!

Ingredients

• Mashed Potatoes: The biggest thing to keep in mind for the potatoes is that they need to be cold. If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes and you are mashing potatoes just for this recipe, you’ll want to make them several hours in advance and refrigerate them until they are nice and cold.
• Eggs: You will need 2 large eggs.
• Flour: The flour will help bind everything together.
• Salt: The salt is very important! You want very well seasoned potato filling.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: I have only tested this recipe with panko bread crumbs, which are larger and lighter than traditional bread crumbs.
• Oil: You can use any neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point. I would suggest vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil.

How to Make Homemade Tater Tots

STEP 1: Start by mixing together all of your filling ingredients. Make sure to season it well.

STEP 2: Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and drop it into a bowl of the bread crumbs. Roll in around until it is coated. The mixture will be too sticky to form before it is rolled in the bread crumbs, but once coated, you should be able to pick it up.

STEP 3: Use your hands to form the tater tot shape. These don’t need to be perfect, just a cylinder shape. I like to form all of the tater tots before I start frying.

STEP 4: Working in batches, add some of the tater tots to hot oil that is about 1 inch deep in a skillet. Fry until golden brown. I like to keep them moving while they are in the oil to ensure all sides brown evenly.

STEP 5: Transfer the hot tots to a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with some coarse salt. Continue to fry the tater tots until they are all done.

Serve the tots hot.

Tips and Tricks

We tested these in a few different sizes. The 1 tablespoon size was my favorite, while the 1/2 tablespoon size was my husbands favorite. It’s all preference, but be aware that the cook time my be slightly different depending on the size.

If your mashed potatoes are super thin, you may need to add extra flour. The mixture will be sticky before adding it to the bread crumbs, but it should be thick enough to stay together.

These are definitely best hot from the oil, but if they do cool off or if you have leftovers, you can reheat them in the refrigerator.

Feel free to get creative! Add in bacon bits or cheese or minced green onions.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Potato Side Dishes

Baked French Fries
Ranch Potatoes
Baked Potato Wedges
Sweet Potato Hash

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Homemade Tater Tots

5 from 2 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 50 tater tots

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

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Tater tots aren’t just for eating out! Use leftover mashed potatoes to make these Homemade Tater Tots that just may be better than the fast food version.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 cups leftover mashed potatoes ,cold
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ salt
• ▢ 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• ▢ neutral cooking oil, for frying

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, eggs, and flour. Season to taste with salt. (If your mashed potatoes weren’t seasoned, make sure to go generous on the salt.) Stir to combine.
• Place the panko bread crumbs in a bowl. Drop about a tablespoon of the mixture into the crumbs, then roll to coat. Use your hands to shape into a tater tot shape. Place on a plate or baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the potatoes.
• Heat about an inch of oil in a heavy duty skillet over medium heat. (I like to use my cast iron skillet.) Heat the oil to 350ºF.**
• Place the tots in the hot oil in batches, cooking until they are golden brown, flipping often. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt.
• Continue until all of the tater tots have been cooked.

Recipe Notes:

*The amount of flour may differ depending on the consistency of your mashed potatoes. If the mixture is way too loose to form into tots once covered in the panko, you may need to add more flour.

**The tots should take about 2-3 minutes to cook. If the oil is too hot, they will cook faster than that. If it is too cool, it will take longer than 3 minutes.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition is calculated using plain mashed potatoes. Anything added to the mashed potatoes would alter the calculations. Nutrition has been calculated estimating 1/4 cup of vegetable oil. Temperatures and time fried can alter this amount.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 10tots, Calories: 280kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 30g (10%), Protein: 10g (20%), Fat: 10g (15%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 70mg (23%), Sodium: 70mg (3%)

Keywords: homemade tater tots, tater tot recipe, tater tots