Are Veggie Tots Healthy? (+How To Cook In Air Fryer)

Yes, veggie tots are generally healthy. They’re often made with vegetables and sometimes whole grains, plus they typically contain less fat and calories than regular potatoes.

Still, watch out for the ones that are fried or served with unhealthy dipping sauces. When in doubt, opt for baked version or make your own at home.

How to Cook Veggie Tots in Air Fryer

The veggie tot is one of the most popular appetizers in recent years. This type of food is usually deep-fried. But with an air fryer, it can be made without any oil at all.

This is how to cook veggie tots in an air fryer. All you need to do is put them in the air fryer basket, and follow the below simple instructions, and you’ll have a delicious side dish that’s healthier than greasy french fries or onion rings.

This blog post will tell what they are and the step by step on how to cook it in an air fryer.

Air Fryer Veggie Tots

Why do we cook Veggie Tots in an air fryer?

It’s simple, and they turn out extremely crispy and delicious. The cooking process with the air fryer is fast. It takes less time to heat up than the traditional oven.

Tips

The size, vegetable type, thickness, and coating may vary. As a result, you’ll have to adjust the cooking time.
Without overcrowding the small air fryer, 14 oz is the maximum size without compromising performance (they’re often found in 14oz bags). If you have a bigger air fryer, you can cook more if the basket isn’t filled more than half-full.
The more you put in the basket, the more often you will want to shake it.
No oil cooking spray is needed. They cook nicely without needing any extra oil.
There are many brands of frozen tater tots. They are all about the same size. But some air fryers cook hotter than others, so you’ll have to adjust the cooking time a little bit.
After you cook your first batch in the air fryer, you’ll know what time to cook them for your liking.

How to Cook Veggie Tots in Air Fryer

Here are several easy recipes. Whether you heat the frozen ones or make them from scratch, the air fryer can give you crispy and fresh results.

Crispy Air Fryer Frozen Veggie Tots Recipe

This air fryer cauliflower tots recipe will make great.

Ingredients

14 oz. (396 g) Frozen Veggie Tots (for example, frozen cauliflower tots)
salt taste
black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Put the frozen cauliflower tots in the air fryer basket. Spread them out. You do not need to spray oil on them.
Heat the air fryer to 400°F/205°C. Cook for 5-8 minutes. Shake and gently stir about halfway through cooking. For large batches, or if your tots don’t cook evenly, turn them a few times.
To crisp the food, turn the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook it for another 1-3 minutes.
Season with salt & pepper, if desired.

cauliflower tots — Cauliflower Tots with mayonnaise dip. Credit: canva

Air Fryer Homemade Veggie Tots Recipe

This recipe is a homemade low-carb, keto, gluten-free, and vegan appetizer or snack. It is mostly made of carrots and zucchini.

Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

2 carrots shredded
2 small zucchinis shredded
¾ cup almond flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 flaxseed “eggs” 2 tbsp of flaxseed meal + 6 tbsp of water
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Mix the flaxseed meal with water. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Mash the carrots and zucchini together with the flaxseed “egg” (flaxseed mixed with water), garlic powder, sesame seeds, smoked paprika, and salt in a big mixing bowl. Mix them well until they are combined. This will result in a smooth dough.
Add almond flour, and stir to incorporate.
Make 20 small balls with your hands. Make them about the size of a ping pong ball, slightly flattened.
Preheat the air fryer to 400F.
Place the tots in the preheated air fryer. They should not be close together. Cook them for 8-10 minutes on one side. Then cook them for 5 more minutes on the other side.
Let them cool a little before you serve them. Then, you can have them as a snack with dip or as the main dish with salad.
Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 7 days.

About Veggie Tots

They are quintessential food of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century.

They’re essentially like hash browns, but in little bite-sized nuggets, with bits of vegetables in them.

Vegetable Tots are an excellent alternative for kids who don’t like eating vegetables in their natural form but love tater tots and fries.

The bite-sized tots make it easy to share with friends or family at parties, barbecues, and tailgating events.

Veggie Tots Ingredients

Veggie Tots^® Broccoli & Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli, White Beans, Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Dehydrated Potato Flakes, Water, Corn Starch, Garbanzo Bean Flour, Pure Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Tapioca Starch, Xanthan Gum, Contains less than 2% of Locust Bean Gum, Rice Flour, Garlic, Tapioca Dextrin.

Veggie Tots^® Cauliflower & Chickpeas: Potatoes, Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Dehydrated Potato Flakes, Rice Flour, Water, Contains less than 2% of Corn Starch, Sea Salt, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Garlic, Locust Bean Gum, Tapioca Dextrin, Xanthan Gum.

Veggie Tots^® Beet & Carrots: Potatoes, Beets, Carrots, White Beans, Non-GMO Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Dehydrated Potato Flakes, Rice Flour, Water, Garbanzo Bean Flour, Pure Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Organic Corn Starch, Tapioca Starch, Contains less than 2% of Xanthan Gum, Garlic, Tapioca Dextrin, Locust Bean Gum.

Are Veggie Tots healthy?

The nutritional information claims that the tots are healthy. On the other hand, it can help you get your kids to eat vegetables.

There are no artificial flavors or preservatives. It contains egg, milk, soy, and wheat.

How to Cook Veggie Tots

How do you usually cook Veggie Tots?

You can cook them for about 20 minutes in the oven at 400F, turning halfway through. You can also zap frozen ones for about two minutes on high power. They have a good shelf life.

However, if you want to keep them longer than that, it is better not to freeze them and buy the bags from your local grocery stores instead.

This method doesn’t give you that crisp outside texture like oven cooking does, but it’s fast and easy if space is an issue or you need to cook them in a hurry.

How Long To Cook Veggie Tots in Air Fryer?

Cook times will vary depending on the size and type of tots you’re using, but a good rule of thumb is about 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Just keep an eye on them and give them a shake halfway through to ensure even cooking. Serve hot and enjoy!

What to serve with Veggie Tots?

The golden rule of serving them with something is to ensure the condiment or the main dish doesn’t overpower their flavor.

For example, you can serve these nuggets with different kinds of dips like ketchup, mayonnaise (vegan), Indian mango chutney, sweet chili sauce, etc. You can also eat them with a salad, or cooked vegetables.