Sweet Potato Tater Tots are small homemade tots made from parboiled, grated sweet potatoes, smoked paprika, garlic and onion powder and a little cornstarch. They bake up with a crispy outside and a soft, pillowy center, and they taste savory, sweet, smoky and salty all at once. Make them for burger night. The recipe makes 6 servings.
How to make it: Parboil whole sweet potatoes until a fork goes in but they are still firm, then cool, peel and grate them. Season the shreds, shape them into tots, brush them with oil and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes on each side.
Why You’ll Love It
- Crisp outside, soft inside: crunchy golden shells around a tender, pillowy sweet potato center.
- More flavor than the frozen bag: smoked paprika gives them a smoky edge, and you decide how much oil and salt go in.
- Seven ingredients, all vegan: sweet potatoes, four seasonings, oil and cornstarch. No eggs, no cheese, no breadcrumbs.
- Great for kids: a small, crunchy side that fits next to almost any weeknight dinner.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet potatoes: You need two pounds, and any variety works. Sweet potatoes come in all shapes and sizes, so buy two larger ones that match in size and shape; they will finish parboiling at the same time.
Smoked paprika: It is not the same as standard paprika, and it is where the smoky flavor comes from. If you only have the regular kind, it is worth picking up a jar.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil goes well with the flavor of sweet potatoes, but any cooking oil works. You need 1 tablespoon for the mixture and 1 teaspoon for brushing.
Cornstarch: Only 2 teaspoons, and it is what gives the tots their crunchy outside.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, ideally two larger potatoes of even size; any variety
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, or any cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil, for brushing
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
How to Make Sweet Potato Tater Tots
1. Parboil the sweet potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the whole sweet potatoes and parboil them for 18 to 20 minutes, until a fork goes into the middle but they are still firm.
2. Cool and peel. Drain the potatoes and run cold water over them to stop the cooking, then let them cool completely. Peel off the skins with your fingers or a spoon; they slip off easily.
3. Heat the oven. Once the potatoes are cool, heat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or well-greased parchment paper.
4. Grate. Grate the sweet potatoes on the large side of a box grater into a large bowl.
5. Season. Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, sea salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Stir with a spatula until everything is evenly combined. The mixture should be soft enough to squeeze together.
6. Shape the tots. Press the mixture into a tablespoon measure for a heaping tablespoon per tot, then shape it with your hands: hold both ends between your index finger and thumb and roll the center into a little tot. Set the tots on the lined sheets and repeat with the rest of the mixture.
7. Brush with oil. Brush the tots with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil.
8. Bake. Bake the tots for 20 minutes, flip them, then bake for another 20 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.
How to Keep Sweet Potato Tots From Falling Apart
Homemade tots hold together when the potato is only partly cooked, the mixture is packed tight and the tots are handled gently until they firm up. Here is what to look for at each stage.
Stop the parboil early. The potatoes should be about two-thirds cooked. A fork goes into the middle, but they are still firm and too hard to eat.
Give them time to cool. The potatoes need to cool all the way before you peel and grate them. USDA FSIS says cooked food should not sit out for more than 2 hours, so if they need longer, finish cooling them in the fridge.
Keep the binder in. The cornstarch helps hold the shreds together, so do not leave it out. Once it is stirred in, the mixture should feel moist and sticky.
Press, then shape. Put a heaping tablespoon of the mixture in your palm, make a fist and press down firmly until it sticks together in a long cone. Then roll the center into a tot. The shape does not have to be perfect.
Keep them the same size. Tots of a similar size cook evenly. A tablespoon measure or cookie scoop, heaped, keeps them even.
Flip gently. The tots are fragile at the halfway point, so slide a spatula under each one and turn it over carefully. Once they come out of the oven, let them cool and firm up before you pile them on a plate.
Tips for Success
My sweet potatoes are small. How long do I parboil them?
The time in step 1 is for two larger potatoes. With smaller ones, start checking at 12 to 15 minutes and stop when a fork can stick into the middle while the potato is still firm.
When should I add extra salt?
Right when the tray comes out of the oven. The salt sticks better while the tots are piping hot.
Do I really need to brush them with oil?
Yes. Brush the shaped tots with the last teaspoon of oil before they go in the oven.
Variations
- Parmesan sweet potato tots: Peel 3 cups of sweet potatoes (about 3 medium), dice them very small and steam or boil them for about 4 minutes, until a fork pierces them but they are too hard to eat. Set aside 2 tablespoons from 1 cup of grated Parmesan. Mash the potatoes to a chunky texture with the rest of the cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt, scoop into tots and roll each one in the reserved Parmesan. Bake at 425°F for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until the outsides are golden and the middles are soft.
- Oregano and paprika: Season the grated potatoes with 1 teaspoon regular paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon dried oregano in place of the smoked paprika and onion powder, use olive oil, and finish the hot tots with flaky sea salt.
- Totchos: Spread the baked tots on a sheet pan and top them with vegan queso and coconut bacon (or regular queso and bacon) and any other toppings you like.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. To keep the outsides crisp, reheat the tots in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, until they reach 165°F. Do not reheat them in a slow cooker.
To freeze baked tots, spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet until frozen through so they do not stick together, then move them to a freezer bag. Bake them straight from the freezer at 350°F until they reach 165°F in the center, or thaw them overnight in the fridge and reheat them in the oven or toaster oven.
What to Serve With It
These tots belong next to burgers and chicken. Try them with bacon brown sugar chicken tenders or caramelized baked chicken legs or wings. For totchos, spoon warm white queso dip over the top. Want a second oven-baked side? Make baked zucchini fries, which bake at the same 425°F. For more sweet potato, there are sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and if your crew loves classic tots, bake a chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you dip sweet potato tater tots in?
Ketchup is a common choice. Any dip or condiment you like works too, so set out two or three and let everyone choose.
Can I use flour instead of cornstarch in sweet potato tots?
Yes. All-purpose flour, tapioca starch or arrowroot powder can take the place of the cornstarch. Stir it in with the spices in step 5.
Can I use frozen sweet potatoes for sweet potato tots?
Not for the main recipe, which needs whole potatoes to parboil and grate. For the Parmesan tots in Variations, yes: use a 12-ounce bag of diced frozen sweet potatoes in place of the 3 cups fresh, and microwave them for 2 minutes less than the bag says, or steam or boil them.
Are these sweet potato tots vegan?
Yes. The main recipe uses only sweet potatoes, spices, oil and cornstarch. The Parmesan tots, and totchos made with dairy queso or bacon, are not vegan.
Final Notes
Have a pastry brush and a spatula ready before the tots go in: one for the oil, one for the gentle flip at 20 minutes. If you make these, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Sweet Potato Tater Tots
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes ideally two larger potatoes of even size; any variety
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or any cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil for brushing
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the whole sweet potatoes and parboil them for 18 to 20 minutes, until a fork goes into the middle but they are still firm.
- Drain the potatoes and run cold water over them to stop the cooking, then let them cool completely. Peel off the skins with your fingers or a spoon; they slip off easily.
- Once the potatoes are cool, heat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or well-greased parchment paper.
- Grate the sweet potatoes on the large side of a box grater into a large bowl.
- Add the smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cornstarch, sea salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Stir with a spatula until everything is evenly combined. The mixture should be soft enough to squeeze together.
- Press the mixture into a tablespoon measure for a heaping tablespoon per tot, then shape it with your hands: hold both ends between your index finger and thumb and roll the center into a little tot. Set the tots on the lined sheets and repeat with the rest of the mixture.
- Brush the tots with the remaining 1 teaspoon of oil.
- Bake the tots for 20 minutes, flip them, then bake for another 20 minutes, until crispy and golden brown. Let them cool slightly before serving.
