Jalapeño Tater Tots with Homemade Ranch (V/GF)

And my tater tot obsession grows! When I first made homemade tater tots, I knew that there were going to be a lot of tots in my future. Sounds weird, but knowing how easy and delicious homemade tater tots are, I couldn’t help but create a mental list of all the different types of tots I could make.

My first tater tots to cross of the list are these Jalapeño Tater Tots. Originally, I wanted to have a cheesy taste to them, hence the nutritional yeast in the recipe. However, ‘cheesiness’ isn’t the first flavor to come to mind when eating these tots. Even so, I was super happy with how they turned out and felt the need to share them as is.

They’re super fresh, crisp on the outside, deliciously tender on the inside and filled with itty-bitty bites of spicy jalapeño, green onions and nutritional yeast for that mild cheesy flavor. In my opinion, everyone needs to try homemade tater tots at least once! They’re way more delicious than any frozen tots or the tots from the school cafeteria you grew up with.

If the spice intimidates you, no worries! My cool and creamy Homemade Ranch is the perfect cooling solution.

If you haven’t tried my homemade ranch yet, you need to drop everything and make it immediately! It’s sooo creamy, herby, a little tangy and, well, ranch-y! You’ll want to dip anything and everything in this ranch!

I can’t wait to hear what you think! Drop a comment below, rate the recipe and find me on Instagram and Facebook so I can see your results!

Enjoy!

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Jalapeño Tater Tots with Homemade Ranch (V/GF)

These Homemade Tater Tots are super fresh, crisp on the outside, deliciously tender on the inside and filled with itty-bitty bites of spicy jalapeño, green onions and nutritional yeast for that cheesy flavor. If the spice intimidates you, no worries! My cool and creamy Homemade Ranch is the perfect cooling solution.

Course Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Servings 24 tater tots

Author Bunny

Ingredients

Ranch

• 1 cup vegan mayo (I use Follow Your Heart’s brand)
• 1/2 cup vegan buttermilk *see notes
• 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp white onion minced
• 2 tbsp green onion minced
• 2 tbsp fresh dill minced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tater Tots

• 2 lbs russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes) peeled
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 large jalapeño (stems and seeds removed) finely chopped
• 1 green onion (white part included) finely chopped
• 1 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil (for frying)

Instructions

1. Make the ranch whisking all of the ranch ingredients together in a bowl. Let chill in the refrigerator until ready for use.

2. Using a grater, finely shred the potatoes. Transfer potato shreds to a clean, thin kitchen towel or a cheesecloth. Wrap the potatoes with the cloth and squeeze to remove any excess moisture. There will be a lot of liquid so take your time and squeeze out as much as you can! A little moisture is okay, though.
   

3. Transfer the shreds to a large bowl along with the remaining tater tot ingredients. Stir to combine.
   

4. In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil to 250 degrees. You’ll want to use a thermometer to keep track of the temperature. Adjust the heat throughout the cooking process to keep it at 250 degrees as much as you can.
   

5. With your hands, form the potato mixture into tots. It should make 24-26 tots. The mixture should stay together perfectly. If you have trouble, give the tot a gentle squeeze to keep it together. 
   

6. Fry tots 5-6 at a time for a total of 4 minutes. If the tots are halfway submerged in the oil, you'll have to flip them 2 minutes in to fry for another 2 minutes.
   

7. Once fried on both sides, transfer the tots to a plated lined with paper towels. This will help soak up any excess moisture. 
   

8. Repeat last two steps for remaining tots.
   

9. Serve immediately and enjoy! This is best served fresh, but if you have leftovers, store them covered in the refrigerator and reheat before serving. 

Recipe Notes

Notes: To make vegan buttermilk, whisk 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or any other unsweetened non dairy milk) together with 1/2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Let sit until it curdles, about 5-10 minutes.

Want help deciding what to make next? Try my Baked Poblano Peppers, Ginger Sesame Cauliflower Wings and my Fried Falafel Pickles!