Ore-Ida Is Releasing a First-Of-Its-Kind Tater Tot We Can’t Wait To Try

Comfort food season means it’s time to load up the pantry with potatoes, ready to be turned into crispy potato wedges, hearty shepherd’s pie, or elegant potatoes au gratin. Potatoes are arguably the greatest comfort food of all; Whether served crisp or creamy, they bring a homey familiarity to just about any plate.

Now, Ore-Ida, the brand that proudly claims the title of the original tater tot creator, is putting that idea to the test. Instead of limiting tots to casseroles and loaded totcho piles, Ore-Ida is taking its signature taters somewhere fresher, lighter, and far more unexpected.

Ore-Ida Launches New CrouTots

Ore-Ida wants to add a sprinkling of comfort to any salad with the first-ever crouton made like a tater tot. Instead of relying on toasted bread for a satisfying crunch, Ore-Ida is betting on the classic potato tot to do the job.

Think of the warm, oven-crisped tots you can snack on endlessly, specifically designed to make every bite of salad better. And unlike the shelf-stable bags of croutons that can sit in your pantry for months, CrouTots go from freezer to oven to plate, so they always deliver a fresh, crispy forkful.

It feels like a clever play on the viral “perfect lunch” (a Caesar salad with croutons and a side of fries) that even Hoda Kotb swears by. Only now, instead of keeping the fries on the side, CrouTots bring the combo of crisp lettuce, creamy dressing, and crunchy potatoes into one bowl. 

Ore-Ida says the innovation was sparked by social media’s #SaladTok, which has spawned several trends, including green goddess salads and dense bean salads. With CrouTots, the brand hopes to “shake up salad bowls everywhere,” taking a plain pile of greens to crispy, salty, comforting new levels—and making “salads worth eating again.”

“For over 70 years, Ore-Ida has been bringing golden, crispy potatoes to tables across America,” Casey Turro, Director of Marketing, shared in a press release. “When we saw fans swapping croutons for Tater Tots on social media, we knew we had to make it official. With CrouTots, we’re taking that idea to the next level, giving salads a craveable potato crunch only Ore-Ida can deliver.”

Starting Sept. 30, CrouTots will be available for $1.50 per bag, exclusively through Gopuff in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh, while supplies last. And hey, if you can’t get your hands on a bag of CrouTots, the tried-and-true Ore-Ida tots taste great in a salad, too (wink, wink).

To be honest, we’ll probably always prefer our potatoes in casserole or Crock-Pot form, but who knows? CrouTots might encourage us to give tater-topped salads a spot on the comfort food table, too.