When it comes to deliciousness, my Loaded Tater Tots are guaranteed to make you happy! My cheesy, crispy tater tots are topped with chili, real bacon bits, pickled jalapenos, green onions, cheddar cheese, and lime crema.
There is something magical about tater tots, that perfectly formed bite-sized piece of heaven….sigh. And my loaded tater tots recipe takes the lowly tot to a whole new level of deliciousness!
My loaded tater tot nachos are one of my favorite easy appetizer recipes and will become your absolute favorite Tater Tot Recipe.
Ingredients to make Loaded Tater Tots
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Loaded Tater Tots. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
If you’re not a fan of chili or don’t have any on hand, ground beef with taco seasoning or Italian sausage meat will make a delicious substitute in this easy recipe. You can even add pinto beans, or black beans if you’re not using chili.
Ranch dressing can also be substituted for the lime crema.
How to make Pickled Jalapñeos
For this dish, I made the pickled jalapeños but feel free to pick up store-bought. But once you see how easy it is to make your own, you may change your mind. I added a sweet red pepper for color.
Not a fan of heat; leave out the pepper.
Place all the ingredients (except the peppers) in a saucepan and bring to boil. Turn off the heat and add the sliced jalapeños and red pepper. Allow them to sit for 10 minutes, then place them in a jar with a lid along with the liquid and refrigerate until needed.
How do I reduce the heat of Jalapeños?
If you’re not a big fan of heat but enjoy the flavor, removing the seeds will help reduce the heat. You can also rinse the peppers under cold running water to help reduce the heat. The pickling process will also help reduce the heat of peppers.
Chef Dennis Tip
Prepping the peppers is easy, but I do recommend wearing gloves to handle the peppers as well as having good ventilation. Just cleaning the peppers and rinsing them can cause you to choke. So be careful.
If you don’t have gloves make sure to wash your hands three times. If you’ve ever touched your eyes or a delicate area after touching jalapeños or other hot peppers, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
How to make Lime Crema
Making lime crema couldn’t be easier. Just mix all the ingredients together and let the finished crema sit unrefrigerated for 90 minutes. Then cover and refrigerate until needed.
How to make Loaded Tater Tots
Now that you’ve prepped everything we need, let’s get started with making the Loaded Tater Tots.
- The first step is pretty easy. Place the frozen tater tots in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper into a preheated 450 F degree oven for 30 minutes. Using the parchment will make the process of transferring the finished tots to a serving dish very easy.
- Cook the tater tots per the package directions until golden brown and crunchy.
- Add the chili with beans and grape tomato halves to the tots.
- Next, add the grated cheese and pickled jalapeños, then place them back into the 450-degree F oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
**Feel free to use more or less of any of the toppings or add your favorite toppings.
*This simple recipe can also be made in a large skillet if you don’t have a baking sheet on hand and served right in the skillet.
Remove the tots from the oven when the cheddar cheese melts. Carefully lift the parchment and, using a spatula slide the tots onto your serving platter.
Top the tots with the crispy bacon bits, cilantro, and lime crema. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ’s
The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings. It’s all about your personal preference. Some of my favorites are nacho cheese sauce, crispy bacon or veggie bacon bits, scallions, sour cream, guacamole, sliced olives, black beans, diced red onion, and your favorite salsa.
Yes. they are. Totchos is a cute name developed to incorporate the word tot with nachos.
I love cheddar, so that’s usually my first pick, but Monterey jack is also a great choice. Want to get a little spicy with hot sauce? Why not add some bleu cheese crumbles? And if you want to get messy and delicious, cheese sauce is a great choice.
But basically, any type of cheese you like to eat works on Totchos!
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Loaded Tater Tot Nachos Recipe
When it comes to comfort food it doesn’t get much better than a plateful of these spicy tater tot nachos. Loaded with four-bean chili, cheddar cheese and a whole lot of deliciousness there sure to please your friends and family!
Servings: 6
Calories: 394kcal
Pickled Jalapeños
- 4 Jalapeños sliced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 clove garlic sliced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
Lime Crema
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- juice from one lime
- sea salt to taste
Tater Tot Nachos
- 4 cups tater tots
- 1 cup chili with beans your favorite canned variety or homemade
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 3 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 bunch scallions sliced
- 1 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
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Pickled Jalapeños
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In a small saucepan combine the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil.
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Add the sliced jalapeños to the pickling mixture stirring well. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
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Remove the jalapeños from the liquid storing with the liquid in a jar with a lid. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Lime Crema
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Mix sour cream, heavy cream, sea salt and lime juice together in a small bowl. Allow it to sit unrefrigerated for 90 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed
Tater Tot Nachos
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Preheat oven to 450-degree F.
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Place tater tots on a sheet pan lined with parchment into the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crunchy.
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Carefully mound the crispy tater tots on the parchment sheet.
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Mix in the grape tomato halves.
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Add heated chili to the tots, then top with shredded cheddar.
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Place back into the 450-degree F oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
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Carefully remove the parchment sheet from the baking pan and slide the Tot Nachos onto your serving dish.
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Garnish with pickled jalapeños, diced bacon, scallions, cilantro and lime crema.
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Serve and enjoy!
Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 1181mg | Potassium: 551mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 885IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 2mg
