These loaded tater tots come out crispy, oven-baked, and covered in melted cheddar cheese, smoky bacon, and a drizzle of ranch that makes every bite feel like a treat. They taste just like cheesy tachos from your favorite bar: fun, seasoned, and unbelievably easy to make with frozen tots. You'll get simple, step-by-step instructions for turning everyday recipes with tater tots into totchos that work as an appetizer, snack, or even a quick dinner idea. Pin this recipe now so you'll always have one of the best loaded tater tots recipes ready whenever a craving hits.
Loaded with chopped green onions and sliced jalapenos and drizzled with ranch sour cream, these tachos are the perfect appetizer or side dish that will be an instant home run for game day parties and family dinners alike.
Why these are the best loaded tater tot tachos
This recipe boasts a variety of simple flavors. With ranch mix, sharp cheddar, bacon, green onions, and fresh jalapenos, these loaded tater tots will be an instant family favorite!
They are made with common ingredients. This easy recipe doesn't require any specialty ingredients; everything is available at almost any local grocery store.
Loaded tater tots are easy to make. Simply bake the potatoes, load them up with toppings, and broil until melty. Your tachos are ready to enjoy in just a few minutes!
This recipe is always a crowd-pleaser. There's a lot to love about this easy appetizer or side dish, with its combination of bacon, ranch, potato, and cheesy flavors, making it a big hit with every crowd every time.
Ingredients
See printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
Tater Tots: Look for frozen tater tots in the potato section of your frozen foods aisle. Since we're seasoning them with ranch, buy the plain tater tots instead of seasoned tater tots. I usually buy the store brand.
Ranch Seasoning: This is dry ranch powder. The best option is to make your own; it's very easy and uses standard pantry ingredients. But if you have to, you can also buy a packet.
Sour Cream: I use full-fat sour cream for the best flavor, but you can also use low-fat or fat-free if you prefer, or even Greek yogurt.
Cheddar Cheese: Buy your cheddar cheese already shredded or shred your own. I have never shredded my own cheese in 25 years of cooking, so don't let anyone guilt you into thinking you have to. A bag of shredded cheddar will be just fine. I recommend sharp cheddar for the best flavor.
Bacon: Use your favorite bacon or buy your bacon pre-cooked and just crumble it. You could also use bacon bits for a quick shortcut, although they don't taste like real bacon.
Green Onions: Use fresh green onions without any browning. Remove any dried leaves and thinly slice both the white and green parts. You can also use chives, in addition to or instead of the green onions.
Fresh Jalapenos: If you like a little heat, you'll want to include some fresh or pickled jalapenos, but I would let everyone add their own, especially if you don't know everyone's heat tolerance. Pickled jalapenos are pretty mild, but if you love heat, use sliced fresh jalapenos or even habaneros.
If you're going to use fresh hot peppers, I suggest wearing disposable gloves and washing your hands well after removing them. Hot peppers contain an oil called capsaicin that is hard to wash off and burns sensitive skin like eyes and lips. If you rub your eyes or use the bathroom before you've washed the capsaicin off, whatever the oil touches will burn for hours. You've been warned.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment, just a simple sheet pan with a raised edge. Aluminum foil or parchment paper can also be helpful for quick and easy cleanup.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Place the tater tots on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the tater tots according to the package instructions until they're golden brown and crispy.
- While the tater tots are baking, make the ranch sour cream.
- Combine sour cream with two tablespoons of ranch seasoning in a small bowl. Whisk well and refrigerate sour cream mixture until ready to serve.
- When the tater tots are done baking, sprinkle with one tablespoon of ranch seasoning and toss a bit to distribute it.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over the tater tots. Use as much as you want; they're your tachos. Can you ever have too much cheese?
- Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the tater tots. Feel free to use more bacon, as the spirit moves you.
- Broil for 2 to 4 minutes until cheese is melty. Top tachos with sliced green onion and fresh jalapenos to taste.
- Drizzle with ranch sour cream.
- Serve with additional ranch sour cream for dipping.
Substitutions & Variations
Sweet Potato Tater Tots: Swap out the white potato tater tots for sweet potato tater tots, sometimes called sweet potato puffs. The sweet and salty flavor combination is delicious!
Greek Yogurt: Swap out the sour cream for plain Greek yogurt for a similar flavor with less calories and more protein. Since you're mixing the yogurt with ranch mix, you're not going to notice a difference in flavor between the full-fat, low-fat, and fat-free versions.
Vegetarian: To make these tots vegetarian, omit the bacon or use your favorite bacon substitute.
Taco Tots: Instead of ranch seasoning, use taco seasoning or fajita seasoning to season the tots and the sour cream. Add some chopped cilantro and swap out the bacon for seasoned taco meat.
Chili Tots: Swap the bacon for your favorite chili, top with cheese, and bake until melty. Finish with green onions and sliced jalapenos.
Poutine Tots: Top your baked tater tots with cheese curds and a heavy drizzle of gravy.
Buffalo Tots: Sprinkle cooked tots with ranch seasoning, and dress with cheddar cheese and bacon as directed. Consider adding blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle your broiled tater tot nachos with buffalo sauce right before serving. You could also stir in a few tablespoons of buffalo sauce to the sour cream dip.
Storage
Loaded tater tots are best when freshly cooked because the tots will get soggy in the refrigerator. But if you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Always store sour cream in the fridge in an airtight container. It will last longer than the tater tots.
To Reheat: For best results, reheat the tater tots in a 375°F oven or air fryer until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
Tater tot nachos are a great part of an appetizer or game day spread, so serve them with other appetizers like chips and salsa, veggies and dip, and buffalo chicken dip.
You can also serve this as an easy family dinner side dish with burgers or steaks.
What do you put on loaded tater tots nachos?
There are so many fun ways to add flavor to loaded tater tots. You can keep it as simple as dusting the cooked tater tots with seasoning like ranch seasoning, taco seasoning, cajun seasoning, BBQ seasoning, Jamaican jerk seasoning, or truffle salt, but then you have to load them up with shredded cheese, bacon, and green onions.
What is the secret to crispy tater tots?
No one likes soggy tater tots; crispy tots are a must! You can ensure they are crispy in a few different ways. Be sure to spread the tots in a single layer with plenty of room around each tater tot and bake them at 425ºF (even if the bag says a lower temperature). You can also cook them in the air fryer for a quicker version that still gets really crispy (around 375ºF in the air fryer).
Are tater tots gluten-free?
Most tater tots are naturally gluten-free as they are made with a combination of potatoes and various oils and seasonings. You'll should always double check your ingredients to be sure. Many homemade tater tot recipes are made with flour as a binder, so those would not be gluten-free.
Related Recipes
If you love this loaded tater tot recipe, you might also like some of these other appetizer recipes:
- Homemade Air Fryer Potato Chips
- Air Fryer Potstickers with Homemade Dumpling Dipping Sauce
- Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
- Jerk Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Prosciutto-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
- Artichoke Bruschetta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Cranberry Brie Appetizer Bites with Puff Pastry
- French Dip Sliders
- Smoky BBQ Chicken Sliders
Recipe
Loaded Tater Tot Tachos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 28 ounces tater tots frozen
- 3 tablespoons ranch dressing mix divided
- ½ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese
- 2½ ounces bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 medium green onions
- 1 fresh jalapeno optional, sliced or diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil, wrapping it around the edges.
- Spread out tater tots on the prepared baking sheet. Bake tater tots according to the package instructions, until they are golden brown and crispy.
- While tater tots are baking, make ranch sour cream. In a small bowl, combine sour cream with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning. Mix well and refrigerate until serving.
- When tater tots are done baking, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning. Sprinkle shredded cheese and crumbled bacon over tots and broil for 2-4 minutes until cheese is melty.
- Top tots with sliced green onion and jalapenos to taste, drizzle with ranch sour cream, and serve with additional ranch sour cream for dipping.
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