Loaded tater tots in the air fryer are easy to make, especially when you can cook frozen tater tots, leaving very little prep!
For the best air fryer tater tots, make LOADED tater tots or “tater tot nachos” in the air fryer, with delicious toppings, and it may just become one of your new favorite air fryer recipes!
Why you’ll love this easy recipe:
Whether you need to add to your list of favorite snacks, or you need an easy appetizer recipe for game day, movie night, or even if you just need a great side dish, these golden brown tots, loaded with cheese, jalapenos, pico de gallo and your favorite toppings, may be the best thing to ever come out of your air fryer basket!
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Ingredients
The best part of these “tater tot nachos”, as we like to call them sometimes, is that you can add your favorite toppings and you don’t have to stick to the ingredients below but it’s definitely our favorite combination!
- 4 slices bacon, cut in to ½ inch pieces
- 1 pound tater tots, frozen
- ½ cup shredded colby jack (or shredded cheddar cheese)
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- ¼ cup pico de gallo
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place the uncooked bacon strips into the air fryer at 400°F for 11 minutes until the bacon is crispy. If the bacon is not cooked through, you might need to add a few minutes, depending on your air fryer.
Uncooked bacon pieces Cooked bacon in air fryer
- Remove the bacon from the basket and place in a bowl/plate that’s covered with paper towels, to set aside until the air fryer tater tots are done cooking.
Add the tater tots in to the air fryer basket. (Ideally, a single layer is recommended, although a little overlap is ok since you’ll be shaking the basket. However it’s best not to put a large amount of tots in the fryer to prevent undercooking.) Set the air fryer to 400°F for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to stir the tater tots.
Frozen tater tots Cooked tater tots
- Sprinkle the tater tots with the bacon and cheese. Set the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
Shredded Cheese on Tots Melted Cheese on Tater Tots
- Remove the tots from the air fryer and top them with your favorite toppings! Like
Slices of jalapenos…
Chopped green onions…
Fresh pico de gallo…
Or sour cream!
Topping Ideas for Tater Tots
If you’re looking for more topping ideas for tater tots, here are other favorites you may love:
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Lettuce
- Queso
- Black Olives
- Refried Beans
- Pulled pork
- Chicken pieces
- Leftover steak pieces
- Chili
- Jalapeno ranch
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
What goes well with loaded tater tots
Although these “tater tot nachos” can be a meal themselves, it’s also fun to serve other favorite appetizers and side dishes with them. Like this taco dip and this frito chili pie that has similar toppings!
Dipping sauces for tater tots
Dipping tater tots in to your favorite dipping sauce can also be a great option! For instance:
- honey mustard
- barbecue sauce
- ranch dressing
More air fryer recipes you’ll love
If you love using your air fryer, then you’ll also enjoy this easy tutorial for air fryer bacon, air fryer tofu, air fryer bacon and these air fryer hamburgers!
Variations
Love the idea of loaded tater tots but want more ideas? Consider the following ideas to use in place of tater tots!
- Cauliflower tater tots
- Veggie tots
- French fries
- Sweet potato fries or sweet potato tots
- Homemade tater tots
- Leftover tater tots
- Potato puffs
- Air fryer Hashbrowns
- Air fryer breakfast potatoes
The longer these tater tots are sitting around, the more they lose their crispy texture, so I recommend eating these while they are hot.
The quickest way to make these is by using pre-cooked bacon so you can skip the bacon cooking process.
For crispy air fryer tater tots, using an air fryer is recommended for maximum crispness! However if you don’t have an air fryer, cooking them in the oven on 425°, on a baking sheet in a single layer, for 19-21 minutes is the next best. Microwaving tater tots can give more of a soggy texture though so that’s not recommended.
Air fryer used for this recipe
The air fryer used for this recipe is a Ninja Foodie. However using your favorite air fryer is perfectly fine! Please note that for different, larger air fryer or smaller air fryers, the cook time can vary.
So it’s best to watch to see when the air fryer tots are golden brown for best results!
Storage
If you have leftover tots, if they have toppings on them, they could get soggy. However, it’s worth it to place them back in the air fryer to reheat and warm back up for ultimate crispiness!
📖 Recipe
Loaded Tater Tots in the Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon cut in to 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 pound frozen tater tots
- ½ cup shredded colby jack cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno sliced (can use pickled jalapeños)
- 2 green onions sliced
- ¼ cup pico de gallo store-bought or this recipe
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Place the bacon into the air fryer at 400°F for 11 minutes until the bacon is crispy. If the bacon is not cooked through, you might need to add a few minutes, depending on your air fryer.
- Remove the bacon from the basket and add in the tater tots.
- Set the air fryer to 400°F for 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to stir the tater tots.
- Sprinkle the tater tots with the bacon and cheese. Set the air fryer to 400°F for 2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove the tots from the air fryer and top them with the jalapeno, green onions, pico de gallo, and sour cream.
Notes
- Guacamole
- Salsa
- Lettuce
- Queso
- Black Olives
- Refried Beans
- Pulled pork
- Chicken pieces
- Leftover steak pieces
- Chili
- Jalapeno ranch
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Allyson Zea says
I make these all the time and they are so YUM! Favorite!
Jessica says
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that you liked these loaded tater tots too! Thank you for sharing!
Allyssa says
Thanks a lot for this amazing and super easy to make tater tots recipe! It’s really tasty and very flavorful! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Jessica says
I’m so glad you liked these air fryer tater tots too!! So easy and perfect for dinner! Thank you for sharing!
Tara Obrien says
Brilliant idea! So easy to make and my family devoured it. My teenage boys thank you 🙂
Jessica says
Right! I love easy recipes like these loaded tots! Especially when the kids love them too!