Get ready to faceplant into the most epic loaded Tater Tot Nachos of your life! These easy cheesy totchos are smothered in a melty cheese sauce and all your favorite toppings!
So here’s the thing about tater tot nachos…
Once you try them, you’ll never go back to plain tots again!
The combination of crispy golden tater tots and an impossibly luscious nacho cheese sauce is legendary all on its own. Add spicy jalapeños, crisp bacon, fresh sour cream and a fresh sprinkling of scallions and I’m borderline obsessed.
This easy cheesy appetizer is kind of a big deal around here. I easily make them once or twice a month and we’re no stranger to calling a sheet pan-o-totchos dinner when the craving strikes. I mean it has all four food groups so…
Say Cheeeeeeese!
This rockin’ recipe features cheese from Cabot Creamery Co-operative. They make the BEST cheddar cheese.
It’s super flavorful (especially when you snag one of their famous sharp cheddars) and melts effortlessly into the most crave-able melty nacho cheese sauce.
I’m so happy to partner with Cabot to make this easy cheesy recipe a reality! Their cheeses are easily the star ingredient of recipes like my Ultimate Veggie Sandwich (featuring a homemade pimento cheese – YUM!) and Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
Cabot is a co-operative owned by farm families throughout New England and New York. They’re a certified B corporation and 100% of the profits go back to the farmers.
When it comes to cheesing it up, there are two ways you can get your totchos on:
Cheesy Totchos – 2 Ways!
The first way (aka the shortcut tots) involves grating up a brick of tasty Cabot cheddar and sprinkling it onto freshly baked tots. A minute or two back in the oven and they’re deliciously melty with an epic cheese pull factor thrown into the mix.
For a true nacho vibe of epic proportions, you can take your Cabot cheese to the next level by making my go-to nacho cheese sauce and pouring it over the tater tots like they do in bars and restaurants. SO GOOD!
This will work *AMAZING* with Cabot’s medium cheddar cheese, extra sharp cheddar, and of course their amazing pepper jack cheese as well. All three options are insanely tasty!
Toppings for Tater Tot Nachos
When it comes to the topping combinations for these loaded totchos, they’re deliciously endless.
You can even host a little “make your own totchos” bar by serving up a tray of crispy tots with bowls of toppings that everyone can mix and match to make their own custom nachos.
Here are some tater tot topping ideas to get ya started!
- nacho cheese sauce or melty queso
- crispy bacon or veggie bacon bits
- pickled jalapeños
- fresh jalapeños, sliced or diced
- scallions
- cilantro
- sour cream
- guacamole
- sliced olives
- black beans
- diced tomatoes
- red onion
- Pico de Gallo
- salsa
Vegetarian friends, simply skip the bacon option in the recipe card or opt for some of the delicious veggie-friendly options available like crispy tempeh or soy bacon bits.
T-Rex chefs can take things to the next level with pulled pork, seasoned ground beef, or salsa chicken as a protein packed add-on to sprinkle onto these tasty loaded tots.
Loaded Tater Tot Nachos
Make a little… or a lot! When it comes to these lusciously loaded tater tot nachos you can scale it down to serve two or double the recipe to feed a crowd at your next game night or gathering. Grab as many bags of frozen tater tots as you need for your crowd.
The recipe is completely adjustable and the cheese sauce easily doubles or triples based on your needs. The melty nacho cheese sauce can also be made in advance and reheated as needed.
To have these tasty tots ready in under 30 minutes, simply prep all your toppings while the tots bake away in the oven. This way once they’re hot and crispy you’re ready to smother them in toppings and dive right in!
Ready to eat? Let’s make some totchos!
Loaded Tater Tot Nachos
Get ready to faceplant into the most epic loaded Tater Tot Nachos of your life! These easy cheesy totchos are smothered in a melty cheese sauce and all your favorite toppings!
5 from 20 votes
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Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Tater Tot Nachos, Totchos
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Jenn Laughlin – Peas and Crayons
Ingredients
- 1 bag frozen tater tots (approx. 32 oz)
- 6-8 slices bacon
- 1-2 jalapeños
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh scallions or cilantro (or a mix of both)
- sour cream for topping
NACHO CHEESE SAUCE
- 4-5 oz Cabot Extra-Sharp Cheddar Cheese or Cabot Medium Cheddar Cheese
- ¾ cup milk (2% or whole)
- 1 TBSP unsalted butter
- 1 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp salt plus any extra to taste
OPTIONAL EXTRAS
- sliced pickled jalapeño peppers (click for recipe)
- pico de gallo (click for recipe)
- sliced olives
- black beans
- guacamole (click for recipe)
- fresh or pickled onion
- salsa (click for recipe)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and help the tots get golden brown.
Arrange tots in a single layer atop the parchment lined pan and bake for approx 25-28 minutes on the oven's center rack until cripsy and golden. For even cripsier tots, slap on an oven mit and shake the pan up a little at the 10 minute mark to ensure all the tots get nice and crispy.
While the tots bake, prepare cheese sauce and prep choice of toppings.
If using bacon, cook via favorite method until crispy and crumble into small pieces. My favorite speedy method for this is to chop the bacon into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces and cook in a skillet until crispy.
Next make nacho cheese sauce. Freshly grate Cabot cheese (pre-shredded cheese won't work here) and measure out all ingredients. This sauce comes together fast!
Warm the milk in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and set aside. Heat a small sauce pot and add butter. Once melted, add flour and whisk into butter vigorously as it becomes bubbly and foamy. Continue to cook and whisk constantly for about a minute to cook off the flour taste.
Add warmed milk and whisk vigorously into flour mixture. Allow milk to come to a simmer, whisking occasionally as it thickens. Once it has thickened, remove pot from heat. Add cream cheese and whisk until melted.
Next slowly add grated Cabot cheddar in 3 batches, stirring it in until the cheese is fully melted. I like to keep the pot off the heat here so the cheese doesn't overhead and turn gritty. If working quickly the sauce should be hot enough to melt the cheese. Season with cayenne pepper and salt. Adjust spices to taste. If your stove top has a low/warm setting, allow pot to sit on the burner set to low or warm to keep the cheese nice and melty. It will thicken as it cools but thin back out once brought back to heat. Easy peasy!
Prep remaining toppings and feel free to add any optional extras from the list above!
Once tots are hot and ready from the oven, pour cheese sauce on top and pile on the toppings. Enjoy while they're hot, cripsy, and oh so delicious!
Notes
Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based onadditional extras added and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 35mg, Sodium: 741mg, Potassium: 404mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 374IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 153mg, Iron: 1mg
Did You Make This Recipe? Leave a Comment and Rating!
If you get a chance to make these loaded tater tot nachos (aka my most favorite TOTCHOS everrrrrr!), let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
More Tasty Tots:
Get your tater tot on with my Tater Tot Breakfast Bowls (inspired by one of my favorite brunch spots!) or sneak some tots into these epic Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos.
Trish’s Tater Tot Casserole looks so good – I’m excited to try it!
I’m also a huge fan of adding cheesy tots to my Loaded Potato Soup — crispy tots make the ultimate topping. Yes please!
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