Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs (Air Fryer or Oven)
by Chungah
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Sticky, sweet, and savory bite-sized tots that are simply irresistible! A guaranteed crowd-favorite for everyone (and it’s so easy to make!).
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reasons to make bacon wrapped tater tots
- Short ingredient list. These irresistible bacon wrapped tater tots do not require much – we’re talking frozen tots, bacon, cheese, sugar and parsley (for a garnish), that’s it!
- Guaranteed crowd-favorite. Tater tot bombs are a hit every single time no matter where it’s served, whether it’s for a potluck, picnic, holiday get-together or tailgating party.
- Easy make-ahead recipe. The tater tots can be assembled and placed in the freezer up to 24 hours in advance, cutting down on prep time even further, ideal for easy, stress-free hosting!
- Recipe easily doubles (or halves). Hosting a big party? This recipe easily doubles and triples to feed a big crowd!
- Air fryer and oven method. These tater tot bombs can be made both in the oven or in the air fryer for complete flexibility and ease.
Key ingredients for bacon wrapped tater tots
Tater tots
Frozen tater tots are ideal for quick, easy prep, making sure that the tots are thawed at room temperature for adding the cheese. If you plan on omitting the cheese, the tater tots do not have to be thawed.
Bacon
Use thin cut bacon (cut into thirds or fourths) to wrap each tater tot, placing seam side down or securing with a toothpick.
Cheese
Sharp cheddar cheese works beautifully here but Pepper Jack or Monterey Jack cheese are both great alternatives. The cheese should be cut into very small squares, about 1/4 of an inch.
Brown sugar
Coating the bacon wrapped tater tot in brown sugar will create that favorited caramelized, sticky, sweet glaze, allowing the bacon to crisp up perfectly in the air fryer or oven.
Garnish
Add your finishing touches with a simple parsley or chive garnish.
tips and tricks for success
- Make it spicy. Add a little bit of cayenne pepper to the brown sugar for a kick of heat.
- Use toothpicks, if needed. Toothpicks will help secure the bacon around the tater tot, preventing it from unraveling and maintaining a consistent shape. They can also serve as built-in skewers for easy serving. If using toothpicks, soak for 15-20 minutes beforehand to prevent the toothpicks from burning in the oven.
- Avoid thick cut bacon. Thick cut bacon will take much longer to cook through and crisp up, causing the tater tots to overcook and possibly burn.
- Single layer rule. Whether it’s a baking sheet or air fryer basket, always arrange the tots in a single layer to achieve maximum crispness. For larger quantities, cook in multiple, smaller batches to avoid overcrowding. Particularly for the air fryer, overcrowding the air fryer basket can lead to soggy, unevenly cooked bacon wrapped tater tots.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. A dipping sauce is not necessarily needed, but a serving of Ranch or BBQ sauce on the side is always a crowd-favorite.
- Make ahead of time. Assemble the tater tots and place on a baking sheet in the freezer up to 24 hours in advance, cooking as directed in the air fryer or oven, and adding a few additional minutes to the cook time. Thawing is not required.
- Reheat in the oven. Leftover tater tot bombs can be mushy when reheated in the microwave. For best results with leftovers, reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 3-4 minutes or in the oven at 400°F until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
More crowd-favorite appetizers and finger foods
Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs (Air Fryer or Oven): Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely, but the turkey bacon will not crisp up as well as regular bacon.
This will allow the tater tots to be cut easily in order to add a small cheese square into the opening.
Not at all! These can be served without a dipping sauce, although a side of Ranch or BBQ sauce will not go unnoticed.
Yes! The tater tot bombs can be assembled and placed on a baking sheet in the freezer up to 24 hours ahead of time, adding a few extra minutes to the cook time as needed.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, reheating in the air fryer or oven for the best results.
Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs (Air Fryer or Oven)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen tater tots, at room temperature
- 4 slices bacon, quartered
- 1 ounce sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch squares
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Working one at a time on a flat surface, place a tater tot on a piece of bacon. Gently cut a slit down the center of each tater tot, adding a cheese square into the opening.
- Wrap each tater tot in bacon, securing with a toothpick if needed. Repeat with remaining bacon pieces, tater tots and cheese squares.
- Dredge each bacon wrapped tater tot in brown sugar, pressing to coat.
for the oven
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.
- Place bacon wrapped tater tots seam side down in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until the tater tots are cooked through and bacon is crispy, about 20-25 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime.
for the air fryer
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil the air fryer basket or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place bacon wrapped tater tots seam side down in a single layer onto the prepared air fryer basket. Place into air fryer and air fry until the tater tots are cooked through and bacon is crispy, about 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket at halftime.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Equipment
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i cant believe i was looking up ideas for some good new years eve munchies and came across this tater tot recipe. Couple years ago me and a gal pal smoked a bit of herb and ended up in the kitchen with severe munchies. i had a bag of tots in freezer and bacon in fridge, i decided to be creative and got the fry daddy out and decided to wrap a tot with half strip of bacon and nail it together with a toothpick. so we threw a couple in fryer and we ended standing in kitchen eating whole bag they were so darn good. its a twist on this sites recipe less work, just have to make sure you dont over cook or bacon becomes too hard. 3 min worked perfect for me. I thought i invented this munchie, we even decided to name them PHAT ANGIES. my galpals name is Angie. anyway funny story. ENJOY FOLKS
Could the cheese be left out or will the bacon not stick to the tater tot without it? Thank you very much – I can’t wait to try these!
Yes, the cheese can be omitted.
Can you make these ahead of time and freeze
I have always done this recipe with frozen tots and it works fine. I’m not very good with following recipes as I usually just use them for the temperature. I believe you should use your best judgement on bacon and cheese. I have never measured either use your best judgement and they come out perfectly. Also using guacamole and salsa with this really makes it the bomb! Like a few others, I took out the sugar..
What do you mean frozen tater tots at room temperature? Am I supposed to thaw out the tots?
That’s exactly right!
We found that 1/4 piece of bacon wouldn’t begin to wrap around the tater tot, unless you mean to slice it the long way into 4 pieces, which would be pretty difficult. I am amazed that more people didn’t have a problem with this. See “Jeansgirl’s” comment. Also it was not clear that the cheese was not 1/4″ cubes, but 1/4″ squares from a “slice” of cheese. My husband thought this sounded good and was the one trying to do this. I think the bacon would be easier if it was at room temp, as someone else commented, and the tater tots not all the way thawed. We may try to make this again. We are currently in the process of making these, so they haven’t been baked yet. Hope they are as good as everyone says!
Can this be done without the aid of an oven? Like, can I fry it on a pan over a stove instead? Currently in college, and I don’t exactly own an oven here, so… please help!
I made these and they were terrific. These comments are hilarious.
My daughter in law made just plain bacon and tots for years and now I make them for the grandchildren and husband. They disappear as fast as they come out of the oven. This will be a great change to our tot menu and look forward to trying these real soon! Thanks for adding these to our recipes.
These do look good. I might even make them ‘popper’ like by adding fresh or pickled jalapeno slices. Looking forward to trying these. Thanks!
I have to say I am glad I found this recipe. My kids and I made it together and it was a huge hit! We had to repeat the next day. Kudos on the recipe!
Omg! Whhhyyyy did I see this on Pinterest AFTER I decided to take a break from eating red meat AND potatoes!
I seriously don’t think there’s a single recipe of yours that I’ve made that hasn’t been outstanding!! I haven’t tried this one yet, but tater tots and bacon…phenomenal.
Also, I’ve shared this on my Super Bowl Recipe Roundup: http://karylskulinarykrusade.com/recipe-roundup-super-bowl/
I’ve made these in a somewhat different variety for some time, but these ALWAYS turn out perfect. What could go wrong? I mean, seriously… it’s BACON!
One thing I did chuckle about was this part of the instructions…
“2 cups frozen tater tots, at room temperature”
“FROZEN… at ROOM TEMPERATURE.” Now I’m not sure about MOST people, but i sure don’t keep my kitchen at below 32* LOL. Great recipe. And BTW… the PF CHANG Chicken Lettuce Wraps are PERFECT. An incredible amount of flavor. Thanks for all the recipes! ~~ Rob
I made these for the first time today. My only suggestion to add to your recipe is to make sure the bacon is also at room temp when you start. I had to use my hands to stretch each piece of cold bacon to have enough to go all the way around the tot. Otherwise these are simple to make and it’s great to use all different kinds of cheeses to make everyone happy!
Can these be prepped ahead of time?
Yes, absolutely.
I really had a struggle making these….trying to wrap 1/4 piece of bacon around a soft tater tot and a small cube of cheese just didn’t work…the bacon piece wasn’t long enough and unfortunately I had cut i all into fourths. There must be some trick you have to make them come out so well. Because i had committed to bringing these, it tok me almost an hour to get enough done to take…
There’s really no trick – simply wrap and bake. That’s it! It doesn’t have to look perfect either – everyone will still gobble these up without any hesitation! 🙂
I made these and they were very tasty. But the tater tot kind of fell apart, they weren’t crispy. Are you suppose to cook them first?
There’s no need to cook them beforehand. Perhaps the tots were undercooked?
So do you stuff the cheese square into the middle of the tater tot and then wrap with bacon?
Yes, that’s exactly right.
Don’t know what I did wrong…I believe I followed the directions to the tee. But the cheese just melted, oozed out, and burned in the bacon grease. I had to cut the tater bombs out of the molten lava….. they still tasted good but certainly KY don’t look like yours! Any suggestions?
Perhaps the cheese was just too big for the tot? Even if the cheese were to completely melt, it should not be oozing out. I recommend using very small pieces of cheese. Hope that helps!