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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Does the cheese completely melt in the process of baking? I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I wouldnt like for the cheese to melt and get stuck on my pan. I want these
Yes, the cheese completely melts. I also recommend lining your pan with foil or parchment paper just in case the cheese melts out. Clean up will be a lot easier this way!
These really are the bomb! 🙂 First time I made them I was out of cheese so jus did bacon & tots. Wasn’t sure I’d like the brown sugar so only did half the batch….and when the sugary ones came out all caramelized and crunchy, I regretted not doing the whole batch.
Second batch I got the cheese but then worried I wouldn’t like the cheese with the brown sugar, so I only used cheese on half the batch.
Can you see where this is going? lol Anyone who hasn’t made them yet:
1. Just do it already…they are awesome!
2. Follow the recipe and have no worries…the flavors are perfect together!
Thanks! This is my new go-to appetizer for casual get togethers! 🙂
I don’t understand why so many people are having such difficulty with such a simple recipe. It isn’t as if it is convoluted or technical. A third grader could wrap a quarter of a strip of bacon around a small piece of cheese and a thawed tater tot, then coat it in brown sugar, and put it in the oven. If you want to vary the recipe then do it, if it fails, that’s on you and no one else. Can you color inside the lines yet? This will likely not even get posted, but I find all of this extremely insulting to our host. It is enough to make a person rue the day they ever posted a recipe.
I agree. This is not that hard people. Should be easy.
I have been thinking this exact same thing while reading every single one of these comments. I totally agree. I admire Chunga for not giving a similar retort. The recipe could not be simpler or explained more clearly. I also am incredulous as to how much confusion there is over such a simply stated recipe.
Yea Dan . Agreed. Way over thinking going on here. Be creative people have some confidence in you’re ability !
Do you use a whole piece of bacon or a half slice? Im making these for this weekend Nebraska vs Miami Football party! Cant wait.
Sheri, as indicated in the recipe, you will be using quarter pieces of bacon.
I could be wrong, but I am imagining that the bacon is sort of crispy/chewy but not crunchy, and the tot inside is soft. I wonder what would happen if you flash fried or shallow fried the tots first to make a crispy crust but not really cook them, then wrapped them up and baked them.
The textures of the bacon and the tater tot really complement each other here. But if you prefer extra tot-crispness, you can certainly fry them before, but I just worry that it’s an additional step to such an already easy recipe!
I made these a couple of weeks ago for my boyfriend who of course loves both bacon and cheese..A LOT! he caught me making these, and wasnt too sure about them. Then he ate them and couldnt stop talking about them. I will definitely make these again!
Hmmm, has anyone who has made this tried it with shredded cheese? Maybe just a piece or two of pre shredded cheese? (Might be easier than chopping the cheese to be really small).
Although using shredded cheese may be easier, it’s more likely to create a bigger mess!
I used a press lived cheddar and just cut it into tater tot-sized squares…easy & wraps nicely under the bacon!
Autocorrect fail!! That should have been “pre-sliced” not “press lived”. lol
LOL I kept re-reading your first comment to figure out what “press lived cheddar” was! Glad you posted your correction – I may have been staring at that longer than I should have 🙂
Can these be made ahead of time and be kept warm in a crock pot?
You can certainly try the crockpot method but I worry that the bacon will lose its crispness over time. These are really best when served immediately.
What about assembling them early and then putting them in right before ready to serve? Just trying to cut down on my busy time 🙂
Yes, that should be fine.
I saw a different version of these on The Chew. Made them and fell in food lust! The only real difference is that you use the tip of a knife and make a small cut in the tater to place the cheese into and then place a dab of salsa on top before wrapping in bacon and rolling in brown sugar.
That dab of salsa sounds amazing – will definitely have to try that next time!
So the tots need to be thawed out?
Yes, they should be thawed and set to room temperature.
I’ve tried recipes I found on Pinterest that sounded great but had disappointing results. This is NOT one of them. These little bites are amazing!!! I was bringing them to a pot luck and had to stop myself from eating them all before I left the house.
Was wanting to take these to a brunch, wondering how they were after cooling sitting out at a pot-luck?
This is really best when served immediately.
Does it make a difference if you use ‘regular’ or ‘thick’ sliced bacon?$
Yes, it makes a difference. I do not recommend using thick-sliced bacon as it may be too overpowering for the wrapped-up tater tot.
thanks love your site…keep share the good stuff..:)
these look beautiful; but why not roll the wrapped tots in finely grated cheese
You can certainly roll them in finely grated cheese – I just worry that it’ll be much messier than using cubed cheese.
The bacon gets candied when it cooks by rolling it in brown sugar, if the cheese was out side it would just roll off from the bacon grease …the idea is to incorporate the cheese with the tot then wrap it in the bacon strip. (cheese could also be bought at deli in slice form and 1/2 inch slice like a stick of chewing gum could also be wrapped around the tot with the bacon…just sayin )
How did you keep them from unrolling? Did you use a toothpick?
There is no need for a toothpick. I recommend placing the tots seam-side down on the baking sheet prior to baking.
Do you need the cheese? These look amazing! Love your recipes!
I definitely recommend the cheese. Even though it’s such a small amount, it’s one of the best parts of these tater tot bombs!
I’m confused by the cheese, too. Is it a 1/4 square of cheese from a thin cheese slice? Or a 1/4″ cube of cheese? 1 ounce of cheese is a small amount, so I’m guessing a slice.
Slicey, you will be taking 1 ounce of a block of cheese and cutting them into very small squares – the thickness is up to you. I prefer keeping them small as the size of the tater tot is not very big but if you prefer more cheese, then please feel free to add more to fit your taste preferences. Hope that makes sense!
Using Maple flavored bacon is wonderful.
Also good is drizzling maple syrup over the top before putting the rolled tots in the oven
I came to ask a similar question. Thanks for getting to it first.
Did I miss something? Do u put the cheese inside the tater tot and reform it?
Please refer to step 2:
Working one at a time, wrap each tater tot and cheese square in a piece of bacon. Repeat with remaining tater tots, cheese squares and bacon pieces. Dredge each tater tot in the brown sugar, pressing to coat.
This does not say to stuff the cheese square into the tot!
No, it does not. The directions do not indicate stuffing the cheese into the tater tot. You are simply rolling it within the bacon. Does that make sense?
If the name itself wasn’t enough to catch my eye those pictures sure did! Love it! 🙂
julieblanner.com
i could SO devour many of these tater tots right now.. definitely takes me back to my childhood! love it!
Pretty sure if I got these for Michael he would move the wedding date up—AMAZINGGGG!
You are seriously trying to kill me with these. I need them. I need them now! Sorry to hear you aren’t feeling well – but dang girl… you can cook when you’re under the weather! 🙂 Sending healthy thoughts your way (but keep the good recipes coming, mmmm, k?)