These crispy, cheesy, flavorful tater tot appetizer cups are perfect as party snacks or game day food! Everyone will love stuffed tater tot cups loaded with sour cream and bacon bits and topped with chives. You can also get creative and try your favorite sauces and extra goodies on these yummy baked snacks!
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Why We Love This Recipe
“Gimme your tots!” Do you remember that phrase from the movie Napoleon Dynamite? Tater tots have come a long way from being a last-minute freezer-to-oven side dish. They are super trendy for making appetizers, casseroles, and meals.
- They’re easy to make, but make a beautiful presentation! Our simple appetizer recipe uses frozen tots as the edible base for a heavenly, tasty trio of cheese, bacon bits, and sour cream.
- Handheld appetizers mean no mess! This crave-worthy game-day snack is a handheld version of tachos, with flavors similar to a loaded potato casserole but less messy!
- Indulgent but fun! Sometimes you need an indulgent, delicious, comforting, and satisfying snack. So, go ahead and splurge on some tater-tot cups!
One thing is for sure: they aren’t on any healthy foods list. But hey, that’s okay!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
This incredible tater tot appetizers recipe uses a few simple ingredients. Here is what you’ll need:
- Frozen tater tots – There isn’t a substitution for these, but you can use shredded potatoes to make hash brown egg cups instead.
- Freshly shredded cheese – We use sharp cheddar, but any flavor of shreddable cheese you enjoy will work. Shred your cheese for that incredible cheese pull.
- Sour cream – To reduce calories and fat, substitute with plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream.
- Toppings – This recipe uses chopped chives and bacon bits. Other garnish ideas are spicy honey mustard, jalapeno salsa or hot cream cheese dip.
How to Make Stuffed Tater Tots
- Spray your muffin pan with cooking spray, then add 5-7 tots. The number of tots you place in each muffin tin depends on the size of the muffin pan you’re using.
Bake the frozen tater tots in the oven. Let them cool before proceeding to the next step.
- Make the cups: Depending on the size of your muffin tin, use a shot glass, small juice glass, or measuring cup. Press the glass or cup into the cooked tots to create stuffed potato cups.
I used a small Duralex juice glass to create deep impressions in each well like shown below.
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Leave a small gap between the glass and cupcake pan opening. Twist the glass or container until the edges of the potatoes are close to the top of the muffin tin opening.
- Bake them for a few minutes until crispy. Then it’s time to fill them with cheese!
Add shredded cheese to each cup. I used a small melon baller to measure and add the cheese.
- Bake again for a few minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven to add the toppings.
- Garnish and serve! Top the cheese with chopped bacon bits, sour cream, sliced green onions, or chopped chives, and serve.
Get creative and add Tabasco sauce, a drizzle of ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, or even zesty marinara sauce on top!
These stuffed tater-tot cups are so yummy! Be sure to make enough for each person to have plenty, though, because they will definitely go quickly.
Frequently Asked Recipe Questions
You can. Follow steps 1-6 in the recipe, then refrigerate. Before serving, cover the muffin tin with foil and bake at 400ºF for 10 minutes or until crispy and golden. Add toppings and serve.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until warmed.
I recommend keeping them in a crockpot in a warm setting to keep them at 175ºF for serving.
Consider These Easy Appetizer Recipes…
If you tried this Tater Tot Appetizers recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Tater Tot Appetizer Cups
Equipment
- Muffin pan, regular or mini sized
Ingredients
- 48-60 frozen tater tots (16-oz bag)
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- ½ cup sour cream
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 2 green onions, sliced (green part only)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Spray muffin pan cups with cooking spray.
- For mini-sized muffin pan: Place 2-3 tater tots in each muffin cup.
- For regular sized muffin pan: Place 4-5 tater tots in each muffin cup.
- Place tater tots muffin pan on bottom rack of the oven and and bake 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.
- Spray bottom of shot glass or small juice glass with cooking spray. Use it (in a twisting motion) to press the tater tots in each muffin cup to make potato cup. Return to oven; bake additional 15 minutes or until deep golden brown.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cheese to each potato cups. Bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Transfer to platter and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add sour cream, bacon, and green onion to each tater tot cup, and other garnishes. Serve warm.
Notes
Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until warmed. This recipe was inspired by a Kraft foods recipe.
Nutrition
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This post, originally published in August 2020, was last updated in January 2023.
PREVIOUS
Romelia says
So Easy n Delicious will definitely make for our
Next gathering. . . Thank you for the recipe🥰
Yvette Tirpak says
This was a hit, the family loved it!