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A big platter of tater tot nachos (totchos) makes a fabulous addition to a game-day buffet. If you ask me, it’s also a perfectly great, quick and easy, occasional family dinner.
Why we love this recipe
Tater tots are simultaneously inexcusable and transcendent. Crisp outside, tender inside, and ready to take from freezer to sheet pan in the time it takes to preheat the oven. Dressing them up like nachos became popular in the early 2010s. It feels like a perfect way to honor them — making them somehow both more absurd and totally sensible at the same time.
These tater tot nachos (also called totchos, tatchos, or tachos) are:
- Layered with savory, satisfying flavors and textures
- Vegetarian and gluten-free
- A fun way to feed a crowd
- Great with drinks
- Ready in half an hour
- Flexible — change up the toppings as you please
I first published this recipe here back in 2017. I’ve since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- The base for this dish is a big bag of frozen tater tots. You’ll bake them straight from frozen. It couldn’t be easier. If it’s important to you that this recipe be gluten-free, be sure to buy a GF brand of tots. (Some brands add flour to help make them crispy.)
- Sour cream is a classic nachos topping, but when stirred together with a little bit of onion powder and salt, it also takes on the dreamy characteristics of onion dip — sheer perfection paired with tots.
- Extra-sharp cheddar melts well but still packs a super-savory, creamy punch. You’ll shred it on the large holes of a box grater.
- You can use any kind of fresh, ripe tomatoes that you like. Here I’ve used two Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced.
- Minced red onion and fresh cilantro add bursts of flavor and freshness.
- Sliced ripe black olives from a can are weird-good and totally work here.
- You can use sliced or diced pickled jalapeños and add as few or as many as you like.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a dreamy batch of tater tot nachos. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Bake the tater tots straight from frozen.
- Sprinkle them with about 2/3 of the cheese and return to the oven for a minute or two to melt.
- Stir together the sour cream, onion powder, and salt, and dollop it over the cheesy tots.
- Sprinkle with tomatoes, olives, cilantro, jalapeños, and remaining cheese. That’s it!
Suggested variations
We love these totchos as-is, but don’t let me stop you from customizing them to your tastes. Here are some favorite variations:
- Swap in pepper jack of all or half of the cheddar. Or, instead of shredded cheese, dress things up with a fabulous cheese sauce.
- Add some protein: a can of black beans, some shredded chicken, ground beef taco meat, or sofritas.
- Instead of cilantro, drizzle on our super-popular cilantro sauce.
- Or keep things vegan by swapping in plant-based sour cream and vegan queso or vegan cheese sauce.
Expert tips and FAQs
Like me, the inventor of totchos grew up without tater tots on the home menu and went a little wild for them as an adult. Jim Parker, a Portland, Oregon bartender and former journalist, is credited with creating the first official tater tot nachos at Oaks Bottom Public House in 2006.
Tater tot nachos are quick and easy to put together, and they’re at their best right out of the oven. I don’t recommend making them in advance.
Leftover totchos are a little bit ridiculous, but I kinda love them. You can store the whole mess, tightly sealed, in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat with a quick stint in the microwave or toaster oven. You could even pop a fried egg on top and have at it with a fork.
More favorite game day platters
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Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)
Ingredients
- 32 ounces (907 grams) frozen tater tots
- 6 ounces (170 grams) extra-sharp cheddar
- 2 plum tomatoes
- ½ cup (112 grams) sour cream
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 ounces (112 grams) can sliced black olives, drained
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
- Pickled jalapeño slices, drained, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F with a rack in the center.
- Arrange frozen tater tots in a single layer on a rimmed half-sheet pan lined with parchment.
Bake tater tots for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the remaining ingredients:
- Shred the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater.
- Core, seed, and dice the tomatoes, and let any excess liquid drain away.
- In a small mixing bowl stir together the sour cream, onion powder, and salt.
- Remove tater tots from oven. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the cheese evenly overtop and return to pan oven for a minute or two, until cheese is melted.
- Heap cheesy tots onto a serving plate — or serve them right from the baking sheet.
- Dollop sour cream mixture over tater tots.
- Sprinkle with tomatoes, olives, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and remaining cheese.
Notes
- If it's important to you that this recipe be gluten-free, be sure to buy a GF brand of tots. (Some brands add flour to help make them crispy.)
- This dish is quick and easy to put together, and it’s at its best right out of the oven. I don't recommend making it in advance.
- Leftover totchos are a little bit ridiculous, but I kinda love them. You can store the whole mess, tightly sealed, in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat with a quick stint in the microwave or toaster oven. You could even pop a fried egg on top and have at it with a fork.
Suggested variations
We love these totchos as-is, but don't let me stop you from customizing them to your tastes. Here are some favorite variations:- Swap in pepper jack of all or half of the cheddar. Or, instead of shredded cheese, dress things up with a fabulous cheese sauce.
- Add some protein: a can of black beans, some shredded chicken, ground beef taco meat, or sofritas.
- Instead of cilantro, drizzle on our super-popular cilantro sauce.
- Or keep things vegan by swapping in plant-based sour cream and vegan queso or vegan cheese sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Subscribe to Umami Girl’s email updates, and follow along on Instagram.
