Do I thaw the tater tots to form the cups?

Unlike our Tater Tot Waffle Bites (which use thawed tots) there is no thawing needed for this loaded tater tot appetizer recipe. We found the tot cups were easier to form when warming a frozen tot until soft than starting with a thawed tot.

How many tots do I use in each muffin cup?

This recipe is for a mini, bite-sized, loaded tater tot cup and uses 2 tots per mini muffin cup. However, you can make these a single tot bite (one tot per muffin cup) or make in larger muffin pans (3-4 tots per muffin cup).

Are these loaded tater tot cups vegetarian?

The recipe, as written, is not vegetarian since they have bacon. However, this is an easy recipe to make your own, including vegetarian or vegan.

Loaded Tater Tot Cups - Appetizer Bliss

Name: Loaded Tater Tot Cups
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound tater tots (about 48 tots); 4 ounces (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese; ½ cup cooked, diced bacon (this is 5-7 slices of bacon); 2 ounces (¼ cup) sour cream; Sliced green onions, for garnish

Description

These bite-sized, loaded tater tot cups are ready in just 30 minutes! A guaranteed guest favorite at your next game day, BBQ, or party!

Ingredients

Scale

1 pound tater tots (about 48 tots)
4 ounces (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup cooked, diced bacon (this is 5-7 slices of bacon)
2 ounces (¼ cup) sour cream
Sliced green onions, for garnish

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place 2 frozen tots in each cup of the mini muffin pan.
Place in a preheated oven for 5 minutes or just until the tots are soft and thawed.
Remove muffin pan from the oven and form the tater tot cups.
To Form Cups: press down on the tater tots forming a cup and pressing the tots together. You can use the bottom of a shot glass, the back of a spoon, or a mini tart shaper. We’ve used all three and they all work. Press down until the tot cup is formed. You don’t want the bottom to be too thin
Top each tater tot cup with shredded cheese and bacon.
Place muffin pan back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tot cup is crispy, golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Remove from the oven and gently remove each tater tot cup from the muffin tin. Use a spoon to scoop the cup out if needed.
Top with sour cream and green onions and serve hot.

Notes

When forming the tot cups, be careful not to make the bottom of the tot cup too thin by pressing down too much. You want the tater tot cup to be sturdy enough to hold all the toppings without falling apart. Our favorite tool for forming the cups is the mini tart shaper. See post above for more information on tools.

To make ahead of time, bake the tot cups, remove from the muffin pan (do NOT top them with sour cream), and let them cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat in a 400°F oven until hot and cheese is melted, 8-10 minutes. Top and serve

Keep cooked bacon on hand for recipes calling for cooked bacon or to top salads and other recipes. Store in the freezer up to 4 months or in the refrigerator up to a week.

We don't recommend saving loaded tater tot cups (those topped with sour cream). We like serving the loaded tot cups hot and the sour cream won't reheat well.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 tot cup
Calories: 82
Sugar: 0.3 g
Sodium: 174.5 mg
Fat: 6.5 g
Carbohydrates: 3.3 g
Protein: 2.4 g
Cholesterol: 10.1 mg