Loaded Tater Tot Cups turn plain potato puffs into crispy, bite-sized snacks stuffed with shredded cheese, bacon, sour cream, and scallions. They’re the perfect finger food for parties and game day gatherings!

a couple of Loaded Tater Tot Cups topped with bacon.

Our recipe for Loaded Tater Tot Cups cooks the cutest, hand-held potato packages with the crispiest outer crusts. Formed from frozen tater tots that are mashed into muffin tins, these little puffs make the perfect edible base for filling with your favorite loaded baked potato toppings.

Loaded tater tot recipes are great for game day, tailgates, party appetizers, or serving as a side dish with dinner.

Do you know what else you can do with baked taters? Turn them into a tater tot breakfast casserole, a tater tots casserole, chili-topped loaded tater tots, breakfast cups, and tachos!

Ingredients Notes

Frozen tater tots: Most tater tots are naturally gluten-free. Make sure to check your label if you have dietary restrictions and require a gf loaded tots recipe.
Shredded cheddar cheese: You can substitute the cheddar cheese with a cheddar-jack blend or Colby jack cheese. Any of these are wonderful melting cheeses and pair well with the other toppings.
Sour cream: To cut the calories and fat, substitute with light sour cream.
Bacon crumbles: You can make your own crumbled bacon by frying 6 slices of center-cut bacon and then crumbling it. You can also use microwaveable, fully-cooked bacon and heat it according to package directions before crumbling. Another great shortcut is store-bought bacon bits that are found near the salad dressings.
Scallions (also known as green onions): You can substitute finely chopped chives for the scallions as a topping for these tater tot appetizers.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to Make Loaded Tater Tot Cups

Bake: Place 4-5 tater tots in each muffin cup and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Create The Cup: Press down into the center of the tater tots so that they squish together to form a “crust” around the sides. Bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Make Them Cheesy: Add the cheese to each cups and bake for another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Rest at room temperature in the muffin pan for 3-4 minutes.
Add The Toppings: Remove the tater tot cups from the muffin pan and top each with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of bacon crumbles, and some sliced scallions.
Serve: Serve and enjoy!

Place 4-5 tater tots in each muffin cup and bake. Using the flat bottom of a small glass, press down in the center of the tater tots. Add 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese to each of the centers of the tater tot cups and bake. Top each with sour cream, bacon crumbles, sliced scallions.

Serving Suggestions

These loaded tater-tot cups can be served slightly warm or at room temperature. They’re best when served immediately after baking and adding the toppings.

Why not set up a stuffed tater tots bar with bowls of toppings on the side? Let everyone fill their tots with all their favorite fixings and create their own custom cups. There is no need to stop at sour cream and bacon bits! Some other ideas include guacamole, black beans, chopped tomato, ketchup, hot sauce, ranch dressing, or salsa.

Loaded Tater Tot Cups lined up inside a white tray.

Tips & Variations

No Oil Needed: Most name-brand frozen tater tots already have plenty of oil added, so no oil or cooking spray is needed to prevent sticking. If you are worried about your tater tot cups sticking to the muffin pan, you can certainly spray a light coating of non-stick spray on each of the muffin cups before adding the frozen tater tots.
Create The Cup: I like to use the flat bottom of a shot glass to create my cups. Press down in the center of the tater tots, and give a light twist while pressing down.
Make More: This recipe can easily be doubled to use the entire 32-ounce bag of frozen tater tots. If you double the recipe, you will need two standard muffin pans.
Mix Up the Meat: Instead of bacon, you can use ground sausage, ham, chicken sausage, turkey bacon, or even Turkey Chili, Slow Cooker Chili, and Crack Chicken Chili. Or make meatless mini muffin tater top bites and omit the bacon altogether!

Proper Storage

To Store: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until warmed.
Make Ahead: You can pre-bake and form the tater tot cups up to the point of adding and melting the cheese. At this point, you will need to allow the tater tot cups to cool completely in the pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the muffin pan and bake the formed tater tot cups in a 400* F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until crispy. Add the cheese and toppings as directed in the recipe before serving.

a hand holding a piece of Loaded Tater Tot Cups.

More Game Day Appetizers

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Loaded Tater Tot Cups

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves —

Loaded Tater Tot Cups are a fun finger food that you can fill with your favorite baked potato toppings. Perfectly portable for game day, parties, and family gatherings.

Print Rate Pin Save

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 28

Total Time 33

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound frozen tater tots or half of a 32 ounce bag
▢ ¾ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
▢ ⅓ cup sour cream
▢ ½ cup bacon crumbles
▢ ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions also known as green onions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Divide the frozen tater tots between the 12 cups (4-5 tater tots per single muffin cup) of a standard muffin pan.
1 pound frozen tater tots
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove the muffin pan from the oven, and using the flat bottom of a small glass, press down in the center of the tater tots, giving a light twist while pressing down, until the tater tots for a cup in the muffin cup. Repeat with the remaining tater tots until all the tater tot cups have been formed.
Return the muffin pan to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Remove the muffin pan from the oven and add 1 tablespoon cheddar cheese to each of the centers of the tater tot cups.
¾ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
Return the muffin pan to the oven and bake another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Remove the cheese filled tater tot cups from the oven and allow them to rest in the muffin pan for 3-4 minutes.
Carefully run a butter knife, or a small offset spatula, around the edges of each of the tater tot cups to ensure they do not stick when lifting them out from the muffin cups and onto a serving platter.
Remove the tater tot cups from the muffin pan (a small offset spatula works well for this) and place them onto a serving platter.
Top each of the tater tot cups with a dollop (approximately 1 – ½ teaspoon sized) of sour cream to the center of each of the loaded tater tot cups, a sprinkle of bacon crumbles and thinly sliced scallions.
⅓ cup sour cream, ½ cup bacon crumbles, ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:

To Store: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Reheat: Reheat in the oven or air fryer at 350ºF for 10 minutes or until warmed.
Make Ahead: You can pre-bake and form the tater tot cups up to the point of adding and melting the cheese. At this point, you will need to allow the tater tot cups to cool completely in the pan, then cover the pan with plastic wrap. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When ready to serve, remove the plastic wrap from the muffin pan and bake the formed tater tot cups in a 400* F preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until crispy. Add the cheese and toppings as directed in the recipe before serving.

Tips:

I find that most name brands of frozen tater tots already have plenty of oil added to them that no oil, or non-stick spray, is needed for the muffin cups to prevent sticking. If you are worried about your tater tot cups sticking to the muffin pan, you can certainly spray a light coating of non-stick spray to each of the muffin cups before adding the frozen tater tots.
This recipe can easily be doubled to use the entire 32 ounce bag of frozen tater tots. You will need two standard muffin pans if doubling the recipe.
You can substitute the cheddar cheese with a cheddar-jack blend or colby jack cheese. Any of these are wonderful melting cheeses and they pair well with the other toppings.
You can substitute finely chopped chives for the scallions as a topping for these loaded tater tot cups.
For the crumbled bacon, you can make your own by frying (according to package directions) 6 slices of center cut bacon then crumbling it. You can also use microwaveable, fully-cooked, bacon and heat it according to package directions before crumbling. Another great short cut is store bought bacon bits that are found in the aisle where salad dressings, and toppings, are found.