Totchos

5 from 1 vote

Totchos are living proof that, yes, you really can make nachos out of anything! Swap the tortilla chips for crispy potato tater tots and add your favorite nacho toppings for a fun new recipe! It works as dinner, snack or appetizer.

A close-up image of a fork lifting a cheesy, mixed topping bite of pizza with visible stringy cheese, meat, vegetables, and herbs. The pizza background appears blurred.

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About this Totchos recipe

Tater tot nachos may just be the BEST thing ever! This easy recipe can be served as an appetizer or even a really quick dinner. Crispy tater tots loaded to the brim with all of your favorite nacho toppings, what’s not to love?

I love to drizzle queso over the top, and my fresh peach salsa adds a nice sweet touch to a savory dish. But you can really add anything that you want! And no, this isn’t loaded tater tots — it’s nacho tater tots. Plus, the name totchos is just way more fun than loaded tater tots anyway.

If you’re looking for fun family dinners, this is a great option. You literally just need to dump frozen tots onto a baking sheet, bake them and then add cheese and the rest of the toppings. Then scoop onto plates and serve!

Totchos are a favorite Friday night meal, and I always make some cheddar cheese popcorn after the fact for a Friday night movie. The tastiest way to end a busy week and it doesn’t take much effort at all!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

Do I need to explain why you’ll love crispy potatoes loaded with nacho toppings? Probably not, but there really are so many reasons to love it:

  • This is a wonderful family-friendly recipe, great for kids and adults alike. Everyone will love choosing fun toppings and eating the gooey, cheesy goodness that is totchos!
  • Make this meal in just about a half hour. Not only is it a perfect last minute appetizer but it’s also a wonderful dinner for a really busy weeknight.
  • Totchos are totally customizable and adaptable. Use any toppings, any seasonings and whatever other fun ingredients that you want!
A close-up of a loaded nacho dish with melted cheese, ground beef, corn, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and cilantro. A spoon is lifting a cheesy portion from the dish.

Tools & equipment

You only need a few tools to make this easy recipe! A baking sheet and parchment paper is all you need to prep the dish. But if you are home-making some of the toppings, then you’ll need other things like knives, cutting boards, and mixing bowls.

Ingredients

Make sure you grab all of these ingredients before you get started. If you’re making fresh guacamole and pico, you can prepare those while the tater tots bake. Here’s everything you need:

  • frozen tater tots
  • ground beef, cooked
  • shredded cheese
  • sliced jalapeños
  • pico de gallo
  • sour cream
  • guacamole
  • fresh cilantro
  • other toppings, as desired
A close-up of tater tot nachos topped with ground beef, corn, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeños, fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, and drizzled with sour cream.

Substitutions & variations

Cheesy variations: You can use shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey jack, Colby jack or Mexican blend shredded cheese. Feel free to pour on queso, too!

Switch up the toppings: I like to cook my lean ground beef with taco seasoning to use as a topping for totchos, but feel free to use cooked ground chicken or ground turkey instead of ground beef. Or you could use the toppings from these BBQ chicken nachos — they’d be delicious with this pillowy potato perfection of tater tots! You can also make them vegetarian or vegan if you want!

Change the base: While I highly recommend tater tots as a base, you can absolutely use french fries or chips if you cannot find tater tots or do not have them on hand!

A close-up view of baked nachos topped with various ingredients including ground beef, corn, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, and drizzled with sour cream on a parchment-lined baking tray.

Toppings for Totchos

I listed my most favorite toppings for this recipe in the ingredients list! However, you can omit anything that you don’t like and you can also add loads of different toppings, like pulled chicken or air fryer minute steak. Here are some delicious options:

  • sliced green onions
  • black olives
  • diced tomato
  • black beans
  • nacho cheese
  • diced red onion
  • pulled pork
  • chicken fajita meat
  • steak fajita meat (the steak from these nachos would be perfect!)
  • refried beans
  • salsa and other sauces

Instructions

Follow these step by step instructions and totchos will be ready to go in no time:

Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C) and then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

A baking sheet lined with brown parchment paper, spread with evenly spaced, golden-brown tater tots, ready for cooking.
A baking tray lined with parchment paper is filled with evenly spaced, golden-brown tater tots.

Arrange frozen tater tots in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and then cook in the oven according to package directions. Subtract 5 minutes from the suggested cooking time. The kind I used suggested 22-25 minutes for a whole bag, or 18-22 minutes for a half bag.

Remove the tater tots from the oven, top with shredded cheese and then place back into the oven for 3 minutes.

A rectangular baking dish filled with baked tater tots covered in melted cheese.
A baking tray filled with cooked tater tots, ground beef, and melted shredded cheese.

Then add the cooked ground beef, some more shredded cheese and then place back into the oven for 3-4 minutes.

A tray of loaded nachos topped with ground beef, corn, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream, and cilantro.

While the totchos are cooking, prepare any topping you want! Dice and slice the veggies, prepare some fresh guacamole and mix up some pico de gallo.

Then remove the totchos from the oven, and add your favorite toppings. I used jalapenos, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately and enjoy! You might want a fork, but you can also go for it with your hands if you want.

A sheet pan with loaded nachos topped with melted cheese, jalapeños, corn, ground meat, guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. A black plastic fork rests on the pan.

Tips & tricks

Check out these simple tips to make this delicious protein-packed dish perfectly every single time:

  • For the best melty and gooey results, shred your own cheese from a block! Pre-shredded cheese typically has anti-caking agents that prevents it from melting as well as freshly shredded cheese.
  • Make sure you take some baking time off of the tater tots or they’ll be over-baked by the end of the cooking process!
  • Don’t stack the tater tots on the baking sheet. Make sure you spread them out into a single layer so that they bake evenly and every single tot gets nacho toppings!

Food and drink pairings

Totchos are a great appetizer or game day snack. You can even enjoy them for dinner!

For margarita night, they pair beautifully with cocktails like strawberry margaritas and mezcal margaritas. A ranch water cocktail or tequila sunrise would go well with this appetizer too! And don’t forget other dishes like Mexican street corn!

On game day, serve up some beer margaritas for a super simple cocktail to pair with this simple recipe. I love to serve shishito peppers and popcorn shrimp alongside this dish too.

Finish off your meal with a sweet treat like Mexican hot chocolate cookies or Mexican wedding cookies.

A close-up of a tray of nachos topped with ground beef, corn, melted cheese, sliced jalapeños, diced tomatoes, onions, guacamole, cilantro, and drizzled with sour cream.

FAQ

What does totchos mean?

Totchos is a nickname for tater tot nachos. Instead of tortilla chips, you’ll use tater tots as a base for nacho toppings!

Can I save leftover totchos?

Leftovers of this dish won’t really store well. The tater tots may get pretty soggy. If you know in advance that you will have leftovers, then just leave the extra toppings off. They’ll store well with the cheese and ground beef!

A partially eaten tray of loaded nachos topped with melted cheese, ground beef, guacamole, sour cream, corn, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and cilantro with a black fork on the tray.

More Appetizer Recipes

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Please leave a ★★★★★ review or comment below.

A close-up of a loaded nacho dish with melted cheese, ground beef, corn, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, sour cream, and cilantro. A spoon is lifting a cheesy portion from the dish.

Totchos

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Totchos are a stellar appetizer, snack or quick meal! You're going to love all of the nacho toppings on a bed of crispy potato bites.
5 from 1 vote
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ingredients

instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange frozen tater tots in a single layer. Cook according to package directions, minus 5 minutes. (The kind I used suggested 22-25 minutes for a whole bag, or 18-22 minutes for a half bag.)
  • Remove tots from oven. Top with cheese and place back in the oven for 3 minutes.
  • Add the ground beef and some more cheese and place back in the oven for 3-4 minutes, until warmed through and the cheese is gooey.
  • While the tots are cooking, prepare any toppings you would like to add to the totchos.
  • Remove from the oven. Cover with your favorite toppings. I used jalapeños, pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole and fresh cilantro.

notes

Make sure you take some baking time off of the tater tots or they’ll be over-baked by the end of the cooking process. 
Don’t stack the tater tots on the baking sheet. Make sure you spread them out into a single layer so that they bake evenly and every single tot gets nacho toppings. (Very important!)
For the best melty and gooey results, shred your own cheese from a block! Pre-shredded cheese typically has anti-caking agents that prevents it from melting as well as freshly shredded cheese.

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nutrition information

Yield: 6 servings

amount per serving:

Serving: 6ounces Calories: 572kcal Carbohydrates: 46g Protein: 19g Fat: 37g Saturated Fat: 12g Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g Monounsaturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 0.5g Cholesterol: 68mg Sodium: 1165mg Potassium: 660mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 604IU Vitamin C: 14mg Calcium: 240mg Iron: 2mg
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