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Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos) are the perfect game day snack or fun family dinner! Made with crispy baked tater tots, seasoned beef, plenty of melty cheese, and all of your favorite nacho toppings!
Want to hear a little life hack that has kept my family happy and fed for the last 20 or so years?
It’s leftover taco meat. That’s the hack. Just keep it on hand.
Every time we make tacos, which is weekly, I make a double batch and we use it for burrito bowls, nachos, stirred into our Mexican rice recipe, or in a crunchwrap supreme.
It makes lunch a breeze and has saved me at dinner time on more than one occasion.
One of our favorite ways to make nachos is with tater tots instead of chips! Feels a little more like a meal and the kids go crazy for these nacho tots.
Tater Tot Nacho Toppings:
Pretty much anything that you’d put on regular nachos with tortilla chips will taste just as good on these tater tot nachos! Here are some suggestions:
- Pico de Gallo
- Homemade Salsa
- Homemade Queso
- Chipotle Sauce
- Sour Cream
- Diced Onions
- Green Onions
- Diced Avocado
- Jalapenos
- Black Olives
- Lettuce
- Pinto Beans
Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)
Ingredients
- 32 ounces tater tots
- 1 1/2 cups cooked leftover taco meat
- 2 cups shredded cheddar
- 1/4 cup guacamole more or less to taste
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno slices
- 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Bake the tots according to package directions on a large, parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer.
- When the tots have five minutes remaining, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the meat and cheese. Return to the oven to finish cooking.
- Remove from the oven and drop spoonfuls of guacamole and sour cream over the nachos. Sprinkle with the jalapeno, tomatoes, and cilantro.
- Serve hot.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Ingredient Notes:
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Frozen Tater Tots – You’ll need a bag of frozen tater tots for this recipe. They’ll bake up crispy in the oven.
Taco Meat – We like to use leftover taco meat from this recipe, but you can easily make a fresh batch. Try the meat from our turkey tacos or just do a pound of ground beef + a packet of seasoning.
Cheddar Cheese – We always prefer freshly shredded cheddar for maximum meltability. You could also drizzle cheese sauce over it all!
Diced Tomatoes – We prefer roma tomatoes in our Mexican-inspired recipes.
Guacamole – Try my homemade guac recipe for topping these totchos!
Nacho Toppings – In addition to the diced tomatoes and guac I’m topping this totchos recipe with sour cream, cilantro, and pickled jalapenos. But you can use any kind of nacho toppings you want!
Cholula Hot Sauce – Okay, you don’t have to use the Cholula brand. Any hot sauce (or none) will work, but we love Cholula and always recommend it.
What Readers are Saying!
“My hubby is an incredibly picky eater. I told him about Totcho’s and he wanted me to make them. I did and he loved them. He thought this would be great to eat when we have friends over to watch football. I could make the hot part of the dish and then let everybody take a serving and load up on their own toppings. Thanks for the great recipe!” – Judy
How to Make Totchos:
Tots: First up you’ll bake the frozen tater tots per the package instructions. Remove them from the oven 5 minutes before they are finished so that they won’t burn after you add the nacho ingredients.
Taco Meat: Spoon the taco meat over the tater tots.
Cheese: Pile on the freshly shredded cheese and return to the oven for the last 5 minutes.
Top: When the cheese is melty remove the totchos from the oven and start piling on your favorite toppings! I’m using homemade guacamole, sour cream, diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos, cilantro, and hot sauce!
Helpful Tip!
Totchos Recipe:
Use this recipe as more of a guide than something that must be followed precisely. These are nachos – make them your own with all of your favorite toppings.
FAQs:
Just what they sound like. Tater tots + nachos = totchos. No tortilla chips in this tater tot nacho recipe.
You can keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, though you may want to avoid adding some of the toppings like sour cream if you think you’ll have leftovers.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- These are a great way to use up leftover taco meat and the recipe couldn’t be simpler!
- This recipe can easily be served as a snack or appetizer during the big game or you can serve these up for a fun family meal.
- Kids love tater tots, which means this recipe an instant success.
This recipe was originally published in 2014. It was updated in 2024 with new photos.
Stephanie says
These are something I’ve been dying to make. I love getting them at restaurants– so good and always hit the spot!
Cady says
I love making these. They’re delish. I call them totchos:-)
Meghan says
OOOOOOOOOH! I am totally making these!!!
Judy says
My hubby is an incredibly picky eater. I told him about Totcho’s and he wanted me to make them. I did and he loved them. He thought this would be great to eat when we have friends over to watch football. I could make the hot part of the dish and then let everybody take a serving and load up on their own toppings. Thanks for the great recipe!
Karly says
@Judy,
Great idea!
Joanne says
Sometimes the best meals are born of such crises. Perhaps it’s a good thing you were out of everything!
Layla @ Brunch Time Baker says
You had me at tater tots then again at nachos. So much goodness! yum!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
any recipe that contains tater tots is a winner in my book.. definitely craving some of this now!
Julie @ Tastes of Lizzy T says
What a fun name for this dish! And it looks so amazing!
Lindsey says
I love the Totchos, in our house I make Patachos which is potato nachos, could be potato chips could be french fries, its a toss up. I’m a huge fan of made up crazy sounding bad for me foods 🙂
Karly says
@Lindsey,
Love that! Patatchos! Haha.
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
Oh yes! I could totally be down with this Totchos! And, after seeing them, I’ll never think of regular Nachos or Tater Tot Nachos the same. They will be Totchos, foreveh! 🙂
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron says
Wow these look so good and what a great idea Karly! You are so creative! All those toppings – mmmm my favorites!
Carol at Wild Goose Tea says
I am almost embarrassed to admit this, but I would love this dish. I am writing as I am typing. A couple of week ago, some tater tots came my way and I realized how much I truly enjoyed them. To make them into nachos—wow—super idea.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
I’m thinking I need to stock up on Tater Tots, cause this looks insanely good!
Matt Robinson says
Such an awesome idea, we would devour these in no time here!
Cookbook Queen says
Pretty sure that I read in my Bible that this is what they serve for dinner in Heaven.