Tater Tot Nachos [Totchos]

These tater tot nachos (totchos/ tachos) use crispy baked or air-fried tater tots loaded with black beans and all your favorite nacho toppings for a fuss-free party appetizer, snack, or main ready in just 30 minutes!

What Are Totchos?

If you’re a fan of nachos and you love tater tots (surely everyone, right?), then get ready to have your mind blown by these tater tot nachos (aka totchos/ tachos). This dish swaps out regular tortilla chips for a base of crispy baked or air-fried tater tots loaded with all your favorite nacho toppings, to the delight of potato lovers everywhere!

With a crisp outside and tender middle, tater tots make a delicious texture change to regular crunchy tortilla chips. Plus, anyone who’s partial to a late-night snack of ‘cheesy fries’ will be in potato heaven.

Just like regular nachos, these loaded tater tots nachos are simple to prepare, inexpensive, and really easy to customize to your liking. In fact, in this vegan totchos recipe, we’ve ditched meat for a plant-based protein of black beans. I’ve topped that up with other delicious nacho favorites like vegan nacho cheese sauce, salsa, avocado, red onion, and more for a dish that’s a delicious blend of savory, salty, tangy, and spicy!

Even better, you can turn to an oven or air fryer to prepare this dish, based on how much you’re making and how quickly you want them prepared. Either way, they’ll be ready to impress at game day parties and gatherings (or enjoy as a late-night snack!) alongside jalapeno poppers, air fryer pizza rolls, and garlic bread!

The Ingredients

Just 9 ingredients make up these delicious vegan totchos/tachos recipe.

• Tater tots: I recommend using a high-quality brand of vegan tater tots for the best flavor and results.
• Vegan nacho cheese sauce: I used homemade vegan cheese sauce for these vegan totchos, though a melty shredded vegan cheese would also work.
• Black beans: Use either canned or pre-cooked black beans (or pinto beans). Refried beans may also work.
• Salsa: Pico de Gallo or another red salsa would work well. Alternatively, some finely chopped tomatoes.
• Avocado: Either guacamole, avocado cream, or diced avocado chunks.
• Red Onion: Finely diced. If you’d prefer to reduce the bite from the raw flavor, soak the onions in cold water for 10 minutes.
• Vegan sour cream: (optional) Regular or low fat.
• Fresh cilantro: Alternatively, use green onions or parsley.
• Lime: Serve the loaded totchos with lime wedges, to garnish.

What Other Toppings Could I Add?

One of the best things about nachos, this tater tot nachos recipe included, is that you can load them up with PLENTY of all your favorite toppings. Here are just a few more options you might enjoy.

• Black olives
• Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
• Grilled/Charred corn
• Pickled pink onions
• Shredded lettuce
• Sautéed vegetable fajitas (peppers and onions)
• Hot sauce
• Taco seasoning (sprinkled over the tater tots)

Boost the protein further and make these loaded tots into more of a meal by adding vegan ‘ground beef,’ walnut taco meat, or vegan bacon bits.

How to Make Tater Tot Nachos?

You can prepare this simple totchos recipe in no time using either an oven or an air fryer.

• 1) First, spread the tater tots across a baking sheet pan and bake them according to the package instructions.

Alternatively, use this method for air fryer tater tots for crispy tots in no time.

• 2) Meanwhile, as the tots cook, prepare all your favorite toppings.
• 3) Once cooked, top the tater tots with the black beans, vegan nacho cheese sauce, salsa, avocado, red onion, vegan sour cream (if using), and cilantro, with lime wedges to garnish.

If you’re using shredded vegan cheese, then sprinkle it over the baked tots and place them back in the oven/ air fryer for several minutes until it has melted.

Enjoy! I recommend serving these loaded tater tot nachos with forks for easy eating!

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• For quick cleanup: Place a layer of foil or parchment paper beneath the tots on the baking tray (or air fryer - a couple of inches up the side).
• Balance flavors and textures: When choosing the tachos toppings, I recommend using a balance of crunchy vs. gooey and mild vs. spicy/highly flavorful toppings.
• Spread the vegan queso evenly: So there are no patches of ‘dry’ totchos.

Storage Instructions

Make ahead: I don’t recommend preparing and assembling the entire dish in advance. However, you can chop/prepare any toppings that need to be prepared. Then, store everything in separate containers in the fridge for a day or two until you’re ready to bake and assemble the tater tot nachos.

Store: It’s best to consume the totchos fairly quickly before the tater tots become ‘soggy’ from all the toppings and the avocado browns.

Likewise, while the black bean and vegan nacho cheese sauce toppings are easy to reheat over the totchos, I don’t recommend reheating the entire dish as it can ruin the fresher elements.

More Vegan Potato Recipes

• Air fryer potato wedges
• Crispy baked or air fryer Hasselback potatoes
• Air fryer hash brown patties
• Crispy roasted sweet potato wedges
• Instant Pot garlic mashed potatoes

If you try this easy tater tot nachos recipe (totchos), I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla