Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

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These Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots (also called tater tot bombs) are the perfect party appetizer or side dish for dinner. They’re delicious, crispy, and easy to make.

Bacon-wrapped tater tots on a white plate.

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Tater Tot Facts

It may surprise you that tater tots, a common American side dish frequently served with hamburgers or hot dogs, has a complex history. Tater tots were invented for the Ore-Ida company by brothers F. Nephi and Golden Grigg, potato farmers who created the frozen food favorite from leftover French fry scraps. However, due to the machinery used to make tater tots, they’re difficult to make from scratch at home, and can take up to 12 hours to make.

Why This Bacon Tater Tot Recipe is a Keeper

These tater tot bombs are a family favorite. Wrap bacon around anything and it pretty much seals the deal! I’ve made this tater tot appetizer so many times.

  • Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients for these party snacks with bacon and brown sugar can be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
  • Family Friendly: Everyone in your family will be sure to love this easy appetizer. This party food will be a huge hit! I made these last night and can’t wait to try it again.
  • Versatile: Serve these tater tot snacks at parties, cookouts, game day, or potlucks. Save the bacon fat for another dish. Bacon grease adds flavor to lots of different foods.

If you’re looking for more appetizer recipes, try these: Shrimp Cocktail, Ranch Party Crackers, and Instant Pot Philly Cheesesteak Sliders.

How Far In Advance Can You Make Sweet Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots?

a stack of the appetizer on a white plate.

You can make this bacon-wrapped tater tots recipe up to three days in advance. Refrigerate them until they’re ready to bake.

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Ingredient Notes for Tater Tots Wrapped in Bacon

Brown sugar, seasoning, the meat and the potato rounds.
  • Tater Tots: No need to make your own tater tots. Just use frozen tater tots to make this finger food recipe. No need to thaw prior to wrapping.
  • Bacon: Use any kind of thick cut bacon you want. You can use pork bacon or turkey bacon. Wrap maple bacon around the tots, or use your favorite kind. Cut a half strip of bacon and wrap around the tater tots to make this recipe.

See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

Variations and Substitutions

  • Air Fry: Instead of baking the frozen tator tot in the oven, try making them in the air fryer instead.
  • Cauliflower Tots: For a healthier alternative, use cauliflower tots instead of tater tots.

How to Make Bacon Wrapped Tots Appetizer

These are the basic steps for making bacon wrapped tater tots. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions. Let us know if you try this latest recipe we love reader interactions.

A series of photos showing how to make bacon wrapped tater tots with a twist featuring bacon.

Step 1: Prep

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees and thaw a whole bag of frozen tots. Line a baking sheet with foil or wax paper and place a cooling rack on top.

Step 2: Dredge the Bacon

Then, cut each slice of bacon into 3 pieces. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and chili powder. Rub one side of each piece of bacon with the brown sugar mixture.

Step 3: Wrap and Cook the Bacon

Wrap the bacon around each potato tot and place it seam side down onto the cooling rack, and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Step 4: Repeat

Repeat with remaining tater tots. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake them for 5 more minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. All low to sit for two minutes before serving to cool slightly. Place a toothpick in each one and serve.

Crispy Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot FAQs

Your tater tot appetizer may not have been cooked long enough. Bake in the oven for an additional five minutes for crispy tater tots.

Yes; as an extra step you can make potato gems topped with cheddar cheese. Layer pepper jack, colby, or cheddar cheese over your tater tots once they’ve been wrapped, and bake. You can also use shredded cheese, either from a block of cheese or from the bag. Make sure there are small pieces of cheese to wrap around the tot. Bake until cheese melts.

If you want to double the recipe, just increase or decrease the ingredients proportionally.

Bacon-wrapped tater tots on a white plate.

Great Ideas for Making Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs

  • Add Jalepeno Slices: A little jalapeño would be great if you like the heat. Toppings we also recommend include sour cream, homemade ranch dressing, or sriracha.
  • Sweet Potato: You can also make this recipe with sweet potato tater tots.
  • Oven Rack: Bake the tater tots on an oven rack to keep them crisp. Just make sure to use cooking spray.

What to Serve with Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

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Bacon-wrapped tater tots on a white plate.
5 from 5 votes

Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots

Yield: 10 servings
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
These Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots are the perfect party appetizer or side dish for dinner. They’re delicious, crispy, and easy to make.
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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  • Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top of the foil
  • Cut each bacon strip into 3 pieces
  • In a small bowl, mix brown sugar and chili powder
  • Rub one side of each bacon piece with brown sugar mixture
  • Wrap each tater tot with a bacon piece and place it, seam side down, on top of the cooling rack
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees
  • Increase the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 5 more minutes, or until the bacon is crispy

Expert Tips

  • Add Jalapeno: A little jalapeno would be great if you like the heat.
  • Sweet Potato: You can also make this recipe with sweet potato tater tots.
  • Oven Rack: Bake the tater tots on an oven rack to keep them crisp.

Estimated Nutritional Information

Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 493IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutritional information provided are estimates. To learn more about how I calculate this information go to www.itisakeeper.com/about-its-a-keeper/privacy-disclosure-policies/
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Course: Appetizers and Dips
Cuisine: American

22 thoughts on “Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots”

  1. 5 stars
    I just brought this to a Christmas party and it was a great hit! To get it good and crispy did cook it at 400 for 40 minutes! This was a great find! Thanks

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Made them years ago for a Mardi Gras dinner party. Have just spent too long trying to find the recipe again they were SO good. Simple but effective, very tasty – thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. I hate to necro an old post, but this was linked to from another post, and I’m curious as I think it’d make a significant difference-You put the brown sugar mixture on the bacon-Does that get folded towards the tater tot or away from the tater tot? It’d caramelize/candy very differently depending which way it goes.

    Reply
  4. Yummy! These look delicious and I must try them soon! Visting from the Lamb Around link party. Have a great week!

    Reply
  5. Thank you for linking up to Tasty Tuesdays last week. As one of the co-hosts, I will be featuring your recipe on Tasty Tuesdays tomorrow on my site, Detours in Life. Congrats!

    Reply
  6. These look absolutely amazing! My boys would go gagagagagaga over these…especially my bacon loving child! I will definitely try these out. Thanks for sharing.
    Hello from Super saturday linky
    leelee @ paperbagstyling

    Reply
  7. Oh my…these look incredibly delicious! And I don’t even care that they are not ‘skinny food’! Bet my husband would love these too…bacon…yum.
    Debbie 🙂

    Reply
  8. Thank you for linking up at Tasty Tuesdays! Your post has been pinned to my Recipes from Tasty Tuesday board. I can’t wait to see what you link up next week!
    Have a terrific weekend!
    Cathy
    APeekIntoMyParadise.com
    #TastyTuesdays

    Reply

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