Sweet and crispy Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots make an amazing appetizer or easy after-school snack. They’re indescribably good and fly off the plate!
Sweet Bacon Tater Tots are the answer to all of life’s problems! They’re sweet. They’re salty. They’re simple. They’re naturally gluten-free. And – oh, yes – they’re BACON. Bacon, seasoned with brown sugar and chili powder and wrapped around tater tot perfection.
Sweet Bacon Makes All the Difference
These crispy bacon-wrapped tater tots will remind you of the classic bacon & hash brown breakfast casserole but in poppable, bite-sized snack form!
The bacon gets a sugary glaze with a sprinkle of chili powder for this recipe. The candied maple bacon counters the salt and spice and turns it into something yummy! We jokingly call these “man candy!”
Now, some chefs sweeten bacon with maple syrup, which is wonderful. I love using maple syrup when I make these scrumptious Bacon-Wrapped Figs. But brown sugar is the way to go for this finger-food tater tot appetizer! It’s far less sticky and works great!
Other Recipes to Serve with Sweet Bacon Tater Tots
- I love serving these Bacon Tots with Homemade Ranch Dressing or a Super Thick Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing!
- Sweet Bacon Tater Tots also make a delicious addition to all your holiday breakfast or brunch get-togethers, as do these Pancake Sausage Bites!
Ingredients
Tater Tots: A large bag of frozen tater tots will have about 50 to 55 tots – perfect for this recipe. Thaw them to room temperature before assembling them.
Bacon: This recipe needs 12-16 full strips of bacon. This is about a pound of regular-sliced bacon or 20 ounces of thick-cut bacon.
Sweet: Brown sugar (either dark or light) will give the bacon a gloriously sweet glaze.
Spice: Two tablespoons of chili powder mixed with the brown sugar for a subtle burst of flavor and a hint of spicy goodness.
How to Make Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots
STEP ONE: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a cooling rack over the foil. Cut the bacon into fourths, making short, quarter-length strips.
STEP TWO: Mix the brown sugar and chili powder in a medium bowl.
STEP THREE: Wrap each tater tot in one quarter-cut strip of bacon. (The bacon should fully wrap around each tot but not overlap.) Then, roll each bacon-wrapped tot in the brown sugar/chili powder until thoroughly coated. Place on top of the cooling rack, leaving air space between.
STEP FOUR: Back for 10 to 15 minutes, then increase the oven temp to 400 F and bake another 5 minutes. (An additional five may be added for extra crispiness.) Watch closely not to burn.
STEP FIVE: Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Repeat the process with any remaining tots. Serve alone or with a dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Tips for Success
- Line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place a cooling rack on top. This lets the bacon grease drip away from the tots and crisp up nicely. It also makes clean-up easy!
- Thick-cut bacon also works great for this appetizer recipe if you prefer lightly crisp but chewy bacon.
- Make a note of the temperature change part way through cooking. Bumping the oven temp up to 400 F for the last few minutes allows these bacon tots to finish with the perfect crunchy outside – soft inside texture!
Can I Make Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots in the Air Fryer?
This Sweet Bacon Tater Tots recipe can easily be adjusted for the air fryer! When fully assembled, place the wrapped tots in the fry basket. Leave a little space between each one – don’t smush or stack. Air fry them at 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is the desired crispness.
Can I Save and Reheat Leftover Tater Tots?
I will be shocked if you ever have leftover bacon-wrapped tots! But if so, make sure they’re cooled completely, then store them in an airtight baggie or container. They’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Place tots on a baking sheet for reheating and bake for 4 to 7 minutes at 400 F until fully heated.
Other Easy Bacon Appetizers
- Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Jalapeno Poppers
- Bacon-Wrapped Smokies
- Buffalo Bacon Cheeseball
- Bacon and Rotel Cups
- Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Bombs
*This post was originally posted on 09/12/2013.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50 tater tots thawed to room temperature
- 12 ounces bacon
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- Fresh parsley or chives chopped, for garnish
Sriracha Mayo
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoons sriracha plus ore to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over the foil. (The rack will allow the bacon to crisp up on all sides as it bakes.)
- Remove the bacon from its package, keeping it all together. Cut the bacon strips in half and then cut each half again to create quarter-length strips. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and chili powder together until well combined.
- Wrap each tater tot in a small bacon strip and then roll it in the brown sugar mixture. Place the wrapped tater tots on top of the cooling rack.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and cook for another 5 minutes. (Check to see if the bacon has crisped up. You may need to leave the tots in for another 5 minutes to reach the desired crispiness. Check frequently so they don't burn.)
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven. Repeat with the remaining tater tots as needed. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with parsley or chives, if desired.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the mayo and sriracha until combined. Serve along side the warm tots for dipping.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional information is for tots only and does not include the dipping sauce.
- This recipe uses about half of a 32-ounce bag of frozen tater tots. You can double the amount of bacon, brown sugar, and chili powder to use up the whole bag of tots (and feed a crowd) is desired.
Mark Rodgers says
ah, if cooked as directed the tots are mushy and the bacon is flaccid. Might be acceptable for kids. For a more palatable adult version:
Fry the tots until crisp. wrap in bacon, roll in seasoning and bake in a 425° oven until bacon is crisp – at least 10 minutes. more work but crispy crunchy perfection. (don’t be shy with the seasoning!)
Robin Abbott says
I plan to fix this weekend for my guys. This looks awesome.
Valarie Davenport says
What is your recipe for ranch dressing? I am always on the look out for a good one1
Solanco D says
Ack I didn’t have the bakers rack so these were quite labor intensive, and greasy. Still delicious, but required multiple oil drains then soaks on paper towels, and the fragile tots often fell apart. Don’t do without bakers rack to keep grease off the delicious wrapped tot!
Kim Santre says
I am making this right now. I used Alexia potato puffs cause not a Tater tot fan..I used my ninja cooker started it on stovetop setting first also browned chicken pieces and used alot more cooked bacon. Just now changed to slow cooker high setting. Will let you.know When it done….
Kim Santre says
Sounds like you used bacon not cooked that’s why all the grease
John says
Made these. I’m not much of a cook, but these came out AWESOME on the very first attempt. I’m making them again this weekend for our Cub Scout Pack’s Pinewood Derby Race.
Aubrey says
I’m so glad they were a hit John! My son get’s his car sometime this week for his first Pinewood Derby. Yay!
Kokie Koko says
Yummie
Aubrey says
Thanks Kokie!
Taylor says
Yummmm Yummm YUMMMM!! I Love BACON!
So, going to try this! But I’m going to use the Tater Tots with the Cheddar Cheese inside!
Thank You For Sharing this Wonderful Recipe/Idea. 🙂
Tifahn Rodriguez says
Sounds good, I want to try with Alexias Sweet Potato Puffs. I make my sweet potato fries with chili and brown sugar adding other ingredients so sounds like a similar taste profile.
Cindy @Hun... What's for Dinner? says
Oh YUM, these must be SO good! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Stacey says
Thank you Cindy! They are SO good and disappeared quickly at the party! Kids enjoyed them too!
Charlene says
I have a son who will probably love these. lol I’ll definitely have to try them. 🙂
Stacey says
Thank you Charlene! They are really yummy! Enjoy!