Loaded Tater Tot Dip — My favorite baked potato toppings, all loaded into this cheesy dip! This easy party dip is made with frozen tater tots, sour cream, meatballs, and cheese!!
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Easy, Cheesy Tater Tot Dip Recipe
The best part of a baked potato isn’t really the potato. It’s the sour cream and cheese that tops it.
This loaded tater tot dip is a bowl of everything fabulous that goes on top of baked potatoes, minus the baked potatoes.
It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s happy food. White carbs, cream, and cheese tend to have that effect and my family was oohing and ahhing about it. They’re huge potato fans of any kind, from tater tots to hash browns, and they loved the warm, soft tater tots.
Perfect for parties, especially football parties, or as an easy appetizer to set out for gatherings. Or if you’re a dipaholic like me, you can just call it dinner!
Ingredients in Loaded Potato Dip
To make this tater tot dip, you’ll need:
- Frozen tater tots
- Meatballs (veggie or regular)
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- All-purpose seasoning blend
- Salt and pepper
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Loaded Tater Tot Dip
To make the dip, I used tater tots instead of potatoes. I have fond memories of the stubby little tots from elementary school lunches. I ate them slathered in ketchup and decades have gone by and I’ve had very few tater tots since sixth grade. I decided to make up for lost time!
- Allow 3 cups of frozen tater tots to come to room temperature. I measure about 15 tater tots to 1 cup, so you’ll need about 45, give or take.
- Slice them in half, or place them all on a large cutting board and give the pile a rough chop.
- Place the chopped tots in a large mixing bowl, and add crumbled pre-cooked Italian sausage or meatballs.
- Add the sour cream. Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Season the mixture with your favorite seasoning blend such as Lowry’s, Trader Joe’s 21 Salute or a Mrs. Dash and stir.
- Transfer the mixture into a sprayed 9-inch pie dish, oven-safe baking dish, or an 8- or 9-inch square pan. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake your until golden brown and bubbly.
What to Serve with Tater Tot Dip
Serve this comfort food extraordinaire with crackers, pita chips or pita bread, tortilla chips, dip tater tots into the tater tot dip, or just eat it with a spoon.
Puncturing the thick wall of browned cheese with a sharp cracker corner reveals a soft, creamy, rich potato-filled interior. It was so satisfying to finally bust through the cheese wall.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The tater tot dip assembly literally takes five minutes, but if you’re making it for a party and have lots to do on the day-of, you can assemble it, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking it off.
Recipe Variations
For a spin on this tater tot dip recipe, feel free to stir in a bit of diced green onion or scallions, a pinch of garlic or onion powder; add a handful of corn or black beans, a dollop of salsa, or other things you enjoy on baked potatoes.
There’s no wrong way to load up this dip! If you really load it up, you may need to extend the baking time a bit.
Recipe FAQs
Need to feed a crowd? You can double the ingredients list and bake this dip in a 9×13-inch baking pan.
Nope! You can also use pre-cooked shredded chicken, chicken nuggets, tofu, tempeh, bacon, or bacon bits.
Greek yogurt may also work, but I don’t top my baked potatoes with yogurt. I top them with sour cream, which is what I used.
I bet frozen, thawed hash browns would work instead of frozen tater tots. Make sure to buy hash browns made from shredded potatoes, not the type made of potato chunks.
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Loaded Tater Tot Dip
Ingredients
- 3 cups tater tots, about 45 whole tater tots, thawed and halved or roughly chopped
- 1 cup meatballs, pre-cooked and crumbled (can use homemade or frozen)
- 16- ounces sour cream, regular or light both work
- 2 cups shredded cheese blend, divided (any kind; Colby Jack, Monterrey Jack, cheddar, etc. all work)
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose seasoning blend, or to taste (Lowry’s, Trader Joe’s 21 Salute, Mrs. Dash, etc.)
- salt and pepper, optional and to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9-inch pie dish or similar oven-safe baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Slice thawed tater tots in half or place a large pile on cutting board and roughly chop them; retain some size and texture and don’t chop them too small.
- Transfer tater tots to a large mixing bowl. Add the meat or protein option, sour cream, add 1 cup cheese, seasoning blend, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
- Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until top is bubbly and golden browned. Serve immediately with crackers, bread, pita chips or pita bread, tortilla chips, dip tater tots into it, or just eat it with a spoon.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh, this is so true – “The best part of a baked potato isnโt really the potato. Itโs the sour cream and cheese that tops it.”
Thanks for the recipe!
Amen to that! :)
Averie, this looks amazing! I want to make it for a party on Saturday. Can I double it and use a 9×13 baking dish? If so, how long would you recommend in the oven? At the same temp?
Thanks so much!!! xo
I haven’t ever doubled it but I’m sure you could do that in a 9×13. Just start with the baking time I rec’ed and then use your judgment from there. Also did you see this one? Just posted it today!
Oooh, yum! So many dips, so little time! ;)
Thanks SO much for the suggestions and the super quick reply!! You rock.
Like the look of this recipe. Would like to print directions. When I hit print all I get is a blank page. Can you please help?
I’m sorry that you’re having trouble. Just copy/paste the recipe from the screen into an email to yourself. Takes 2 seconds and you’re all set. Enjoy this dip – one of my faves!
I love the look of this recipe. Would like to print directions, but when I hit print all I get is a blank page. Please help.
This looks good! I wonder if it could be made in a crock pot so it could stay warm all day?
My boyfriend is always begging me to make “tater tot casserole” which just sounds terrifying. This sounds like it could be made at least moderately more healthy and serving as a dip prevents having a pile of cheese and potatoes for dinner. Sounds yummy!
“and serving as a dip prevents having a pile of cheese and potatoes for dinner” <-- and if you have leftover dip, you can put it on a pile of chips and nuke it and it will become dinner. Just sayin :) But seriously this is a way to not just eat white potatoes and cheese for dinner. Dip implies a bit of moderation compared to 'casserole'. haha!