Creamy Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole
Budget-Friendly Recipe
This delicious, easy creamy cheesy Tater Tot casserole is the perfect food to make when you have a lot of hungry people to feed. Add some meat and vegetables, and you have what’s also known as a Tater Tot hotdish. Sometimes I add green beans or peas to the casserole for extra nutrition and flavor.

I highly recommend reading this entire post before you begin preparing the recipe. However, if all you want is the list of ingredients with full directions, please either click on the jump-to-recipe button above or scroll to the bottom of this post.
Ingredients
You probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry. Of course, the main thing you’ll need is a pack of frozen Tater Tots.

Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need:
- Tater Tots
- Cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom soup)
- Sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
- Milk
- Melted butter
- Garlic powder
- Onion Powder
For the topping, you’ll need shredded cheese, crushed potato chips, and bacon bits. I prefer medium or sharp cheddar, but use whatever cheese you have.

Directions
After you preheat your oven and spray your casserole dish with nonstick spray, it’s time to put the ingredients together. First, combine the soup, sour cream, milk, butter, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir until well mixed.

Carefully fold in the frozen Tater Tots until they are all coated. If they’ve thawed, even just a little bit, be careful not to break them.

Next, pour them into your casserole dish and spread them out as evenly as possible in a single layer. If you want more of a crust on the bottom, use a large skillet instead of a baking dish. The skillet I prefer is a large cast iron skillet.Heat the skillet before you add the ingredients to speed the process.

Even if you don’t add anything else, this will still be delicious. But wait! There’s more! Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t stop at delicious. I like to take it to the next level whenever I see an opportunity.

Next, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the mixture. Even if you stop here, it will be wonderful. But keep going! After the cheese (lots of cheddar cheese), sprinkle the crushed potato chips for more flavor and texture. Now you probably think it’s as good as it can get. But there’s one more thing!

Finally, top off your casserole with crispy bacon bits or diced ham. I used bacon because that something I always have it on hand in various forms (regular bacon, thick-sliced bacon, and packaged bacon bits). As you can probably imagine, this is going to be one of the most delicious things you’ve ever tasted!

Bake this casserole for about 45 minutes and serve it with any meat and vegetable or this yummy Greek olive and feta salad.
Tater Tot Casserole with Meat
Another one we enjoy is this hamburger Tater Tot casserole. It’s perfect for those times when you have a lot of hungry people. If you prefer, you can use ground turkey instead of hamburger meat. Make the hamburger with extra cheese for a cheeseburger Tater Tot casserole. Add a side salad and dessert, and you have a complete meal.
We really like a Tater Tot casserole as a side with chicken. One of our most recent favorites is this air fryer boneless chicken breast. The outside turns out crispy, while the inside stays juicy.
More Variations
If you want to add other ingredients, go right ahead. Here are other things I sometimes add:
- Green peppers
- Onions
- Jalapeno peppers
- Peas and carrots (frozen or canned)
This dish is good for any meal, including breakfast. Serve it with a side of toast or biscuits for a real treat. It’s a great way to start the day!
Whenever I host a sports watching party, I like to include this casserole. It’s a delicious side with any beef, chicken, pork, or fish dish. This time we had it with these scrumptious Buffalo wings. For the ultimate comfort food dinner, enjoy this casserole with some of this yummy meatloaf from Julia’s Simply Southern.
Quick Tips
Here are some ways to take your Tater Tot casserole from delicious to out-of-this-world amazing:
- Drain excess fat from the meat. Do this immediately after browning it.
- Season the cooked meat. Add salt, pepper, and other spices before you add it to the casserole.
- Preheat the oven. Do this before you bake the casserole.
- Add more Tater Tots. Sometimes extra people show. up for dinner, especially if you have teenagers. I’ve never heard anyone complaining about having too many Tater Tots.
- Sprinkle more cheese over the top. I like to use several different types of cheese when I have them. And cheese lovers will appreciate the extra cheesiness.
- Decorate the top of the casserole. After baking the casserole, add your favorite garnish, such as parsley, sliced black olives, or bacon bits.
Tater Tots – the Perfect Comfort Food
I love serving casseroles that the whole family enjoys. Not only do I know that they’re eating the food they like but they’ll have great memories of sitting at the table with the people they love. Trust me when I say people will want seconds of everything. If you have kids, especially teenage boys, you can count on them asking for seconds … maybe even thirds!
For a meal that only takes a few minutes of prep, this is an easy casserole packed with ingredients you can find at any grocery store. Just don’t be surprised if the entire thing disappears in minutes because it’s such a delicious casserole!

What to Serve with a Tater Tot Casserole
As I mentioned, you can serve this delicious cheesy casserole with any meat you like. It’s wonderful with beef, pork, chicken, or seafood. It’s especially good with these crispy air fryer chicken thighs. The creamy cheese balances the crunch of the chicken in the most delightful way.
If you can stand an entire plateful of deliciousness, serve it with this slow cooker pork tenderloin. Add a side salad or some steamed green beans, and you have something your family will ask for again and again. This casserole is the perfect side dish to go with this air fryer barbecued chicken. The balance of flavors will send your tastebuds into orbit!
Be sure to make enough for leftovers the next day … because you can’t have too much of this cheesy Tater Tot casserole. It’s that good!
How to Store Leftover Tater Tot Casserole
Chances are, you won’t have leftovers. However, if you do make more than you can eat, this hearty casserole is just as good the next day. Either cover the casserole dish in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze leftover Tater Tot casserole. Just make sure it’s in an airtight container that doesn’t allow air to seep in.
Easy Side Dish or Main Dish for Large Crowds
When you have a lot of hungry mouths to feed, make this budget-friendly but delicious cheesy Tater Tot casserole. Everyone will leave the table happy and well fed.
Creamy Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole

This creamy cheesy Tater Tot casserole takes potatoes to a whole new level of deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a 32-oz. package of frozen Tater Tots
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 2 tablespoons of milk (whatever kind you have on hand)
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 cup of crushed plain potato chips
- 1/4 cup of bacon bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 and spray the bottom of a 7” x 11” casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, melted butter, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Fold in the Tater Tots and stir until they are all coated with the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the casserole dish.
- Sprinkle the cheese, potato chips, and bacon bits over the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 415Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 11gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 45mgSodium 1001mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 2gSugar 1gProtein 10g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.
Perfect side dish to your chicken strips! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – stay safe and healthy.
Your Creamy Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole looks delicious, our family will love this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome talent with us at Full Plate Thursday,and come back to see us soon!
Stay Healthy!
Miz Helen
Made recipe as written and baked 350 for 30 min. After tgat time checked with thermometer and tots were still fzn. Cooked for total of 60 min and it came out freat. Very tasty. Just adjust time. Good recipe.
Hi Steve. I’m glad your casserole turned out great! It’s one of our favorites around here.
Thank you for this simple, delicious recipe. I did need to cook it for closer to 60 min. My husband and I loved it!
Hi Sarah! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it! All ovens cook differently, and the one in my last house tended to cook hot, I think. We recently moved, and I haven’t yet figured this one out.
Can this be made the day ahead of when you want to cook and serve it?
Hi Cindy. Absolutely, yes! I’ve done this many times. In fact, I think it’s just as good, if not better, when you do that. Just make sure to cover it after you assemble the ingredients so it doesn’t dry out in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
@southernhomeexpress,
@southernhomeexpress,
Thank you for your response. I plan to make it this weekend!
If I make this a day ahead of time to cook on the next day will the tots thaw in the fridge? If so will it be mushy?
Hi Nancy. I’ve done that many times, and it always comes out delicious!
Love that this recipe (tater tot) is simple & delicious!!
I’ll be browsing Southern Home Express
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you find a lot of simple and recipes to try.
So I made it added ground beef added extra cream of chicken and sour cream and just a small squirt of of honey mustard so it’s not dry and omg it’s a million times better
Hi Amy. I’ll have to try that next time. It sounds delicious!
I can’t wait to try this! I was wondering, can I bake the tater tots so they are browned and crispy, and then follow the rest of the directions?
Hi Suzie. Yes, you can do that if you have time. It should turn out great!
When the store was sold out of hash browns, I had to settle for tater tots. This was a good substitute for the hashbrown casserole I had planned to make.
I’m glad you enjoyed the casserole!
This looks so delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us this week. You were one of the Top Ten features this week at Full Plate Thursday, 678! Hope you come back to see us soon!
Miz Helen
Your Creamy Cheesy Tater Tot Casserole has been featured on Full Plate Thursday, 739. Thanks so much for sharing with us and hope you will come back soon!
Miz Helen