These bacon-wrapped Tater Tots are baked in an air fryer, which is basically a small, high powered convection oven. The convection, or air flow, helps crisp whatever you are making.
An air fryer is great for heating up appetizers from the freezer section, or for making your own homemade snacks, mains, and side dishes. You can even use it for baking! My favorite dish to make in an air fryer is chicken wings. It really crisps them up and cooks them so fast.
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Tater Tots.
My favorite Tater Tot recipes include individual breakfast casseroles, freezer breakfast burritos, this breakfast Tater Tot casserole, and this cowboy casserole.
While I love homemade versus convenience food, number one on my "I'm not sure it's worth the trouble because the store bought version is delicious" list: Tater Tots.
Making my own Tater Tots is still on the table, just for a challenge, but in the meantime, the store bought ones are such a guilty pleasure!
How to Make Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs:
I made these honey chipotle bacon wrapped Tater Tot bombs totally on a whim. I wanted to play around with my new air fryer (affiliate link) so I pulled out the little recipe book that came with it and found a recipe for bacon wrapped tater tots.
I decided to dress the recipe up with honey and chipotle chile to add some sweet and spicy flavors to this delicious and easy appetizer. These things were sinfully good.
Just cut some bacon strips in half width-wise, brush them with some warm honey, and sprinkle them with chipotle powder. Wrap the bacon around frozen Tater Tots, secure with a toothpick, and cook them in your air fryer for 8 to 14 minutes.
More about air fryers:
The reason for the large spread in cooking time is because not all air fryers are the same. Some need preheating and some don't, for example. The first time I made these, they took 14 minutes in the Avalon Bay air fryer, which also required preheating (see photo below).
I recently tried this recipe in the Philips Avance brand, which does not require preheating (at twice the price). In this case, the cooking time only took 8 minutes. There are lots of air fryers on the market that I haven't tried, but I would recommend both of the ones I've cited.
Air fryers are pretty convenient, especially when you are cooking for two or when don't what to turn on a full size oven. They are actually pretty mess free too and the basket is easy to clean. A great recipe book is Air Fryer Perfection from America's Test Kitchen.
This post has been spiffed up from September, 2017, with new photos, verbiage, and recipe card, plus, I got to serve and taste these again!
This month, the Fantastical Food Fight is all about Honey. Did you know that September is National Honey Month? To celebrate, we are posting recipes that include honey!
Be sure to check out what the rest of the group made.
Air Fryer Honey Chipotle Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs
Yield: 8 servings
These Air Fryer Honey Chipotle Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs are both savory and sweet. Just imagine taking a slice of bacon, brushing it with honey, sprinkling it with chipotle chile, and wrapping it around a Tater Tot.
ingredients:
- 8 slices of bacon
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
- 16 frozen Tater Tots
instructions:
How to cook Air Fryer Honey Chipotle Bacon Wrapped Tater Tot Bombs
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the slices of bacon in half, widthwise. Lay the the bacon slices out on a plate next to each other.
- Warm the honey in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Brush it over the bacon slices.
- Sprinkle the honey brushed bacon evenly with the chipotle powder.
- Wrap each Tater Tot with the seasoned bacon and place each seam side down on the plate. Don't wrap too tightly. Secure the bottom of each with a toothpick.
- Place 8 of the wrapped tots in the air fryer basket and cook for 8 to 14 minutes, checking after 8 minutes for doneness. Repeat with the second half of the wrapped tots. Remove toothpicks and serve immediately. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or toaster oven.
Calories
110.36
110.36
Fat (grams)
5.56
5.56
Sat. Fat (grams)
1.66
1.66
Carbs (grams)
11.35
11.35
Fiber (grams)
0.36
0.36
Net carbs
10.99
10.99
Sugar (grams)
6.57
6.57
Protein (grams)
4.29
4.29
Sodium (milligrams)
271.81
271.81
Cholesterol (grams)
11.38
11.38
Karen's Kitchen Stories
I would like to hear more about your air fryer Karen. Are you pleased with it? Do you use it very often? Does the food really taste fried or is it more like "frying" in the oven? Regardless, I am drooling over these tater tots!!
ReplyDeleteI love it Wendy. I don't think I ever would have bought it but Air n Water offered to give me one to participate in their campaign and I'm really happy I got it. I have used it more than I expected. It's like a really strong convection oven. Sally of Bewitching Kitchen has posted some healthy recipes on her blog you should check out.
DeleteWhoa! These look super! I am intrigued by the air fryer as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of fun Amy! You don't "need" one to make these, but it's pretty cool.
DeleteLove this! Too bad the "kids" are not around anymore, I would not be making them for Phil and I only... oh, well - maybe I should
ReplyDeleteglad to see you having air-fryer fun! I am still enjoying mine quite a bit!
I am definitely having fun with it!
DeleteYum! I keep hearing good things about an air fryer but I really don't need another kitchen gadget.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I don't think it's necessary, but it sure is a lot of fun.
DeleteWHOA! these look great. i bet they taste even better!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah. They do!!
DeleteI really need to get an air fryer - I keep finding delicious-looking recipes like this!!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of fun to cook with. I know it's a bit of a novelty, but the results are very tasty!
DeleteThe perfect combination of fried, salty, sweet goodness! I've been toying with the idea of getting an air fryer, however, I feel like I would probably pack on a million pounds from eating foods I usually feel too guilty to eat! Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck - Colleen
ReplyDeleteHa ha! So true Colleen.
Deletewoow that looks really yum... better than fried ones
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteKaren, I totally agree with you on mayonnaise! :-D Always wanted to get an air fryer as we tend to deep fry a lot but never heard good review until now. May be I should give it a thought... I love chipotle and honey and that potato puffs or tarter tot can never go wrong..
ReplyDeleteI've had a lot of fun with it! It's not exactly like deep fried. I made some chicken wings in it and they turned out great.
DeleteThese look so good- I need an air fryer! These would be a big hit for football Sundays!
ReplyDeleteThey totally would!
DeleteOh my WORD!! These looks INSANELY GOOD!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michaela!
DeleteOh my! I'm salivating.... If you have a mo it would be great if you shared this with Food on friday under the pot luck theme. Cheers from carole's chatter
ReplyDeleteThanks Carole! I stopped by and left a couple of links!
DeleteGREAT LOOKING BACON WRAPPINGS
ReplyDeleteCHEERS
SILVIO
Thanks.
DeleteI love honey paired with spicy foods. They are such a good match together :) Adding bacon and tots?! Heck yes! I also love that these are air-fried. Just a winning combination of all the right elements, if you ask me :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah!
DeleteI too have an air fryer and the only thing I do is making my french fries in it and occasionally frying chicken! :D An underutilized impulse purchase... hehe... these look like a nice starter with a slight tinge of honey...
ReplyDeleteI've been guilty of that too =)
DeleteThose tots look so delicious! I would love to snack on them right now!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, my husband and son would fight over these. So simple yet so goooood!
ReplyDeleteThat went on in our house too =)
DeleteI think I've already expressed my love of these in the past, but man, they look amazingly yummy!!
ReplyDeleteYou did! Thanks so much for stopping by again!
DeleteGreat game day or appetizer for any occasion. Bacon and Tator tots!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWow! Now that's an appetizer sure to please a crowd! Who doesn't like bacon and tots?
ReplyDeleteRight? So good!
DeleteSweet, spicy, and bacon sound like one amazing combo! I love how easy the air fryer makes this dish.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a great and fun appliance!
DeleteThese look amazing and so easy to make! They are the perfect treat for parties!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteOh my do these ever sound like a delicious bite! I love how crispy that bacon looks!
ReplyDelete