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Satisfy the kid in you with loaded tater tots. They’re topped with chili & cashew queso. So messy & delicious, it ticks all the pleasure sensors! Serve it as an appetizer or a full meal on its own. Vegan & gluten-free.
The idea of leftovers for dinner got you down? Repurpose them instead!
Turn yesterday’s 3-bean chili into today’s loaded tater tots. Because you can’t be anything but happy about this pile of cheesy goodness with creamy, crisp, and spicy in every bite.
Satiating chili and creamy queso harmonize on top of a pile of tater tots.
(FYI: Tater tots are also known as potato gems or spud puppies. Buy whatever works for you. Or you can even try making your own!)
There’s guaranteed mmm’s in every bite.
3 bean chili
My 3 bean chili recipe is one of my most popular.
It’s a pantry-friendly, one pot meal that’s packed with black, pinto, and Great Northern beans. Added to the mix are onions, garlic, spices, and fire roasted tomatoes.
It’s warming, cozy, and inexpensive.
Leftover chili works especially well on these tots, because chili thickens as it sets. No one wants a soggy tot!
Make a batch of chili on Monday. Then on Tuesday for lunch, use the leftovers as a topping for loaded tater tots.
(Still have more chili left? Make a chili dog, chili dog pizza, or chili cheese dip!)
Cashew queso
Raw cashews are the base of this flavorful, velvety queso. Not only is it delicious on loaded tater tots, it also works beautifully as a dipping sauce for fries or tortilla chips.
You can make the cashew queso ahead of time for breakfast nachos or loaded vegan nachos. Then use the remaining amount for this dish.
Can’t eat cashews? Check out this old school flour-based queso instead. It’s the cheesy topping for fried puffy nachos. Or try a ladling of creamy cauliflower queso.
How to make it
Make tater tots according to the package directions. Or cook them in the air fryer.
To air fry, cook at 400 degrees for 6 to 10 minutes, stopping occasionally to shake the basket.
Now, move on to the cashew queso. Put the following into a high speed blender:
- Raw cashews
- Water
- Half of a vegetable bouillon cube (or ½ teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon)
- Nutritional yeast flakes
- White miso paste
- Cumin
- Ancho chili powder
- Salt
Blend until smooth.
Then transfer to a small pot. Bring the liquid to a medium heat, stirring constantly.
Let the liquid reduce and thicken. Once it has reached the consistency of gravy, remove it from the heat.
Make 3 bean chili from scratch. Or warm leftover chili.
Put tater tots on a platter or several individual plates. Then ladle on chili, queso, and a sprinkling of sliced green onions.
What if I don’t have a high-speed blender?
If you don’t have a high-speed blender for the queso, you’ll need to soften the raw cashews ahead of time.
Here are some ways to do that:
- You can soak the cashews in water for several hours ahead of time. Then drain them before continuing with the recipe.
- You can boil the cashews in water – either on the stove or in the microwave.
- You can grind the dry raw cashews in a coffee grinder. Grind until they are the consistency of flour. Then add them to your standard blender along with the other queso ingredients.
Make it your own
There are lots of ways you can vary the toppings on these loaded tater tots to personalize the dish.
Instead of making cashew queso, sprinkle on shredded non-dairy cheese. You can let the chili melt it, or pop the dish in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. (Hand-shredded Daiya cheddar block is my personal favorite.)
Instead of using 3-bean chili, use another variety. Make lentil chili or meatless chili with Soy Curls. In a pinch, you can even use canned vegetarian chili instead.
Instead of using tater tots, make chili cheese fries. You can either make a batch of oven baked french fries, or pop some frozen fries into the air fryer.
Can you freeze loaded tater tots?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing the completed dish with all of the components together, poured on top of one another.
However, you can freeze the components separately. Tater tots already come frozen, so that part is done. Chili freezes well, and so does cashew queso.
Simply put the chili & queso into freezer proof containers. Leave a little room at the top for them to expand as they freeze. They can be frozen for up to 6 months.
When you’re ready to eat, move them to the refrigerator to thaw. Or use the thaw function on your microwave.
If the cashew queso gets too thick because the liquid cooks off in the process of reheating, stir in a splash more of water, until it has your desired consistency. And remember to stir regularly for even reheating.
Other loaded tot ideas
Chili cheese tots are far from the only option!
- Make tater totchos (tater tot nachos). Add guacamole, tomatoes, jalapeños, and vegan sour cream. You can keep the chili, or replace it with spicy black beans.
- Make vegan reuben tots with corned jackfruit, sauerkraut, and a drizzle of Thousand island. (It’s similar to my reuben nourish bowl.)
- Make Philly cheesesteak tots with cashew cheese, sautéed onions, peppers, and seasoned jackfruit.
Loaded tater tots with chili & cashew queso
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tater tots
- 4 cups three bean chili
- 1/2 cup raw cashews*
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon, no chicken base or half of a bouillon cube
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Make tater tots according to package directions, or air fry them.To air fry the tater tots, put a cup or two of tater tots into the air fryer. Set at 400 degrees and air fry for 6 to 10 minutes, stopping to shake a few times for even browning. If you're making the full amount of this recipe, you'll have to do a couple of separate batches, so that you don't overcrowd.
- While the tater tots are cooking, make the cashew queso. Using a blender, blend raw cashews, water, half of a vegetable bouillon cube, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, cumin, ancho chili powder, and salt. Blend until totally smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer the cashew mixture to a small pot. Bring the pot to a medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for about 10 minutes. If it begins to simmer, lower the heat. Continue stirring and cooking until the cashew mixture has reduced and thickened, making a velvety smooth queso. You'll know it's done when it has reached the consistency of gravy. Remove from heat.
- On a large platter or four personal-sized plates, put a layer of tater tots, a cup of chili per person, queso, and a sprinkling of sliced green onions. Serve right away.
Notes
- Soak the cashews in water for several hours. Then drain and continue with the recipe.
- Boil the raw cashews in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. Then drain and continue with the recipe.
- Grind the dry raw cashews in a coffee grinder until they have the texture of flour. Then add them to the blender with the other queso ingredients.
Nutrition
Content, recipe, and photos updated October 2020. Originally posted January 2017.
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
It’s cold and rainy here today – I wish I had a big bowl of this right now!
Cadry says
Ah, yes, it would be perfect for a drizzly day!
Becky Striepe says
Holy moly, Cadry. I have got to make these. Tots are going right on my grocery list.
Cadry says
Yay! Thanks, Becky! I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe says
Happy New Year! That sounds really good – I love leftovers because they allow such creativity with minimum work! I haven’t had those “tater tots” for years but when we were young we called them potato gems. Which might we be the brand name that we bought in Australia. I should check!
Cadry says
I totally agree about leftovers. As much as I didn’t enjoy them as a kid, as an adult I really appreciate them. Plus, it’s easy to repurpose chili in a zillion different ways. Potato gems is such a cute name! I wish that would catch on here.
Shell says
What a easy, filling meal for this time of year. And I’m glad to see you were able to use the air fryer again! I have officially added the fryer to my Amazon wishlist.
Cadry says
Thanks, Shell! You’re absolutely right. It would be great for an appetizer, but I’ve been eating it as a standalone meal on its own. It’s got it all – carbs, protein, and some vegetables. Plus, it’s an ideal way to meet your tater tot needs for the day. 😉
I’m glad that my air fryer fever is catching on. I think you’d get a lot of use out of it, and I love how quickly things are ready in it.
Marlene says
This is the first recipe of yours I have made, and it was sooooo good. We ran out of tater tots (I only bought one bag and had none in “reserve”), but had extra chili and cheese, so I encouraged my husband to use some of the Late July Organic Sea Salt chips we had on hand from Costco for his next round and we liked those, too. But, there is something about those tots! And the cheese…I could go on and on about the cheese. Thank you so much for this recipe Cadry!
Cadry says
Oh, Marlene, that just makes my week! Thank you for sharing. I’m thrilled that you and your husband tried it and enjoyed it.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition says
I kind of want 3 plates of this right now!
Love the name organic spud puppies too!
Cadry says
Yes, isn’t that name cute? Spud puppies all around! 😀
Nicole says
Wow, I need and air fryer now! How did I not know about these?! I’ve been making tater tots a lot lately and do them in the toaster oven. They don’t come out very crispy though. I usually just do a little vegan mayo mixed with horseradish and dip them in that, but this chili cheese version sounds super fancy and delicious LOL. I have so many things I can think of trying in an air fryer now, this could be life-changing : )
Cadry says
I think air fryers are just starting to catch on. Over the past few months, I’ve been hearing about them more and more.
The air fryer does a great job with any frozen product I’ve thrown at it. So I think you’d be pleased with its tater tot results. I looooooove your idea for mayo & horseradish as a dip. I used to put that combo on Field Roast apple sage sausages, but I haven’t done that in a long while. Clearly, I need to pick up a jar of horseradish! 😀
Susan says
Organic spud puppies… that is fantastic. We call them potato gems here. I had no idea that Tater Tots was a TM name.
Cadry says
Yeah, me neither! It wasn’t really something I’d given any thought to until I was writing this post. That said, I wish potato gems would catch on here. That’s adorable!
Meghan says
This is honestly my favorite meal since the Switch. I’ve made it on numerous occasions, and I’ve goofed here and there, but it comes out perfect every time!
Cadry says
I am so thrilled to hear that, Meghan! Thank you for letting me know!
Jen says
Coming in late! Just made this entire recipe- the quest is great! I added a splash more hot sauce and lime j and BANG! GREAT!! Love tachos like no other on a Friday night… thanks for another great recipe Cadry!!
Cadry says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Jen! Your additions of extra hot sauce & lime juice sound delicious. Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
Janis Ware says
Nothing like an air fryer to remind you how much you loved tater tots! And this recipe adds a whole new dimension to the experience. It is so simple and so easy and so delicious! Love these great ideas for combining simple things into amazing dishes!
Cadry says
Yay! I’m thrilled to hear that, Janis. Thanks for the great feedback!