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Satisfy the kid in you with vegan chili cheese tater tots. So messy & delicious, it ticks all the pleasure sensors! Serve it as an appetizer or a full meal on its own. Vegan & gluten-free.
After the long holidays, it’s time to ease back into regular life. Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, but the cooking, traveling, wrapping, and tying can wear a person out.
After cookie and pot pie making, it’s nice to settle into normal again with something easy like vegan chili cheese tater tots. Plus, it’s a great way to repurpose leftovers in the most mouthwatering of ways.
As is our tradition, we kept it casual on New Year’s Eve and had a couple of friends over for food and games.
(Does anyone really do that When Harry Met Sally, formal New Year’s Eve thing in real life? I haven’t done it yet, but maybe someday.)
While we waited for the ball to drop the iPhone to glow 12:00, we munched on lazy vegan crab rangoons, tater tots made in the air fryer, taco pizza, and chili dog pizza.
Vegan chili cheese tater tots
The next day I had plenty of chili left over since my chili dog pizza recipe only requires a cup of three bean chili for each pizza.
(By the way, my three bean chili was the third most popular post on my blog in 2016 behind this and this, and the most popular recipe! So if you’re a chili fan, check it out.)
Leftover chili works especially well on these tots, because it thickens as it sets. No one wants a soggy tot! (Words to live by.)
Watch this video to see how to make vegan three bean chili:
As I mentioned in my last post, I am looking for any excuse these days to fire up the new air fryer I got for Christmas. So I thought I’d give the remaining tots another spin with these vegan chili cheese tater tots.
(Don’t have an air fryer? Of course, you can make your tots in the oven or a traditional fryer instead.)
By the way, while I call them tater tots, the name on the bag of the kind I use is organic spud puppies. Apparently tater tots is a brand name like Kleenex or Xerox.
The final layer on the tots is creamy cashew queso. This cashew queso is my go-to recipe whenever I’m making nachos. (You can see it in action on these breakfast nachos.)
Even if you don’t have chili on hand, the queso is great on its own for dunking tots or chips on your next Taco Tuesday.
When I was a kid, I hate, hate, hated leftovers. If you have anyone in your house who is generally opposed to leftovers like I was, this should cure that problem.
I mean, who could be sad about this?
A layer of tots,
A ladle full of chili,
Creamy cashew queso,
A sprinkling of green onions,
And a few dashes of hot sauce would not go amiss. (Here are my three top hot sauces!)
I recommend serving each person her/his own portion, because this messy dish definitely requires a fork for optimum scooping.
These chili cheese tater tots are a serious crowd pleaser. The crisp exterior of the tots with the spicy chili and creamy queso melds in the most beautiful way.
And of course, if you’re a person who invites people over to watch sports, this would be great next to the pierogi quesadillas or vegan mini macs.
Vegan chili cheese tater tots
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tater tots
- 4 cups Vegan three bean chili
- 1/2 cup raw cashews*
- 1 cup water
- Half vegetable 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.**
- 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. 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.
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. Plus, JL from JL Goes Vegan is in the process of writing a vegan air fryer cookbook!
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! 😀
Kristina says
oh man! we are going to be snowed in this weekend – I wonder if I can run out to get tots before the snow comes??! 🙂
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!