Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots are the perfect finger food for a party or get-together. They’re sprinkled with a savory seasoning salt, then glazed with a Sriracha honey glaze and cooked to perfection in the air fryer.

The only thing about these bacon-wrapped tater tots that you won’t like is how fast they fly off the plate. Of course, we all know that bacon makes everything better, and that’s definitely the case with these delicious appetizers.

Why You’ll Love It

• They’re more substantial then most appetizers, and you won’t want to eat more than a handful, the convenient bite-sized portions are easy to serve and enjoy at gatherings.
• They have a very unique flavor thanks to the combination of bacon and the honey sriracha glaze. Everyone will want the recipe!
• Bacon-wrapped tater tots are simple to prepare, requiring just a few ingredients and minimal cooking time. This makes them a convenient and satisfying appetizer option.

Yellen says: I made these for a party and everyone asked for the recipe!

Francine Donovan says: The bacon-wrapped tater tots were so good that I made them again the next day!

» Looking for more air fryer appetizers? You might try these  Crispy Sweet Potato Chips or Crispy Potato Skins!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Tater tots – Store bought tater tots are easy and convenient. Keep in mind that they can vary in size so you may need to adjust the cooking time.
• Bacon – Cut the bacon strips in half lengthwise. Bacon is a great ingredient for building flavor and adding a crunch to the outside of the tater tot.
• Seasoning salt – You can use a seasoned salt like Lowry’s or make your own dry rub. I use salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder.
• Honey – You want to select a good quality honey. Preferably one that is fresh and in liquid form. Honey can get crystallized over time, which won’t work as well for this sauce.
• Sriracha – The most important ingredient in this sauce is the Sriracha. I prefer Huy Fung Foods Sriracha with the rooster on the bottle. Another brand that’s good is Flying Goose Sriracha with the goose on the bottle.

Expert Tips to Follow

• Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Things cook best in the air fryer if the air can circulate around the food.
• If the bacon won’t stay wrapped you can secure the bacon ends together with a toothpick.
• I use a parchment paper round on the bottom of my air fryer to keep them from sticking and it makes for easier clean-up.
• If your bacon is cooking too fast and looks like it might burn, you can turn down the heat to 320 degrees F and continue cooking.

How to Make Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots

Step 1: Season the tots

Sprinkle the seasoning salt evenly over the tater tots and toss to coat each piece.

Step 2: Wrap in bacon

Cut the bacon strips in half lengthwise. This will give you two long strips. Wrap one strip around each tater tot. You want to wrap it around the tot twice, so that it still covers the whole tot once it’s cooked. The bacon shrinks quite a bit.

You might find that your bacon is long enough to cut the strips in two. It’s better to only use half a strip of bacon per tot, if the full strip will wrap around more than twice. You don’t want the bacon to be too thick to cook properly.

Step 3: Make the glaze

This is an easy-to-make sauce of just Sriracha and honey. No extras are needed. These two ingredients together are magic. Just mix them together in a small bowl.

Add the tots to a bowl and drizzle on the glaze. Toss to coat each piece in the glaze.

Step 4: Air fry

Add the tater tots to the air fryer. I use a parchment paper round on the bottom of my air fryer to keep them from sticking. If you don’t have one, spray the basket before putting in the tater tots.

Air fryer on 350° F(176°C) for 10-13 minutes, until the bacon is browned and the tots are crispy. Do keep in mind that every air fryer cooks at a different rate, so you’re might take more or less time than mine. I find that mine cooks fairly hot, so I would say that 10 minutes is the low end of the cook time.

If the bacon is browning too quickly and the inside of the tot isn’t hot yet, you can turn down the heat to 320° F(160°C) and continue cooking.

Serve with more of the spicy glaze as a dipping sauce.

What is the Best Bacon to Use?

The best kind of bacon to use for bacon-wrapped tater tots is a thick-cut bacon. This type of bacon is ideal because it will not only hold up better during cooking, but it will also provide more flavor to the tater tots.

Not every bacon is the same size, so you might need to adjust the amount of bacon you wrap around each tot. For instance, a shorter slice will probably require a full piece (cut in half lengthwise). If you have longer slices, you can usually cut the long strip in half and use it to wrap 2 pieces.

So you will need anywhere from 5 to 10 strips of bacon to wrap 20 tots, depending on the size of your bacon.

Is it Better to Use Frozen or Defrosted Tater Tots?

We used frozen tater tots when we made this recipe. Its easier to wrap them and keep them from falling apart if they’re frozen. However, they didn’t get as hot inside during cooking as when the tots are thawed. I would suggest wrapping them, then letting them sit for about 20 minutes to thaw slightly before cooking. This will deliver the best outcome.

How To Store and Reheat

These bacon-wrapped tater tots are really best eaten as they come out of the air fryer. They are best when crispy and hot. If you have some leftover wait until they cool completely and place them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat them place them in the air fryer at 400° F(204°C) for 5 minutes. Check the temperature and add a minute or two more if needed.

Questions About the Recipe

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