Chili Cheese Tots are a perfect snack or side dish to make in your Air Fryer. The super crispy tater tots are covered with a thick layer of chili then piled high with melty cheesy.

Disclosure – I may get a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

Key to Success #1 – Crisp Up the Tater Tots First
For these Air Fryer Chili Cheese Tots, you’ll start by cooking your tater tots in your Air Fryer (this one is top-rated on Amazon right now!).
Tater Tots take about 25-30 minutes at 400 degrees F to get nice and crispy.
TIP! For extra crispy tater tots, spray the frozen tots lightly with olive oil after you put them into the air fryer basket.
After cooking the tater tots for about 15 minutes, shake the air fryer basket firmly to redistribute the tots.
Shaking will help the tater tots get crispy on all sides.

Key to Success #2 – Heat the Chili Before Pouring Over Tots
You can use your favorite chili with these Air Fryer Chili Cheese Tots.
Whether you are using homemade chili or canned, it’s important to warm the chili before topping your tots.
You want your chili to be warmed in advance so that your tater tots don’t get soggy while you’re waiting for your chili to warm up.
Adding hot chili to the tots allows your cheese to melt and get all bubbly very quickly.
You can find some great Air Fryer Accessory pack options that have a pan that was perfect for these Chili Cheese Tater Tots.
I have these air fryer accessories and the barrel cake pan with the handle works great.

Key to Success #3 – Don’t Burn the Cheese
After you add the hot chili and the melted cheese to your Chili Cheese Tots, pop the pan back into your Air Fryer and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
Watch your tots carefully to make sure the cheese doesn’t burn.
Once the cheese is all melty and bubbly, your Chili Cheese Tots are ready to be devoured.
You can share them if you want, but I don’t know why you would!

Save this Air Fryer Chili Cheese Tots recipe to your favorite Air Fryer board or your Yummy Snacks board!


Air Fryer Chili Cheese Tots
Chili Cheese Tots are a perfect snack or side dish to make in your Air Fryer. The super crispy tater tots are covered with a thick layer of chili then piled high with melty cheesy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2-2 cups tater tots, frozen
- 1/2 cup or more chili
- 1/3 cup cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees F.
- Place tater tots in a single layer in the basket of air fryer. Spray lightly with olive oil. Cook tater tots for 15 minutes. Shake basket to redistribute tater tots. Cook another 10-15 minutes until tater tots are crispy.
- Pour tater tots into a heat-safe pan or plate and top with hot chili and shredded cheese. Place pan back into Air Fryer and cook 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Got an Air Fryer? Check out these other great Air Fryer recipes.
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings