Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole
Discover the ultimate comfort food with this delicious Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole! This easy recipe for busy weeknights combines savory ground beef, creamy cheese, and crispy tater tots for a meal everyone will love. Set it and forget it, then enjoy a hearty dinner with minimal effort.
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Servings | Prep Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | 3 hours high/6 hours low | 6 | Beginner + |
What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s a straightforward and easy recipe to make. Most of the ingredients are pantry ingredients.
- It’s a hearty meal that even the pickiest eaters love.
Ingredients
- Butter
- Diced onion
- Minced garlic
- Ground beef
- Salt and black pepper
- Sour cream
- Condensed cream of chicken soup
- Shredded cheese
- Milk
- Frozen tater tots
Full printable recipe with measurements and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
How To Make the Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole
Start by adding about half of the tater tots to the bottom of the slow cooker and spread them out. Next, cook the onions and garlic until translucent in a large skillet on medium heat. Then, brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. Drain the grease.
Mix the beef, salt, pepper, sour cream, condensed soup, milk, and one cup of shredded cheese until combined. Pour over the tater tots in the slow cooker.
Next, top the meat mixture with the remainder of the shredded cheese. Then, add the rest of the tater tots on top of the cheese. Place the lid on top and bake on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
If you want crispy tater tots, stick the Crock Pot “crock” under the broiler for about five minutes (make sure your Crock Pot is safe in the oven and only place the crock inside. Do not place the lid in the oven).
More Delicious Beef Dinners
- These slow cooker sloppy joes are the kind of throw-together beefy meal that still feels like a treat.
- Dinner is done in a flash with these 30-minute beef and noodles that are both fast and filling.
- You’ll want seconds of this crock pot beef and gravy that’s rich, savory, and slow-cooked to perfection.
- Creamy and cheesy, this crock pot cheeseburger soup has all the flavors of a burger in one cozy bowl.
Optional Ingredients
Sometimes it’s fun to switch things up a bit and change the flavor of the dish. Here are a few ideas.
- Add some taco seasoning to the beef.
- Use ground turkey for a lower-fat dinner.
- Switch out the ground beef for shredded chicken.
- Worcestershire sauce for a kick of flavor.
- Bell peppers diced into the dinner.
Crock Pot Tater Tot Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1/3 cup diced onion
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup milk
- 28 ounce bag frozen tater tots
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the Crock Pot with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cook the onions and garlic in a large skillet on medium heat until translucent (about five minutes).
- Next, add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain the grease.
- Add the salt and pepper, sour cream, soup, milk, and one cup of cheese and mix well.
- Add about 1/2 of the tater tots to the bottom of the Crock Pot and spread them out.
- Pour the meat mixture over the tater tots and spread it out.
- Top with the remaining cheese.
- Next, top with the rest of the tater tots.
- Place the lid on top and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- If you want crispy tater tots at the end, remove the lid and place the crock in the oven for about five minutes on the broil setting. Make sure your crock is safe in the oven. (Do not add the entire Crock Pot or lid).
Can you cook this in a 9 x 13 pan in the oven?
Hi Joan,
Here’s the oven version. https://www.backtomysouthernroots.com/tater-tot-casserole-recipe/
Hope you love it!
Hi Julie, this is Madelyn Lenard. I realize, after re-reading my comment, I might have put this in the wrong place. Oh well. Here’s my comment:. I cook with only a slow cooker (crockpot). So when I saw the recipe for turkey tenderloins in an air pot (?) I was frustrated because although I am a pretty creative cook, some recipes are more difficult to convert and I have no idea what an AirPod is!I noticed that on some recipes I have seen you will put an alternative method for cooking using different equipment. I would’ve loved to see the same recipe for the turkey tenderloin using a slow cooker. So here’s your challenge: I would love to see a frozen turkey breast, fresh green beans, and tater tots with maybe a bit of sour cream, all done in a slow cooker. Are you up for the challenge? Thanks!
That sounds like a great challenge! I will do that in the near future!