Chili casserole made with frozen tater tots is a simple dinner that’s easy to assemble, budget-friendly, and perfect for busy weeknights when you need a filling meal everyone will eat.

This tater tot chili casserole is a cozy, family-friendly dinner made with hearty chili, plenty of melted cheese, and a crispy tater tot topping that everyone loves.

close-up view of easy chili tater tot casserole served on a white plate, garnished with peppers, onions, and sour cream.

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If there is one dinner you can count on when life feels extra busy, it’s chili tater tot casserole.

It’s one of those cozy, filling, meals that makes everyone happy the minute it hits the table. You get that hearty, meaty chili layered with plenty of melted cheese, all topped off with crispy tater tots.

It’s simple comfort food at its best and exactly the kind of recipe you’ll want to reach for on hectic weeknights.

What you’ll really love about this casserole is how easy it is to pull together. The chili comes together quickly on the stovetop, or you can use a favorite homemade chili if you already have one ready to go (a great way to use up leftover chili!).

Once everything is layered up, the oven does the rest!

Kids and adults alike are fans of this casserole, and you’ll appreciate that it’s hearty enough to keep everyone full and satisfied.

More Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love:

Spatula resting in the casserole dish of chili tater tot bake.

Customizing Chili Tater Tot Casserole

One of the things I love about a good casserole is how easy it is to customize.

You can make this chili casserole with frozen tater tots just as written, but there’s also plenty of room to make it your own.

If you want to bulk it up a bit, adding an extra can of drained beans is a simple option. Chili beans, kidney beans, or black beans all work well and can help stretch the meal further, but you can just as easily leave them out and stick with a rich, meaty chili base.

You can also sneak in a few extra veggies if you want. Finely diced bell peppers, zucchini, or even shredded carrots blend right into the chili and are hardly noticeable once everything bakes together.

When it comes to cheese, cheddar is a classic, but Colby Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican-style blend are great swaps.

For serving, dress up your chili tater tot casserole with sour cream, sliced green onions, or a few sliced jalapeños for an extra pop of flavor.

More Recipes Using Frozen Hash Browns:

Mexican tater tot casserole on a white plate, with the baking dish of remaining casserole in the background.

How to Make Chili Tater Tot Casserole

It’s really easy to whip up this crowd-pleasing dinner.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ground Beef
Onion
Minced Garlic
Chili Beans
Diced Tomatoes
Tomato Sauce
Chili Powder
Cumin
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Frozen Tater Tots

close-up view of taco tater tot casserole on a white plate, garnished with green onions, jalapenos, and sour cream.

How to Make It:

Find the full printable recipe available below

Prepare the chili. First, you’ll cook the ground beef and diced onions until the beef is browned and onions are translucent, breaking the beef apart as it cooks. Drain excess grease.

Add the minced garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in drained chili beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Stir and simmer for 5–7 minutes.

two photos; one shows cooked ground beef and onions in a skillet, with minced garlic added; the other shows beans, tomatoes, and seasonings added to the beef mixture.

Layer chili and cheese. Then, you’ll spread the chili mixture evenly into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the meat mixture.

two photos; one shows chili spread into the bottom of a casserole dish; the other shows cheese sprinkled over the chili.

Top with tots and bake. Then, you’ll arrange tater tots in a single layer over the cheese, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the tots.

Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, or until tater tots are golden and crispy.

Then serve and enjoy!

two photos; one shows overhead view of shredded cheese sprinkled over tater tots in a casserole dish; the other shows the casserole after baking and the cheese topping has melted.

Notes and Adaptations:

If desired, you can garnish with sour cream, sliced green onions, or jalapeños for extra flavor.
Whenever possible, I prefer to shred my own cheese, as it melts so much better than packaged shredded cheese. But if you’re in a time crunch, using a bag of pre-shredded cheese will work just fine!
Leftovers can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.