These Sweet and Spicy Bacon Bombs are tater tots and pepper jack cheese wrapped in bacon and baked to a golden brown! The perfect appetizer all year round.
This recipe for Bacon Bombs is one of my all-time favorite appetizers and it will be the star of your party! Why? Because bacon, cheese, tater tots… shall I go on?
Craving something unique that is salty, sweet and a touch spicy? Well, you have come to the right place, these Sweet & Spicy Bacon Bombs are just what you need!
This recipe is over the top delicious and not for the faint of heart. I say if you want to splurge, then go all out! One of my biggest treats I go for when I want something savory is BACON. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on that one!
These Bacon Bombs are just oozing with everything you crave! Once you have one you’ll find that you just can’t resist and keep popping them in your mouth.
Plus they are super simple to throw together and you can make as little or as many as you’d like. Great for movie nights, game days, parties, and much more.
Some of my other favorite appetizer recipes we have on our site include: Pub Style Beer Cheese Dip, Parmesan Potatoes and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With only 5 ingredients it is easy to whip up.
- You can double the recipe for larger crowds or half it for just a smaller gathering.
- You can easily customize this recipe with your cheese preference.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Light brown sugar
Chipotle powder
Tater tots
Bacon
Pepper jack cheese
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish, optional
HOW TO MAKE SWEET & SPICY BACON BOMBS:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the brown sugar and chipotle powder on a small plate, set aside.
- Wrap a tater tot with a piece of the cheese loosely with bacon.
- Roll the entire thing in the brown sugar mixture.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet tray about 1 inch apart, seam side down. If there is any of the brown sugar mixture left, sprinkle it on top of the bombs.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Garnish with optional parsley and serve.
WHAT ARE BACON BOMBS?
Also known as a bacon explosion, a Bacon Bomb is traditionally some type of ground sausage wrapped in brown sugar bacon and put on a smoker.
This recipe for Sweet & Spicy Bacon Bombs is a play on the classic. Tater tots and pepper jack cheese wrapped in bacon and rolled in brown sugar and chipotle powder!
WHAT BACON IS BEST TO USE?
We use thick-cut bacon for this recipe. We find that it is just the right amount to encase the cheese and tater tots where it holds everything together without exploding.
You can use regular bacon, but the bacon will crisp quicker during the baking process so you will have to adjust your time.
DO I HAVE TO USE CHIPOTLE POWDER?
No, if you would rather not have the spice in this recipe it is not necessary to use the chipotle powder in it. They are great without it as we have had them without many times.
HOW TO STORE:
There are three different ways that you can store these Cheesy Bacon Bombs, making them ahead of time, freezing, and after baking.
- Ahead of time: You will want to assemble as directed, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The bake then as normal per instructions.
- After Baking: You will want to store any leftovers in an airtight container (if there are any) and place them in the refrigerator where they will keep up to 3-4 days, you can reheat in the microwave or the lowest setting on your oven.
- Freezing: To freeze these Bacon Bombs you can either bake them and freeze them or assemble and freeze them. Store in a freezer-safe container and they will keep for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator and bake like normal.
I’m appetizer obsessed so I immediately think of these first. But, these Bacon Bombs would be great at parties, lunch, or even dinner. Heck, there is basically a hash brown inside so yes, breakfast too!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can use either thick cut or regular bacon for these, if using thick cut add a little time to your baking.
- You can switch up your cheese to your preference, we just like to use pepper jack for that extra kick.
- If you are not a fan of heat you can decrease the chipotle pepper in this recipe, or increase if you want more.
- You can easily double this recipe or halve it for the number of people you are serving.
- You can freeze these before or after baking, see my tips above.
If you want a fun and easy appetizer recipe for literally any occasion then you need to make these delicious Sweet & Spicy Bacon Bombs ASAP!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these SWEET & SPICY BACON BOMBS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Bombs
Ingredients
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- 20 tater tots
- 10 slices thick-cut bacon cut in half
- 20 pieces pepper jack cheese thinly sliced to the size of a tater tot
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the brown sugar and chipotle powder on a small plate, set aside.
- Wrap a tater tot with a piece of the cheese loosely with bacon.
- Roll the entire thing in the brown sugar mixture.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet tray about 1 inch apart, seam side down. If there is any of the brown sugar mixture left, sprinkle it on top of the bombs.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Garnish with optional parsley and serve.
Notes
- Recipe is adapted from Dinner Then Dessert.
- You can use either thick cut or regular bacon for these, if using thick cut add a little time to your baking.
- You can switch up your cheese to your preference, we just like to use pepper jack for that extra kick.
- If you are not a fan of heat you can decrease the chipotle pepper in this recipe, or increase if you want more.
- You can easily double this recipe or halve it for the amount of people you are serving.
- You can freeze these before or after baking, see my tips above.
Comments & Reviews
Lauren says
These look amazing! I have kind of a silly question. Do you use still frozen tater tots? Or should I thaw or bake the tater tots first?
Dana DeVolk says
I used frozen but you can crisp them first if you want 🙂
Natasha says
I used the thick cut bacon. Next time I’m going to turn over the bacon bombs halfway through cooking. They burnt on the bottom. Maybe take it down to 375 and cook for a little longer.