Dairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole Made Easy with Simple Swaps

Updated June 2024! I’m always on the lookout for quick weeknight meals, especially during the busy spring season. If a recipe is easy enough for my kids to make for dinner, that’s even better. One classic casserole I’d never tried making dairy-free was Tater Tot Casserole (or Tater Tot Hotdish, depending on where you are from). After a few attempts, I’m happy to say I have an easy Dairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole recipe to share.

Dairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole Made Easy with Simple Swaps

I made some adjustments to the recipes I found to make this beloved casserole dairy free and optionally vegan. I also tested out some different options.

No Cheese Needed

Tater tot casseroles often have a cheese layer between the meat and tater tots. After taste testing, I decided a dairy-free cheese layer didn’t really add anything to the casserole (except additional cost!), so I eliminated it.

Turkey & Vegan Options

Initially, I thought a vegan ground meat substitute made the most sense as a meat substitute. I discovered that simply replacing the ground meat with a variety of vegetables works well, too. The flavor reminded me of a vegetable shepherd’s pie. Either vegan substitute works well.

Veggie Add-Ins

Any vegetable you like can be used for the meat version. In the casserole photographed here I added frozen corn because that’s what I had on hand. I usually add frozen or canned green beans. Peas or a frozen mixed vegetable medley are good, too.

Easy Cream of Swap

For the “cream of” soup in the filling, I’m partial to Alisa’s Classic Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Healthy Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup. Both are from Go Dairy Free: The Ultimate Guide and Cookbook, but she shared the recipes online, too!

Dairy-Free Tater Tots

All of the plain tater tot brands at my local stores are made without any milk ingredients, Ore Ida, McCain, Great Value (Walmart), and some of the other store brands. Veggie tots and other types of potato puffs often contain milk, so always read the label. For a sweet potato version, Alexia Sweet Potato Puffs are made without milk (some of their other potato puffs contain milk). You can also make your own with our Dairy-Free Tater Tots Recipe. Homemade is a great way to avoid additives and allergens, and this recipe is also baked, not fried!

Special Diet Notes: Tater Tot Casserole

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, optionally gluten-free, optionally nut-free, soy-free, optionally vegan, and optionally vegetarian.

Sarah Hatfield

Dairy-Free Tater Tot Casserole

5 from 1 vote

This is a great make-ahead recipe that you can even freeze in advance. We keep it simple, but feel free to make it your own with additional seasonings, vegetables, or even dairy-free cheese. If using a cheese alternative, I recommend sprinkling it on top of the meat mixture, under the tots.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Calories:

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 pound ground beef turkey, or vegan ground “meat”
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 ½ to 2 cups cooked vegetables such as frozen or canned green beans,
• corn peas, or a combination
• 1 ¼ cups prepared dairy-free condensed cream soup see below
• 1 pound frozen tater tots

Method

 

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or pan.
2. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion and meat together until the meat is cooked through and the onions are softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Season the mixture with the salt and pepper.
4. Stir the vegetables and the prepared cream soup into the meat mixture until combined.
5. Evenly spread the casserole filling into your prepared baking dish.
6. Lay the tater tots on the top of the casserole in a single layer. There may be a few tater tots left over.
7. Bake the casserole uncovered until the filling is heated through and the tater tots are golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.
8. Cool, cover, and refrigerate any leftovers for up to 2 days.

Notes

Dairy-Free Cream of Soups: I use Alisa's Dairy-Free Classic Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe or Healthy Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup Recipe from Go Dairy Free: The Ultimate Guide and Cookbook, on page 291. But she also has an Instant Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe online that works well.

All-Veggie Option: For a vegan option without a meat alternative, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. And increase the vegetable mixture in the recipe to 4 to 5 cups.

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