Sheet Pan Nachos

The BEST nachos recipe! Made with creamy queso, chili-spiced taco meat, and tons of fresh fixings, it's the ultimate game day or party appetizer.

If you’re watching the Super Bowl this weekend, you have to make this nachos recipe. If you’re not watching the Super Bowl this weekend, you still have to make this nachos recipe. Jack and I may not be football fans, but we are fans of football food. These loaded nachos are our latest obsession. They’re quick and easy to make, and they’re a veritable explosion of flavor and texture. You get something crispy, something creamy, something bright, and something spicy in every bite! Whether you serve them as a party appetizer or as dinner for two, they’ll disappear in no time.

Plus, while I wouldn’t necessarily call these nachos health food, they are a cut above your average nachos plate. Instead of smothering them in melted Monterey jack or cheddar cheese, I top them in a gooey plant-based cheese sauce that’s totally dairy-free! I swap my favorite vegan taco meat for ground beef and add a big pile of veggies as a final finishing touch. As far as game day food goes, they’re pretty darn good for you, so go ahead and dig in!

Nachos Recipe Components

To make this nachos recipe, pile these components onto a tray of your favorite corn tortilla chips:

• Nacho cheese – Instead of topping my nachos with melted shredded cheese, I make an oozy, gooey vegan queso. A creamy blend of sweet potatoes, potatoes, cashews, and nutritional yeast, it’s just as good as the real thing. To give your nachos a smoky, spicy kick, blend a chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce into the cheese.
• Taco meat – I have two go-to plant-based taco meat recipes, and both are delicious on these nachos. One is a meaty, chili-spiced mix of shiitake mushrooms and walnuts. The other uses a store bought plant-based ground meat substitute. Cooked with a homemade taco seasoning blend of chili powder, onion powder, and cumin, it’s lightly spicy, hearty, and savory. Whichever way you go, you won’t be disappointed!

Then, finish your tray of nachos with fresh toppings. I like to add cilantro and green onions, radishes for crunch, tomatoes for juiciness, serranos or jalapeños for heat, avocado for extra creaminess, and pickled red onions for a bright pop of flavor. Enjoy!

Best Nachos Tips

• Assemble them right before serving. These nachos are best right after you put them together, when the chips are crispy and the cheese sauce and “ground beef” mixture are still warm, so assemble them just before you’re ready to eat! If they sit for too long, the chips will soften under the queso.
• Leave no chip un-topped! One of my pet peeves is eating the top layer of a loaded nacho plate and finding a stack of bare chips underneath. To make an exceptional nacho tray, make sure to layer the fixings throughout, getting a little something on each chip.
• Change them up! The topping combination listed below is dynamite, but there are so many different fixings that would be delicious here. Use guacamole instead of the avocado, or swap pico de gallo for the diced tomatoes and scallions. Instead of serranos, top the nachos with pickled jalapeños, or replace the taco “meat” with black beans or refried beans. Try adding dollops of cashew sour cream, or, for a surprising sweet twist, finish them with mango or pineapple salsa. Let me know what variations you try!