35+ Party-Ready Nacho Recipes

Shredded Chicken and Avocado Nacho Salad Recipe

Dinner doesn't get any easier than this five-ingredient salad. And it's bursting with Super Bowl Sunday potential.

Tuna Poke Nachos Recipe

Tuna is among the safest of fish to eat raw--it's not prone to parasites--but still, buy from a good market that knows how to handle properly.

Pulled Pork Barbecue Nachos Recipe

Brighten up your evening with fresh and colorful layered nachos made with our famous pulled pork.

Two-Cheese Veggie Nachos Recipe

We love the double-cheese contrast here: Shredded cheese melts into a bubbly blanket over the tortillas, while crumbly queso fresco covers the veggies with a salty kick. It's an impressive dish for coffee table dining--it's fun to keep it all on the baking pan and serve as a shared platter.

Cheesy Nachos with Pinto Bean Salsa and Pickled Jalapeños Recipe

Be sure to shred the cheese yourself; preshredded strands are often coated in an anticaking agent that could make the sauce grainy. You'll want to build the nachos on a sturdy base--nothing too thin and fragile, as the chips need to stand up to those tasty toppings. We love Lundberg's hearty Original Sea Salt Rice Chips, made with whole-grain brown rice.

Pork Carnitas Nachos Recipe

Slow-cooked pork loin, brown rice, seasoned black beans, pico de gallo, jalapeños, and queso fresco make up the savory layers of Pork Carnitas Nachos.

Blackened Tuna Nachos with Watermelon Pico de Gallo Recipe

The watermelon pico de gallo makes for a surprising summer treat.

Cheesy Nachos with Pinto Bean Salsa and Pickled Jalapeños Recipe

Be sure to shred the cheese yourself; preshredded strands are often coated in an anticaking agent that could make the sauce grainy. You'll want to build the nachos on a sturdy base--nothing too thin and fragile, as the chips need to stand up to those tasty toppings. We love Lundberg's hearty Original Sea Salt Rice Chips, made with whole-grain brown rice.

Tropical Fruit Nachos Recipe

Who says nachos are solely meant for salty chips and oniony salsa? This sweet reinvention replaces tortilla chips with crispy cinnamon wontons, salsa with chopped tropical fruit, and the cheesy drizzle with silky coconut sauce. You can bake the chips ahead, cool, and place in an airtight container; store in a cool, dry place for up to three days.

Chorizo-Beef Nachos Recipe

The ultimate crowd-pleaser, nachos were invented in 1943 by a maître d' in Piedras Negras, Mexico (just south of the Texas border). Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, working a solo shift at the Victory Club restaurant, cobbled together a pile of tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and pickled jalapeños for a group of U.S. military wives in for a snack. His creation became hugely popular, paving the way for massive concession-stand revenues across America.

Pinto Bean Nachos Recipe

Garlic and cumin-infused refried beans top freshly baked tortilla chips, which are sturdy and hold up well under the assortment of toppings. You can use black beans in place of pinto beans, if you prefer. If the bean mixture is too thick, stir in a little hot water.

Bison Nachos Recipe

Ground bison, a leaner and more flavorful choice than beef, updates the classic nacho recipe, and it's becoming widely available at well-stocked grocery stores.

Shrimp-and-Crab Nachos Recipe

A lot like traditional nachos, but with a seafood twist.

Chicken Enchilada Nacho Bowls Recipe

At home, prepare the chicken mixture and freeze in a resealable plastic bag. In camp, just reheat on a camp stove. And, of course, you can use Fritos instead of tortilla chips in the recipe.

Loaded Nachos Recipe

These nachos have all the goodies you dream of, with beans, cheese, sour cream, and slasa topping crisp chips. For maximum crunch, use regular multigrain chips; baked chips go soggy quickly. Skip the jalapeños if you're sharing with children.

Pork and Pinto Bean Nachos Recipe

Traditional pork and beans gets the nacho treatment. These nachos are great for tailgating or parties.

Cowboy Nachos Recipe

Load these nachos with braised brisket and Monterey Jack cheese. Add all of your favorite classic nacho toppings to complete this savory appetizer.

Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos Recipe

From the Kitchen of Julie Hutson, Callahan, Florida. "This is surprisingly yummy to have such simple ingredients."

Vegetarian Chipotle Nachos Recipe

These vegetarian nachos flavored with chipotle chiles have all the heartiness of the beef version. You can also use the spicy bean mixture to fill tacos and burritos. Look for meatless crumbles in the produce section near the tofu and other soy products.

Light Nachos Recipe

This version has nearly 25 fewer fat grams and 373(!) fewer calories than traditional nachos, thanks to baked tortilla chips, low-fat beans, and reduced-fat cheese.

Sheet Pan Beefy Nachos Recipe

If you have young kids serving themselves, lift the nachos off the pan with the parchment paper (and remove the hot pan from the table). For the creamiest nacho sauce, start with a block of cheese and shred it yourself.

Borscht Nachos  Recipe

Yes, Borscht Nachos. As in, sweet, earthy beet chips piled high with shredded beef—robustly flavored from a braise with ketchup and paprika—quark (which is a lot like a soft cream cheese, exhilarated with the lively funk of buttermilk), salty and rich queso fresco, bright and tangy sauerkraut, zingy pickled wax peppers, plus fresh radishes and dill for good measure. It's the food mash-up we've all been waiting for (even if we didn't know it). 

Loaded Chorizo Nachos Recipe

When we say loaded, we mean it. These nachos require a fork for scooping up all the tasty fillings. Building on a foil-lined pan means instant cleanup: Bring the pan right to the table after broiling, and discard the foil after dinner.

Grilled Cheeseburger Nachos Recipe

It was determined in our test kitchen that it is legitimately impossible to be anything other than happy while eating these cheeseburger nachos—do with that information what you will. The cookout-inspired food mashup is as perfect served as a fun, grilled snack for guests (especially during tailgating season) as it is an easy, throw-together meal to use up leftovers from a weekend get-together. So while the cheeseburger recipe provided here does produce an extremely moist and flavorful patty, you can certainly use leftover cooked burgers if you already have them on hand. Same idea applies to the nacho toppings; we went with a blend of typical Tex-mex toppers and backyard cookout accouterments, but you can vary things up however suits you. Your baking sheet will only be on the grill for a few minutes (just long enough for the cheese to melt) so you shouldn’t experience any issues with the pan warping or taking on grill marks. However, for easy clean-up, you can certainly go ahead and wrap your pan in aluminum foil. 

Chili-Chorizo Nachos Recipe

Our version of this bar food favorite has half the sat fat, 450mg less sodium, and double the fiber compared to the classic. Notorious for being a calorie-and-sodium bomb, I gave these nachos a virtuous spin, slashing both calories and sodium by 40% without sacrificing their indulgent nature. Mexican chorizo packs a big flavor punch, helping a little meat go a long way here. Look for it in the butcher’s case next to the other fresh sausage. In place of sodium-laden canned refried beans, a homemade mixture of blended pinto beans, lime juice, adobo, and spices form the glue that adheres the other healthy toppers to homemade chips. And because no tray of nachos is complete without cheese, a bit of shredded sharp cheddar adds just enough cheesy, salty kick. Pico de gallo and avocado-tomatillo sauce add a finishing layer of freshness—key for reaching nacho nirvana.

Corn and Crab Pita Nachos Recipe

This dish is inspired by the crab melts that New England che Ana Sortun’s mother made her when she was growing up in the Pacific Northwest.

Keto Nachos Recipe

We’ve got the perfect way to satisfy a high-carb craving without getting off your low-carb diet. These nachos are hearty and slightly chewy with a little bit of lightness. Balance the rich meat and cheese with creamy chipotle sauce and pico topping. Distribute the toppings evenly and work them into the spaces and crevices. This way, each “chip” gets toppings and the center doesn’t end up a soggy mess.The best pork skins to use for this recipe are chicharrones, which are firmer and crispier. You can find them in large “sheets” at international markets or grocery stores. 

Loaded Greek Salad Nachos Recipe

Everything you love about a Greek salad—but way more fun! Delivering a perfect blend of flavor and texture in every bite, these loaded nachos are the perfect snack to throw together for your next at-home movie night or tailgate party. This recipe is an excellent way to give a new life to leftover rotisserie chicken and veggie scraps kicking around your fridge. Feel free to use store bought pita chips rather than baking your own. 

Sheet Pan Nachos Recipe

Kick off the weekend with a fast and fun dinner that's completely customizable.

Loaded Fried Ravioli Nachos Recipe

Just when you thought loaded nachos couldn’t go any further…

Apple Pie Nachos Recipe

All of the flavors you crave from a gooey apple pie, but in an easy-to-make, highly shareable format.  

Quick and Easy Nachos Recipe

This platter of goodness represents the lowest-effort end of the homemade nachos spectrum. That said, “low-effort”—by no stretch of the imagination—means a low YUM-factor here. Although this game day-perfect platter of beefy, cheesy nachos comes together quickly and relies largely on store-bought shortcuts, it delivers the classic meld of flavors and textures that you want from everyone’s favorite appetizer. For this nachos recipe, we combine the meat and nacho cheese elements to create a Ro*Tel Dip-inspired, beefy cheese sauce. This guarantees an even distribution of the hearty toppings and keeps you from having to crank up the oven. However, if you prefer melted, shredded cheese over a nacho cheese sauce, simply cook your ground beef in a skillet on the stovetop, drain, and distribute over the nachos on a sheet pan. Then, top the platter with shredded cheese and pop it under the broiler until melty and glorious (no Ro*Tel required).

Cuban Nachos Recipe

Although these pork and black bean nachos require a bit more attention than your basic platter of loaded nachos, they’re well worth the effort. These are the nachos to make when you really wanna go next-level and impress a group. With the succulent pork, Swiss cheese and mustard sauce, and bread-and-butter pickles, this crowd-pleasing play on a Cuban sandwich packs a powerful load of flavor. Although they may seem out of place at first glance, the briny-sweet pickles are a perfect balance for the savory pork and the funky Swiss cheese sauce. As for the homemade refried black beans, you’ll never look back once you try them. Going for refried beans is one of our favorite pro-tricks when it comes to building a superior plate of nachos; they’re creamy, flavorful, and actually stay on the chip! We’ve linked to a pork recipe in the ingredient list below that would be excellent for these nachos (let’s be real, it would be excellent for just about anything), however, this roasted pork shoulder is time intensive to prepare—so if you’re not up for that, you can definitely use cooked, shredded pork (without sauce) from your favorite local BBQ joint or supermarket instead. 

Greek Chicken Nachos Recipe

Dinner doesn't get much easier, or more fun, than sheet pan nachos. Toast the chips in 2 batches first; then combine the chips, pile high with toppings, and return to the oven to heat everything through. The dish takes a detour to Greece with pita chips, a shredded Greek salad, and crumbled feta.

Super Crispy Chicken-Skin Nachos Recipe

For a show-stopping appetizer, these unlikely nachos are just what you need. If you have a local market that butchers their own meat, they will likely be able to sell you chicken skins for cheap. You can use either the thigh skins or the breast skins here, both will work great. Drying the chicken skins with paper towels and sandwiching them between two pans is the key to getting them flat and crispy (without the second pan weighing them down, youe skins would shrivel up). Do note, after step 1 in the recipe below (i.e. cooking the skins for 35-40 minutes, they may very well be crisped and ready to go) which allows you to skip step 2 entirely. Continue to cook the skins uncovered only if they aren't quite browned and crisp, but keep a close eye on them so they do not burn. You can cook these in mulitple batches if you don’t have enough pans to make them in a single batch, but watch the second round of chicken skins closely because it will probably cook faster. 

Sheet Pan Beef and Black Bean Nachos Recipe

Load up the nachos on a baking sheet, then bring straight to the table for easy serving and a great presentation. While we love melted shredded cheese, we found that it makes the nachos a bit unwieldy. Instead, a creamy cheese sauce coats each chip and makes it easier to separate from the pack. Topping potential is endless, but we like sliced avocado and jalapeño.