Homemade nachos are easy to make and oh-so-good made it right at home!
These nachos are a favorite because they’re packed with zesty beef and lots of toppings and cheese. Simply fill a sheet pan and bake until golden and bubbly.
Best of all, this is easy and versatile, add in your favorite toppings (check out our favorites below) and serve with sour cream, salsa, and guacamole.
The Best Baked Nachos
So let’s talk nachos.
Nachos made their appearance at the Victory Club in Mexico in 1940 when chef Ignacio Anaya García created them for a customer looking for an unusual snack. Nacho was his nickname and when the customer loved the dish and asked for the name, he told her they were Nacho’s Special.
They became so popular (no surprise), that when the Victory club shut down, Ignacio later opened his own restaurant called Nachos.
At home, we make nachos that are fully loaded with meat and shredded cheese (different from the nacho cheese sauce we enjoy in Mexico). They are baked until bubbly with golden corn tortilla chips and there’s no skimping on cheese!
- Prep all of the ingredients ahead of time and bake when guests arrive.
- This version of nachos supreme has lots of meat but of course, you can leave the meat off, add shredded chicken or use just beans.
- Repurpose taco meat into nachos for a new game-day fave.
Fresh out of the oven, our nachos recipe will be a family favorite all year round!
Ingredients for Nachos
Tortilla Chips – Use your favorite tortilla chips in this recipe but skip the flavored ones (Doritos don’t make great nachos) and skip the thin cantina-style chips. You want thicker chips that can hold all of the cheese and goodies without getting soggy.
Meat – This nacho recipe is topped with taco seasoned ground beef & black beans. Swap out the beef and make chicken nachos or add in leftover barbacoa, steak, or even pulled pork! We love refried beans on nachos too, add them in place of the black beans and let them simmer.
Cheese – We think the best nacho recipe is one with extra cheese, so don’t skimp! We sprinkle with a blend of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese but to keep it quick, try a “Tex Mex” shredded cheese blend!
Toppings – We love to serve nachos with lots of toppings from jalapeños to tomatoes and onions, more great toppings are below.
The Best Toppings for Nachos
Nachos make a great appetizer but they’re so hearty and packed with goodness, we sometimes serve them as a meal too! Here’s our list of fixings that are “nacho supreme” worthy!
-
- Add these before baking: Sliced black olives, red onions, canned or grilled corn, fresh jalapenos
- Add these after baking: pickled jalapenos, diced tomatoes, green onions, diced avocado, cilantro.
- Add these on the side for dipping: guacamole, pico de Gallo, salsa, sour cream, lime wedges
How To Make Homemade Nachos
Homemade loaded nachos are super easy to make and totally customizable!
- Make meat mixture: Brown beef, stir in taco seasoning, water, and black beans. Simmer until the water has evaporated.
- Layer on a pan: Layer chips with cheese, beef and bean mixture, and green onions according to recipe below.
- Bake: Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish and enjoy: Remove from oven and load ’em up!
PRO TIP: Put nachos under the broiler for a few minutes to get the cheese bubbly and extra melty!
Leftover Nachos
The best nachos are eaten fresh when the tortilla chips are fresh and crunchy! If you have lots leftover, there are a couple of options:
-
- Option 1: Refrigerate. Bake on a pan at 400°F until hot, about 7 minutes. The chips themselves won’t crisp up but I still think they taste great.
- Option 2: Discard the chips and save the nacho mixture in a covered container in the refrigerator, about 3 days. Add it to fresh chips and bake like new.
- Other than that they can be added to a Doritos casserole or taco casserole or stirred into tortilla soup!
More Tex-Mex Favorites
Party food calls for more party food! Here’s a list of Mexican themed faves:
- Beef Queso Dip – savory & cheesy
- Copycat Crunchwrap Supreme
- Easy Ground Beef Tacos
- Fresh Pico de Gallo – serve with tortilla chips
- Taco Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Mexican Corn Dip – hot & cheesy
Did you make these Easy Cheesy Nachos? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Cheesy Nachos
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅔ cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 4 cups cheddar shredded, and/or Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 green onions sliced and divided
- toppings as desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet until no pink remains. Drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning, water and black beans. Simmer 5 minutes or until sauce thickens and water evaporates.
- Meanwhile, spread tortilla chips onto a baking sheet. Top with ½ of the cheese, the beef mixture, remaining cheese, and half of the green onions.
- Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and add remaining green onions & desired toppings. Serve hot with salsa and sour cream.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Beef, Dinner, Lunch, Party Food
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
Shouln’t you melt the cheese on top of chips so they don’t get soggy??
Hi Jo, you can if you prefer. We find layering the beef and cheese on top of the chips makes sure you get that delicious topping in every bite still without soggy chips!
Love the recipe! I add a few extra topping like refried beans, onions and peppers but the main thing I do differently is make my own chips. Cut tortillas in half then again so each one gives you 4 triangles. Place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil Lightly spray each piece with oil and bake at 350 degrees till crisp. Doesn’t take long. Sprinkle with kosher salt and remove to let cool. You can use either flour or corn tortillas for this, your choice. Tortillas keep for a long time so chips can always be made fresh.
Thanks for sharing that, Jealith! Your chip recipe sounds delicious.
I have thrown out too many bags of stale opened store bought tortilla chips in my life time till I found this online tip. I heat my oven to 200 degrees and make a layer, can overlap, of stale chips on a cookie sheet. Put them in the oven for 20 minutes or more and WHA LA! The humidity from air exposure makes them stale so the nice warming evaporates the humidity and that great corn crunch comes back. At almost $4 a bag now give it a try, personally I was impressed.
Thanks for sharing that tip, Patty!