I know, I know, nachos are basic. But for years I couldn’t eat vegan cheese due to issues with coconut, and those days are behind me now, so for the last 9 months or so, I’ve been really enjoying getting reacquainted with the basics like these vegan nachos.
Nachos can be as simple or as loaded as you care to make them. For me, I like something in the middle. I want a variety of flavours and textures, but I also don’t want them to be so heavy that the tortilla chips can’t support the weight and I need a knife and fork and/ or a full body clean up when I’m finished.
These nachos have beans as a protein source, so you can serve these as a side or make a supersized batch to divide as a full meal that’s relatively balanced. The prep time for this recipe is only a few minutes and they need 15 minutes max to cook, so they’re a minimal effort dish easily read in less than 30 minutes.
Nutritional Information
This recipe can serve two as a main, four as a side or as many as six as an appetizer, but the following information is based on four servings per recipe. One serving contains 326 calories, 8g of protein and 9g fibre. It also contains 30% of the recommended daily amount of B6, 20% of your daily B12 and a quarter of your daily vitamin E. Each serving also contains 2.6mg of iron.
Read More: Plant Based Iron Sources
Ingredient Choices and Substitutions
I’ve used pinto beans here, but you can opt for kidney beans or black beans if you’d prefer either of those. And I opted for vegan applewood as my cheese of choice, the lightly smoky flavour works well with the spices here, but again, use any cheese/ cheese alternative of your choice.
I’m not the biggest fan of traditional guacamole, so my avocado layer is heavy on the lime. If that’s not your thing, you can substitute the avocado layer for regular guacamole.
How to store, reheat and do they keep?
Nachos aren’t the best food to eat reheated. You don’t want the tortilla chips to get too soggy, nor do you want the beans to try out or your cheese to burn. The best way to warm them back through is to do so at a lower heat. Ideally, you want to try to scrape off as much of the cold toppings, like the guacamole layer, as possible. Your beans, melted cheese and salsa can stay. Place the nachos onto a baking sheet or baking dish, or on an oven-safe plate, and cover tightly with aluminium foil. Bake for up to 15 minutes at 130°c, then re-add your cold toppings.
Vegan Nachos Recipe
Vegan nachos recipe with pinto beans, loaded just enough to not outweigh the tortilla chips while still offering a variety of flavours and textures.
This recipe is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, nut free and vegan friendly.
Vegan Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 jar hot salsa
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 70 g vegan cheese grated
- 1 avocado smashed
- Juice of one lime
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- Pinch of salt
- Optional Extras:
- Sliced Chillies
- Sweetcorn
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 175°c.
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While the oven preheats, heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the oil, once hot, add the beans. Cook for 4-5 minutes until they warm through, then add the hot paprika, smoked paprika and cumin. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then add the tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is warm and evenly combined. Remove from the heat and begin to assemble your nachos.
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Take a large oven friendly dish, spread one layer of tortilla chips across the bottom. Add a layer of beans and a few tbsps of salsa, along with some cheese. Repeat the same layers a couple of times until you run out of ingredients.
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Place the dish in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the tortillas are starting to crisp.
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While the nachos are cooking, mash the avocado with a fork, add the lime juice, chilli flakes and salt and stir to combine.
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When the nachos are ready, top with your avocado mix and any other additional toppings prior to serving.
Serve and enjoy!
Until tomorrow,
Sophie
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