The ultimate appetizer or meal, Healthy Loaded Nachos are always a great choice. Crisp tortilla chips loaded with fresh cherry tomatoes, cheesy queso, guacamole, plant based ‘beef’ crumbles, and creamy sour cream. There’s nothing better than warm and cheesy loaded nachos straight from the oven!
This healthy rendition on traditional loaded nachos is so good no one will even realize they’re made healthier. With a few simple swaps these loaded nachos can be entirely gluten free, dairy free, and vegan – suitable for everyone!
Ingredients
Plant Based ‘Beef’ – To keep these nachos suitable for vegetarians and vegans, use plant based ground beef to create the traditional nacho crumbles. I like to use Impossible Burger to break up and saute into crumbles. Alternatively, you could make my meatless ‘meat crumble’ that I created for this Vegan Hamburger Helper recipe!
Tortilla Chips – Thicker tortilla chips are always the best option for nachos. A few brands I recommend for this include Sabor Mexicano and Tostitos, or for a certified gluten free option, Siete.
Cheese – To keep these nachos as original as possible, I opted for a mexican cheese blend but any type of cheese will work. If you’re dairy free or vegan, I recommend the brands Violife, Daiya, and Chao.
Queso – Luscious and creamy, queso is always a great addition. For a dairy free / vegan needs, I love the plant based queso dip from Primal Kitchen. It’s made with great ingredients and has a mild kick of heat from fresh jalapenos!
Guacamole – An absolute must for loaded nachos, guacamole adds a fresh & creamy contrast to the loaded nachos. Make it homemade or buy a batch from the store, it’s such a simple yet tasty addition.
Sour Cream – Adds a cool and creamy touch to these nachos and helps balance out any of the spicy flavors. For dairy free and vegan needs, I recommend the brand Forager or simply use your favorite vegan plain yogurt!
How to Make Healthy Loaded Nachos
- Start by preparing your ‘ground beef.’ Heat a large skillet to medium and add olive oil. Once hot, add your onion and minced garlic, cooking for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add your plant-based ground beef, followed by the chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and kosher salt. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- To the parchment-lined baking tray, add half of the tortilla chips. Sprinkle tortilla chips evenly with half of the ground beef mixture, 6oz of shredded cheese, and 6oz of queso. Top with the remaining half of tortilla chips, ground beef mixture, remaining 6oz shredded cheese, and 6oz of queso.
- Move to the oven and bake at 400F until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 6-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add your toppings – red onion, cilantro, chopped tomato, jalapeno, guacamole, and sour cream dollops, spreading evenly over the top of nachos. Serve immediately and enjoy!
How to Make Vegan Nachos
Thankfully we live in a time of vegan queso and Impossible ground beef so that tasty classics like this can be made dairy free/vegetarian/vegan. All you need for this classic made healthier is a plant based queso, shredded cheese, and impossible ground beef crumbles.
Then when it comes to toppings, sour cream is an absolute must! I love the brand Forager Project for their creamy plant-based sour cream. You’d never tell the difference!
Storing Leftover Loaded Nachos
If you have leftovers of these loaded nachos, I congratulate your self-control. It’s also very likely if you’re making a solo or two-person dinner of these nachos that there will be some leftover! In that case, I recommend storing the loaded nachos in an airtight container in the fridge and reheating in the oven to recreate any bit of a crisp texture.
Heat the nachos at a higher temperature like 400F for about 10 minutes or until the base layer is warm/hot. You could also try the broil feature for a few minutes to give a nice crisp!
Healthy Comfort Food
For more classic comfort food recipes turned healthy, check out these blog favorites.
This Vegetarian Enchilada Casserole is packed with protein, veggies, and flavorful Mexican spices. Garnished with fresh herbs and sliced avocado, it’s hearty comfort food your whole family will love.
These Vegetarian Baked Burritos are loaded with cheesy potatoes, sauteed peppers and onion, vegan “beef” crumbles, and spicy queso to top it off. Every bite is bursting with spicy, cheesy flavor and is loaded with texture!
If you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Healthy Loaded Nachos 🙂
Ingredients
Ground ‘Beef’ Crumble:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced small
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz plant-based ground beef meat substitute
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Nacho Assembly:
- 12 oz tortilla chips
- 12 oz shredded ‘mexican cheese’ blend
- 12 oz queso
Toppings:
- ½ cup red onion diced fine (~½ small onion)
- ½ cup cilantro chopped fine
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 jalapeno cut into slices
- guacamole
- sour cream
Instructions
- Start by preparing your ‘ground beef.’ Heat a large skillet to medium and add olive oil. Once hot, add your onion and minced garlic, cooking for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add your plant-based ground beef, followed by the chili powder, cayenne, cumin, and kosher salt. Cook until browned and cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- To the parchment-lined baking tray, add half of the tortilla chips. Sprinkle tortilla chips evenly with half of the ground beef mixture, 6oz of shredded cheese, and 6oz of queso. Top with the remaining half of tortilla chips, ground beef mixture, remaining 6oz shredded cheese, and 6oz of queso.
- Move to the oven and bake at 400F until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 6-10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add your toppings – red onion, cilantro, chopped tomato, jalapeno, guacamole, and sour cream dollops, spreading evenly over the top of nachos. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
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