Since I started making these deliciously crunchy nachos at home we just stopped ordering nachos when we go out because no nachos we order can compare to them. Yes, they are that good! Keep reading to learn how to make perfect nachos at home!
What ingredients do we need to make perfect nachos at home?
Tortilla chips – Making the perfect nachos at home starts with getting the right tortilla chips. If you want to get the tastiest, most sturdy, and crunchy chips that won’t get soggy the minute you put the cheesy sauce, ground beef, and all of the fixings, you will need to fry the tortillas yourself. This is definitely a labor of love though. 🙂 So if you are not up to it, you can definitely find some brands that offer very good taste, crunchiness, and acceptable sturdiness. My go-to brand is actually Tortiyahs! Tastes great, it is crunchy and somewhat sturdy. If you are looking for something that is really sturdy, Vista Hermosa Totopos Tortilla Chips would be your best pick. Those are just my opinions and I am not paid for them.
I want to add one important note! Always taste your tortilla chips before starting to make the fixings for the nachos. Because it can turn out that the tortilla chips are quite salty themselves and when you add salty fixings nachos will become unedible. So if the chips are salty/too salty I would suggest adding just a small pinch of salt to everything else and not more.
Cheese sauce – For the cheese sauce I use cheddar cheese with added hickory smoke flavor. That is a game-changer! It gives the nachos a very pleasant smoky flavor. To make the sauce I also use milk, butter, and flour.
Ground beef and black beans mixture – I saute ground beef, add a can of black beans, tomato paste, spices, and beef broth. I love adding chipotle chili powder for a spicy kick and another smoky flavor.
Extra cheese – This is optional since the cheesy sauce adds quite enough cheese to the nachos. If you decide to add extra cheese you can add some cheddar or Monterey Jack or any other melty cheese you like.
Fixings – homemade pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, and sour cream.
I think that to be able to make the perfect nachos at home you should prepare most of the ingredients yourself. For example, freshly made pico de gallo and guacamole will absolutely improve the taste of the nachos. Store both will just not taste the same.
How to make deliciously crunchy nachos at home?
There are a few options for the tortilla chips:
- Option 1 and 2. To get the most crunchy, delicious, and sturdy tortilla chips you will need to fry them yourself. You can buy tortillas and fry them or make them yourself and then fry them. Here is a recipe for delicious homemade tortillas. Once you have the tortillas (store-bought or homemade) stack 12 of them and cut them into 8 pieces. Pour 48 fl oz vegetable oil (corn, canola, etc) into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the tortillas into 2 batches for about 4-5 minutes each or until the tortillas get golden brown. Let them drain on a paper towel.
- Option 3. Buy tortilla chips. As I mentioned above my go-to brand is actually Tortiyahs! Tastes great, it is crunchy and somewhat sturdy. If you are looking for something that is really sturdy, Vista Hermosa Totopos Tortilla Chips would be your best pick. Those are just my opinions and I am not paid for them.
Prepare the cheese sauce. In a saucepan, add 2 tbsps of butter, when it melts, add 1 tbsp of flour, and saute for a minute or 2. Add about 1/3 cup of milk and stir until incorporated and a smooth paste is formed. Add another 1/3 cup of milk, and keep stirring until smooth and incorporated. Keep adding milk and stirring until all of the milk is added. Add the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Set aside. Note that the longer the cheese sauce stays aside it will thicken. So if you are not using it right away and it thickens to reduce the thickness you can heat up the sauce, add a bit of milk and stir until smooth.
Prepare the beef and bean mixture. Preheat a pan to medium-high heat. If the beef is more fatty you don’t need to add oil but if it is leaner I suggest adding 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the beef and saute for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and chipotle chili powder. Give it a good mix. Add the beef broth bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and let it simmer for a few minutes until it starts to look sauce but not liquid. Set aside.
Get your fixings ready. Freshly made guacamole and pico de galo go great with nachos. Top it with some sour cream and you have a perfect finished meal. 🙂
Assemble the nachos platter
Now that we have everything ready let’s assemble! You can use a larger sheet pan or two larger plates. I
- f you use the plates divide the chips.
- If you made homemade tortilla chips from 12 tortillas and divide all of the chips between the two plates. I
- f you have a whole bag of chips you can use 1/3rd of the bag per plate or more if you wish.
- Pour as much cheese sauce as you like
- You can add grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, or any other melty cheese if you like. (Optional)
- Layer the beef-bean mixture. Divide in half per plate if using plates.
- Spread pico de galo over the beef-bean mixture. Just try to avoid picking up the juices rather use just the veggies because that can make the nachos soggy very fast.
- Top with guacamole and sour cream.
- Enjoy right away!
“Deliciously Crunchy: How to Make Perfect Nachos at Home”
Ingredients
Beef-bean mixture
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 8 oz canned black beans
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chilli poweder or other chili powder, just be mindful of the spiciness of the chili powder you use
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 pinch salt check the notes below about the saltiness of the dish
Cheesy Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 4 oz grated cheddar cheese with an added smoky flavor I love the HOFFMANS brand, the smoky flavor is just great! But feel free to use any other melty cheese you like.
For the nachos platter
- 8 oz tortilla chips if you make your own tortilla chips you will need about 12 corn tortillas, check the notes below for more info
- Fixings: freshly made pico de gallo and guacamole, sour cream, (optional) grated cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack, or other cheese you like
Instructions
Cheese Sauce
- In a saucepan, add 2 tbsps of butter, when it melts, add 1 tbsp of flour, and saute for a minute or 2.
- Add about 1/3 cup of milk and stir until incorporated and a smooth paste is formed. Add another 1/3 cup of milk, and keep stirring until smooth and incorporated. Keep adding milk and stirring until all of the milk is added.
- Add the grated cheddar cheese. Stir until melted. Set aside.
Beef Bean Mixture
- Preheat a pan to medium-high heat. If the beef is more fatty you don't need to add oil but if it is leaner I suggest adding 1 tbsp olive oil, then add the beef and saute for a few minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and chipotle chili powder. Give it a good mix.
- Add the beef broth bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Cover and let it simmer for a few minutes until it starts to look sauce but not liquid. Set aside.
Get Your Fixings Ready
- Freshly made guacamole and pico de galo go great with nachos. Top it with some sour cream and you have a perfect finished meal. 🙂
Assemble The Nachos Platter
- If you use the plates divide the chips. If you made homemade tortilla chips from 12 tortillas and divide all of the chips between the two plates. If you have a whole bag of chips you can use 1/3rd of the bag per plate or more if you wish. Pour as much cheese sauce as you like.You can add grated cheddar, Monterey Jack, or any other melty cheese if you like. (Optional)Layer the beef-bean mixture. Divide in half per plate if using plates.Spread pico de galo over the beef-bean mixture. Just try to avoid picking up the juices rather use just the veggies because that can make the nachos soggy very fast. Top with guacamole and sour cream.Enjoy right away!
Notes
- Option 1 and 2. To get the most crunchy, delicious, and sturdy tortilla chips you will need to fry them yourself. You can buy tortillas and fry them or make them yourself and then fry them. Here is a recipe for delicious homemade tortillas. Once you have the tortillas (store-bought or homemade) stack 12 of them and cut them into 8 pieces. Pour 48 fl oz vegetable oil (corn, canola, etc) into a heavy-bottomed pot and heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry the tortillas into 2 batches for about 4-5 minutes each or until the tortillas get golden brown. Let them drain on a paper towel.
- Option 3. Buy tortilla chips. As I mentioned above my go-to brand is actually Tortiyahs! Tastes great, it is crunchy and somewhat sturdy. If you are looking for something that is really sturdy, Vista Hermosa Totopos Tortilla Chips would be your best pick. Those are just my opinions and I am not paid for them.
- Always taste your tortilla chips before starting to make the fixings for the nachos. Because it can turn out that the tortilla chips are quite salty themselves and when you add salty fixings nachos will become unedible. So if the chips are salty/too salty I would suggest adding just a small pinch of salt to everything else and not more.
- Note that the longer the cheese sauce stays aside it will thicken. So if you are not using it right away and it thickens to reduce the thickness you can heat up the sauce, add a bit of milk and stir until smooth.
- I think that to be able to make the perfect nachos at home you should prepare most of the ingredients yourself. For example, freshly made pico de gallo and guacamole will absolutely improve the taste of the nachos. Storebought will just not taste the same.
