Amazing Vegan Nachos
These Vegan Nachos happen in our kitchen VERY regularly–I’m talking at least every couple of weeks! They are so delicious, it’s hard to believe that they don’t have all the artery-clogging fat and cholesterol that the traditional ones have.
This vegan nachos recipe is so deliciously simple and undetectably healthy! There is just something magical about all the different flavorful ingredients that come together to make this masterpiece.
You’ll love these vegan nachos because they’re…
- Fresh
- Cheesy
- Hearty
- Spicy
- Satisfying
- Crowd Pleaser
- So delicious!
Vegan nachos are a crowd-pleaser
My husband says these vegan nachos are his favorite meal. I have to admit that easy preparation makes them one of my favorites too, and I’m betting they will become a winner at your house too!
One of the great things about these nachos is that they are perfect for feeding a big family or crowd, because everyone can use the toppings of their choice, making sure everyone is happy and satisfied.
Because they don’t have all of the saturated fat and cholesterol, your arteries and taste buds will be thanking you! They can easily be made gluten-free by leaving out the bulgur or replacing it with buckwheat groats.
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
How to make vegan nachos
Begin by making the vegan taco meat mixture. This is another great versatile part of the recipe because you can really use any type of bean you like best.
Start by cooking the bulgur on the stovetop or in a rice steamer using package instructions. If you aren’t sure what bulgur is, there’s more information below.
QUICK TIP: If you’re planning to make Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce (from the recipe below), now is a great time to start the potatoes, onion, and carrot cooking!
While the bulgur is cooking, drain and rinse cans of beans. I do this by dumping them in a large drainer in the sink and running lots of water over them. For this recipe, I used pinto, navy, and black beans.
Add beans to a large glass (or microwavable) bowl and add cooked bulgur, taco seasoning mix, fire-roasted tomatoes with juice, and cayenne. Cook in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes. Stir and cook an additional 3 minutes.
While this bean/bulgur mixture is cooking, chop any veggies to be added. I like fresh spinach, tomatoes, cilantro, and onions. You can add anything you like.
You can use your own dairy-free cheese in these nachos, but I like this simple Vegan Cheese Sauce made with potatoes, carrots, onions, and nutritional yeast in a blender (after veggies are boiled).
Since I usually make the Creamy Cheese Sauce and keep it on hand, this recipe can be ready in about 15-20 minutes flat! As beautiful and tasty as it is, most people cannot believe it’s so easy to prepare.
It’s absolutely the BEST plant-based cheese I’ve ever tasted! Your favorite salsa and dairy-free sour cream can also be added. Links for my favorite salsa and tofu sour cream recipes are below.
Layer bean/bulgur/taco mixture, chips, fresh veggies, vegan cheese sauce, salsa, and tofu sour cream. Serve!
Tips for making these vegan nachos
- I make big batches of bulgur in my rice steamer and freeze it to be used in recipes like these vegan nachos, along with tacos, lasagna, and chili fries. The great thing about having bulgur already cooked is that it cuts a step out of food preparation and speeds up the process of sitting down to dinner.
- It’s so nice to be able to pull it out of the freezer and jump right into cooking the main dish.
- Even if you’ve tried to make vegan cheese sauce before and not liked it, try this one. I have a feeling that’s about to change.
- Try making your own oil-free tortilla chips using the recipe below.
Vegan nacho topping ideas
We like to top this vegan nacho recipe with ingredients like:
- beans & bulgur nacho mixture
- onions
- spinach
- Tofu Sour Cream
- Creamy Vegan No-Cheese Sauce
- Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Easy Salsa
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
*Original publish date March 26, 2014
Your Questions Answered:
- Q: Are nachos vegan? Not usually because traditional nachos are made with ground beef, but they can easily be adapted to be vegan using beans and dairy-free cheese as with the recipe above.
- Q: What are vegan nachos? Vegan nachos consist of a pile of crunchy salty tortilla chips topped with a bean taco mixture, salsa, vegan cheese, and loads of veggie like lettuce, spinach, and onions.
- Q: Are nachos gluten-free? They can be if you want them to. To make these nachos gluten-free, simply leave out the bulgur or replace it with buckwheat groats.
- Q: Does it work well to keep the queso warm in a crockpot for a party? You bet! I love to keep the cheese sauce warm in a crockpot for feeding crowds. Just turn it down to low and stir occasionally.
Baking homemade tortilla chips
Need a healthy chip? Homemade corn tortillas are SO easy to make. Simply use regular corn tortillas. Slice each one into 8 slices using a pizza slicer. Arrange on a baking sheet and spritz with a water bottle. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.
Bake at 400°F for about 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden brown. These are the healthiest tortilla chips and are delish!
For those of you new to the whole food plant-based lifestyle, we’ve created a FREE 7-Day Plant-Based Menu Planner to help you get started!
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Best Vegan Nachos
Ingredients
Bean/Bulgur/Taco Mix
- 1/2 cup cooked bulgur buckwheat groats to make gluten-free
- 3 15 oz cans beans any variety, (pinto, navy, red kidney, black, etc)
- 1/4 cup dry taco seasoning (purchased or homemade)
- 1 can fire roased tomatoes
- pinch cayenne pepper optional
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup potatoes peeled & diced
- 1/4 cup carrots diced
- 1/4 cup onions chopped
- 1 cup broth from veggies
- 1/2 cup raw cashews unsoaked, (or 1/2 cup white beans)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- pinch paprika
- pinch cayenne (optional)
Instructions
Bean/Bulgur/Taco Mix
- Bulgur is a whole wheat grain, much like rice and quinoa. It cooks on the stove top or in microwave. I usually cook mine on stove or in my rice steamer. Just add water and salt and allow to cook according to package directions, around 15 minutes. Because bulgur has a ground-beef texture and soaks up flavors, it can be added to many recipes. I cook 2 cups (3-4 cups cooked) at a time, place in storage bag, and keep in the freezer to be easily added to chili, No-Meat Loaf, lasagna, soups, and stews. To make this dish gluten-free, leave out bulgur or replace with buckwheat groats.
- QUICK NOTE: If you're planning to make Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce (from recipe below), now is a great time to start the potatoes, onion, and carrot cooking!
- While bulgur is cooking, drain and rinse cans of beans. I do this by dumping them in a large drainer in the sink and running lots of water over them. For this recipe I used pinto, navy, and black beans.
- Add beans to a large glass (or microwavable) bowl and add cooked bulgur, taco seasoning mix, fire roasted tomatoes with juice, and cayenne. Cook in microwave for approximately 3 minutes. Stir and cook an additional 3 minutes.
- While this is cooking, chop any veggies to be added. I like fresh spinach, tomatoes, cilantro, and onions.
- You can add your own dairy-free cheese to these nachos, but I like this simple Vegan Cheese Sauce made with potatoes, carrots, onions, and nutritional yeast in blender (after veggies are boiled). It's absolutely the BEST plant-based cheese I've ever tasted! Your favorite salsa and dairy-free sour cream can also be added. Links for my favorite salsa and tofu sour cream recipes are below.
- Layer bean/bulgur/taco mixture, chips, fresh veggies, vegan cheese sauce, salsa, and tofu sour cream.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
- In medium pot, bring about 3 cups of water to a boil. Place potatoes, carrots, and onion in pot and allow to cook until veggies are tender, approximately 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary based on how small the veggies are diced.
- When veggies are tender, drain and place them in blender. NOTE: reserve 1 cup of the broth, and add to blender. Add all the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips
- Making homemade tortilla chips is very easy.
- Use regular corn tortillas. Slice each one into 8 slices using a pizza slicer.
- Arrange on a baking sheet and spritz with a water bottle. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Very easy and delish!
Video
Notes
- Q: Are nachos vegan? Not usually because traditional nachos are made with ground beef, but they can easily be adapted to be vegan using beans and dairy-free cheese as with the recipe above.
- Q: What are vegan nachos? Vegan nachos consist of a pile of crunchy salty tortilla chips topped with a bean taco mixture, salsa, vegan cheese, and loads of veggies like lettuce, spinach, and onions.
- Q: Are nachos gluten-free? They can be if you want them to. To make these nachos gluten-free, simply leave out the bulgur or replace it with buckwheat groats.
- Q: Does it work well to keep the queso warm in a crockpot for a party? You bet! I love to keep the cheese sauce warm in a crockpot for feeding crowds. Just turn it down to low and stir occasionally.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
The Hippocrates quote on your header has an error.
Wow! It’s been like that for weeks, and I had no idea it said “by” instead of “be.” Thanks so much for the heads-up! I really appreciate it, Donna! 🙂
FYI, bulgur is wheat. Whole wheat that’s been cooked and cracked. To call it a grain (which of course it is) gives the impression that it is something different from wheat, which it isn’t. If people are trying to avoid gluten, then they should also avoid bulgur.
Cooked buckwheat groats make a great sub for bulgur wheat!
This looks so good! Will have to plan on making this soon!
Would love to hear what you think after you try it! 🙂 I noticed this recipe is getting a lot of hits this morning. Just curious where all the traffic is coming from. Where did you you find the link? Thanks!
T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies posted this on their Facebook page today 🙂
Thanks so much for letting me know, Jackie! That definitely explains it–how exciting! 😀
Are your chips Ezekiel pocket bread (toasted) or a whole wheat tortilla?
They are whole wheat tortilla. I use a pizza cutter to slice each one into 8 pieces, spritz with a water bottle, sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder, then bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 6-7 minutes, until golden and crispy. So easy and delicious! Did you find the link to this recipe on a group facebook page? Just curious because there have been about 1,500 views of it just this morning. 🙂
The Facebook page of the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies linked to your recipe today. That’s where all the views are originating. Looks yummy!
This is such exciting news! Hope you give the nachos a try and enjoy them as much as we do. I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks! 🙂
thanks for sharing
You’re welcome! Thanks for visiting my blog!
These look amazing! I have been burnt out and uninspired recently with my plant based diet. Thank you for creating this lovely blog with some really delicious and inspiring looking recipes! I can’t wait to try some of them
Wow! Thanks so much, Julie! I’m glad you’re feeling inspired. That’s exactly what I hope to do with this blog. Thanks for the encouraging words!
What kind of chips do you use? Are they fat free?
John, I make some very easy corn chips. Making homemade tortilla chips is very easy. Use regular corn tortillas. Slice each one into 8 slices using a pizza slicer. Arrange on a baking sheet and spritz with a water bottle. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder. Bake at 400 degrees for about 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Very easy and delish!
Your question made me realize I needed to put this information on the recipe. Thanks for the prompting! 🙂
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try the cheese sauce, I love all the ingredients! I found your link on FatFreeVegan’s Facebook post.
Cindy, thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you’ll love the cheese sauce as much as my family does. Susan with FatFree Vegan and I have just become friends, and I’m so excited to be asked to be a part of a new Facebook page with her, Chuck from Brand New Vegan, Michael from Klunker’s Kitchen, and Will from Potato Strong. The name of the new group is Plant Based Recipe Bloggers. Hope you will join our group!
This one gets a 5 star rating from me. I made it tonight and it turned out great! The vegan cheese sauce was light and tasty. But the best result was that my meat-eating husband liked this as well!! I am on the hunt for recipes we can both enjoy and this one is now at the top of the list! Thanks very much.
Thanks so much, Linda! You just made my evening. I love hearing how the recipes turn out for others, especially when they are a WIN! Thanks for sharing. 😀
Had these for dinner tonight and they were amazing! Love the cheese sauce.
So glad to hear that, Karen! These are one of my family’s favorites too! 🙂
Absolutely delicious! The whole family enjoyed it!
That’s awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know, Betsy! 😀
Terri, what a great recipe! I didn’t have any onions for the cheese sauce, so just used about a Tablespoon of onion powder and it came out perfectly! Appreciate your blogs and recipes!!!
Thanks so much, Valerie! I am glad it worked for you even without the onions. I’ll have to remember that!
Terri, the tofu sour cream and easy salsa recipe links yield page-not-found error messages.
Thanks, Martha! I have them fixed now. 🙂
Terri looks like a great recipe. Can’t wait to try it. Where do u buy the corn tortillas?
I don’t really have a specific brand of corn tortillas that I always buy. Most are oil-free and available at regular grocery stores. Hope you enjoy!
I am presently taking a nutrition and cooking class that Terri is leading, and she brought her “cheese” sauce to one class. It’s ridiculously good. Actually, all of the recipes we’ve tried have been great. Thanks, Terri!
Hi Greg,
I love having you and Carole in the classes at Pelham Medical Center. You are a wealth of information yourself! Thank you so much for your kind words!