Let’s make air fryer nachos! This easy nachos recipe packs everything you love about baked nachos but everything is made completely in the air fryer in 6 minutes flat.
If you haven’t made nachos in your air fryer yet, this is your reminder that it’s such a perfect way to make smaller batch nachos in a short amount of time. We love this recipe for an easy game day appetizer or even a simple weeknight meal served alongside our Mexican corn salad.
Ingredients for Air Fryer Nachos
We’re using a short list of classic nacho ingredients in this recipe. Want to jazz your nachos up to your liking? We make a few ingredient swaps and additions below.
Tortilla chips: any kind will work, so choose your favorite.
Taco meat: this recipe calls for a cup of leftover taco meat. Don’t have any on hand? Follow the steps to cook taco meat in the recipe card below.
Shredded cheese: we love using shredded pepper jack cheese because it adds a little heat to these nachos. Want a milder option? Use cheddar.
Toppings: after air frying your tortilla chips topped with taco meat and shredded cheese, you’ll top your nachos with shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa and cilantro.
Favorite
Air Fryer
On the hunt for the best air fryer? Our favorite is the Ninja Kitchen Air Fryer It’s reliable and moderately priced.
Additional Toppings for Nachos
Don’t skip the toppings on these air fryer nachos! Here are some ideas:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- White queso
- Diced tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro
- Sliced jalapeños
- Queso fresco
- Green onion
- Salsa
- Guacamole or sliced avocado
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Make it vegetarian: 1 15oz. can of black or pinto beans can be used in place of the taco meat.
Try a different cheese: We used pepper jack cheese in this recipe because we love that it gives the nachos a little heat, but cheddar, Monterey jack, or mozzarella would all be great substitutes.
Make it spicy: Spice this recipe up by adding sliced jalapeños to the top of the cheese before you air fry.
Make this recipe your own: Use any of your favorite taco toppings in this recipe — we make a few suggestions above.
Don’t have leftover taco meat?
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 lb. of 85% ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until the meat is mostly cooked. Add in ¼ cup of taco seasoning and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and use 1 cup to make the nachos.
Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container and use within 3 days on your next round of air fryer nachos 😀
Top Tip for Air Fryer Nachos
Don’t worry about crowding the basket: With most air fryer recipes, you don’t want to crowd the air fryer basket as it prevents the contents from crisping up. Because the tortilla chips are already crispy, there is no need to keep them from touching each other.
Fill the air fryer basket with a layer of tortilla chips that covers the bottom, and layer ground beef and cheese on top of the tortilla chip layer.
try it!
Air Fryer Totchos
Love our air fryer nachos? Then you HAVE to try our air fryer totchos 😀
Storage
Nachos are best served immediately! If you have extra, we recommend storing the ground beef and cheese separately from the remainder of the toppings.
To reheat: reheat tortilla chips, cheese and ground beef mixture in the air fryer for 2-4 minutes at 400℉ or until completely warm. Top with remainder of the nachos toppings, and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these nachos alongside our Mexican street corn salad, and better yet, add a delicious dipping sauce like our homemade nacho cheese sauce or Fit Foodie Finds’ easy guacamole.
Easy Air Fryer Nachos
Ingredients
- 4 cups tortilla chips any kind
- 1 cup taco meat
- 4 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons cilantro minced
Instructions
- Line the basket of the air fryer with parchment paper. Make sure to cut it to size if the paper goes past the top of the basket.
- Place the chips on the bottom of the basket. Then sprinkle the taco meat and cheese on top of the chips.
- Air fry at 350℉ for 4-6 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and the meat is warm.
- Remove the nachos using the parchment paper and place on top of a baking sheet or large plate.
- Top with shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- Use any of your favorite taco toppings in this recipe.
- 1 15oz. can of black or pinto beans can be used in place of the taco meat. Shredded chicken can also be used.
- If you don’t have leftover taco meat: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 lb. of 85% ground beef. Cook for 5 minutes or until the meat is mostly cooked. Add in ¼ cup of taco seasoning and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and use 1 cup to make the nachos. Store leftover taco meat in an airtight container.
- We used pepper jack cheese in this recipe. Cheddar, Monterey jack, or mozzarella would all be great substitutes.
- Spice this recipe up by adding sliced jalapeños to the top of the cheese before you air fry.
