Air fryer nachos are loaded with seasoned beef, beans and toppings. These nachos are easily customizable and make a great appetizer or meal.
There are so many ways to use the air fryer to achieve delicious food like steak fajitas, wontons and chicken drumsticks. These loaded beef nachos are no exception. The chips stay crispy and the cheese gets melted to perfection.
Why they are so good
- The air fryer helps prevent them from getting soggy. It does a great job of crisping up the tortilla chips to keep them sturdy. **Tip: You can also warm taco shells in the air fryer 350 degrees for 2 minutes.
- Cooks fast and easy clean-up.
- Perfect party food. I like to cook a few batches and set up a topping bar to let people create their own.
Ingredients needed
Below are the basic base ingredients for these air fryer nachos. This recipe makes enough beef and bean mixture for 2 batches of nachos using a 5.8 quart air fryer, so perfect for a crowd or party. You can cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch that would be great for 2-4 people.
Tortilla chips – Choose your favorite tortilla chips. Any shape works like triangle or round. I would avoid thin chips so they don’t break and become soggy.
Cheese – I like using freshly shredded cheese because it melts well. Pre-shredded cheese also works just fine.
Ground beef – This is optional. You could also use leftover crockpot taco meat.
Refried beans – Use your favorite brand canned refried beans or substitute with black beans.
Spices – Use our own taco spice blend or prepackaged.
Air Fryer – I use this 5.8 quart model which is a nice in between size.
Can you put foil in air fryer?
This is a question I get asked often and the answer is yes. I don’t use it often but in the case of these nachos, we will be using foil to form a little basket to hold them and to make it super easy to remove once finished cooking. ***I would recommend checking with your air fryer manual before using foil as some models might have specific instructions.
How to make
- Start by placing a sheet of aluminum foil in the air fryer basket. This helps to easily remove the nachos once finished cooking.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Once cooked through, drain off excess grease. Stir in spices, water and beans. Stir to combine.
- Place tortilla chips on top of foil. Top with half of the beef mixture and then top with around 1 cup of cheese.
- Cook at 380 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until cheese has melted.
- Carefully lift foil and nachos out of basket. Add desired toppings and serve.
- Repeat the process to make a second batch. You could also store the remaining beef and bean mixture in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
What’s the best cheese for nachos?
Cheese is an important ingredient when it comes to this recipe. You want something that will melt well. I like using blends like Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a Mexican blend. I also like shredding my own cheese because it really makes for delicious, gooey cheese. You can use pre-shredded cheese just know it’s coated with a powder to prevent caking so sometimes it doesn’t fully melt.
Can you reheat nachos in the air fryer?
Yes you can. I would only recommend reheating if you haven’t added any cold toppings like sour cream or guacamole.
Place them back in the air fryer and cook at 350 degrees for about 2 minutes.
Nacho topping ideas and variations
Protein – You can replace the beef with pulled pork, ground turkey, ground or shredded chicken. Black beans can also be substituted with the refried beans.
Cheese – You can leave off the protein and make these cheese nachos. Use your favorite shredded cheese that melts well.
Toppings – There are so many wonderful ways to top nachos. Here are a few ideas:
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
- Taco Sauce
- Jalapenos
- Black Olives
- Onion
- Cilantro
More Mexican inspired recipes
- Mexican style black beans – Black beans with onions and green chilis.
- Copycat Chi-Chi’s corn cake – Soft, sweet corn cake, just like the restaurants.
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas – Super easy to make crockpot meal.
- Charro Beans – Beans cooked with onion and bacon.
Air Fryer Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef (Use 1/2 lb beef for one batch.)
- 1 can refried beans (Use 1/2 can beans for one batch.)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (Use 1/2 packet of spices for one batch.)
- 2 cups shredded cheese (1 cup of cheese for one batch.)
- 2-3 cups tortilla chips
Instructions
- Start by placing a sheet of aluminum foil in the air fryer basket forming a "basket" to hold the chips. This helps to easily remove the nachos once finished cooking.
- Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Break it up into crumbles when cooking. Once cooked through, drain off excess grease. Stir in spices, water and beans. Stir to combine.
- Place tortilla chips on top of foil. Top with half of the beef mixture and then top with around 1 cup of cheese.
- Cook at 380 degrees F for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Remove basket from air fryer. Carefully lift up foil and nachos to remove from basket.
- Add your favorite toppings and serve.
- Repeat the process to make a second batch of nachos or store the leftover beef and bean mixture in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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