Baked Vegan Nachos

This baked vegan nachos recipe is loaded with your favorite toppings, such as vegan taco meat, vegan cheese, jalapeños, and more. Use air fryer tortilla chips to make this a healthy recipe to enjoy any day of the week!

A hand reaches in with a baked vegan nacho taken from the pan behind it.

I’ve taken my vegetarian cheese nachos game up a notch (pardon the pun) with these vegan baked nachos. They’re so easy to make and I love the comfort food nature of this dish. You can serve them as an appetizer, for game day, or even for dinner!

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Veggie crumbles — Use your favorite veggie crumbles, including plant-based meat products.
  • Taco seasoning
  • Tortilla chips
  • Black beans — You can use a mixture of black beans and pinto beans.
  • Corn
  • Vegan cheddar shreds — We use either Daiya or Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar shreds.
  • Red cabbage
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Red onion
  • Jalapeno
  • Vegan sour cream
  • Avocado

How to Make Vegan Nachos in the Oven

  1. Make the plant-based taco meat by combining veggie crumbles with the taco seasoning.
  2. Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top with veggie crumbles, black beans, corn, and shredded vegan cheese.
  3. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 
  4. Prepare the toppings by chopping cabbage, cherry tomatoes, onions, and jalapeño (being careful not to touch the seeds with bare hands).
  5. Mash the avocado and stir in the sour cream.
  6. When the nachos are done, remove them from the oven. Add toppings, including the avocado sauce.
  7. Use a spatula to transfer individual servings on a plate.
A baking sheet is loaded with baked vegan nachos.

How to Make Vegan Cheese Melt

It used to be that vegan cheese didn’t melt very well. Today’s vegan cheeses are different. I love using either Daiya or Follow Your Heart vegan cheddar shreds. Vegan shreds hold their shape better than dairy cheese so it may not look as if it’s melted, but it has.

Also, I’ve found placing a sheet of foil over the nachos creates steam which helps the cheese melt, too.

Frequently-Asked Questions

Are Tortilla Chips Vegan?

Most unflavored store-bought tortilla chips are vegan. However, flavored tortilla chips oftentimes have dairy, and restaurant chips can sometimes be fried in lard. I recommend checking labels or calling to ask the restaurant about their chips.

What Meatless Nacho Toppings Are Best on Vegan Nachos?

The best toppings for vegan nachos are flavored veggie crumbles, fat-free refried beans, corn, sliced jalapeños, chopped tomatoes, vegan cheese, and more. You can also add corn salsa because of its delicious flavors and textures.

What Goes Well with Nachos?

Serve nachos with margaritas, black bean dip, a Mexican-themed soup, sliced avocados, Spanish rice, and more. For beverages, serve nachos with Hibiscus Margaritas or for an alcohol-free version, try this Hibiscus Fruit Punch recipe instead.

Can Nachos Be Healthy?

You can make vegan baked nachos that are healthy and delicious. Of course, you can use baked or air fried tortilla chips to avoid deep-fried chips. Then add on the plant-based toppings to make nachos a healthy part of your diet.

How to Make Cheese Sauce for Nachos

If you can’t find vegan cheese in your area, you can use a dairy-free nacho cheese sauce rather than shreds. I highly recommend my vegan queso dip for your nachos con queso. You can also use my smooth vegan cheese sauce or this sweet potato nacho cheese sauce, too.

More Vegan Mexican Dishes

If you love these baked vegan nachos, you will love these Vegan Mexican Dishes too:

A close-up shot of a tray of baked vegan nachos shows purple cabbage, red tomatoes, and green jalapeño slices.
A hand reaches in with a baked vegan nacho taken from the pan behind it.

Vegan Nachos

These crispy vegan nachos are loaded with all your favorite toppings, making for a delicious, cheesy, nacho experience!
5 from 5 votes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 360kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups veggie crumbles
  • 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
  • 12 ounces tortilla chips
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans , drained
  • 1 cup corn , frozen
  • 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds
  • ½ cup vegan jalapeño havarti cheese
  • ½ cup red cabbage
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon diced red onion
  • 1 jalapeno , thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons vegan sour cream
  • ½ avocado

Instructions

  • Heat your oven to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Combine the veggie crumbles with the taco seasoning. If the crumbles are frozen, heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or so and then stir to combine the seasonings. Add more if you prefer more flavor.
  • Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Top with veggie crumbles mixture, black beans, corn, and shredded vegan cheeses.
  • Place pan in the oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 
  • As the nachos are baking, chop the cabbage into thin strips, chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters, dice the onion, and thinly slice the jalapeño (being careful not to touch the seeds with bare hands).
  • In a small bowl, mash the avocado and add the sour cream. Stir together.
  • When the nachos are done, remove them from the oven and serve them immediately. Top with tomato, red cabbage, onion, jalapeno, and drizzle with creamy avocado mixture.
  • Optional: Add chopped cilantro.

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 525mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 270IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 2.6mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

15 Responses to Baked Vegan Nachos

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyKüchenrückwand Reply

    5 stars
    Very yummy. Thanks.

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      So glad you liked it!

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