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When you need a quick, 5-minute meal, look no further than air fryer nachos customized with your favorite toppings. This little appliance makes it so easy to make a personal-sized plate of nachos. Let’s cook!
save this recipe!There’s nothing worse than soggy nachos. That’s why you need an air fryer. Thin layers of chips and cheese mean that these vegetarian nachos are crispy throughout, even if you’re reheating them!
This recipe makes the absolute perfect amount. Enjoy them as a main meal for two, or share them with more friends. The best part is they take just 5 minutes to crisp up, so making another batch is a snap. And since we’re heating just the chips and cheese, everyone gets to customize the toppings on their own serving.
Reader rating
“Oh. My. Goodness. These nachos are so unbelievably delicious! Incredibly easy, and paired with some fire roasted salsa and cilantro?! YES PLEASE!! I’ve always made these in the microwave. It never ONCE dawned on me to make them in the air fryer! Thank you for such an incredible way to make one of my fave snacks!” —Mel
Here’s what you’ll need
This list is SO simple. Grab your favorite chips and cheese at the store and get cooking. Jump to the recipe card for exact measurements – this is just an overview!
- Tortilla Chips: Wander the chip aisle, and you’ll find the standard brands, but now there even more varieties to choose from, including grain-free, lower-salt, and lime-flavored. Choose your favorite! Feeling adventurous? Make your own tortilla chips!
- Shredded Cheese: I like classic cheddar, but grab whatever strikes your fancy. Monterey Jack or a cheddar-jack blend also tastes great. Give vegan cheese a try, too. The Daiya brand melts nicely.
- Toppings: This is where you go wild! Pickled jalapeños, pico de gallo, vegan chorizo…the list goes on!
Cheese Tip
Always shred your cheese using the large holes of a box grater if you can. Check out the photo below to see how nice and thick the cheese should be. This helps the cheese melt into a beautiful layer but won’t turn hard or rubbery quickly since it doesn’t contain the anti-caking agent pre-shredded cheese does. Plus, store-bought is usually very thin, so it doesn’t coat nachos well.
So easy To make
The hardest part is waiting 5 minutes! (Jump to the recipe for the full printable recipe.)
Step 1: Prep the Air Fryer
Cut a piece of parchment paper or foil the size of your basket’s insert, plus a bit to go up the sides – but not TOO high! Try and keep it below the top of the basket. This will help you pull your entire serving of air fryer nachos out of the basket while also preventing a cheesy mess in the bottom of your air fryer.
Step 2: Assemble the Nachos
We’re doing two layers here, just like making lasagna. Chips-cheese-chips-cheese.
Step 3: Air Fry
Cook for 5 minutes or until your cheese is melted. There is no need to preheat! I love that you can easily set the timer for longer, hang out by the air fryer, and take a quick peek multiple times without losing too much heat. This lets you get things perfect.
Step 4: Serve Them Up!
Carefully lift out your vegetarian nachos by the edges of the parchment. I just place the entire paper on the serving platter. Now add all your favorite toppings! You can also gently pull apart the entire stack of nachos into two for everyone to customize their plates.
Watch the foil!
If you are using foil, keep the edges straight up. If they droop over the nachos, they will block the circulating air, and nothing will get crispy.
Why this Recipe Works
- No wasted energy when you want a single serving. There’s no reason to heat up the main oven when the air fryer will do!
- Five minutes is all you need to make these. You can’t even heat up a toaster oven in the time these nachos cook in the air fryer!
- No soggy nachos here! The air fryer heating element is super close to the chips, keeping them nice and crispy. And with your layered approach, no chip is cheese-less!
FAVORITE AIR FRYER
After trying out a bunch of different air fryers, this is my favorite!
Easy Air Fryer Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups tortilla chips
- 2 cups grated cheese, like Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, or a blend
- Optional Topping Ideas: pico de gallo, sour cream, avocado, cilantro
Instructions
- Prep: Place a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil in your air fryer so that it covers the bottom and a bit of the sides.
- Assemble: Layer in half of the chips, then half of the cheese, then the remaining chips and cheese.
- Air Fry: Cook at 325°F (162°C) for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve: Transfer nachos on the parchment paper to a serving plate, topping with your desired toppings!
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Easiest nachos ever! We love nachos but I dislike the way they turn out in the microwave and I don’t always have time for the oven. These are perfect? Crispy like in the oven but in a fraction of the time. I never would have thought to use my air fryer because of fear of the mess, but the parchment paper is the key. The only changes I made were to add some corn and bean salsa to the chips and vegetarian safe cheese and I had to do it in two batches because my air fryer isn’t a large one. This is how I’ll make my nachos from now on 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy to hear it, Marie! 😀 Enjoy!
You were right, Sarah — using the air fryer made these nice and crispy (versus the microwave we used to use)! Since we use vegan cheese, will have to experiment with time to find the best melting. This is just in time for NFL playoffs, so thanks!
YAY! Enjoy, Miyako!!
Oh. My. Goodness. These nachos are so unbelievably delicious! Incredibly easy, and paired with some fire roasted salsa and cilantro?!?!?!?!?! 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 YES PLEASE!!!! Ive always made these in the microwave. It never ONCE dawned on me to make them in the air fryer! Thank you for such an incredible way to make one of my fave snacks!
Super easy I just like my nachos with cheese and two minutes was fine for a one person serving
I’m so happy you loved it! 😀