Air Fryer Nachos With Ground Beef
These loaded Air Fryer Nachos, piled with ground beef and yummy toppings is the ultimate appetizer, snack or a quick meal. This easy, cheesy goodness is quick and will be on the table in just 5 minutes! Perfect for any time of day!
Air Fryer Nachos
If you haven’t made nachos in the air fryer you’re missing out big time! Tortilla chips filled with crispy ground beef (taco meat), black beans, shredded cheese and topped with salsa, jalapenos, olives, green onions these loaded nachos are full of flavor and the best nachos you’ll ever have!
You can cook the ground beef in the air fryer itself in just 5 minutes with this Air Fryer Ground Beef recipe. Use ground chicken, ground turkey or any other protein for different variations.
Within minutes, you’ll have a giant serving of nachos to satisfy your late night cravings, or to share during the football season, game day or movie night! It’s our family’s favorite snack to make.
If you’re looking for more Tex-Mex recipes, check my Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, or more Air fryer recipes at Air Fryer Recipe Collection.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and easy – The best part is crispy nachos with ooey-gooey melted cheese ready in less than 5 minutes in the air fryer. Quicker than the oven.
- No clean-up – Use aluminum foil or parchment paper to make the nachos in and when you’re finished you can trash it. No clean-up required. Who doesn’t love that?
- Customizable – This air fryer nachos recipe is so simple and can be made with any of your favorite toppings you have on hand or to suit your taste buds. No beef? Swap the beef with chicken for amazing Air fryer chicken nachos. Or leave the meat altogether for crispy cheese nachos.
- Great for any time – I love how versatile nachos are. They make a wonderful appetizer for game days, an easy snack or even a quick dinner or meal with some protein like cooked meat and beans.
What You Need For Air Fryer Nachos
- Tortilla chips – You can use use any kind of tortilla chips, like the restaurant style chips or if you’re gluten free, use corn tortilla chips.
- Cooked ground beef – You can cook the ground beef in the Air fryer before making the nachos. It only takes 5 minutes. Cooked ground chicken or chilli can be used too.
- Black beans – Rinse and drained canned black beans. Refried beans can be used as well.
- Salsa – I like to use a bit of salsa on the meat and beans and this adds so much flavor. You don’t want to use so much and make the nachos soggy.
- Shredded cheese – I use the shredded Tex-Mex cheese but any melty type of cheese will work.
- Toppings – Sliced jalapeños, sliced olives, sliced spring onions, and diced tomatoes.
How to Make Nachos In The Air Fryer
*Scroll below for the printable recipe card and ingredient measurements.
- Line the air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper liner or a piece of aluminum foil. Layer the tortilla chips, overlapping each other in a single layer.
Pro Tip: Use pre-cut parchment paper liner or aluminum foil to cook the nachos. They’re so convenient and you don’t have to clean up after. Make sure the sides are long enough so you can lift the nachos out of the air fryer easily.
- Top with cooked meat and black beans.
Pro tip: Cook ground beef in the air fryer with taco seasoning for flavorful taco meat to be used in nachos or tacos. Click here for recipe.
- Drizzle a spoonful or two of salsa over the toppings. You don’t want to use a lot of salsa as it will make the chips soggy.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top covering all the ingredients. Add jalapeños and olives.
- Air fry nachos at 350˚F for 4 to 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and chips are crispy. Serve warm topped with diced tomatoes, spring onions and a dollop of sour cream.
*Air fryers come in different sizes and models, and you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Tips For Best Air Fryer Nachos
- Use flavored tortilla chips. Jalapeno flavored tortilla chips really enhance the flavor of nachos.
- Thick, restaurant quality chips are best. Make sure you get the right kind of chips. The best tortilla chips are thick ones that will hold up to all the added toppings.
- Do two layers – Rather than making a single layer do two layers instead if your air fryer has the space. In each layer have the tortilla chips, meat, beans, salsa and shredded cheese. You don’t want to fill up the air fryer too much because your nachos will not crisp up evenly.
Topping Ideas
You can add a variety of vegetables or condiments as toppings for your nachos. Below are some great options you can try:
- Diced onions
- Black olives
- Fresh parsley chopped
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Diced avocado
- Pico de gallo
- Guacamole
Storing and Reheating
Storage – Nachos taste best when they’re fresh out of the air fryer. But if you have leftover nachos, they’ll keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a day. I don’t recommend storing them more than a day or two as you’ll end up with soggy nachos and it’s hard to make them crispy.
Reheat – The best way to reheat nachos is to air fry them. Air fryers are notoriously famous for making leftover food taste good. To reheat nachos, air fry them at 350˚F for 2-3 minutes until they’re crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any good melty cheese like Monterey Jack, Cheddar cheese, Marble cheese, Tex-Mex blend, or a Mexican cheese will work.
I put a little bit of salsa on layers of chips and cheese as they add more flavor. You can also add salsa to the baked nachos when serving.
More Air Fryer Snacks You’ll Love:
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Recipe
Air Fryer Nachos With Ground Beef
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups tortilla chips
- ½ cup cooked ground beef
- ½ cup black beans canned, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp salsa
- 1½ cups shredded cheese
Toppings
- sliced jalapeno peppers
- sliced black olives
- diced tomatoes
- chopped spring onions the green part
Instructions
- Line the air fryer basket or tray with parchment paper liner or a piece of aluminum foil.
- Layer the tortilla chips, overlapping each other. Top with cooked ground beef and black beans.
- Drizzle salsa over the meat and beans. You don't want to use a lot of salsa as it will make the chips soggy.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top covering all the ingredients. Add jalapenos and olives. You can add another layer of chips and toppings if you like.
- Air fry nachos at 350˚F for 3 to 4 minutes until the cheese is melted and chips are crispy. Serve warm topped with diced tomatoes, spring onions and a dollop of sour cream.
Notes
- You can cook ground beef in the air fryer with taco seasoning to use in this recipe. Place the ground beef in the air fryer basket, break the meat with a wooden spatula and air fry at 375˚F for 3 minutes. Stir the meat and air fry for one minute. Add the seasoning and Air fry until cooked.
- Other great options for toppings include diced onions, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, diced avocado, pico de gallo or guacamole.
