12 Nacho Recipes that Steal the Show (2024)

Crispy, crunchy, cheesy, gooey, savory, salty — we can go on forever about everything that makes nachos so irresistible. These nacho recipes, from Three-Cheese Queso Nachos to Loaded Pita Nachos, are perfect for game day parties and all kinds of gatherings. Whip up a platter of Andrew Zimmern's Best Nachos of All Time, piled high with fixings including melty queso fundido, or combine nachos with another favorite to make burgers loaded with nacho toppings. Sounds good? Get ready to build the nachos of your dreams.

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Frito Pie

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Frito Pie is a glorious mess of corn chips, chili, cheese and other toppings piled together — often right in the chip bag — for a satisfying meal. While not outright a nacho, this nacho-adjacent dish is just as good.

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Loaded Pita Nachos with Lentil Chili and Feta Queso

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In this recipe for a new take on nachos, pita chips are drizzled with a feta queso and then laden with lentil chili, harissa-spiked pickled cabbage, and a dollop of creamy labneh. The tangy feta queso gets its smooth body from the addition of red lentils and is a tasty option for dipping, too.

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Three-Cheese Queso Nachos

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Whether you're making this loaded tray of nachos for entertaining or the ultimate snack dinner, it's sure to impress. Each individual component takes this dish to the next level, from homemade pickled red onions and jalapeños to creamy queso made with Monterey Jack, white American, and goat cheese.

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Cheesy Nachos with Fried Eggs and Giardiniera

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These delicious breakfast-style nachos are made with sausage, tangy pickled vegetables, and fried eggs. They're perfect any time of day.

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Nacho Snack Dinner with Sweet Potato Queso

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"It's a great meal for movie night, the big game, or a night of card games," cookbook author and Food & Wine Cooks contributor Ann Taylor Pittman says about this nacho snack dinner. "Everyone loves snacking, especially when it involves cheese dip." Her vibrant queso, made with Colby-Jack cheese, gets subtle sweetness and its orange color from the addition of pureed sweet potato. Rather than serving it directly on tortilla chips, the queso is served in a bowl surrounded by the chips and prepped vegetables for a deconstructed nacho situation.

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Creole Crawfish Nachos

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New Orleans icon Big Freedia drapes her signature nachos in spicy cheese sauce and buttery, Creole-seasoned crawfish. "Crawfish is something my mom made all the time when I was a kid, so I can make crawfish in many forms," she says. "It's so New Orleans."

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Thanksgiving Leftovers Nachos

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Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes his next-level nachos with leftovers from his Thanksgiving meal. He uses diced turkey, chopped roasted vegetables, and whole cranberry sauce, but any leftovers you have can be used because gooey Monterey Jack cheese brings everything together.

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Best Nachos of All Time

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"These super-sophisticated nachos are built with several components, all made from scratch and delicious on their own," Andrew Zimmern says. "When served together, they will blow your mind."

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Nachos in a Bag

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"I am a traditionalist when it comes to nachos, and my gold star goes to the 'walking taco,'" says chef Kristen Kish. "I'm talking about the old school, cafeteria hot lunch–style walking taco. Individual bags of chips filled with grated cheddar cheese, taco meat, sour cream, chopped onion, pickled jalapeño, canned black olives, tomatoes and whatever else you could find at the salad bar. I was known to top it all off with a little ranch dressing and buttery corn. You roll the top of the paper bag closed, shake it, then dig in with a plastic spork. The chips are evenly coated, every bite drenched, your knuckles kissed by the flavors as you dig for that last bite in the bottom corner."

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Nacho Burgers

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This over-the-top burger from chef Bobby Flay features a gooey cheese sauce made with Monterey Jack and pecorino, as well as a salsa that gets smoky heat from a chipotle chile in adobo.

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Gochujang Chili-Cheese Nachos

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Chef Edward Lee has long known what the rest of the country is just learning: Sweet-spicy-funky gochujang makes just about everything better. Here, he uses the Korean pantry staple in his beer-braised, chipotle-spiced beef chili and also mixes it into sour cream for extra umami and flavor. To make the nachos, he spoons the chile and creamy dip over tortilla chips, then adds crumbled cotija cheese and slices of fresh serrano peppers.

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Smothered Mole Chicken Nachos

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While this recipe calls for store-bought mole sauce, you can absolutely use homemade if you have it.The nachos are finished with a garnish of shredded red cabbage, thinly sliced fresh and pickled jalapeños, and cilantro leaves.

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