Chili Cheese Nachos

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Belly up to a big old plate of homemade Chili Cheese Nachos. Gone are the days that you need to go to a restaurant to make nachos this good. Use leftover chili and lots of sharp cheddar to top on tortilla chips. Once they are hot and gooey add your favorite toppings for an appetizer or main dish that is done in about 15 minutes time!

Top view of a brown sheet pan filled with loaded chili cheese nachos.

My favorite way to use up leftover chili is to make Chili Cheese Nachos! It’s a great way to re-invent leftovers and make it into a delicious new recipe. I have quite a few chili recipes on my blog from 20 minute chicken chili recipe, turkey and black bean chili, butternut squash chicken chili, and my classic chunky 3-bean beef chili. Whatever kind of leftover chili you have on hand will work!

I first got this idea for chilli beef nachos 6 years ago when my husband and I took our baby on his first cruise. The cruise line had a “snack” hour from 3-5pm. Mostly for the piggies who like to eat all day and night. We had missed lunch that day and Thankfully we were able to grab a snack too to fill the void. The buffet happened to have homemade nachos on the buffet bar along with chili, a watered down queso dip, freshly diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and sour cream. My husband grabbed a chili cheese dog–I on the other hand made myself a giant plate of chili cheese nachos.

A few days after we returned from our trip I was still craving nachos. I knew that we weren’t going to go out to a restaurant just so I could enjoy a big plate of nachos. That is when I decided to make cheese nachos at home.

Plus, it worked out well because I had chili for later on in the week for dinner. Of course my husband never boycotts nachos for lunch, so that’s exactly what I did after returning back from our vacation. We had a big old plate of chili cheese nachos that we enjoyed one-by-one until they were all gone!

I don’t know what it is about nachos, but I love them. If I’m super hungry there is nothing that satisfies my appetite more than crispy crunchy loaded nachos. Bring on the piled high nachos at the chain restaurants. Wherever we go if nachos are on the menu there is a good chance I’m ordering them!

Ingredients
Directions
FAQs
Tips & Tricks
Bar Snack Recipes

Ingredients

Chili – I like to use leftovers from my favorite chili recipe. In a pinch, a can of chili will work.
Tortilla Chips – Specifically for nachos, I will buy a thicker tortilla chip that will hold it’s shape when piled on with all the toppings.
Shredded Cheese – I like to use Cabot Cheddar Cheese for my nachos. See notes below on how to shred the block fast!
Lettuce – I’ll chop romaine or ice berg lettuce finely to top once the chili and cheese has melted.
Tomatoes – A few plum tomatoes diced work best for this recipe.
Fresh Cilantro – For an additional layer of flavor add on fresh cilantro.
Sour Cream – Pipe ribbons of sour cream directly on to the nachos.

Directions

Hand sprinkling cheese over chili on nachos in sheet pan.

Preheat the broiler on high. Re-heat chili if needed. Prep toppings while chili is reheating.
Place corn tortilla chips on a baking sheet. Pour chili on top and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 2 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Sour cream drizzling over a sheet pan of nachos.

Remove from the oven and top with diced tomatoes, lettuce, and cilantro. Place sour cream in zip lock baggy, cut a small piece of the corner off the bag and drizzle on top. Enjoy.

FAQs

Sheet pan lined with parchment paper with loaded nachos on top.

How many people will these nachos feed?

A large tray of nachos will feed 4 hungry adults or possibly more if you decide to make other items with the meal.

What is the best cheese for nachos?

I love to use cheddar cheese for nachos. I find that I also like to shred a block of cheddar as it melts smoother.

Why do my nachos go soggy?

Too many wet toppings will make the nachos go soggy very quickly. Try drying the lettuce as best as possible and even pat dry the tomatoes and olives if using to prevent additional moisture on the chips.

What goes first on nachos?

The protein and cheese will go on the tortilla chips first. Bake until hot and melted then add all the cold wet toppings.

Tips & Tricks

Two photos: left of food processor with shredded cheese, right of shredded cheese.

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve found helpful when making this recipe.

Shredding cheese – I find the best way to shred a block of cheddar cheese fast is to use your food processor. Most come with a cheese grater disc.
Toppings – The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings for loaded nachos. Lettuce, tomatoes, diced onions, jalapeno, olives, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, guacamole are just a few of my favorites.

Sour cream in a ziploc baggy with nachos in the background.

Piping soft liquids – I find the easiest way to pipe on the soft liquids like sour cream and guacamole is to place in a ziplock bag. Then carefully cut a tiny little piece off the corner of the bag. This will help let you pipe ribbons of sour cream without have clumps!
Meat – Like I mentioned above you can use any type of chili for this recipe. You could also use shredded chicken or beyond meat crumbles for a vegetarian option.

Bar Snack Recipes

Close up of chili cheese nachos on a baking sheet.

Craving sinfully delicious bar food? I have quite a few bar snack recipes that I think you’ll love.

If you make this chili cheese nachos recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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