Loaded Vegan Nachos
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 2pounds cauliflower (about 1 medium head), florets and stem coarsely chopped
- 1medium white or red onion, finely chopped
- 2tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed)
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½cup nutritional yeast
- 1(15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained, bean liquid reserved
- ½ to 1chipotle chile in adobo (depending on heat preference), plus 2 teaspoons sauce
- 1½teaspoons garlic powder
- ½cup sliced pickled jalapeños, plus brine
- 1(12-ounce) bag of sturdy tortilla chips
- 1lime
- ¼cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and stems, plus small sprigs for topping
- Optional toppings: pico de gallo or chopped tomato, avocado or guacamole, vegan crema, sliced radishes, black olives
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
507 calories; 19 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 22 grams protein; 701 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. On a sheet pan, toss together half the cauliflower, half the onion and the oil. Season with salt, then spread into an even layer. Roast on the bottom rack, without stirring, until brown underneath, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, make the vegan queso: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups water with the remaining cauliflower, the nutritional yeast, bean liquid, chipotle chile, garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth, then add 2 teaspoons of pickled jalapeño brine and blend to combine. Taste the queso on a chip; if flavors are muted, add more salt and brine. (Hold onto the saucepan; no need to clean.)
- Step 3
In a medium bowl, add the adobo sauce to the beans and mash some of the beans with a fork. (This helps the beans adhere to the chip.) When the roasted cauliflower is done, zest the lime over, add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Scrape into the reserved saucepan. (Hold onto the sheet pan and don’t worry about getting every last bit off.)
- Step 4
Assemble: On the sheet pan, spread half the chips into an even layer. Top with half the beans, half the cauliflower and half the queso. Repeat another layer with the remaining chips, queso, beans and cauliflower. Bake until the chips and beans are warm, 3 to 5 minutes. Cut the lime into wedges. Top nachos with the pickled jalapeños, remaining chopped onion, cilantro sprigs, a squeeze of lime and any optional toppings.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
julie
This was very good, and loved the cauliflower and bean combo, but the queso flavor didn’t quite work. It tasted too…vegan… in a bad way (and I have been eating nearly vegan for over 20 years). I will definitely make this again but will use another vegan queso recipe (I prefer those made with potato and carrot).
Pat Lewis
To Patressa from Patricia...please reread Step 2 of the instructions..."Meanwhile, make the vegan queso." It works so well and tastes great!!
Mark
There’s a dive bar in Toronto (Sneaky Dee’s) that makes incredible vegan nachos. I think their secret is that they put guacamole on the chips *before* it goes in the oven, this makes the guac warm and slightly melty. Turns out that this is superior to adding cold guac after the nachos come out of the oven (or having it cold on the side).
C. B.
Big hit at the Super Bowl party..I used 1 whole chipotle and 2 generous teaspoons of the Adobe sauce (on the beans) and it was great, very flavorful..I boiled/simmered the queso liquid for about 20 mins, to help thicken it ,came out great…w/ olives , avocado & chopped tomatoes = Fantastic!!
Susan
I am surprised by all the positive responses. Made this yesterday for Father's Day, we are not vegan but try to eat healthy. This was TERRIBLE. And, I followed the recipe, the queso was too watery, the flavors didn't really work. If I had used cheddar cheese and sour cream it would have been so much better but then not vegan. Still trying to find vegan recipes that we like.
emilyb
Loved it! I would add more onions and cauliflower next time. The combo was delicious
C. B.
Big hit at the Super Bowl party..I used 1 whole chipotle and 2 generous teaspoons of the Adobe sauce (on the beans) and it was great, very flavorful..I boiled/simmered the queso liquid for about 20 mins, to help thicken it ,came out great…w/ olives , avocado & chopped tomatoes = Fantastic!!
Keri
I’m not vegan and have no experience with nutritional yeast. I thought the queso was quite flavorful and delicious. Really enjoyed. Just wish I had more cauliflower.
Rebekah
This was surprisingly good. I reduced the amount of chili and adobo to make it less spicy and omitted onions for my low FODMAP kid. Easy to prepare. Very tasty.
Deb A
We found the queso way too watery, too--I had to strain it through a fine mesh strainer first (but saved the resulting liquid for other use (ramen noodle flavoring, perhaps?). Topping with chopped tomatoes and avocado, as suggested in the recipe, really helped give this a lot more flavor and texture.
Shira
In the end, my dairy free, gluten free, nut free fam really loved this and thank you for giving us back delicious messy nachos. It definitely took some doctoring. The queso was too thin, so we added a couple of boiled, skinned potatoes to the blender to thicken it up. The flavors needed some balancing so we let it sit for a while. The pinto and roasted cauliflower was a perfect fit.
Mark
There’s a dive bar in Toronto (Sneaky Dee’s) that makes incredible vegan nachos. I think their secret is that they put guacamole on the chips *before* it goes in the oven, this makes the guac warm and slightly melty. Turns out that this is superior to adding cold guac after the nachos come out of the oven (or having it cold on the side).
julie
This was very good, and loved the cauliflower and bean combo, but the queso flavor didn’t quite work. It tasted too…vegan… in a bad way (and I have been eating nearly vegan for over 20 years). I will definitely make this again but will use another vegan queso recipe (I prefer those made with potato and carrot).
Matt Steele
Does anyone have a suggestion for a Cauliflower alternative? I can't eat it but want to make this recipe.
Bea
There are a lot of vegan queso cheese recipes that use steamed potato and carrot instead.
Pat Lewis
I am curious. Before I make this, I'd like to know if it is recommended that the second layer of ingredients be added in the same order as the first layer, or should it be added in the different order that is written in the instructions. Could it make a difference in warming or crisping of the chips? Thanks.
Junie
Make the queso in step 2. It is vegan made with cauliflower and so on.
Patressa
I don't see queso in the ingredients list. And isn't queso dairy and thus not vegan?
Pat Lewis
To Patressa from Patricia...please reread Step 2 of the instructions..."Meanwhile, make the vegan queso." It works so well and tastes great!!
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