Sometimes nachos can’t wait for lunch. These vegan breakfast nachos are a wonderfully decadent way to start the day. There’s layer after layer of refried beans, tofu scramble, creamy cashew queso, and avocado. Vegan & gluten-free.
When my husband and I first started dating, we’d spend every weekend together watching marathon viewings of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and ordering in food for delivery.
We’d get pizzas, which we’d then top with chips for our own impromptu taco pizzas (since taco pizza isn’t sold in the Southland), Thai stir-fries, Mediterranean platters, and Indian curries.
However, unless we wanted to cook, there was one meal where we were forced to go out into the world – breakfast.
Every weekend we’d lament that there was no available Breakfast Delivery Service.
(Breakfast is the time people really don’t want to get up and showered and out of the house before coffee and food. With a breakfast delivery service, you’d just have to make it as far as the front door, hand off some cash, and say good morning to biscuits and gravy.)
So at least once every weekend and sometimes twice, we’d head to our favorite diner for breakfast. We’d slide into one of their big, cozy booths.
The diner was really old school with swivel stools around a counter. There was someone walking around with a pot of coffee to give your cup a “warm up.” And our server already knew what our order would be because it was always the same.
This was before either of us had gone vegan. After discovering it on the menu, every time I’d order the huevos rancheros.
They made their huevos rancheros with a double layering of tostadas. There was one crisp tostada slathered with refried beans. It was topped with another tostada, scrambled eggs, salsa, and cheese.
As I broke my fork into the crisp tostadas with a crack, it made a terrifically satisfying crunch. I liked how there was a combination of hot and cold, soft, smooth, creamy and crunchy.
During the week sometimes I’d pick up a bag of tostadas at the grocery store and make my own version. The tostadas were easy enough to find in Southern California and pretty widely available.
Where I live now, they’re less common. Plus, nowadays I like to choose organic corn products as much as possible, because they’re a common GMO crop. Finding organic tostadas is even trickier.
Vegan breakfast nachos
These days when I make my own version of the diner’s huevos rancheros, first, I veganize them with creamy cashew queso, easy vegan refried beans, tofu scramble, tomatoes, onions, quick pickled jalapeños, chunks of fresh avocado, and a smattering of hot sauce.
And instead of round crisp tostadas, I use organic tortilla chips. I call them Lazy Rancheros, or more accurately, breakfast nachos.
(Note: I call for Ancho Chili Powder in the recipe, because I think it has a much better depth of flavor than your average chili powder. It’s the only chili powder I use these days. However, if you can’t find it in your area, feel free to swap it out with your regular chili powder instead.)
Make it your own
This recipe has endless options.
- If your early morning energy fights against you making cashew cheese, refried beans, and a tofu scramble, by all means just pick two.
- Make it as breakfast-for-dinner.
- Swap out the refried beans or tofu scramble for black beans instead.
- Use these ingredients for a breakfast burrito! Stuff a tortilla with the scramble, beans, tomatoes, and onions. Then smother it in the cashew cheese sauce.
I am very heavily in the savory breakfast camp. And this platter of breakfast nachos is nearly perfection for me. A spicy scramble with hearty refried beans and creamy queso is a beautiful way to start the day.
So what is it lacking? Well, if I could just find a way to have it delivered to me while I’m in my pajamas, now that would be heaven.
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Breakfast Nachos with Refried Beans & Cashew Queso
Ingredients
Creamy Cashew Queso
- ½ cup raw cashews
- 1 cup vegetable broth or water and half a vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ teaspoon white miso paste
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt**
Tofu scramble
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small to medium
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ⅓ cup orange yellow, or red bell pepper, chopped small to medium
- 10 ounces super firm tofu from a vacuum-packed package*
- ¼ cup water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup salsa
Refried beans
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups pinto beans drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup water + a few tablespoons more if necessary
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ground pepper to taste
Breakfast Nachos
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
For the Creamy Cashew Queso
- If using a non high speed blender, soak the cashews for 8 hours in water, and then drain them. If you’re using a high speed blender, soaking isn’t necessary.
- Using a blender, blend raw cashews, vegetable broth (or water and half a vegetable bouillon cube), nutritional yeast, white miso paste, cumin, ancho chili powder, and salt. Blend until totally smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer the cashew mixture to a small pot. Bring the pot to a medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for about 10 minutes. If it begins to simmer, lower the heat. Continue stirring and cooking until the cashew mixture has reduced and thickened, making a velvety smooth queso.
For the Tofu Scramble
- Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil to the skillet, and sauté the onion, garlic, and bell pepper for a few minutes, until the mixture is fragrant and softened.
- Crumble the tofu into the pan with your hands. Add water, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, coriander, paprika, ancho chili powder, and salt to the tofu. Stir until the spices are evenly combined with the tofu and cook for a few minutes, until the tofu is warm throughout.
- Add the jarred salsa to the tofu, spread evenly throughout the mixture, and cook for a couple minutes more until warm and combined.
For the Refried Beans
- Bring a large skillet to a medium heat. Add extra virgin olive oil to the skillet and sauté onion and garlic a few minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
- Add pinto beans to the skillet along with water, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, and salt.
- When the water begins to simmer, lower the heat and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until most of the water has been absorbed, except for a couple of tablespoons.
- Using a fork or potato masher, mash the beans until smooth. If the beans are too dry, add water by the tablespoonful until they are soft and smooth like mashed potatoes, but not too watery.
- Add ground pepper and taste for salt, adding more if necessary.
For the Breakfast Nachos
- Spread tortilla chips across a platter.
- Evenly spread spoonfuls of tofu scramble and refried beans. Generously spoon creamy cashew queso across the nachos.
- Add dollops of fresh avocado, fresh cilantro, and the toppings of your choice. Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.
Vegyogini
This is a meal after my own heart (more likely lunch for me, than breakfast, though). Thank you, Cadry!
Cadry
Thanks, I’m glad to hear it! 🙂
Kaitlin @ TheGardenGrazer
Whoa, I think you just nailed my perfect breakfast 😀 I always crave big, hearty breakfasts to get me going in the morning and this sounds like the ultimate one. Thanks Cadry! Such a fan of your site 🙂
Cadry
Oh, that’s so nice to hear! Thanks, Kaitlin!
Hannah
Oh this is genius and now I’m huuungry. I love a good savory breakfast, and I’m always in the mood for nachos!
Cadry
Yes, I love savory breakfasts too! Every once in a while I have a hankering for pancakes or waffles, but most of the time I’d rather have something that can be eaten with hot sauce instead of maple syrup. 🙂
Susmitha - Veganosaurus
Breakfast Nachos? Yummers!
We don’t get good commercial tortilla chips here but I’m definitely getting my guys at the restaurant to recreate this ASAP for me. Umnomnomnom.
Cadry
Excellent! If you make your own tortillas, I think fried chips would make it extra decadent! Like this, but with homemade tortillas: http://cadryskitchen.com/2013/09/18/back-in-thyme-puffy-nachos-with-spicy-black-beans/
Shannon
How perfect are these for a cold weekend morning! During the week before work, I’m happy to eat oatmeal… but on the weekends (especially after a couple of beers the night before ;)) I wake up wanting something super satisfying and salty. We are spoiled with a restaurant in our neighborhood that serves a brunch with several vegan options, but sometimes I am even too lazy to walk there… I am 100% saving this idea. Tofu scramble in nachos is just genius 🙂
Cadry
Oh, that’s so nice for you that you have a lot of vegan brunch options in your neighborhood! When we live in a large city again someday, I’m going to really appreciate our expanded dining options. I miss having more choices!
Caitlin
i loveeee this idea! when dayv and i first started dating, we’d go out to eat all the time, especially friendly’s. it was insane. since we didn’t live together or sleep over (we both still lived with our parents), we never had the opportunity to eat breakfast together. i have to say, i do prefer going out to a restaurant in most cases, but i do love the idea of breakfast delivery. i’m always envious of other people’s breakfast room deliveries in hotels 😉
Cadry
Our brunch options here are extremely slim, and so even if we wanted to go out for brunch, we’re not overflowing in choices, unfortunately. Even before I went vegan, I never ordered hotel room service, because it’s so overpriced. However, now I would be very excited to see a tofu scramble on a hotel menu. I might have to order it anyway, just out of novelty!
Dale
I would have quite happily have swapped our chia porridge from breakfast this morning for this! Just don’t tell Franca I said that 😉
Cadry
Ha! Mum’s the word!
glutenfreehappytummy
talk about a reason to wake up in the morning!
Cadry
Indeed!
Bianca
You had me at “breakfast” and “nachos.” Thank you for giving me permission to eat nachos for breakfast!!!
Cadry
My work here is done. 😉
Caitlin
Brunch delivery – now that is a brilliant idea! I would absolutely love that (my main issue with brunch is that I never get up early enough to get a decent start on it, so invariably end up eating it at noon or 1pm which makes me more lunch than brunch). I also love breakfast nachos! Although I’m definitely more of a make the cashew queso and refried beans the night before and sleep in kind of girl.
Cadry
Yes, we definitely need the breakfast delivery trend to catch on and ASAP. I know that it’s available in places like NYC, but small-town vegans need waffles too! 🙂
Kristy
I hadn’t thought about it because I like getting up and going out for brunch, but the idea of brunch delivery sounds amazing! Do I smell a business venture? It could be called Bring Brunch?
I’ve often thought about breakfast nachos but I’ve never put the plan into action. After seeing this, I think I need to make it soon!
Cadry
Let’s make a deal – if you start Bring Brunch then I’ll move within the delivery area. Just don’t make fun of my Santa Claus pajamas, okay?