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Nothing says messy indulgence like a gargantuan pile of vegan nachos. Every bite brings a different flavor – cashew queso, spicy seitan, black beans, chunks of ripe avocado, the peppery bite of jalapeño…
And as if that wasn’t enough, you have the variety of textures – crunchy, creamy, and chewy to take the experience up another notch.
Very often when I share a picture of the pile of nachos I’m having for dinner on Instagram or Facebook, I get questions about the various toppings. So I start linking in the comments – the queso from here, the beans from there, the seitan from there…
With Cinco de Mayo festivities just around the corner, it was time to put my favorite swoon-worthy vegan nachos all together in one place – no cacophony of linking necessary.
N.N.T.C. – No naked tortilla chips
The key to perfect nachos is in the layers. You don’t want a huge pile of tortilla chips on bottom, and then all the toppings blanketing them. That’s a sure fire way to end up with sad and soggy chips on an empty platter when all is said and done. No one wants that.
So remember the layers – cashew queso, seitan chorizo & beans, chopped fresh vegetables… And then start all over with another layer of chips, seitan chorizo & beans, and so on and so forth. Continue adding like some kind of geological dig in reverse until you have a mountain of nachos to ascend.
Creamy cashew queso
I’ve been making a version of this creamy cashew queso for years. The cashews give the sauce the kind of full-bodied fattiness you really want in your vegan cheese.
I’ve drizzled it over breakfast nachos, and most recently it was a topping on my chili cheese tater tots.
There’s just one recent change. Lately I’ve been adding a steamed carrot to the mix. The carrot doesn’t add a lot in terms of flavor, but it does mean you’re squeezing in an extra vegetable at dinnertime. Plus, it gives the queso a very pleasing pop of orange.
If you don’t have a carrot on hand, no worries. The cashew queso is every bit as good without it.
(If you can’t have cashews, check out this old school flour-based queso instead. It’s the cheesy topping for fried puffy nachos. Or try a ladling of creamy cauliflower queso.)
Seitan chorizo & black beans
For the beany & meaty portion of the nachos, I’m using Upton’s Naturals chorizo seitan, black beans, and spices. There are loads of seitan chorizo options out there. So feel free to get whatever you prefer.
As always, I reach for ancho chile powder whenever I’m making something Mexican-inspired. Unlike chili powder blends, which are common in many a pantry, ancho chile powder is simply ground ancho chiles. (Ancho chiles are poblano peppers that have been dried.)
Many run-of-the-mill chili powder blends include cayenne. So people are often surprised to find that ancho chile powder is flavorful, but not hot. It’s a kitchen essential as far as I’m concerned. But if you don’t have it, go with whatever chili powder you have on hand.
All of the vegetables
Finally, I like to fill out my nachos with chopped onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices, and dashes of hot sauce. (Here are my three top hot sauces!) This time around I added chunks of fresh avocado, but of course, guacamole would also work beautifully here.
For an even more heavily loaded platter of nachos, consider adding dollops of refried beans, black olives, or non-dairy sour cream.
Get your napkins ready. It’s go time.
Seriously swoon-worthy vegan nachos with cashew queso
Ingredients
For creamy cashew queso
- 1 carrot chopped + water for steaming
- 1/2 cup raw cashews*
- 1 cup water
- Half vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon white miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt**
For seitan chorizo & black beans
- 1/2 teaspoon organic canola oil
- 1/2 cup seitan chorizo Upton's Naturals is my favorite.
- 1 1/2 cups black beans drained & rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 Tablespoon water
- Pinch salt
For nachos
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes I like to use cherry tomatoes out of season.
- 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 avocado chopped
- Optional toppings: Pickled jalapeño pepper slices & hot sauce
Instructions
To make creamy cashew queso
- Fill a medium sized pot with about an inch of water. Add chopped carrot and bring to a simmer. Cook until the carrot is fork tender, about 8 minutes. Drain water and set the carrot aside.
- Using a blender, blend cooked carrot, raw cashews, 1 cup water, half a vegetable bouillon cube, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, cumin, ancho chile powder, and salt. Blend until totally smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary.
- Transfer the cashew mixture to the empty pot you used for steaming the carrot. 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. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make chorizo & black beans
- Bring a non-stick skillet to a medium heat with organic canola oil. Put the crumbled seitan into the skillet and brown for a few minutes.
- Add black beans to skillet with paprika, cumin, ancho chile powder, 1 Tablespoon of water, and a pinch of salt. Stir until the spices are fully combined and the beans are warm. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make nachos
- The best nachos are made in layers. Put one layer of tortilla chips on a large platter. Top with a smattering of creamy cashew queso, chorizo & black beans, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and avocado. Add another layer of chips and all of the above. Continue layering the chips & toppings until you have a beautiful mound of vegan nachos.
- Serve right away with plenty of napkins, pickled jalapeño slices, and hot sauce.
Jenn says
Oh my gosh, another addition for our queso party!! Yay! And, there is nothing worse than getting to those middle chips and all the toppings are gone!! NICE layering my friend! Why isn’t this standard?! 🙂
Cadry says
Yes, we’ve got a bad case of the Quesos! Ha! There must be something cheesy in the air. I’m glad we’re in agreement about the sad state of affairs when you’re only left with a plate of limp & soggy chips. That’s the worst!
Shell says
These nachos looks amazing! I love your addition of steamed carrots. I wonder if we could use the air fryer to make nacho chips out of tortillas?
Cadry says
Thanks, Shell! About the carrots, I figure if I can sneak in another vegetable, why not do it? Plus, the extra orange color makes for an inviting queso. People put all kinds of things in their vegan cheese sauces like butternut squash and sweet potato.
Yes, you could use the air fryer to make chips! I have made chips out of flour tortillas and used them as a scooping device for hummus.
I haven’t made them yet with corn tortillas, a spritz of oil, and salt for more traditional tortilla chips. However, I know it can be done!
Becky Striepe says
Oh my gosh, these look perfect! Loving those pickled jalapenos on top, too!
Cadry says
Thanks, Becky! If you are what you eat, I’m pretty sure that I’m at least 1/4 pickled jalapenos. 😀
Bianca Phillips says
Wow! I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT TO LAYER. That is nacho genius, my friend. THANK YOU. You’ve saved from a grim future of soggy chips.
Cadry says
Layering is key! I’m glad I’ve done my part in your Nacho Journey. 😀
Mary Ellen | VNutrition says
Yay, more queso! I totally agree I hate soggy or naked chips. You queso sounds delicious and can’t wait to try it.
Love the seahorse pitcher. Seahorses are one of my favorite sea creatures. 🙂
Cadry says
Thanks, Mary Ellen! You, Jenn, and I had queso on the brain last week. There must have been something cheesy in the air. I’m glad you like the seahorse pitcher! I got it at Pier 1. It was part of their summer collection, and I stalked it in the clearance section until it went so low in price, I couldn’t refuse. 😀
Patti Verlengia says
This queso looks great. Definitely going to give it a try.
Cadry says
Great, Patti! I hope you love it. It’s a big favorite around here.
Sarah McMinn says
Those are seriously swoon-worthy, Cadry! That queso looks so good and I love the idea of adding steamed carrots to it for some more sneaky vegetable goodness. I’m going to be having some of these nachos this weekend. Thanks for the recipe!
Cadry says
Thanks, Sarah! I figure it doesn’t hurt to sneak in some more vegetable goodness. I hope you enjoyed them!
Dianne says
Since Taco Tuesday is a think, I think we should work on making Nacho Night a thing. I have just about everything from this recipe on hand, including the ancho chile powder (because you recommended it a few years ago!), so this is definitely happening!
Cadry says
Awesome, Dianne! I saw the picture of the platter of nachos you made, and it has me craving them all over again!
Gina says
Perfection! Thanks!
Cadry says
You’re welcome!
Kristina says
I could eat nachos with queso EVERY. DAY.
Cadry says
#LifeGoals
Janis Ware says
This was a big hit with the family! Everyone loves nachos, and everyone loved THESE nachos! Yum!
Cadry says
Excellent, I’m so happy to hear it!