Loaded Vegetarian Nachos Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.These cheesy, loaded, vegetarian nachos are super satisfying and ready in under 30 minutes! And the best part: they taste just like the traditional recipe but can be enjoyed completely guilt-free! Perfect for late nights, picnics, game day, get-togethers, or a great appetizer or quick dinner for the whole family!
There is just something so satisfying about nachos. That gooey, cheesy goodness over crispy tortilla chips: it’s indulgent and tasty, the best type of late-night snack.
And these vegetarian nachos are so good, that they have quickly become one of our favorite recipes for anytime of the day!
My family absolutely loves nachos – but was super skeptical that I could actually make them healthy and still taste as good as the traditional recipe.
Challenge, accepted.
Enter: these loaded veggie nachos. With a few simple swaps you’re able to enjoy a GIANT plate of nachos for only about 400 calories, 12 grams of filling fiber, and 22 grams of protein – with all of the richness of what nachos are all about! This is a great recipe for busy weeknights and it’s one of my go-to healthy recipes when I need something easy, but also filling and nutritious.
This will soon become one of your favorite vegetarian recipes — and is guaranteed to be a hit with everyone at your dinner table!
How To Make The Best Vegetarian Nachos Ever
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Corn Tortilla Chips: I chose organic, gluten-free corn chips to keep this recipe gluten-free friendly.
Vegetarian refried beans (either black or pinto beans): This replaces the ground beef found in most traditional nacho recipes!
Taco seasoning or chili powder: For seasoning the beans!
Plain Greek Yogurt: A healthy replacement for sour cream.
Red Onion: I used chopped raw red onions for this recipe, but you could also use sautéed onions or caramelized onions if you like!
Veggies: I used a red bell pepper, baby spinach and cherry tomatoes, but you can use any veggies you like for these loaded nachos. Sweet corn, roasted sweet potatoes, or carrots would all work well.
Shredded Cheese: You can use monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, or a Mexican shredded cheese blend for this vegetarian nacho recipe. I don’t recommend low fat cheese because it doesn’t melt as well.
Optional Toppings: fresh cilantro, fresh lime or lime juice, green onions, black olives, jalapeños, guacamole or avocado crema, and your favorite salsa (salsa, salsa verde, or pico de gallo, etc.)
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven, cook the beans: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. While the oven is preheating, heat the refried beans in a pot or large skillet over medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning. Cook on low for 5 minutes until combined.
Prep The Nachos: Once the beans are done, add corn chips in a single layer on the sheet pan. Top with bean mixture, onions, bell peppers, spinach and then cheese.
Bake the Nachos: Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and add tomatoes, Greek Yogurt, and any additional toppings you like on top of the nachos. Serve these loaded vegetarian nachos warm!
What Makes This Vegetarian Nachos Recipe Healthy?
- Using real, organic, corn tortilla chips instead of a processed alternative. These chips only have 3 ingredients: corn, olive oil, salt. You can also make your own at home using cut up corn tortillas, baked in the oven with olive oil cooking spray and salt!
- Adding vegetarian refried beans (either pinto beans or black beans will work well). The key here is that the beans should only have 3 ingredients: beans, salt, and water.
- Adding in lots of veggies! I chose tomatoes, red peppers, baby spinach and onions — but you can really add in any veggies you like. The key is to load up the nachos with veggies to amp up the fiber and nutrients.
- Using less cheese. Most homemade nachos recipes have lots of cheese, but you don’t need cups of cheese to make nachos cheesy – that’s the beauty of melted cheese! Each individual serving has about 1/4 cup of cheese and that was more than enough!
- Using Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream – that’s a healthy swap that adds in more protein, which makes these nachos even more filling.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! And the best part about these nachos is that it’s a great way to sneak in a bunch of veggies into your kids’ diets without them really noticing! You can even get your kids involved to help make the nachos — kids love adding toppings and cheese to the chips before baking them — and this will make them much more likely to eat these veggie nachos too!
The answer is: It depends. It really depends on how much cheese you are using! In this recipe, we only use 1/2 cup of cheese for two giant portions – which only amounts to about 200 calories total. If you’re using real, shredded cheese in moderation and are adding extra veggies and other high fiber, high nutrient ingredients (like beans) to your nachos – they are still healthy!
Believe it or not, real authentic nachos are only made with tortilla chips, cheese and jalapeños. Adding beans and other toppings are considered a spinoff of the original. That said, I think these additions just make the original recipe even better!
I wouldn’t recommend it! Nacho cheese, technically, isn’t even considered a “food” by the FDA. It doesn’t meet their standards for real cheese! Plus, shredded cheese just melts so wonderfully over these nachos and makes them slightly crispier too. So, while ballparks and stadiums still use nacho cheese, I’d go with the original recipe on this one and stick to real, shredded cheese. It’s better for you, less processed, and much more satisfying!
Yes! Just omit the cheese and greek yogurt (or use vegan cheese/sour cream) and they are vegan-friendly!
Top Tips for Making These Late Night Vegetarian Nachos
- Load up your nachos so you can get as many ingredients on each chip as possible. The more the merrier here!
- If you’re adding any of the extra fresh toppings like cilantro or green onions, sprinkle them on after the nachos come out of the oven.
- If you want to add any extra “wet” toppings like salsa, guacamole, etc. serve it on the side of your nachos so you don’t end up with a soggy mess!
- Use foil or parchment paper on your baking sheet for easy cleanup.
More Healthy Snack Recipes!
- Gourmet Popcorn Recipes
- Garlic Parmesan Kale Chips
- Homemade Guacamole
- 20 Easy Healthy Snacks
- 30 Healthy Side Dishes
- 55 Easy Vegetarian Recipes
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Healthy Loaded Vegetarian Nachos
Ingredients
- 28 corn tortilla chips
- 1 cup vegetarian refried beans (either black or pinto beans)
- 1-2 tsp taco seasoning more to taste
- 4 tbsp low fat plain Greek Yogurt
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 bell pepper (yellow, orange or red) diced
- 1 5oz clamshell baby spinach chopped
- 1 6oz box cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- ½ cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Optional toppings: cilantro, fresh lime, green onions, jalapeños, guacamole, salsa, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- While the oven is preheating, heat the refried beans in a pot over medium heat. Stir in taco seasoning. Cook on low for 5 minutes until combined.
- Once the beans are done, add corn chips to the baking sheet. Top with beans, onions, bell peppers, spinach and then cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with tomatoes and Greek Yogurt. Serve warm.
Notes
- Load up your nachos so you can get as many ingredients on each chip as possible. The more the merrier here!
- If you’re adding any of the extra fresh toppings like cilantro or green onions, sprinkle them on after the nachos come out of the oven.
- If you want to add any extra “wet” toppings like salsa, guacamole, etc. serve it on the side of your nachos so you don’t end up with a soggy mess!
- Use foil or parchment paper on your baking sheet for easy cleanup.
