Air Fryer Loaded Nachos with Black Beans
Here’s a vegetarian recipe for Air Fryer Nachos with black beans that can be served as a snack or a quick and easy meal. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan as well. Ready in 15 minutes!
Nachos are one of the best meals or easy snacks for a party! Whether you want to make it for a crowd or enjoy it on your own, you can customize all your toppings.
This recipe starts with homemade chips and uses black beans for a vegetarian protein boost.
The best part? These delicious air fryer nachos are ready in 15 minutes!
Air Fryer Nacho Recipe Benefits
- These vegetarian nachos will delight anyone, meat-lovers included. The melted cheese and spicy jalapeños are the perfect combo.
- You are only cooking these nachos for five minutes – no need to preheat. This means it’s a dinner or snack you can make in a hurry!
- Because it only takes five minutes, you can easily make a second batch for more servings. Make these easy air fryer nachos for game day.
Recommended Ingredients
- Black beans provide fiber and plant protein for an easy vegetarian meal. You could also use Mexican Beans.
- Tortilla chips offer the perfect salty crunch. Make your own Air Fryer Tortilla Corn Chips to customize salt and seasonings or use your favorite tortilla chips.
- Toppings can include everything you like. I recommend shredded cheddar cheese (or a vegan dairy-free cheese), pickled jalapeños, salsa, and chopped green onions. Feel free to use your favorite toppings in this recipe. Other options include black olives, mexican cheese, taco seasoning, jalapeno peppers, nacho cheese sauce, shredded rotisserie chicken, or green chilies.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact measurements.
Recipe Steps
Let me show you how easy it is to make these air fryer nachos.
Step One
Line the basket of your air fryer with a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Spray the foil with oil and add your corn tortilla chips in a single layer.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step Two
Sprinkle half of the cheese on the chips.
Step Three
Add remaining toppings as desired, then finish with the rest of the cheese.
Step Four
Air fry just five minutes to melt the cheese and heat the other toppings.
Step Five
Carefully remove your crispy nachos with tongs and add salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, and any other item you wish.
It’s easy to customize this recipe to make your own nachos.
I hope you love this yummy Air Fryer Nachos recipe as much as I do. It’s an easy snack or even a great quick meal when you don’t have a lot of time or energy to cook.
Recipe Tips
- You can use whatever type of shredded cheese you like including cheddar or Monterey Jack. The best cheese for nachos is generally a hard cheese. For a dairy-free option, try the Daiya brand of shredded cheese substitute found in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores.
- These nachos are best served right after they are done cooking. If you have leftover nachos, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- If you don’t like black beans, you can leave them off. Or, you can substitute other types of cooked beans including pinto beans, refried beans, or white beans. If you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, feel free to also add cooked ground beef for more protein.
- Some air fryer models needs to be preheated. Please refer to the owner’s manual of your particular model to see if you need to preheat it before using.
Air Fryer Nachos Recipe FAQs
Yes! I recommend Daiya brand shredded cheese as it melts nicely.
I find it’s best to use foil so that the cheese and toppings stay contained on the chips. You can also use parchment paper. Just make sure you leave a gap around the edge so that the air circulates to heat the nachos evenly.
Homemade nachos made with quality ingredients can be considered healthy if you take into account that they’re a balanced meal with carbs, fat, and protein. When eaten as part of a real food diet that includes lots of other whole foods, then, yes, this particular recipe for nachos can be labeled healthy.
More Easy Air Fryer Recipes You Might Like
- Air Fryer Apple Crisp
- Air Fryer Banana Chips
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Cabbage
- Air Fryer Corn Ribs
- Air Fryer Twice Baked Potatoes
- Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
Or, see my entire index of gluten-free air fryer recipes.
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Air Fryer Loaded Nachos with Black Beans
Here’s a vegetarian recipe for Air Fryer Nachos with black beans that can be served as a snack or a quick and easy meal. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan as well. Ready in 15 minutes!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3 cups of corn tortilla chips (about 3 handfuls or 2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese (use vegan cheese for dairy-free diets)
- 1/2 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapenos (leave off if you don’t like them)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup prepared salsa (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Line the basket of your air fryer with a piece of aluminum foil. Curl the edges up so there is space around the edges of the foil. Spray the bottom of the foil lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Arrange the chips in the basket, trying to spread them out as much as possible (it is okay if the chips overlap some).
- Sprinkle half of the cheese over the chips, followed by the black beans, jalapenos and green onions. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
- Set the temperature to 325°F for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
- Open the basket and use a spatula to transfer the nachos to a serving platter.
- Serve hot with the optional salsa on the side or poured on top.
Notes
- You can use a parchment paper liner in your air fryer basket instead of foil, if you wish.
- You can use whatever type of shredded cheese you like including cheddar or Monterey Jack. For a dairy-free option, try the Daiya brand of shredded cheese substitute found in the refrigerator section of most grocery stores.
- These nachos are best served right after they are done cooking.
- If you don’t like black beans, you can leave them off. Or, you can substitute other types of cooked beans including pinto beans or white beans.
- Some air fryer models needs to be preheated. Please refer to the owner’s manual of your particular model to see if you need to preheat it before using.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of recipe
- Calories: 173
- Sugar: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 268.4 mg
- Fat: 9.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.5 g
- Fiber: 4.4 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
- Cholesterol: 28 mg
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About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with nearly 10 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
This recipe is so, so good!