Quick & Easy Ground Beef Nachos

These Ground Beef Nachos are the perfect combination of crispy chips, savory seasoned meat, and gooey melted cheese that creates the ultimate comfort food experience. With just a few simple ingredients and minimal prep time, you will have a crowd-pleasing dish!

a hand pulling up a ground beef nacho chip with toppings and stringy melted cheese.

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🍽️ Whether you are feeding a family or hosting a party, these nachos are guaranteed to be a hit with everyone. This simple and delicious meal is ready in just 15 minutes!

Table of Contents

My 2 Best Tips For Making Ground Beef Nachos

Layer Strategically: Building your nachos in two layers instead of one giant pile ensures even distribution of toppings and prevents soggy chips at the bottom. Start with half the chips, add half the beef and cheese, then repeat the process. This technique guarantees that every chip gets properly loaded with delicious toppings.

Drain Excess Fat: After browning the ground beef, always remove excess grease before adding other ingredients to prevent your nachos from becoming greasy. Too much oil will make the chips soggy and create an unpleasant texture. A quick drain in a colander or careful spooning out of excess fat makes all the difference.

melissa leaning over counter looking up from a cook book.

I usually start by browning the ground beef until it's perfectly crumbly and golden, then layer it generously between two levels of sturdy tortilla chips. The layering technique ensures every single chip gets loaded with that savory, seasoned beef and melted cheese.

You will love this ground beef nacho recipe because it’s such an easy-loaded nacho recipe. Packed with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro leaves, and all the fixings, this crunchy, savory, spicy dish is perfect for sharing.

Ground beef nachos are honestly one of those dishes that makes any occasion feel like a party - from casual weeknight dinners to game day gatherings with friends.

🩷 Melissa

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Melissa Griffiths

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7

Total Time 17

Servings

Calories 439 kcal

Ingredients

For the Ground Beef Nachos

1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion (chopped fine)
3 tablespoons taco seasoning (see note)
salt and pepper (to taste)
2 bags tortilla chips
2 cups cheese (sharp cheddar, montery jack, or pepper jack)

Optional Toppings

¾ cup tomatoes (diced)
½ cup black olives (sliced thin)
¼ cup cilantro leaves
½ cup sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. When beef is almost browned, remove any excess oil from the pan.
Add the olive oil and onions to the pan with the ground beef. Cook until the onions are almost translucent.
Add the taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Set the ground beef mixture aside.
On a sheet pan, spread half of the tortilla chips.
Sprinkle half of the beef mixture over top, and then sprinkle half of the cheese over top.
Repeat layer with second half of the chips, ground beef mixture, and cheese.
Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Top as desired with tomatoes, olives, cilantro, sour cream or any other toppings you like.

Notes

Taco Seasoning: You can use store-bought taco seasoning or use my homemade taco seasoning recipe. Making it yourself is easy and takes less than 5 minutes!

Toppings: There are so many great toppings to add to your nachos, including tomatoes, black olives, cilantro, sour cream, avocado, guacamole, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, lime wedges and so much more.

Chip Selection: Thick, restaurant-style tortilla chips hold up much better under the weight of toppings than thin chips. Look for chips that feel sturdy in the bag and avoid overly salty varieties since the taco seasoning and cheese already provide plenty of salty flavor.

Storage:

Storing homemade nachos isn't recommended. Chips that aren't eaten right away will soften and turn stale. It is also hard to reheat nachos without burning the already melted cheese.
Instead of storing homemade nachos, make a smaller batch of finished nachos. Then, store the leftover individual ingredients separately until you're ready to eat nachos again.

Nutrition

Calories: 439kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 23gFat: 36gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 583mgPotassium: 349mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 859IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 314mgIron: 2mg

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How To Make Ground Beef Nachos

Cooking the ground beef for ground beef nachos.

Step 1: Brown your ground beef and add olive oil and the diced onions.

Adding taco seasoning to ground beef nachos.

Step 2: Add in the taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Spreading meat mixture over the tortilla chips for ground beef nachos.

Step 3: Spread out the tortilla chips and sprinkle with beef mixture, top with cheese.

cheese topped tortilla chips on a lined baking sheet.

Step 4: Repeat the layers and bake. Top as desired!

toppings added to the ground beef nachos on a baking sheet.

Recipe FAQs

What is the best cheese for nachos?

The answer depends! I love sharp cheddar, but Monterey Jack is fantastic because it melts beautifully. If you like more spice in your life, give Pepper Jack a try. It's probably a safe bet for ground beef nachos or any Tex-Mex dish if it's in the cheddar or jack family.

Do you put meat or cheese first on nachos?

I like to layer the cheese on the nachos first because it acts like glue to hold the ground beef mixture to the chips.

Can I use ground turkey instead of ground beef?

Yes! Ground turkey works wonderfully in this recipe and creates a slightly lighter version. Since turkey is leaner than beef, you may want to add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the meat from drying out during cooking.