Air Fryer Nachos

Air Fryer Nachos are made with seasoned ground beef, tortilla chips, and all the melty cheese and toppings to go with it! Enjoy these nachos while watching the big game or serve them up as a quick meal!

It’s hard to believe we didn’t already have an air fryer nacho recipe! I mean, who doesn’t love nachos? And the air fryer makes preparing them nice and easy, especially if you already have some seasoned taco meat ready to go, perhaps leftover from making our air fryer tacos! Air fryer nachos make an excellent appetizer and they’re perfect for game day gatherings!

We’re starting with taco seasoned ground beef and cheese along with tortilla chips. You could go the extra mile and make your very own air fryer tortilla chips or you can just use a bag of chips.

The nachos don’t take long to assemble with a few other toppings like jalapenos and olives, and of course the shredded cheddar cheese. It gets perfectly melty in the air fryer, and it only takes about 5 minutes. That leaves you plenty of time to also make our air fryer street corn to go with the nachos!

Ingredient Notes:

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Ground Beef – These nachos start with seasoned taco meat. I prefer ground beef, but ground turkey, chicken, or plant based alternatives will work great as well. My daughter really likes Impossible meat.

Taco Seasoning – There are lots of different brands of taco seasoning out there, and they usually come in packets. Feel free to use your favorite! Or check out this homemade taco seasoning recipe if you’d like to prepare your own, which is great for controlling exactly what flavors you want in there.

Corn Tortilla Chips – We normally use plain tortilla chips, but my husband has been known to throw some Cool Ranch Doritos in there too!

Cheese – Freshly shredded cheddar is going to get nice and melty for you. You could also add in some pepper jack or monterey jack.

Pickled Jalapenos – We love the flavor that the pickled jalapenos add to these nachos! You could also use fresh sliced jalapeno here if you’d like, but we find the pickled variety are best with nachos. You can add more or less of this to taste depending on how spicy you like it.

Black Olives – Another popular topping and one of our favorites! You can use as much or as little of these as you would with the jalapenos.

Other Toppings – There are an endless variety of nacho toppings you could use here. Fresh cilantro, sour cream, lettuce, onion, and of course guac or Pico de Gallo. See below for a more complete list of nacho topping suggestions!

How to Make Air Fryer Nachos:

• Taco Meat – To get started you’ll prepare the ground beef for the taco meat. Add the beef to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it breaks apart and has cooked through. Drain the grease before proceeding and then season according to the packet instructions.
• Layer – I’d recommend using a parchment paper liner or foil in your basket for less mess and easy removal of the nachos. Arrange tortilla chips in a single layer on the bottom of the basket and top with spoonfuls of taco meat, shredded cheese, pickled jalapenos, and black olives. Repeat these layers 1 or 2 more times!
• Air Fry – These air fryer nachos will take about 5 minutes at 330 degrees for the cheese to get nice and melty. You don’t want to overcook it or burn the melted cheese so it won’t take long! Carefully lift the parchment out and onto a plate or baking sheet for serving. See below for nacho topping serving suggestions!