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These Air Fryer Nachos are a fun new way to make an old favorite! Loaded with cheese, topped with your favorite protein, and serve with guacamole, sour cream or salsa!
Cheesy, gooey nachos are always a favorite. And there are so many different versions or ways to make them. Sheet Pan Nachos are very similar to this version in the air fryer, it is just baked in the oven. Barbecue Chicken Nachos are a fun twist with new flavors. But not everyone has an oven, and some ovens tend to really heat up your kitchen. So Air Fryer Nachos can be the perfect solution!
Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Nachos
- Fast – these take 4-5 minutes of cooking time in the air fryer. No preheating necessary, so much faster than the oven.
- Versatile – I used leftover Santa Fe Chicken to make these nachos, but you can use taco meat, chicken, pork, beans or even just Fajita Veggies to make these your own.
- Easy – nachos are one of the easiest meals you can make. It is literally just layer in the ingredients you like and let it go! Even the kids could help and even complete this on their own.
- Almost No Clean Up – because you line the air fryer basket with parchment paper, it is super quick and easy to clean up as well! No scrubbing melted on cheese off a baking sheet with this method.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Tortilla Chips
- Shredded Cheese
- Cooked Chicken – you really can use any meat/protein you like. It is a great use for leftovers. Or you can make it vegetarian using bean or crumbled tofu
Best Nacho Toppings
After you have the basics that gets cooked together, you can get creative on how you want to top them. Don’t get me wrong, they are delicious as is, but I like to add fresh ingredients on top to really make it come together.
- Diced Tomatoes
- Sliced Black Olives
- Fresh Cilantro
- Green Onions
- Jalapenos
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
How To Make Air Fryer Nachos
- Parchment Paper. The easiest way to not make a mess and keep things in one place is to arrange a piece of parchment paper in the base of your air fryer. I like to let it come up the sides, so I can use those to remove the nachos after they are cooked.
- Assemble. Next you can start to layer in your ingredients. Add half of the tortilla chips to the base, spreading into a single layer. Then top with half of the cheese and half of your chicken. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook. Cook for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Toppings. Remove from the air fryer and top with your desired toppings to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Use parchment paper or foil to avoid making a mess with the cheese. It won’t be a problem if you skip this, but it will just be harder to clean up. And it is easier to use eat, when you can lift them out of the air fryer instead of having the hot basket in the middle of the table.
- Get creative with your toppings. Whatever you like on tacos or other nachos works the same here. So if you have leftover Pulled Pork, this is a great use for it!
- Use good quality tortilla chips. I like to use restaurant style chips here, so they are thin enough to bite into and get the crunch you want, but thick enough they stand up to the cheese and toppings you add.
- Stop at 2 layers when you are making your air fryer nachos. Much higher and the chips tend to get soggy.
Serve your nachos with Restaurant Style Salsa and Homemade Guacamole for a delicious meal, snack or appetizer everyone will love.
More Tasty Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Tacos
- Air Fryer Steak Bites
- Air Fryer Onion Rings
- Air Fryer Sausage
- Air Fryer Green Bean Fries
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg
Air Fryer Nachos
Ingredients
- 6 oz tortilla chips
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings
- Diced Tomatoes
- Black Olives
- Cilantro
- Green Onion
- Jalapeno
- Sour Cream
- Guacamole
Instructions
- Line air fryer basket with parchment paper, having it come up the side so you can use it to lift the nachos out after they are cooked.
- Arrange half of the tortilla chips in the base of the air fryer, spreading into a mostly even layer. Top with half of the chicken and shredded cheese.
- Repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook at 320º for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the air fryer and top as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is how you do nachos! I love how fully loaded these are, and they come out perfectly in the air fryer.
I’ve never tried to make nachos in the Air Fryer! I am so curious to make them!
Everyone at my house really loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe!