Loaded Air Fryer (or Oven) Nachos with Ground Beef recipe

Loaded Air Fryer (or Oven) Nachos with Ground Beef recipe - These loaded Nachos are topped with ground Beef, a silky Cheese/Nacho sauce and all your favourite toppings. They are very more-ish, are the ultimate crowd pleaser and are perfect for Game day/night, Movie night and make a great snack for any get together!

Homemade Beef Nachos

Homemade Air Fryer Nachos are the ultimate shareable snack, starter/appetiser. It can be prepped ahead and assembled just before your guests arrive and is easily adaptable. You can add all your favourite toppings and dive in!

The ground beef in this recipe can be made on the stove top or in the air fryer. Either way, it is pretty easy to make. You can use Taco Seasoning/Fajita Seasoning or add Spices of your choice.

The beef remains juicy and is packed full of flavour and can be scooped up on to tortilla chips with that luscious cheese sauce.
You can also add refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, extra cheese..whatever you like!

Why you will love this Air fryer Nachos Recipe

• The silky smooth Cheese Sauce is so good! It is almost drinkable. Ok..maybe not. But it is really really good and you should totally use it with other recipes too.
• The crispy corn tortilla chips remain crispy in this classic nachos recipe. We don’t do soggy Nachos around here! Too much saucy stuff makes them bendy so we pop the Nachos into the Air Fryer or Oven for a bit to get them really crunchy.  
• The ground beef is delicious on its own. I add my own Spices rather then use a Taco Seasoning (both work well so you can absolutely use a pre brought spice mix). We cook it down so that it is thick and not too saucy.
• Pickled Jalapenos complement most Mexican inspired meals. They take Nachos to a whole new level.
• Easily adaptable to your taste. Add your favourite toppings. I have included what I like to add but you can add any toppings you like.- Olives, shredded cheese, Guacomole, Refried Beans, Pico de Gallo etc.
• This Recipe can be made in advance - The Nacho Sauce can be made 3 - 4 days ahead, The beef can be made a day ahead. The toppings can just be added when you make the Nachos.

Ingredients in Ground Beef Cheesy Nachos

Ground beef

I tend to go for an 80/20 ration of lean meat to fat. The fat is where the flavour is at. This isn’t a game changer in this particular recipe. If the meat you buy happens to be more lean, that is ok.

Onion

We cook the Beef with Onions and seasonings to add a sweeter depth of flavour. You can skip the Onion if you prefer.

Seasoning and Spices

We use Garlic, Ginger, Ground Coriander, Ground Cumin, Cayenne Pepper, Smoke Paprika. I also add Green Chilli Paste and sometimes I add Turmeric and a good Curry Powder like Madras Curry Powder too.

You can adjust the Spices to your taste and can absolutely just use a seasoning blend instead.  

Oil

To cook the Beef

Tomato Puree

I like to add some to the Beef for flavour.

Nachos

Any plain Nachos work well. You could get a flavoured variety like Chilli or indeed Nacho flavour too.

Jalapeños

I love the combination of Jalapeños with Nachos, They add a lovely burst of flavour.

Chives

An optional add in. This adds a mild Onion/Garlic flavour. Again this is an optional add in.

Nacho Gooey Cheese Sauce

For  some serious cheesy goodness when making a silky smooth Nacho Sauce, know that Evaporated Milk and Corn Flour/Starch are your friends.

You will also need Cheese. The type of cheese you use is up to you. (I like to use a sharp Cheddar Cheese or Red Leicester with some Mild Cheddar too) and some Onion Powder (just for some added flavour).

You can use monterey jack and Mozzarella too if you like super melty cheese. You can also use chilli mexican Cheese.

We use evaporated milk because it doesn’t curdle. Nor does it become semi solid and in some cases unusable. You can also add a dash of Hot Sauce into the Nacho Cheese Sauce.

For Toppings

We use Jalapeños and Chives. That is all. You can add other toppings like the ones mentioned above too.

How to make the ultimate Nachos - Air Fryer

Air Fryer Beef Nachos are pretty easy to make and make the perfect snack. For the full recipe with measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page:

Make the Ground Beef

Cook Onions in Oil till very light golden over medium-high heat. Then add Garlic, Ginger and Green Chilli if using. Stir in Beef. Brown and sauté until almost cooked and then add all the Spices and Tomato Puree. Cook for a further 5 - 10 minutes until the mixture is thick.

Make the Cheese Sauce

Add Cheese and Corn Flour to a pan. Coat and mix together with your hands to distribute the cornflour evenly across the Cheese.
Pour in Evaporated Milk and Onion Powder and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce has thickened.

Add half the Nachos and half the Ground Beef to the bottom of the Air Fryer basket lined with a layer of parchment paper/baking paper and cook at 180 C and air fry for 3 - 5 minutes till the Nachos are crispy.

Remove from the Air Fryer and spread half onto a large platter.

Pour over ⅓ of the Cheese Sauce.

Spread over the remaining Nachos, cooked Meat and melted cheese Sauce.

Add your desired toppings and enjoy.

How to make them - Oven

To make them in the Oven follow the instructions as above. Then add a layer tortilla chips and half the Ground Beef to a tray lined with greaseproof paper/parchment paper and cook at 200 C for 3 - 5 minutes till the Nachos are crispy.

Remove from the Air Fryer and spread half onto a large platter.

Pour over ⅓ of the Cheese Sauce.

Spread over the remaining Nachos, Ground Beef and Cheese Sauce.

Add your desired toppings and enjoy.

Variations

This recipe is easily adaptable and you can change it up however you like. Add  your favorite nacho toppings and really load them up! Here are some other suggestions:

Sour cream

Sour Cream is delicious with Nachos and it cuts through the richness of the other flavours namely the Beef and Cheese Sauce.

Guacamole

For a cool, fresh addition to Nachos. The Lime and Avocado complement the flavours in this recipe.

Veggies

Add a couple of tablespoons of other Veg such as Corn, Black Olives, Tomatoes, Onions. Add a sprinkling of Spring/Green Onions.

Beans

Add some Refried Beans or Black Beans.

Salsa

Add Salsa or Pico De Gallo.

Add some Hot Sauce

You can add this to the Nacho Sauce or just drizzle on top of the Nachos.

Add some pink Pickled onions

These can be store brought but are also easy enough to make at home.

Use Ground chicken or Ground Lamb instead

You can always adda Beef Stock cube if you want a richer more robust flavour.

Add shredded Beef instead

Such as Birria or Brisket.

Tips for the ultimate air fryer nachos with beef and cheese sauce

Use thick Tortilla Chips - The  best tortilla chips are thick ones that won't get as soggy as the smaller thinner variety. Alternatively bake/air fry the Nachos on their own without the Beef first for 5 minutes.

Have your  favorite toppings to hand - If everything is ready, these Nachos then become easier to prep at the end.  Nachos are best served fresh. If you choose to add other Veg and have to start chopping it afterwards, it delays the serving of the Nachos.

Use evaporated milk in your Nacho Cheese - This stops the Cheese sauce from curdling or setting hard. Make sure you only simmer the Sauce and do not boil it. Just cook it to your desired consistency and then remove from the heat. If it has thickened too much, add a little more evaporated milk.

Use fresh grated cheese - pre-shredded cheese has a coating on it to stop it from clumping together. This also however, makes it less melty.

How to prep ahead

Most of the elements of this dish can be prepped ahead. Meaning you can assemble the Nachos just before serving without too much fussing. Here is how:

Ground Beef can be made up to 3 days ahead - Keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stovetop. You may need to add a little water but not much as you want to keep it thick.

Nacho cheese can also be made 3 days ahead - Store in the fridge in an airtight container. To reheat, place in a small pot/pan and reheat gently on the stove. Again, don’t let it come to a boil and add a little evaporated milk if needed.

Toppings - Chop any veggies 2 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

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