Smoked Nachos

Smoked nachos for the win! Forget about boring old nachos and whip these up instead. They're a great game-day appetizer or a fun spin on dinner for the night. Everyone can add their own toppings, making it a truly unique dish.

This smoked nachos recipe proves that sometimes dinner can be a pile of goodness on a plate that you can eat with your hands. Once the cheese melts on top of the chips, and the toppings are piled high on top, you just might find that your eyes are bigger than your stomach - but it's a good challenge to try.

You can turn these into chicken nachos, pulled pork nachos, beef nachos, or any other type of nachos that you want, all by changing up the main protein that you put on top. This just means that it's an easy recipe to use to make your nachos taste unique and different.

Speaking of unique and yummy recipes, make sure to check out these Lettuce Wrap Fajitas for a great pairing and another easy recipe idea.

Ingredients

Tortilla chips  - If you have a favorite brand, use 'em! Otherwise, choose between circle, triangle, or strips. 

Smoked meat - This is where you can really have fun.  Traeger pulled pork, smoked pulled beef, and pellet grill smoked chicken breast are all great options. 

Shredded cheese - Change up the cheese! Cheddar cheese is one of my favorite cheese mixtures, but you can use any cheese blend that you'd like. 

Salsa - Choose your favorite brand of mild, medium, or spicy salsa. 

Sour cream - To add flavor to the top. 

Guacamole  - Homemade guacamole is always a good idea and a great texture. 

How to make Smoked Nachos

The layers of these smoked nachos with cheese will have you eating all the way from the top to the bottom.

Step One: Preheat the smoker to 250 degrees.

Step Two: Warm up the already cooked smoke meat in the microwave.

Step Three: Spread the tortilla chips on a tray that can fit inside the smoker.

Step Four: Top the chips with meat and cheese.

Step Five: Smoke the nachos for 30 minutes or until they’re hot. The cheese should be melted.

Step Six: Add the toppings.

Variations

Veggies - Black olives, fresh cilantro, red onion, green onions, diced avocado, or bell peppers are great additions. Ripe diced tomatoes are always a great choice, too.

Sauce - Add some smoked queso dip or BBQ sauce.

Spice - If you want to add spice, dice up some jalapenos, or add crushed red pepper.

Protein - For a vegetarian option add some black beans for protein.

Change the cheese - Shredded cheese comes in a lot of different varieties, so change them up and use them all. Cheddar cheese is always great, but pepper jack cheese adds a kick of heat as well.

Common Questions

Can you reheat leftover nachos?

You can! The easiest way to reheat nachos is to put them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven, or add them to a microwave-safe plate and reheat quickly that way.

If you're able to keep the meat and toppings separate and rebuild fresh nachos for leftovers, that is the best way to make nachos taste fresh and new again each and every time.

Can you smoke nachos in a cast-iron skillet?

Yes, if you want to build the smoked nachos is a cast-iron skillet, you can. Just layer in the bottom of the skillet and follow the rest of the instructions in the printable recipe card below.

Pay attention to the nachos while they're cooking as they may cook faster in the skillet than on a baking sheet. You don't want them to burn!

The bottom of the skillet will hold the heat really well, so you'll need to use your eyes and nose to make sure that you don't see the chips burning, or smell them burning. Keeping a close eye on them is key to success.

What is the best meat for nachos?

You can use shredded chicken, ground beef, pulled pork, or a combination of all. And if you don't want to use meat on the top, you don't have to. It's totally up to you.

Can you crisp soggy nacho chips?

Great question. It can be hard to crisp up nacho chips once they're soggy. It isn't impossible, but it's hard. To get them as crispy as possible, you will need to remove any toppings like tomatoes, and add on cheese. The cheese is what will help to crisp up the chips, and then you can add the other toppings back on top of the pile of chips.