Air Fryer Nachos

These vegetarian air fryer nachos are a quick and delicious way to enjoy a crispy, cheesy snack in minutes. Made with crunchy tortilla chips, melted cheese, and your favourite toppings, they’re perfect for sharing. Using the air fryer ensures even cooking and a perfectly gooey texture without needing the oven. Serve them with salsa, guacamole, or sour cream for the ultimate crowd-pleasing treat!

Crispy & Cheesy Air Fryer Nachos – The Ultimate Quick Sharing Appetiser or Snack!

These loaded vegetarian air fryer nachos make the perfect sharing appetiser. Serve them with your favourite toppings for the ultimate snack.

This is a quick and easy recipe that the whole family will love. Instead of ground beef, those nachos are loaded with a mixture of black beans and corn cooked in a flavoursome tomato sauce.

You can serve them with sour cream or a side of my vegan chipotle mayo. My Vegetarian Tortilla Soup is another Mexican-inspired recipe you might enjoy.

The lovely people at Instant Brand have sent me their Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer and this is the first recipe I have made with it.

Imagine biting into a perfectly crispy nacho, loaded with melted cheese and your favorite toppings, all achieved with minimal effort and mess. That’s the magic of air fryer nachos! Here’s why air fryer nachos are so good:

• Unbeatable Crispiness: The circulating hot air ensures every chip is evenly crisp, avoiding the dreaded soggy bottom layer.
• Lightning-Fast: Ready in less than 10 minutes, perfect for those sudden snack cravings or last-minute gatherings.
• Convenience: Less cleanup and no need to heat up your entire kitchen – it’s a win-win!

Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

The Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer has a roomy 8.5-litre capacity and can be used as a XXL single drawer or converted into 2 smaller 4.2-litre drawers by simply adding a divider.

You can easily switch between the two set-ups and adjust the cooking functions at the touch of a button. My 14-year-old teenager took only a minute or so to figure it out. This is as easy as that!

If you need to cook two types of food independently in the cooking baskets, the Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer provides separate time and temperature controls for each basket as well as a super convenient SyncFinish function so that the foods in each basket are ready at the same time.

This is ideal for any flexitarian family who might need to cook meat and vegetarian/vegan options at the same time

The Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer comes with 6 cooking functions: Air fry, Roast, Bake, Grill, Reheat, and Dehydrate. There is also a handy pre-heating function.

Air Fry: crispy chips, chicken and tofu nuggets, vegetables, frozen snacks, bacon and sausages

Roast: whole joints of meat, potatoes and veggies

Bake: muffins, cakes, croissants, and bread

Grill: steaks, skewers, halloumi & cheese on toast

Dehydrate: fruit, vegetables, various jerky .. but also make yoghurt!

Reheat:  leftovers

Why use an air fryer?

Think of them as an additional oven, but more convenient and cheaper to use.

Air fryers are incredibly versatile and can be used to cook a wide variety of foods, from chips, meat, and fish to vegetables and even bread and cakes. At low temperatures (about 50°C/ 125°F), they can even double up as food dehydrators.

Air fryers are great if you are looking to cook with less oil but still want to enjoy crispy food. They work by circulating hot air to cook food and can achieve a similar texture to deep frying without the added fat.

Air fryers tend to cook food faster than traditional ovens, saving you time and money. The energy savings are even more noticeable if you are preparing small batches of food or cooking for 1 or 2 people.

Air fryers are also easier to clean than ovens as you can simply put the basket in the dishwasher.

The only downside in my opinion, is that they can be bulky, especially in small kitchens so make sure you have the extra workspace.

Watch how to make these air fryer nachos

How to make these air fryer nachos

Ingredients needed (and suggestions):

For the black bean & tomato sauce:

• black beans (or red kidney beans)
• corn
• passata (or marinara sauce)
• onion
• vegetable oil
• ground cumin
• paprika
• dried oregano
• garlic powder
• smoked paprika
• hot chilli powder
• salt

To layer the nachos:

• tortilla chips (I like plain)
• cheddar cheese (or non-dairy) – freshly grated is best

Suggested toppings:

• Guacamole (or smashed or sliced avocado)
• Lime
• Red chillis
• Sour cream (or non-dairy)
• Red onion (raw or pickled)
• Pickled jalapeños
• Salsa

Step 1: Make the black bean & tomato sauce

These air fryer nachos are loaded with a tasty black bean and tomato sauce. This is very quick and easy to make.

I fry an onion in oil and then add a mixture of herbs and spices. I use cumin, paprika, oregano, garlic, smoked paprika, hot chilli powder, and salt. This gives the nachos a gentle spicy kick, suitable for the whole family. Feel free to add more chilli powder if you prefer more heat.

Then I add passata, black beans, and corn and leave everything to simmer while I prepare the air fryer.

Step 2: Prepare the air fryer

I use a double sheet of parchment paper to line the bottom and lower sides of the air fryer. This saves on washing up later!

Step 3: Layer the nachos

To layer the nachos, simply spread about half of the tortilla chips on top of the parchment paper. Scatter half of the grated cheese on top, followed by the other half of the tortilla chips.

Top everything with the black bean and tomato sauce mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Step 4: Bake the air fryer nachos

Bake in the air fryer at 160°C / 320°F until the cheese is golden and melted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 5: Add the toppings and serve

When done, lift the parchment paper to a serving board or plate. Top the nachos with your favourite toppings and eat straight away.

I hope you enjoy this vegetarian air fryer nacho recipe as much as we do. If you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored recipe. All thoughts and opinions are my own and completely honest.

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