Air Fryer Nachos are so easy to make your kids can do it on their own. Perfectly crisp and cheesy and you can top them with all of your favorite toppings. Ready in just 5 minutes for after school snacks, appetizers or dinner!
Why We Love Making Air Fryer Nachos
Nachos in the oven are fine but I actually think these Air Fryer Nachos are superior for many reasons. Even though this is a really easy recipe, we’ve got lots of tips for making them taste the best!
- Easy To Make: These nachos are so easy to make your kids can do it themselves. Perfect for after school or late night snacks or a meal when you’re not home or don’t feel like cooking. From start to finish we’re talking 5 minutes.
- Fun, Kid Friendly Food: Whether you’re making these for appetizers, a snack or a meal, kids (and adults) love nachos!
- Extra Crispy Texture: When you make nachos in an air fryer, the chips get mega toasted and crispy which makes them taste way better than other cooking methods.
Recipe Ingredients
A photo with a brief description of ingredients needed with bulleted items underneath the picture (and some swap outs!). For a complete list scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Tortilla Chips: Any size or brand that you like. You can use white or yellow corn chips, or even get crazy and use a flavored chip!
- Refried Beans: We love the creamy texture that refried beans adds to these nachos. If you’re very opposed, you can skip this step but we highly recommend. You can also use whole black beans.
- Shredded Cheese: We like a combination of pepper jack and Mexican blend cheese. Cheddar cheese is also fine, or really any melting cheese that you like.
- Salsa: Adding a dollop of salsa on top of the refried beans adds such a nice tomato flavor, but you can skip this ingredient, too if you like. Other options could include salsa verde, drained rotel or fresh diced tomatoes.
- Pickles Jalapeños: Also optional, but we love the vinegary bite (these aren’t too spicy) on top of all the rich cheese and beans.
How To Make
Step by step photos here with instructions, but head down to the recipe card for full details! For easy removal and clean up, try using these air fryer liners or you can cut a piece of parchment paper to fit your air fryer!
- Add Refried Beans & Salsa to Tortilla Chips: Spread the chips with a layer of refried beans and then add a dollop of salsa on top. The salsa is optional, but I urge you to make these air fryer nachos this way, it adds a lot of flavor!
- Top with Cheese and Air Fry: Place the chips into your air fryer in somewhat of a single layer, it’s ok if some chips overlap. Air fry for 2-3 minutes at 375 degrees until the cheese is melted and the chips are toasty.
Topping Ideas
We’re here to talk about all the toppings for nachos that you can imagine. Sometimes our boys just want them plain, chips and cheese and that’s fine. Also…while your air fryer is out, have you tried making air fryer tortilla chips? If not, they will elevate these nachos to an even higher level.
Here are some of our favorite topping ideas:
- Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Sour Cream
- Fresh or pickled jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Taco Meat
- Diced Chicken
Store and Reheat
Do you save leftover nachos or throw them away? We hate throwing food away, but sometimes leftovers aren’t salvageable. BUT air fryer nachos can be saved! All you need to do is warm them back up in the air fryer and I’m telling you – they’re good as new.
Try storing them in a single layer so the bottoms of the chips don’t get soggy. Then simply place the leftover nachos back in your air fryer for a minute or two and they’ll be crispy and delicious in no time. Sometimes we’ll add another layer of cheese when reheating, because more cheese is always better.
More Air Fryer Recipes We Love
Air Fryer Nachos
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 –2 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeAir Fryer Nachos are so easy, your kids can do it themselves. Perfectly crisp, cheesy nachos that you can top with all of your favorite toppings. We love making these for after school snacks, appetizers and for dinner!
Ingredients
- 15 tortilla chips (or as many as your air fryer will fit in a single layer, some overlapping chips are fine)
- 1/3 cup refried beans
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar of Mexican blend cheese
- Nacho toppings (see post for ideas)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees. (if needed)
- Spread each tortilla chips with a layer of refried beans and top with a small spoonful of salsa. (if using)
- Place the chips into a single layer in your air fryer, some overlapping chips is fine. We like using an air fryer liner or a piece of parchment paper for easy removal of the chips and for easy clean up.
- Top with the shredded cheeses and air fry for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chips are toasted and crispy.
- Serve immediately with desired toppings.
Recipe Notes
Store: Since this recipe is a single serving (maybe two for appetizers) leftovers usually aren’t an issue. But if you do have some nachos leftover, store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for a 1 to 2 days.
Reheat: Reheat leftover nachos back in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 2 minutes until warmed through. Sometimes we like to add more shredded cheese on top before reheating.
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
