Loaded Plant Based Nachos are the cheesy, spicy, creamy, tangy, loaded with stuff you love nachos! And…they’re plant based & gluten free too!!!
The Tale of the Loaded Plant Based Nachos
When I was pregnant with my oldest son, Dear Husband and I used to go out almost every Saturday night to a local dairy restaurant and order Nachos Deluxe and Vegetable Tempura. In my defense, it was my first pregnancy and I was in the “my baby needs this” mode. Now, I’m just a little older and my body (if not always my brain) is telling me that I must eat with a little more seichel (intellegence/wisdom). I’m leaning towards the concept of Reducetarianism/Flexitarianism, where you don’t completely eliminate meat but eat a more heavily plant based diet most of the time. Thus, the Loaded Plant Based Nachos vs traditional nachos.
Sometimes you need to start slow
For someone who keeps kosher, plant based is an interesting concept.
We never combine milk and meat together so a meal is generally meat or dairy. Never shall the two meet.
However, when eating plant based, all those “restrictions” kind of go out the window. Burgers are no longer meat, and cheese is no longer dairy.
LET THE PARTY BEGIN!
And then there’s how it appears…
Please keep in mind, there are those that would vehemently disagree with what I just said on the grounds of something called “maras ayin” – how it appears to other people. It’s a legit issue.
Someone might see me eating a cheeseburger and say – “Woa! Sharon’s eating a cheeseburger…maybe cheeseburgers are now Kosher!”
I recently had that conundrum when someone took issue with what appeared to be meat and milk together in one of my posts. The post had a recipe that contained plant based cheese and real meat. If you didn’t read the post/pay close attention, it might look like I had posted a seriously non-kosher recipe.
Yikes!
I take my responsibility very very seriously and need to be very very careful to clarify that the food I’m using is plant based and not meat combined with dairy, .
The struggle is real my friends.
The Making of the Loaded Plant Based Nachos
While there may be a lot of plant based and gluten free food items on the market, not all of them are Kosher, and not all of them work the way we want them too. When developing something that seems simple like Loaded Plant Based Nachos, a few things presented a challenge. One of the biggest was the melted cheese.
Plant Based Cheese doesn’t always behave
The problem with plant based cheese is that it doesn’t always behave the way we want it to. I’ve found that adding some moisture to the cheese shreds helps in the melting process. Sometime, just putting a cover over the food in the microwave allows the steam to assist in the melting. I’ve often been “scolded” by Adam, my social media guy, that “that doesn’t look good – the cheese isn’t melted” to which I reply with.
Tell me something I don’t know. Vegan cheese is fickle.
So…when I came across Miyoko’s Classic Roadhouse Vegan Sharp Cheddar Spread I knew I had something special.
You simply can’t believe this is plant based.
The first thing I did was eat it cold, with some gluten free crackers, IN THE CAR! OMG!
Then, when I got home I microwaved a little bit and ate it with corn tortilla chips. OMG!
And then came the Loaded Plant Based Nachos
When trying to come up with the recipe for Loaded Plant Based Nachos most of the ingredients were easy.
- Plant Based meat – Beyond Meat
- Guacamole – Trader Joe’s Chunky
- Sliced olives
- Tomatoes
- Plant Based GF Tortilla Chips
- Refried Beans with Jalapenos – Trader Joe’s
- Jalapeños
I had to do a teeny bit of searching for gluten free taco seasoning, but it wasn’t a challenge and Amazon has a bunch if you have trouble.
The issue was that durn plant based cheese!
I couldn’t just top the taco chips off with cheddar and bake them like you would with normal dairy cheese.
Depending upon the brand, the weather and if the planets are aligned correctly, the cheese may…or may not melt the way we need it to for Loaded Nachos.
I know you know where this is going.
Close, but not quite…
I figured I could just microwave my new favorite Plant Based Pub Cheddar and call it a day.
Close, but not quite.
The microwaved Pub Cheddar was too thick to pour over the nachos. It would be great for dipping but not quite the effect that I was looking for.
The fix turned out to be incredibly simple.
I added almond milk to the Pub Cheddar.
Well…duh???!!!
The taste of the Miyoko’s Roadhouse Pub Cheddar is pretty intense. Adding some almond milk made it a little milder, but it was still amazingly tangy, cheesy and pure deliciousness.
And then it was perfect!
You can see the plant based cheese sauce peeking through!
Obviously, as my Dear Husband always says:
You are the executive chef in your kitchen. If you decide to add or change ingredients in this (or any other recipe) it is totally up to you. I will not come to your house to check on you (unless invited 😉 ) and you, as the executive chef can make any changes you like.
So…bottom line, you can use or not use any of the ingredients I list in these Loaded Plant Based Nachos. If you hate olives…leave them out! Don’t have refried beans? Use drained and rinsed black beans. Beans hate you? Leave them out! Don’t have the Pub Cheddar? You can make a cheddar sauce or just bake the plant based cheese on the taco chips – they may not look pretty or melted but they will taste delicious!
Loaded Plant Based Nachos are insanely easy to personalize. Just add the toppings you like!
Loaded Plant Based Nachos
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Plant Based
- Diet: Kosher
Description
Loaded Plant Based Nachos are the cheesy, spicy, creamy, tangy, loaded with stuff-you-love nachos! Piled high with seasoned plant based ground beef, cheddar sauce, sour cream, guacamole, fresh tomatoes, refried beans and olives, they’re a party in your mouth!!! And…they’re plant based & gluten free too!!!
Ingredients
For the ground beef
- 16–ounces plant based ground beef, defrosted (I like Beyond Beef)
- 1 tablespoon garlic oil, or 1 tablespoon canola oil + 1 minced garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
For the Cheddar Sauce
- 8–ounces Miyoko’s Roadhouse Pub Cheddar Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, plus more if necessary
For the Loaded Nachos
- 9–13 ounce bag restaurant style tortilla chips
- 4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 16 ounces refried beans with jalapenos (I like Trader Joe’s)
- 12 ounces plant based sour cream
- 12 ounces chunky guacamole
- 3.8 ounce can sliced olives, drained
- 2 medium jalapenos, seeded and thinly sliced
Bonus: Plant Based Cheddar Sauce
- 6 ounces plant based margarine
- 6 tablespoons gluten free flour
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 8 ounces plant based cheddar
Instructions
For the ground beef
- Heat the garlic oil in a large skillet. Add the plant based ground beef and sauté until browned, breaking up the large pieces as it’s being cooked.
- Stir in the taco seasoning. Set aside.
For the Cheddar Sauce
- Heat the Pub cheddar and almond milk in a small pot over low heat. Whisk until smooth, adding additional almond milk until the cheese is a thick, spoonable/pourable consistency.
For the Loaded Nachos
- Spread the taco chips on a half sheet pan. Spoon the cheddar sauce over the chips.
- Sprinkle the seasoned plant based beef over the cheddar sauce.
- Top with the Roma tomatoes,
- Transfer the refried beans to a 4-cup microwave safe bowl. Stir the beans until no longer “can shaped”. Microwave for a minute and a half, until the beans are warm and smooth.
- Spoon the warmed refried beans over the tomatoes.
- Dollop large spoonful’s of plant based sour cream over the beans, followed by the guacamole, jalapenos and olives.
- Serve immediately to your hungry hoard.
Bonus: Plant Based Cheddar Sauce
If you’re unable to find the Miyoko’s Pub cheddar you can use 8 ounces of plant based cheddar and bake the cheese with the taco chips for around 10 minutes at 400°F.
You can also make a great plant based cheddar sauce from scratch.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat.
- When the margarine is completely melted, add the flour all at once. Stir until completely combined.
- Slowly whisk in the almond milk, until completely smooth.
- Add in the cheddar and mustard powder and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and is very smooth.
- Pour over the taco chips and continue with the Loaded Plant Based Nachos recipe.
Equipment
FreshJax Premium Gourmet Spices and Seasonings
Buy Now →
Tofutti Better than Sour Cream
Buy Now →
Kite Hill Plant Based Sour Cream
Buy Now →
Trader Joe’s Refried Black Beans with Jalapeno Peppers
Buy Now →
Mission Triangles Tortilla Chips, Restaurant Style
Buy Now →
Prepworks Fresh Guacamole ProKeeper with Airtight Lid
Buy Now →
Buy Now → Organic Roadhouse Chedda • Straight Up Sharp
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Beyond Meat Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16 oz
Buy Now →Notes
You can use or not use any of the ingredients I list in these Loaded Plant Based Nachos.
If you hate olives…leave them out!
Don’t have refried beans? Use drained and rinsed black beans.
Beans hate you? Leave them out!
Don’t have the Pub Cheddar? You can make a cheddar sauce or just bake the plant based cheese on the taco chips – they may not look pretty or melted but they will taste delicious!
If you’re unable to find the Miyoko’s Pub cheddar you can use 8 ounces of plant based cheddar and bake the cheese with the taco chips for around 10 minutes at 400°F.
You can even add lettuce shreds to pile these Loaded Plant Based Nachos even higher!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 425
- Sugar: 2.3 g
- Sodium: 622.9 mg
- Fat: 23.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.6 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 1.9 mg
Check out all that amazing stuff loaded onto a single nacho chip!!! Holy cow!
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