Beef Nachos with Guacamole (Printable)
Crispy tortilla chips loaded with spiced beef, melted cheese and fresh guacamole—a crowd-pleasing Tex-Mex favorite.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Nachos
01 - 7 oz tortilla chips
02 - 10.5 oz ground beef
03 - 1 small onion, finely diced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tbsp olive oil
06 - 1 tsp ground cumin
07 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
08 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
09 - 1/2 tsp salt
10 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
11 - 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese
12 - 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
13 - 1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
14 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)
→ For the Guacamole
15 - 2 ripe avocados
16 - 1 small tomato, finely diced
17 - 1/4 small red onion, finely diced
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - Juice of 1 lime
20 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
21 - 1/2 tsp salt
22 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
→ For Serving
23 - 1/2 cup sour cream
24 - Lime wedges
# Step-by-step:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F.
02 - Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
03 - Add ground beef to the skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat, until browned—about 5–6 minutes.
04 - Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
05 - On a large baking tray, spread out the tortilla chips in an even layer. Top with the cooked beef mixture.
06 - Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the beef and chips. Top with sliced jalapeño, if using.
07 - Bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
08 - In a bowl, mash the avocados with a fork. Stir in tomato, red onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
09 - Remove nachos from the oven. Top with dollops of guacamole and sour cream. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve immediately with lime wedges.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The combination of crispy chips and melty cheese creates this incredible textural contrast that makes you close your eyes with each bite.
- You can customize every batch with different toppings while keeping the core flavors that make everyone reach for seconds.
02 -
- I once made the rookie mistake of using pre-shredded cheese, which contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting properly—grating your own cheese takes just a minute more but makes a world of difference in meltability.
- Layering half the chips, then toppings, then remaining chips and more toppings creates a nacho stack where even the bottom layer gets some flavor action.
03 -
- Warm your serving platter in the oven for a minute before transferring the finished nachos—this keeps everything melty for twice as long.
- Use a mix of cheeses for the perfect balance of flavor and melt factor—sharp cheddar brings the taste while Monterey Jack creates those Instagram-worthy cheese pulls.