Loaded Nachos with Jalapeños (Printable)

Crispy chips with seasoned beef, creamy cheese sauce, and spicy jalapeños for a tasty, festive bite.

# What You'll Need:

→ Nachos Base

01 - 12 oz sturdy tortilla chips
02 - 1 lb ground beef
03 - 1 tbsp olive oil
04 - 1 tsp chili powder
05 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
06 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
08 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
09 - 1/2 tsp salt
10 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Cheese Sauce

11 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
12 - 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
13 - 1 cup whole milk
14 - 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
15 - 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
16 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
17 - 1/4 tsp salt

→ Toppings

18 - 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño slices
19 - 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
20 - 1/3 cup sliced scallions
21 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
22 - 1/2 cup sour cream

# How To Make It:

01 - Set oven temperature to 350°F and allow to fully preheat.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon for approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
03 - Stir in chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook for an additional 2 minutes until fragrant. Set aside.
04 - Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute until mixture bubbles but does not brown.
05 - Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, approximately 2-3 minutes.
06 - Reduce heat to low and add shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack cheese, cayenne pepper, and salt. Whisk continuously until cheese is fully melted and sauce achieves smooth consistency. Remove from heat.
07 - Spread tortilla chips evenly across a large oven-safe platter or baking sheet.
08 - Top chips with seasoned ground beef, then drizzle generously with cheese sauce.
09 - Scatter pickled jalapeño slices, diced tomatoes, and sliced scallions evenly over the top.
10 - Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes until all components are heated through and sauce bubbles at edges.
11 - Remove from oven. Garnish with chopped cilantro and place dollops of sour cream throughout. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cheese sauce is silky and doesn't break or get gloppy, which means these nachos stay incredible even if people eat them slowly.
  • Ground beef seasons perfectly in just two minutes, so you're not standing over the stove forever before things get fun.
  • Everything can be prepped before guests arrive, then assembled and heated in under ten minutes.
02 -
  • If your cheese sauce breaks or gets grainy, it's usually because the heat was too high or you added cheese too quickly—start fresh with a new base rather than trying to fix it, which never actually works.
  • Draining excess fat from the beef is worth the thirty seconds it takes, otherwise you'll end up with slick, heavy nachos that feel more like fast food than something you actually made with care.
03 -
  • Use an oven-safe platter if you have one so you can bring the whole thing straight to the table still hot, which always feels more impressive than it actually is.
  • Shredding cheese from a block instead of using pre-shredded actually makes a measurable difference in how smoothly it melts—the anti-caking agents in pre-shredded stuff can make sauce feel gritty.
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