85 toppings

What Should I Put on My Nachos

One press deals a tray in the order it is built: meat, cheese, a fresh topping, salsa and a finish.

All 85

Seasoned ground beefBrown it and drain it first. Try it with cheddar, pickled jalapeños and sour cream.Meat or seafood
Mexican-style cheese blendTry it with refried beans, with or without ground beef.Cheese
Diced tomatoTry it with shredded lettuce and sour cream.Fresh topping
Sour creamIn spoonfuls, or thinned with lime juice and drizzled over the whole tray.Salsa or sauce
Pickled jalapeñosOn before the oven or after it. Both work.Finish

Next step Draw a Mexican dish to go with the tray Not nachos after all? Spin the food wheel

All 85 toppings

Meats, beans and cooked vegetables 29

Bacon Cook it crisp and crumble it. Try it with cheddar, scallions and ranch.
Barbecue chicken Toss cooked chicken in barbecue sauce. Try it with red onion and fresh cilantro.
Black beans Rinse and drain them. Try them with pepper jack, corn salsa and avocado.
Breakfast sausage Brown it in crumbles. Try it with cheddar, a fried egg and red salsa.
Brisket Chop it small. Try it with barbecue sauce, cheddar and pickled jalapeños.
Buffalo chicken Toss cooked chicken in buffalo sauce. Try it with blue cheese crumbles and ranch.
Carne asada Chop the grilled steak small. Try it with guacamole and pico de gallo.
Carnitas Crisp it in a hot pan first. Try it with salsa verde and diced white onion.
Chili Spoon it on thick, so the chips stay crisp. Try it with cheddar and diced white onion.
Chorizo Cook it until it crumbles and drain it. Try it with black beans and queso fresco.
Diced green chiles Drain the can and scatter them on. Try them with Monterey Jack and sour cream.
Fajita peppers and onions Cook the strips soft in a pan first. Try them with Monterey Jack and guacamole.
Ground turkey Season it as you would beef. Try it with pepper jack and corn salsa.
Meatless crumbles Season them as you would ground beef. Try them with cheddar and sour cream.
Pepperoni Lay the slices straight on the chips. Try it with mozzarella and black olives.
Pinto beans Drain them well. Try them with Monterey Jack and pico de gallo.
Pulled jackfruit Warm it in barbecue sauce first. Try it with pickled red onions and shredded cabbage.
Pulled pork Warm it first. Try it with barbecue sauce, cheddar and pickled red onions.
Refried beans Dot them on in small spoonfuls, so no chip is soaked. Try them with cheddar.
Roasted cauliflower Roast small florets first. Try it with buffalo sauce and ranch.
Roasted corn Brown the kernels in a hot pan. Try it with cotija, lime wedges and chili powder.
Roasted sweet potato Roast small cubes first. Try it with black bean and corn salsa and cotija.
Sautéed mushrooms Cook them until dry, so they do not wet the chips. Try them with Oaxaca cheese.
Scrambled eggs Cook them soft. Try them with cheddar, red salsa and avocado.
Seasoned ground beef Brown it and drain it first. Try it with cheddar, pickled jalapeños and sour cream.
Shredded beef Slow-cooked and pulled apart. Try it with pepper jack and pickled red onions.
Shredded chicken Toss it in salsa verde first. Try it with Monterey Jack and avocado.
Shrimp Cook it and chop it first. Try it with Monterey Jack, mango salsa and lime wedges.
Taco-seasoned lentils Cook them with taco seasoning until thick. Try them with cheddar and shredded lettuce.

Cheeses 10

Cheddar Shred it from the block. Try it with ground beef or chili, or with refried beans.
Colby Jack Try it with seasoned ground beef, or with pinto beans and pico de gallo.
Dairy-free shreds Try them with black beans, corn salsa and guacamole.
Mexican-style cheese blend Try it with refried beans, with or without ground beef.
Monterey Jack Try it with shredded chicken, or mixed half and half with cheddar.
Mozzarella Try it with pepperoni, or mixed with cheddar for more stretch.
Oaxaca cheese Pull it into strings before it goes on. Try it with chorizo or mushrooms.
Pepper jack Try it with black beans, ground turkey or roasted corn.
Queso dip Skip the oven: pour it warm over the hot toppings, or serve it at the side.
Smoked gouda Try it with pulled pork or brisket, or with pulled jackfruit.

Fresh toppings 15

Avocado Dice it at the last minute. Try it with shredded chicken or black beans.
Banana peppers Try them with cheddar, over chili or pinto beans.
Black olives Slice them. Try them with sour cream, over ground beef or refried beans.
Diced bell pepper Try it with black beans and corn salsa.
Diced mango Try it with shrimp, or with black beans and lime wedges.
Diced pineapple Try it with pulled pork, or with black beans and pepper jack.
Diced tomato Try it with shredded lettuce and sour cream.
Diced white onion Try it with fresh cilantro, over carnitas or pinto beans.
Fresh jalapeño slices Try them with cheddar, over ground beef or refried beans.
Pickled red onions Try them with pulled pork, carnitas or sweet potato.
Radishes Slice them thin. Try them with salsa verde, over carnitas or pinto beans.
Red onion Dice it small. Try it with barbecue chicken or black beans.
Shredded cabbage Try it with shrimp, pulled pork or pulled jackfruit.
Shredded lettuce Try it with diced tomato and sour cream, over ground beef or beans.
Sweet corn Try it with black beans and pepper jack.

Salsas and sauces 17

Avocado salsa Try it with carnitas or fajita peppers and onions.
Barbecue sauce A zigzag over the top. Try it with pulled pork, brisket or jackfruit.
Black bean and corn salsa Try it with roasted sweet potato or shredded chicken.
Buffalo sauce A drizzle. Try it with chicken or roasted cauliflower.
Chipotle sauce A thin drizzle. Try it with shredded chicken or sweet potato.
Corn salsa Try it with ground turkey, black beans or pepper jack.
Crema Drizzle it in thin lines. Try it with chorizo or roasted corn.
Guacamole In spoonfuls over the top. Try it with carne asada or black beans.
Hot sauce A few shakes over the tray, or the bottle on the table.
Mango salsa Try it with shrimp or black beans.
Pico de gallo Drain it in a spoon first. Try it with carne asada or refried beans.
Pineapple salsa Try it with pulled pork, or with black beans and cotija.
Ranch A zigzag over the top. Try it with buffalo chicken or roasted cauliflower.
Red salsa In small spoonfuls, or in a bowl at the side. Try it with anything under cheddar.
Salsa verde Try it with shredded chicken, carnitas or pinto beans.
Sour cream In spoonfuls, or thinned with lime juice and drizzled over the whole tray.
Warm marinara In a bowl at the side, for dipping. Try it with mozzarella, with or without pepperoni.

Finishes 14

A fried egg Slide it on top of the hot tray. Try it with chorizo, or with black beans and red salsa.
Blue cheese crumbles On after the oven. Try them with buffalo chicken or buffalo cauliflower.
Chili lime seasoning A shake over mango, pineapple or roasted corn.
Chili powder A light dusting over the finished tray.
Cotija Crumble it on after the oven. Try it with roasted corn or chorizo.
Fresh cilantro Chop it and scatter it over everything, last of all.
Hot honey A thin drizzle. Try it with pulled pork, chorizo or roasted sweet potato.
Lime wedges Squeeze one over the tray and leave the rest at the side.
Lime zest Grate it over sour cream or guacamole.
Pickled jalapeños On before the oven or after it. Both work.
Queso fresco Crumble it on after the oven. Try it with chorizo or black beans.
Scallions Slice them thin and scatter them on last.
Smoked paprika A pinch over sour cream or queso dip.
Toasted pumpkin seeds A handful over the top. Try them with sweet potato or black beans.

How it works

What should I put on my nachos, and in what order? Deal from 85 toppings: 29 meats, beans and cooked vegetables, 10 cheeses that melt, 15 fresh toppings, 17 salsas and sauces and 14 finishes.

Read the full guide

The order they go on

Chips first, in one layer. Hot toppings next: the meat or the beans, cooked and drained. Cheese goes over them, so it melts and holds them to the chips. Everything cold waits until the tray is out of the oven: tomato, lettuce, avocado, salsa, sour cream, cilantro and lime.

Keeping the chips crisp

Wet toppings are what make nachos soggy. Drain the beans, the meat and the pico de gallo, dot refried beans on in small spoonfuls, and put salsa and sour cream on at the table or in bowls at the side.

For a big tray, build two thin layers of chips, toppings and cheese, not one deep pile, so every chip gets some.

Questions and answers

What cheese should I put on nachos?

One that melts: cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack or a mix of two. Queso dip is poured on warm in place of baking. Cotija and queso fresco are crumbled on afterward as a finish.

Should I bake or broil nachos?

Bake a tray built in two layers, so the cheese melts all the way down. Broil a single thin layer, and watch it: the chips at the edge brown fast.

What should I put on nachos with no meat?

Black beans, pinto beans or refried beans under the cheese, or cooked vegetables: fajita peppers and onions, roasted sweet potato, roasted corn or mushrooms. Guacamole and pico de gallo go on after the oven.