Award Winning Plant-Based Nachos — the whole build, oil free

These won an award, and I still think the reason is that nothing on the plate is a shortcut. The chips are baked, the cheese sauce is potatoes and cashews, the chorizo is tofu, and there is no oil anywhere in it.

Do not let the length put you off. Every single component can be made a day ahead, and most of them are things you will want in the fridge anyway. Build the tower at the last minute.

Watch me make it

How to make this manageable

• Make the cheese sauce and crema up to five days ahead. They both keep well in the fridge.
• The tofu chorizo is better on day two, so make it early rather than late.
• Guacamole is the only thing that has to be made fresh. Do it while the chips are in the oven.

Chef Julia Dunaway

Award Winning Plant-Based Nachos

A full nacho build — homemade baked tortilla chips, cashew cheese sauce, crema, guacamole, tofu chorizo and grilled corn. Entirely oil free.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients Equipment Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

To assemble

• 3 cup s cooked black beans
• 1 cup roasted corn
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• ¼ cup sliced jalapenos
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• Red, orange and yellow mini sweet bell peppers, chopped into ¼ inch pieces
• 1-2 Fresno chiles, sliced for garnish
• 2 tomatoes, chopped (seeds removed)
• Chili-lime sprinkle or Tajin

Tortilla chips

• 15 corn tortillas, cut into 4 wedges each
• 2 tablespoon s fresh lime juice (optional)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground sea salt (optional)

Cheese sauce

• 1 cup peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1 cup vegetable broth (from cooking the vegetables)
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 30 minutes
• ¼ cup roasted red bell peppers, drained
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon s tofu scramble seasoning, or 1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Crema

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 1 hour
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoon s nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon tamari
• ¼ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger powder
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground cayenne

Guacamole

• 2 ripe avocados
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoon s finely diced red onion
• 1-2 clove s garlic, minced and mashed into a paste with a pinch of salt
• Freshly ground sea salt

Tofu chorizo crumbles

• 1 14 ounce package extra firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

Equipment

• High speed blender
• Rimmed baking sheets
• Outdoor grill

Method

 

Tortilla chips

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the tortilla wedges on the baking sheet and brush with lime juice. Sprinkle with sea salt.
3. Bake for 5-6 minutes, turning halfway through. Turn off the oven and leave the chips inside with the door open for 5-6 more minutes, until crispy.

Cheese sauce

1. Cook the potatoes, carrots and onions until fork tender. Drain well, reserving the cooking liquid.
2. Blend the cooked vegetables, roasted red peppers, spices, tamari, 1 cup of the reserved liquid, soaked cashews and lemon juice for 3-4 minutes, until silky smooth.

Crema

1. Blend all crema ingredients until completely smooth.

Guacamole

1. Mash the avocado with a fork in a medium bowl — leave it a bit chunky.
2. Add the cilantro, lime juice, red onion, garlic and salt. Mix together gently.

Tofu chorizo

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drain and press the tofu.
2. Crumble the tofu with your hands and add the marinade ingredients on top. Mix well.
3. Spread the crumbles on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Turn and bake 5 minutes more.

Grilled corn

1. Grill the corn 15-20 minutes at 375°F on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, turning a few times. Cut the kernels off the cobs.

Assemble

1. Place a layer of tortilla chips on a large serving dish. Add cheese sauce, black beans, corn, a little of each vegetable and a little crema.
2. Layer more tortilla chips and repeat until you have built a large tower of nachos.
3. Finish with a big scoop of guacamole on top. Add cilantro, chili-lime sprinkle, cashew sprinkles and more cheese sauce.

Video

Notes

Every component can be made a day ahead. The cheese sauce and crema both keep about 5 days in the fridge.

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