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September 5, 2023

Chorizo Nachos

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Warm tortilla chips layered with Mexican chorizo, creamy cheese sauce, pico de gallo, and cilantro! These Chorizo Nachos are perfect for game day, parties, or any time you’re craving a big plate of homemade nachos.

nachos garnished with pico de gallo and cilantro.

Chorizo Nachos Recipe

  • Ingredients
  • How to Make the Nachos
  • Recipe Tips
  • More Nacho Recipes

I don’t need an excuse to make homemade nachos, but if you’re looking for one, might I remind you that sporty season is upon us. Football is a bit of a thing at our house, and while I might not fully understand what a two-point conversion is, I do understand football snacks. And there’s no better sporty snack than a big pan of these chorizo nachos.

Ingredients

  • Mexican chorizo – This is the star of the recipe. Mexican chorizo is made with pork and spices, and the flavor is warm and spicy. Don’t confuse it with Spanish chorizo, which is a cured sausage. The two aren’t interchangeable for these nachos.
  • Shredded pepper jack cheese – This is used to make the creamy cheese sauce. For the best creamy sauce, shred a block of cheese instead of using pre-shredded. I’ve tried both, and the pre-shredded doesn’t melt as well, and the sauce ends up with a weird stretchy texture.
  • Cornstarch – A touch of this prevents the cheese from turning too stringy once it melts into the sauce.
  • Kosher salt
  • Half and half
  • Tortilla chips – For this recipe, I use an 11-ounce bag of tortilla chips.
  • Shredded cheddar cheese – This is sprinkled over the nachos, so feel free to use bagged shredded cheese.
  • Pico de gallo – I use this to garnish the nachos before serving. It’s a fresh salsa made with jalapeno, tomatoes, onions, lime juice, and cilantro. You can make your own or use storebought. Just make sure to drain off the liquid so your nachos don’t get soggy.
  • Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
ingredients for chorizo nachos.

How to Make the Nachos

Cook the chorizo: Mexican chorizo is very fatty, so it will take about 10 minutes to cook it and render the fat. Do this in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Once the chorizo is crumbly, drain off as much of the fat as possible. I like to transfer the cooked chorizo to a fine mesh strainer placed over a plate lined with paper towels. Use a spatula to press out as much fat from the meat.

Cheese Sauce: Place the pepper jack cheese, cornstarch, and salt in a small saucepan. Toss the cheese to coat it in the cornstarch. Add the half and half and warm the mixture over medium heat. Stir as it warms up until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

cooked chorizo in a pan and the cheese sauce in a saucepan.

Assemble the nachos: Place a third of the tortilla chips on a sheet pan and drizzle one-third of the cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle some of the chorizo over the top, followed by a third of the cheddar cheese. Repeat these layers two more times.

the nachos ready to go in the oven.

Bake: Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake the nachos for about 10 minutes at 350°F.

Garnish: Spoon the pico de gallo over the top of the nachos, along with a sprinkle of cilantro.

baked chorizo nachos on a pan.

Recipe Tips

  • If the cheese sauce is too thick, thin it with a splash or two of half and half. It will thicken up as it stands, so don’t leave it sitting around for too long before you assemble the nachos.
  • Variations: I love this recipe because it’s easy to swap ingredients. Instead of chorizo, try cooked ground beef flavored with taco seasoning or make chicken nachos.
  • Other garnishes: Add some sliced green onions, diced avocado, sliced radishes, or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
  • Serve these chorizo nachos just as they are, or add some salsa, guacamole, and sour cream on the side for dipping.

Happy sporty season to all who celebrate – I hope you give these homemade nachos a try!

April
a pan of nachos.

More Nacho Recipes

  • BBQ Chicken Nachos
  • Chili Nachos

📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.

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Chorizo Nachos

nachos garnished with pico de gallo and cilantro.
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Chorizo Nachos are great for parties, game days, or whenever you want to make a big batch of nachos to share. The combination of crispy tortilla chips. creamy cheese sauce, spicy Mexican chorizo, and pico de gallo is so delicious.

  • Author: April Anderson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizers
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 9 ounces Mexican chorizo
  • 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1 (11-oz) bag tortilla chips
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup pico de gallo (drain off the liquid)
  • Chopped cilantro for garnish
  • Optional for serving: Guacamole, salsa, and sour cream

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Chorizo: Cook the chorizo in a nonstick pan over medium-high until it’s cooked through and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain off the excess fat and set the pan aside (see note).
  3. Cheese sauce: Place the shredded pepper jack cheese in a saucepan. Add the cornstarch and salt and toss them with the cheese. Add the half and half, and then place the pan on the burner. Warm the mixture over medium heat while stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth and thickened. Set the cheese sauce aside.
  4. Assemble the nachos: Spread some tortilla chips on a large sheet pan. Drizzle 1/3 of the cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle the chorizo over the sauce, and then sprinkle some shredded cheddar over the top of the chorizo. Repeat these layers two more times.
  5. Bake: Bake the nachos for 10 minutes or until they are hot and the shredded cheese is melted. Spoon the pico de gallo over the top and sprinkle the cilantro, if using, for garnish.

Notes

Chorizo tip: I like to remove as much fat as possible from the chorizo. The easiest way to do this is to place the cooked chorizo in a fine mesh strainer on a plate lined with a paper towel. Press on the chorizo with a spatula to extract the excess fat so it drains onto the paper towel.

Cheese sauce: The sauce will thicken as it stands. If it’s too thick when you assemble the nachos, whisk in a few extra splashes of half and half to thin it.

Optional extras: Serve the nachos with some sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side for dipping.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 526
  • Sugar: 2.8g
  • Sodium: 891.8mg
  • Fat: 26.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 9.4g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 16g
  • Trans Fat: 0.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.4g
  • Fiber: 1.8g
  • Protein: 20.1g
  • Cholesterol: 71.9mg

Keywords: Mexican chorizo nachos

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The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.


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About April Anderson

I’m a passionate home cook, cookbook author, recipe developer, freelance writer, food photographer, and dog mom ❤ I garnish (almost) everything with parsley and believe you can make deliciously amazing dishes with everyday ingredients.

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