As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Make super simple vegan sheet pan nachos! Complete with oil-free refried beans and nacho cheese, seasoned jackfruit, and all the fixins’.
Damn good nachos
Who doesn’t love a huge pan filled with nachos? If you don’t, then maybe find another recipe. 🙂 This super customizable vegan sheet pan nachos absolutely rules. With savory ingredients like oil-free nacho cheese, oil-free refried beans, and seasoned jackfruit, plus cool vegan sour cream and cilantro you really can’t go wrong.
My favorite way to make nachos is with minimal oil. That way I can eat the whole thing without it upsetting my stomach. And I’m not lying. You see that whole tray? My boyfriend and I downed the entire sheet pan between just the two of us without feeling like we wanted to die. Ok maybe we wanted to die a little bit, but it was so worth it!
Prepping ahead
If you use my recipes for both the beans and nacho cheese, you will need about a 1-hour head start before assembling your nachos. It takes a while for the beans to cook in the instant pot. But you can definitely knock the cheese out while the beans cook and have them ready around the same time.
If you’re short on time, you can always use canned beans and vegan shredded cheese. If you’re looking for a good product, I recommend So Delicious shreds – a blend of mozz and cheddar would be awesome here.
A note on jackfruit
So I feel like this is not very well known, but not all jackfruit cans are created equal. I recently discovered Native Forest “Original” Jackfruit and I tell ya, I’m not going to be buying any other brand ever again. This jackfruit breaks apart in your hands without any boiling, sauteeing or softening. This saves you like 30 minutes of prep time compared to other brands like Aroy-D.
I also want to note that I’ve used Native Forest in the past and feel like it was not quite as malleable as the new labeling. Not sure what’s up there, but whatever they did in this rebrand, I’m a huge fan of.
If your jackfruit is difficult to handle, boil it in water or vegetable broth for 20-30 minutes until you can break it apart easily with a fork.
What ingredients do I need to make vegan sheet pan nachos?
I mean you know the drill. It’s nachos! Pick out your favorite ingredients to toss on top. If you don’t like something I mentioned, leave it out!
Tortilla chips: Corn tortilla chips are non-negotiable in making vegan sheet pan nachos. I recommend picking out a thicker tortilla chip if you can find that variety. I used the “extra thick” variety from Sprouts.
Oil-free refried beans: If you have some dried pinto beans on hand and an instant pot, don’t skimp on making my oil-free refried beans! You won’t regret the extra work as they are truly one of the most delicious recipes on my site. If you don’t have time, you can drain and rinse 2 cans of pinto beans, and place them in a pot with some plant milk (I like oat the best) with a dash of salt and some chili powder. Then use an immersion blender or a food processor to mash the beans until they’re smooth and creamy.
Oil-free nacho cheese: Combine potatoes and carrots together with nutritional yeast and oat milk to create vegan nacho cheese! Vegan sheet pan nachos are hands down my favorite way to eat my plant-based nacho cheese. If you don’t have time to make it, you can substitute your favorite vegan shredded cheese.
Jackfruit, taco seasoning, and maple syrup: Add some meatiness to your nachos by seasoning some jackfruit with taco seasoning and just a dash of maple syrup. I like the extra texture and flavor the jackfruit brings to the nachos. If you’re not a jackfruit fan, consider adding soyrizo instead.
Vegan sour cream: I absolutely love adding sour cream to my nachos. For this recipe, I used the Forager brand, but you can definitely use whatever kind you can find. I am also a fan of Tofutti sour cream.
Tomato: There are a lot of variations you can do here. I used a simple tomato, but you can make pico or toss on a bunch of salsa instead. Alternatively, if you’re adverse to tomatoes, just leave them out!
Scallions: Sometimes yellow and red onions are too overpowering and I feel that’s the case for these vegan sheet pan nachos. I recommend using scallions instead since they are milder in flavor.
Olives: I am from the midwest and I just can’t deny the olives. I absolutely love them and while most people would argue they don’t have a place in nachos, I respectfully agree. Since I am trash, I still include them.
Cilantro and lime: For a refreshing finish, I love topping my nachos with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
Jalapeño: If you’re a heat seeker, don’t skimp on adding a decent amount of jalapeño slices to your nachos.
Salsa: I also like serving my nachos with a side of fresh homemade salsa. If you’re looking for a great recipe, I use an adapted version of chilé de árbol salsa from Isabel Eats.
How to make vegan sheet pan nachos
Making our sheet pan nachos is pretty easy! If you haven’t already, hop over to my recipes for oil-free refried beans and nacho cheese and get those prepping away. Once you’re good there, you’ll need a few kitchen tools to make vegan sheet pan nachos. Break out a large baking sheet, a knife, a cutting board, measuring cups and spoons, a medium-sized pot, and a fork.
Start by draining the can of jackfruit. Then, try to break the jackfruit apart with your hands. If it easily comes apart, then add it to a medium-sized pot with ¼ cup water, half a packet of taco seasoning, and a teaspoon of maple syrup. If the jackfruit is too tough, fill the pot with water instead and bring to a simmer. Add the jackfruit, and cover. Then, simmer the jackfruit for about 20-30 minutes or until you can break it apart with a fork. Then, add a ¼ cup water, the taco seasoning, and maple syrup. Stir the jackfruit and lightly simmer until warm. Then, set aside.
Next, it’s time to prep! Coarsely chop your tomato, scallions, jalapeño, olives and cilantro and set aside. Then, slice yourself some lime wedges and set those aside too. If you have salsa handy, pour some into a small bowl.
Now, it’s time to assemble! Turn your broiler onto 450 degrees and line your baking sheet with a nice layer of tortilla chips. Now here’s where the fun part comes! Add the toppings you’d like to be warmed up in the oven. I like to warm the beans, nacho cheese, jackfruit, and jalapeño slices.
Carefully place the nachos in the oven and warm for 5-10 minutes. You should keep an eye on the oven because the chips can burn very quickly! Once the chips are browned, remove them and wedge the salsa bowl into the corner of the sheet pan. Then top the nachos with the remaining ingredients like vegan sour cream, scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, olives, and a squeeze of lime.
Serve the nachos right off the tray! They feed anywhere between 2-6 people depending on how many chips and toppings you add. I would say this recipe as written is perfect for four eaters. Though my boyfriend and I didn’t want any food to go to waste so we ended up splitting the sheet between the two of us.
Substitution ideas
This recipe is very customizable so feel free to swap ingredients in and out as you please. Here are some additional ideas I have to take these vegan sheet pan nachos to the next level.
Sub tofu or soyrizo: If you’re not a jackfruit fan, substitute tofu to make sofritas! Or if you’d rather use a prepackaged mock meat substitute, try out soyrizo. I love the one from El Burrito and Trader Joes
Add corn: Consider adding roasted or raw corn kernels to the top of your nachos.
Substitute vegan cheese shreds: Not a fan of potato-carrot nacho cheese? Substitute with prepackaged vegan cheese shreds instead. I think So Delicious would work best with this recipe.
Guac it up: I normally put guac or avocado slices on my sheet pan nachos, but since I was splitting these with my boyfriend and he is allergic to avocados (sad!) I left it off. If you can whip some up or simply add some avocado slices on top, that would be the bees knees.
Use canned beans: If you’re short on time or don’t have dried beans on hand, you can make some quick mashed beans by draining two cans of pinto beans and boiling them with some plant milk. Toss in a food processor or mash with an immersion blender. Then add a sprinkle of salt and chili powder and boom. You’re good to go.
Ditch the olives: I get it. Not all of us like olives. Most of us don’t even think they belong on nachos. Feel free to leave them off if they’re not your thing!
Want more recipes?
If you liked my vegan sheet pan nachos and want to make more of my recipes, definitely check out some of these below
- Chipotle chickpea melts
- Cashew mac & cheese
- Southwest tofu salad
- Vegan breakfast tacos
- Soyrizo pumpkin pasta
- Hominy grits
Recipe jam
In this segment, I suggest a song for you to listen to while you make vegan sheet pan nachos! You can even stream it right here in your browser. Today’s recipe jam is Rhythm is Our Business by Snapped Ankles.
If you try this recipe, I want to hear about it! Feel free to post your creations to Instagram or Facebook and tag Hell Yes It’s Vegan or #hellyesitsvegan. I look forward to seeing what you make!
Vegan Sheet Pan Nachos
Equipment
- knife
- cutting board
- medium-sized pot
- baking sheet
- measuring cup and spoons
Ingredients
- 8 oz tortilla chips, (I used the Extra Thick variety from Sprouts)
- 1 cup oil-free refried beans, (Or sub canned vegetarian refried beans)
- 1 ½ cup oil-free nacho cheese, (Or sub vegan cheese shreds)
- 1 can jackfruit in brine
- ½ packet taco seasoning
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ cup vegan sour cream, (I used Forager)
- ¼ cup black olives
- 2 scallions
- 1 roma tomato
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1 lime wedge
- fresh salsa for serving, (optional)
Instructions
- Drain jackfruit and check texture. If it breaks apart in your hands, shred it and add it to a pot and move to the next step. If it doesn't, add it to a pot with water and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Then drain, rinse, and break it apart with a fork and return to the pot.
- Add the taco seasoning and maple syrup along with 1/4 cup of water to the jackfruit. Simmer until the liquid is mostly evaporated – about 10 minutes and set aside.
- Preheat broiler to 450 degrees. Then, slice the jalapeño, black olives, and scallions and set aside. Also coarsely chop the tomato and cilantro and set that aside too. Lastly, pour some salsa in a small bowl and set aside for serving.
- Spread the tortilla chips across a baking sheet. Next, drizzle on the nacho cheese, and add dollops of refried beans. Add the seasoned jackfruit and jalapeño slices and carefully place in the oven. Broil the sheet for 5-10 minutes. Watch very carefully as the chips burn quickly.
- Remove the nachos from the oven and top with olives, tomato, sour cream, scallions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve with salsa on the side.