Beef Nachos Guacamole (Printable version)
Crunchy chips topped with seasoned beef, cheese, and creamy guacamole for a delicious Tex-Mex treat.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef
01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 12 ounces ground beef
05 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
11 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
12 - 1/4 cup beef or chicken broth
→ Nachos
13 - 7 ounces tortilla chips
14 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
15 - 1 small tomato, diced
16 - 1 small red onion, finely diced
17 - 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
18 - Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish
19 - Lime wedges, for serving
→ Guacamole
20 - 2 ripe avocados
21 - 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
22 - 1/4 small red onion, finely chopped
23 - 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
24 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
25 - Salt and black pepper to taste
# Directions:
01 - Set the oven temperature to 400°F.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes, then stir in garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
03 - Add ground beef to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until no longer pink, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
04 - Mix in cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, ground coriander, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Stir in tomato paste and broth, reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture thickens slightly, then remove from heat.
06 - Spread tortilla chips evenly in a single layer on a large ovenproof platter or baking sheet.
07 - Spoon the beef mixture uniformly over the chips and sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top.
08 - Place in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
09 - In a bowl, mash avocados with lime juice until smooth but retaining some texture; fold in diced tomato, finely chopped red onion, cilantro, and season with salt and black pepper.
10 - Remove nachos from the oven, top with diced tomato, red onion, jalapeño (if desired), and cilantro. Serve immediately with guacamole and lime wedges on the side.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- Ready in under an hour but tastes like you spent all afternoon fussing with details.
- You can assemble everything in advance and bake when hungry, making it perfect for feeding a crowd without stress.
- The warm spiced beef, cool creamy guac, and crispy chips hit every texture at once—it's honestly addictive.
- Naturally gluten-free if you swap one ingredient, and forgiving enough that everyone can customize their own bite.
02 -
- The beef mixture needs to be warm when it hits the chips, not cold from sitting—cold beef won't let the cheese melt properly and everything stays separated instead of becoming one cohesive bite.
- Don't make the guacamole more than fifteen minutes before serving or it starts oxidizing and turning brown, losing that bright freshness that makes it taste alive.
- The moment nachos come out of the oven is the moment to eat them—a few minutes sitting and they lose that crispy-meets-warm magic that makes the whole thing work.
03 -
- Toast your tortilla chips in a warm oven for two minutes right before using them—they'll stay crispier longer and won't absorb moisture as quickly from the beef.
- Don't oversalt the guacamole until the very end—the beef is already seasoned, and once you mix everything together you might find you need less than you think.