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Make-Your-Own Nacho Bar

This make-your-own nacho bar is perfect for entertaining! It’s simple, delicious and can even be made in advance. Load on all your favorite toppings and dig in! 

Nachos in a paper nacho tray.
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DIY Nacho Bar

If you’re looking for an easy dinner party idea, this is it! Nacho bars are perfect for weekend get-togethers, birthday parties, the Super Bowl, or any day of the week! You can do all the prep work ahead of time and throw everything together in less than 30 minutes.

Over the weekend, we had some friends over for a nacho bar to watch the game. The kids played games, the moms talked and the dads watched the game. It was the perfect Saturday night!

I thought I better share the recipe for the famous velveeta queso dip, the topping ideas, and free printable sign with you here in case you missed it.

It’s perfect for those nights you want to invite friends over last minute, play some games and eat some yummy food without much stress. Seriously, so good! I could eat nachos every day of the week and be completely happy.

Toppings for nacho bar.

Nacho Bar Toppings

When building a nacho bar, grab all your favorite toppings and put them in bowls for easy access. Make sure to add a spoon for each bowl so that guests can easily sprinkle on their favorites without using their hands. :)

Start with the chips as the base (I like using a mix of blue and corn chips), the build your own plate of nachos. I love to load up on ALL the toppings! Seriously, the more the better! My favorites are carnitas, tomatoes, onions, olives and avocado.

Meat

  • Carnitas
  • Taco meat
  • Shredded chicken

Other toppings

Adding toppings to nachos from a nacho bar.

Queso Dip for Nachos

The star of the show is always the famous Velveeta queso dip. I love making this queso because it is so easy to prepare and always delicious. Everyone always asks for the recipe and they never believe when I tell them it’s only 2 ingredients.

All you need is one package of Velveeta and one can of RO*TEL. Then just microwave the two ingredients on high for 5 minutes. If you want to bulk it up, you could add in cooked breakfast sausage like I did in this easy sausage cheese dip.

I like to keep mine in the slow cooker afterwards too, so it stays nice and warm.

Nacho bar printable sign on a wood clipboard.

Free Printable Nacho Bar Sign

To add a special touch, I printed out this fun sign and set it on the station where all the ingredients/toppings were. This helps make it super clear to guests and is just extra adorable…right?!

Nachos with toppings in the brown container.

More Easy Entertaining Recipes

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Nacho Bar free printables + Famous Queso Dip and all the fix-in's! Perfect for family night, game day, and any get-together!

Make-Your-Own Nacho Bar

5 from 2 votes
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Author: Jamielyn Nye
This make-your-own nacho bar is perfect for entertaining! It's simple, delicious and can even be made in advance. Load on all your favorite toppings and dig in! 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 16

Ingredients 

  • Tortilla chips

Famous queso dip:

  • 16 ounce package Velveeta
  • 10 ounce can RO*TEL

Toppings:

  • tomatoes
  • red onions
  • cilantro
  • sliced olives
  • jalapenos
  • sliced radishes
  • lime wedges
  • sour cream

Instructions

Famous queso dip:

  • Cube Velveeta into a microwavable bowl. Add in the can of RO*TEL. Microwave for 3 minutes. Stir and then cook 2 more minutes. Place in a slow cooker on the warm setting until ready to serve.

To assemble nachos:

  • Layer tortilla chips in a paper food tray. Add meat on top, then pile on your favorite toppings like queso, tomatoes, sliced onions, radishes, avocado, cilantro and red onion. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 131mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 1.7mg | Calcium: 168mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican

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