Oven Baked Nachos

These oven baked nachos are so easy to make with chips and cheese then loaded with toppings. A favorite party appetizer, simple snack or even enjoy it for a weeknight dinner!

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Oven Baked Nachos and Cheese

These oven baked nachos go beyond just chips and cheese. It skips pre-shredded cheese haphazardly piled on chips and microwaved. For ooey gooey skillet nachos, shredding your own cheese, layering the chips just so and piling on toppings is a must.

Then the nachos are baked, which achieves crispy, cheesy nacho goodness! My family loves this for a game day appetizer in rotation with sheet pan nachos, 7 layer dip and BBQ nachos!

Ingredient Notes

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

• Tortilla chips: It’s hard to have nachos without this key ingredient that make it so easy to eat and give the dish its necessary crunch.
• Shredded cheese: I like to use a mixture of mozzarella and fontina, but feel free to use your favorites.
• Refried beans from canned beans: I love how this adds a heartiness to the nachos and provides a ton of flavor. I love pinto beans, but black beans work, too.
• Red enchilada sauce: This sauce gives the nachos their kick of flavor with a bit of smokiness that rounds everything out.

Loaded Nacho Toppings

I’m definitely a toppings kind of girl, so load on the guacamole, salsa, cilantro, queso and jalapenos. You can even add shredded chicken or taco meat to make it a meal.

• Cheese (mozzarella, Monterey jack or fontina)
• Beans (black, easy refried beans or pinto)
• Salsa (or salsa verde)
• Guacamole
• Pico de gallo or diced tomatoes
• Sour cream
• Jalapenos
• Green onions or red onion
• Avocado
• Cilantro
• Queso blanco, pretzel cheese dip or nacho cheese dip
• Black olives

How to Make Nachos in the Oven

Start by pouring a thin layer of red enchilada sauce across the bottom of a large skillet. Then spread the refried beans on top, followed by a small sprinkle of cheese.

Next add a layer of tortilla chips with another layer of cheese (about 3/4 cup). Repeat with the chips and cheese until you have 3 layers. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the final layer of chips and then drizzle a few Tablespoons of enchilada sauce on top.

Place the skillet in the oven and bake the nachos until the cheese is bubbly and golden (this usually takes about 15 minutes). Remove from oven and then pile on any additional toppings of choice (check out my favorites above). Then serve immediately while hot!

Tips for the Best Nachos in the Oven

• Shred your own cheese. Don’t use the pre-shredded bags. Buy a block of cheese and grate your own. The bags of pre-shredded cheese have extra additives that make it harder for them to melt. If you want that ooey gooey cheesy perfection, grate it yourself.
• Chips. Make sure you use chips that are thick, so that they don’t break and remain sturdy to hold all the toppings. You can even make your own homemade tortilla chips to take oven baked nachos up a notch.
• Bake the base first. Layer on the base ingredients (chips, cheese, beans and enchilada sauce) and bake those first. Then once out of the oven, add the other toppings  (like salsa, guacamole, jalapeños) so that they stay fresh.
• Sheet pan. If you don’t have a large enough cast-iron skillet or would prefer to bake the nachos on a sheet pan, you can definitely make sheet pan nachos. Just line the pan with tortilla chips and top with cheese, beans and drizzle with enchilada sauce.