Cheesy Cauliflower Nachos
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Published Jan 29, 2020, Updated Jan 26, 2024
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These low-carb cauliflower nachos are cheesy, delicious and loaded with extra veggies like tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, onions and avocado.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I am a big fan of all things cauliflower. This cauliflower fried rice recipe is a go-to for us and I’ve been making cauliflower crust pizza for years. I don’t know how this idea crossed my mind, but I’ve been wanting to take a stab at cauliflower nachos for so long! It took a couple tries but these veggie-packed nachos are so delicious.
They’re the perfect game day appetizer, but you can also serve them as a simple sheet pan meal. It’s something the whole family will love! I mean, have you ever told your kids (or husband) that you’re having nachos for dinner before? If not, try it with the recipe and just watch their eyes light up.
Why Use Cauliflower Instead of Chips?
First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, I, the chip lover am swapping something in place of chips! It’s true, I love chips (especially good tortilla chips) but I also love vegetables. Fun fact about cauliflower from my trusted nutrition source, Healthline, “Cauliflower contains some of almost every vitamin and mineral that you need.” Who knew? It’s packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. A definite nutrient upgrade from tortilla chips!
Slicing and Roasting the Cauliflower
Arguably one of the most important steps of this recipe is slicing and roasting the cauliflower. You start by prepping a large baking sheet — I simply spray mine with olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray. Then you’ll slice your cauliflower. You can chop the cauliflower head into florets, but I prefer slicing it so the pieces are a bit flatter and a tiny bit more like a chip. Cauliflower is never going to be a chip, but this method of slicing makes the cauliflower flatter and more chip-like.
The next step is to season the cauliflower with spices to enhance the overall nacho flavor. For this you’ll combine the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder, sea salt and oil in a large bowl. Add in the sliced cauliflower and toss to coat. Now this part is important! Place the cauliflower on the baking sheet, but space the pieces out to make sure that none are touching! Bake for 20 minutes at 425ºF or until the cauliflower is starting to brown.
Cauliflower Nacho Toppings
Beside having a good base (the roasted cauli), you obviously need delicious toppings for these nachos! Feel free to play with your own combinations or add your favorite ingredients. Here are the toppings I decided to use:
- refried beans
- shredded Mexican cheddar cheese
- jalapeño
- grape/cherry tomatoes
- red onion
- fresh cilantro
- avocado
For this version, I added the refried beans, shredded cheese and jalapeños to the roasted cauliflower and then baked again to melt the cheese and warm the beans. After the second bake, I topped the nachos with the fresh ingredients and served. I love the combination of warm and cool temperatures.
As you can see, these nachos are super easy to whip up. I can’t wait for you to try them.
Here Are More Vegetable Packed Recipes to Try!
- Vegetarian Mezze Platter
- Naan Pizza with Butternut Squash and Pesto
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Healthy Sweet Potato Skins
- Baked Kale Chips
Want More Cauliflower Recipes?
- Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Cauliflower Grits with Blackened Shrimp
- Turkey Cauliflower Baked Ziti
- 6-Ingredient Healthy Mashed Cauliflower
- Low-Carb Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Cauliflower Fried “Rice”
- Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Cauliflower Salad
Be sure to check out all of the cauliflower recipes here at EBF!
Cheesy Cauliflower Nachos
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 5 cups cauliflower florets, cut into ½-inch slices
- 1/3 cup refried beans
- 3/4 cup shredded Mexican cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped grape/cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 avocado, sliced or chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large baking sheet with olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray.
- Slice cauliflower into 1/2-inch slices.
- In a large bowl, combine oil with garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder and sea salt. Add sliced cauliflower and gently toss to coat. Place seasoned cauliflower on baking sheet, spacing out the pieces so that they roast instead of steam. Bake 20 minutes, until cauliflower is tender and starting to brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven; push cauliflower together in the center of the pan. Top cauliflower with refried beans, sprinkle with cheese and add jalapeño slices on top. Return to the oven and bake until the beans are heated through and the cheese has melted, about 6-7 minutes.
- Top cauliflower with chopped tomato, red onion and cilantro. Add avocado (if using) and serve directly from the sheet pan. You can also transfer to a platter for serving or portion into bowls.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh My Word! So delicious!!
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Lois. Thanks for leaving a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it! <3
Made these tonight and they are fantastic! Thanks for all your tasty recipes!
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m so glad you loved these nachos, Sarah. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it. <3
I am someone who is really making strides to eat healthier! However I’m at that point in my “healthy eating journey” where I am SICK of eating steamed broccoli and carrots every day lol so I’ve been looking around for new ways to make some veggies! I found your website and this recipe jumped out at me…. I made it tonight and needless to say… holy cow… It was incredible!!! My whole family loved them and they will now live on as a staple in our house! Thank you! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!!!
Ahh this brings such a smile to my face, Jenna! 🙂 I’m so glad you found my site and that the whole fam enjoyed these nachos. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. The reviews are super helpful to other readers, so I really appreciate it. <3
Thank you for this recipe! It is so delicious and easy to make! The cauliflower was seasoned perfectly!
Ahh I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jessica! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it! <3
Easy simple and freaking delicious!
Delicious! Made this with a few variations based on what we had in the house during our quarantine time (+ corn, black beans instead of refried). Husband loved it too! Seasoning was so good!!
Ahh yay! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I really appreciate it.
Thank you so much for all the recipes! These cauliflower nachos have become one of my FAVORITE ways to eat cauliflower! I love the mix of seasonings! Even my oldest son loves it!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Cheryl! I’m so glad these nachos are a hit with your family. Thanks for trying my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Best healthy nachos! I was very skeptical about making these , only because I’ve never tried cauliflower. But they were amazing!! Definitely will keep making these
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Kayla! I’m so glad you enjoyed these cauliflower nachos. Thanks for trying them and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. I so appreciate it!
This was to die for!!!! The most delicious low carb meal I’ve ever had!!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Rosie! I’m so glad you enjoyed these nachos. Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me! <3
Delicious! Slightly changed recipe. I went totally vegan and topped with nutritional yeast, mixed soyrizo in my beans, I didn’t have tomatoes so used chopped red bell pepper and we love spicy so I added more diced jalapeno to ours. What I love about this recipe is that there are no chips and the seasoning for the cauliflower was perfect! All the flavors came together nicely. A definite win!
Have you ever tried to make these with frozen cauliflower florets?
I haven’t, but I’m sure you could just as easily roast the frozen cauliflower the same way. 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
These were sooooo good!!! Sharing them to my instagram for others to try!!
Thank you for this recipe!
Alexis
Ahh yay!! So glad you loved these nachos, Alexis. 🙂 Thanks so much for making my recipe, I so appreciate it!
This recipe was so good. Thank you for sharing. I will definately make it again. Love, love, love!!!!
Ahh yay!! So glad you loved these nachos, Serena. Thanks for making my recipe and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
What a lovely recipe..I would never have thought of that!
Thank you for posting. : )
You’re so welcome, Cas! I’m glad you enjoyed these cauli nachos. 🙂
This was delicious!
New to healthier eating, this was amazing! Had to substitute with-cooked chilli, salsa sauce, green onions and hot mixed pepper rings .If doing a large cauliflower would recommend doubling up on the spices
So pumped you enjoyed this recipe, Debbie. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it. 🙂
Loved the caulifower nachos. I agree that more of the spice mix would be good.
These are amazing!! 10+ out of 10!! I was a little hesitant, but they looked soooo good. So, I gave it a try and boy am I glad I did. Thank you so much for a new fav!!
You are the best, Kay!! Thank you for your review! 🙂
Absolutely delicious.. I added around Chicken burger roo
So good!! I served with shredded lettuce and salsa/sour cream and made it more of a healthy nacho salad and it was delicious !!
Woo! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, I so appreciate it!
Husband loved it! We added seasoned ground turkey. Definitely making this again.
Yay!! So glad this recipe was a hit. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Fellow cauliflower lover here! I made these cauliflower nachos for lunch and really enjoyed them! I appreciate how you said that cauliflower will never be chips- I enjoyed this recipe for what it was: yummy, spiced, cheesy cauliflower!
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Coby!! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hello,
Haven’t tried cauliflower nachos yet. Can’t wait. Maybe today. Question. Why refried beans? And can l use something else in place of refried beans? Thank you!
I like refried beans for the extra flavor and the fact that they stick to the cauliflower. If you use another bean, like black beans they’ll likely roll around a little more. That said you can totally try another bean! Let me know how the nachos turn out for you!
I tried this recipes.It was simple and easy to make.I added Beyond meat crumbles,onion,red bell pepper.we topped itwith sour cream,tomatoes,lettuce.etc.I will make this again
So glad you loved this recipe, Annie. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
These are delicious! I am a huge nachos fan and these are just as good. I don’t miss the chips. My (picky) 8 and 6 year olds even like it! We’re having your black bean brownies for dessert tonight too 🥰
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad they were a hit with your family. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, Maddie. I really appreciate it. 🙂
This recipe is sooooo good. Easy to make and very tasty. My 63 yr old dad loved them and he HATES veggies 🤣🤣. Thank you. Can’t wait to make again !
Ahh yay, that makes me SO happy to hear!! I’m pumped to hear these nachos were a hit. Thanks for making them and for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it. 🙂
2yr old demolished his plate! Pretty tasty!
Woo!! So glad the nachos were a hit!!
DELISH. Added pineapple, why not!
Ohh I love that idea!! So glad you loved these!!
I’m in love with this recipe! When I told my kids I was making cauliflower nachos they wrinkled their noses at me but ended up loving it! They normally hate cauliflower but this they liked.Anything that gets my kids eating vegetables I will be making again. Thank you!!
Woo!! That makes me so happy to hear. I’m glad this recipe was a hit with the whole fam. Thanks for the review, Amara. I so appreciate it.
We love these nachos – it’s our Friday night favorite! I substitute black beans for refried. So good!
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear, Rosanna! Thanks for the review 🙂
Very yummy! Definitely recommend making
Yay!! That makes me so happy to hear, Stephanie! Thanks for the review. I so appreciate it!
Ive made this a number of times and its my favorite lunch recipe. I love how versatile it is. Ive made it exactly as listed and also with alterations. I didnt have tomatos on hand today so i subbed in some salsa, I also didnt have refried beans so just used normal canned kidney beans. Its always a hit! I like chopping up bell peppers to top it off with and some parsley. I also am partial to using some ranch to dip the goodies in. I would suggest doubling or tripling the jalaenpos. I always use around 3-4.
Woo!! So pumped you’ve been loving this recipe, Heather. I so appreciate you coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me. 🙂
I LOVE this recipe and make it almost weekly. I didn’t think I liked cauliflower until I had this recipe. Thinking about trying with pesto and low fat mozzarella.
Woo!! So glad these cauliflower nachos have been a hit, Tracie! Thanks so much for trying it out and coming back to leave review. It means the world to me!
So yummy!
Thanks, Angela! Glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Yum! Our family loves cauliflower. What a fun idea to change things up.
Thanks, Mary! Let me know if you and your family try it out :).
I am not a fan of cauliflower, but I was super curious. I was blown away by the flavours! I didn’t use jalapeño because my wife doesn’t like spicy, but next time I want to try it with pickled jalapeños! Will definitely make this a million times!
Woo!! So happy these cauliflower nachos were a hit, Venkat! Thanks so much for the review. I really appreciate it!
This was so good! It’s now a go to in my house!
Ah yay! I love hearing this! So pumped these nachos were a hit, Sabina! Thanks so much for the review and star rating. I so appreciate it!
Omg. Made this for dinner tonight. Amazing!!
Woo!! So happy to hear you enjoyed this cauliflower nachos. Thanks for the review, Candace!
Perfection. I come back to this repeatedly. The spice mix tastes exactly like the coating on a&w onion rings (a burger chain here in Canada). The only problem is keeping yourself from eating the whole sheet without sharing.
Woo!! So happy to hear you’re loving these cauliflower nachos, Erin! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me!
Outstanding work! Enjoyed your writing!!
I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time now and finally made it two nights ago. It turned out fantastic, even though I didn’t use cilantro or jalapeno, which I love, but just didn’t have on hand. I can’t say enough about how super yummy this is. I just added salsa. I think next time I will even add leftover shredded chicken just to incorporate more protein. Thank you Brittany for introducing me to my new obsession. Debora K.
Woo!! Pumped to hear this recipe was a hit. Thanks for the review, Debora! It means so much to me!
Made it tonight! Husband and I loved it!!!!
Woo!! So happy to hear you enjoyed these cauliflower nachos, Nithya! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
I’ve made this twice. I made for Thanksgiving for an appetizers snd everyone loved it!!❤️
Yay! Happy to hear these cauliflower nachos were a hit, Susan!! Thanks for the review :).
I’ve had this recipe saved for way too long. Just made it tonight and it was delicious. We used vegan mozzarella and cheddar cheese with refried black beans. It was amazing!!! I was horrible at cutting the cauliflower. I will have to learn how to do that better. I’m back in your site trying to figure out how to share this recipe (via email) with my twin in Australia. She’s not on any social media. But thanks for all your delicious recipes.
Ah yay! So happy to hear these nachos were a hit, Ashley! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means the world to me!
This recipe caught my eye the other day and I made it tonight! It was a hit with my husband and teen son! We ate it with a few tortilla chips lol. Would add a sprinkle of lime juice next time! My husband liked it so much he said we need to tweak it a bit more to make it even better! I’ll let you know what he comes up with! Love your recipes 🙂
Oh yay! So happy it caught your eye and you tried it out, Beth. Thanks for the review. It means so much to me!
These cauliflower nachos are to die for! They were so delicious! I made them for Superbowl snacks. Thank you for this wonderful recipe I will definitely keep making these!😊❤
Hi, Cheryl! I’m so happy to hear the cauli nachos were a hit! Thanks for making them and coming back to leave a review, it means the world to me.
Excellent recipe. Flavorful and delicious. Thank you
Yay! I’m happy to hear that, Evan. Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
This recipe is so easy and so delicious! Topped with homemade guac. Put into a bowl and added some chicken.
Woo! So glad this recipe worked out for you, Michelle! I love a good bowl and adding chicken and guac sounds delicious! Thanks for leaving a review, I really appreciate it.
Can you freeze this for later of food prepping?
Hi, Leigh. I don’t recommend freezing these ingredients. You could definitely prepare everything ahead of time and refrigerate for 3-4 days though.
Hi! Myself and my family love this recipe. I’ve made it many times. I don’t see the list with the ingredients and step-by-step instructions. Where did it go?
Hey Amanda – So sorry about that! It seems like it accidentally got deleted. I just added the recipe back into the post. Thanks for catching that and I’m so glad you and your family love this recipe.
Been making this recipe for 2 years!!! Always enjoy the simplicity and deliciousness of it!
I am excited to hear that you are loving this recipe, Madison! Thank you for your review & star rating, I so appreciate it!
Loved this recipe and will make again😁
YUM! So glad you are loving these nachos. Thanks so much for your review + star rating, it means so much to me!
Approximately how many heads of cauliflower did you use?
About a medium (2 lb) head of cauliflower should be enough!
Really good! Will make again.
Great! So glad you are loving these nachos and they turned out amazing for you, Melissa. Thank you for your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
This is the first time I’ve commented on a recipe, not because I don’t cook often but recipes rarely live up to the flavors/pictures listed (to me). This was certainly not the case with your cauliflower nachos, Brittany!! It was so nice to have FLAVOR with a healthy kick!! The ONLY change I made was to sprinkle an extra shot of each seasoning right before mixing due to our own preferences-will definitely be making them again!!
Delicious! I am SO glad you gave these a try and they turned out amazing for you, Cathy. Thank you for coming back and sharing your review, it truly means the world to me!