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!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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 :).
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 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!