Description
These easy and delicious vegan loaded nachos with cashew cheese sauce are the ultimate comfort food! Perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a shared plate for friends and family.
Ingredients
Cashew cheese sauce:
- 1 cup / 140g raw cashews
- ¼ cup / 23g nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon vegan sriracha hot sauce (or other hot sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lime juice (freshly squeezed is best)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
Beans:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 large roasted red bell pepper, chopped (from a jar, about ¾ cup)
- 1 can / 400g / 14.10 ounces black beans, drained and washed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder (or more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup / 250g passata / crushed tomatoes
Smashed avocado:
- 1 avocado
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Lime wedge
- 300g / 10.58 ounces tortilla chips*
Toppings:
- Red onion, thinly sliced
- Black olives, pitted and chopped in half (we used kalamata)
- Gherkins / pickles, chopped
- Cilantro / coriander
- Lime wedges (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the raw cashews in boiled water for 15 minutes. Then drain.
- To make the beans: While the cashews are soaking, make your beans. To a skillet on medium-high heat, add all the bean ingredients and ⅓ cup / 80ml of water. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 10 minutes.
- To make the cashew cheese sauce: While the beans cook, add the drained cashews and the rest of the cashew cheese sauce ingredients to a high-speed blender along with ½ cup / 120ml of water and blend on high until you get a creamy and smooth cheese sauce. If you find that it’s still a little too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time in between blending until you’ve reached the right consistency.
- To make the smashed avocado: To a small bowl, add the avocado and mash it well, mix it with the salt and squeeze in the juice of the wedge of lime.
- To assemble: To a large plate or flat tray, do a thin layer to the tortilla chips, followed by dollops of the beans, then drizzle over the cashew cheese sauce, followed by all the toppings. Generous dollops of the smashed avocado, onion, olives, gherkins, cilantro, and lastly, lime wedges for extra zing if wanted. Serve straight away.
Notes
Tortilla chips: Choosing a sturdy, thick tortilla chip for nachos is best. You don’t want soggy chips that have collapsed under all your toppings. You can quickly bake the chips on high heat in the oven for extra crunch. However, I don’t find this step so crucial as they’ll most likely be cold again by the time you finish putting it all together.
Best made fresh – Always assemble the nachos fresh. The beans and cashew cheese can be made ahead of time. However, I would make the smashed avocado fresh put it together just before serving. If making the beans and sauce ahead of time, add some water to loosen the consistency before plating up. I would reheat the beans before adding.
Adjust to your liking – This recipe is a guide. You can adjust it to your liking with the suggested additions earlier in the post. I wouldn’t, however, swap out the beans and cashew cheese in this recipe. These are the main flavour carriers.
Like heat? The sriracha adds a good amount of heat but adjust it to your preference. Add jalapenos, hot sauce, or some spicy salsa to the cashew cream for extra spice.
Yield: This serves two as a main meal or four as a snack or appetiser.
Cashew cheese sauce recipe: This recipe makes double what you will use, so you can enjoy it on other dishes like tacos, over steamed veggies, baked potatoes, quesadillas, burritos, burgers, just to name a few.
- Diet: Vegan
