Easy Homemade Carne Asada Nachos
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Published May 30, 2023
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Did you grill up homemade carne asada this weekend and have leftovers? Make these Easy Carne Asada Nachos, piled high with deeply flavorful bits of steak, hearty black beans, melty cheese, spicy jalapeños and – the pièce de résistance – creamy homemade guacamole.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Carne asada nachos are the ultimate snack-meal—crispy tortilla chips piled high with juicy grilled steak, melted cheese, and fresh toppings. They’re crunchy, cheesy, savory, and perfect for sharing (or not!). Unlike store-bought or concession stand nachos, making them at home means better ingredients and serious flavor. Once your carne asada is ready, these nachos come together in minutes!
What Are Carne Asada Nachos?
Carne asada nachos are a delicious twist on a classic, layering crispy tortilla chips with tender grilled carne asada, black beans, gooey cheese, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Every bite is the perfect mix of savory, creamy, and crunchy. You can use store-bought marinated carne asada or make it from scratch (my go-to recipe is also in Muy Bueno Fiestas). Either way, these nachos are quick, easy, and totally irresistible!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Making homemade carne asada nachos is a snap, and as an added bonus, you get to customize them exactly to your liking.
- Tortilla Chips: Homemade tortilla chips are a nice touch, but not necessary. For ease of use, feel free to pick your favorite bagged variety at the store.
- Beans: If you have some homemade black beans left in the fridge, feel free to use them! Canned beans will do just as well, and you can absolutely swap in frijoles de la olla or homemade refried beans, if you prefer.
- Grilled Carne Asada: Do yourself a favor and make a double recipe of this super easy carne asada; make everything from carne asada pizza and carne asada fries to carne asada quesadillas, carne asada skewers, carne asada enchiladas, and of course these nachos.
- Shredded Cheese: Any melty variety will do. I prefer Oaxaca cheese, Quesadilla, or Monterey Jack cheese, but you do you. As a side note, I should mention that pre-grated cheese will work here, but grating your own will result in better cheese pulls.
- Onion, Tomato, and Jalapeños: This trio makes for a sort of deconstructed pico de gallo.
How To Make Carne Asada Nachos
Grill and cut carne asada into bite-sized pieces.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place your tortilla chips across the bottom of your cast iron skillet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add beans evenly across the chips; sprinkle the grilled carne asada, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeño slices across the chips evenly.
Repeat to build layers if you’re feeding a crowd. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and veggies are warm, about 15 minutes for a single layer or 20 minutes for multiple layers.
When the nachos are nice and melty, pull them out of the oven, top with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!
Optional Variations
Homemade nachos come in about a gazillion different ways, which is yet another reason to love them! Feel free to change out the ingredients at will to make your perfect plate. Here are a few ideas:
- Swap out the protein, using Chicken Tinga, Slow Cooker Pasilla Pulled Pork, Chorizo Chili con Carne, or even a vegetarian option like grilled vegetables.
- Switch up the cheese! You can get some of those old school vibes by swapping in homemade chile con queso for shredded cheese.
- Change your base! If corn is out of the question, try using flour tortilla chips. You can also go off script and use any number of different potato varieties like tater tots, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
Nacho Toppings Suggestions
I love topping my baked sheet pan nachos with classic toppings like classic guacamole, pico de gallo, and crema Mexicana.
However, there are so many toppings that you could put on these nachos, so get creative and have some fun with it! Here are a few suggestions for inspiration:
- salsa borracha
- pickled jalapeños
- pickled red onions
- avocado crema
- roasted Mexican street corn
- cotija cheese
- queso fresco
Storage & Heating Instructions
Reheat leftover nachos in the oven the same way you baked them – about 6 to 8 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until they’re heated through.
Muy Bueno Nachos
- Brisket Nachos
- Classic Nachos
- Kettle-Chip Nachos
- Chicken Mole Nachos
- Sheet Pan Spicy Shrimp Nachos
- Ground Turkey Nachos
More Game Day Recipes
- Spicy Baked Hot Wings
- Roasted Chile, Cheese, and Bacon Mini-Tamale Pies
- Chorizo Chili con Carne (Frijoles Enchilados)
- Queso Fundido Mexican-Style Pizza
- Easy Spicy Michelada (Mexican Beer Cocktail)
- Carne Asada Spinach Quesadillas
- 7 Layer Dip
Frequently Asked Questions
*Sort of.* Nachos are best served hot from the oven, and don’t really make for great leftovers. That said, you can do ALL of the prep work ahead of time – cooking the carne asada, chopping and grating the remaining ingredients – so all you have to do is layer and bake.
Oops, sounds like you broke the cardinal rule: don’t overcrowd your nachos. Be sure that you are working with a single layer of chips, and don’t be stingy with the toppings. The perfect ratio in my book is composed of equal parts chips, cheese, and meat/beans by weight.
If you have a large crowd to serve, build the nachos in layers. This is a bit more time consuming – you’ll need to remove the nachos from the oven every 3-5 minutes to keep adding more layers – but the results will be well worth it.
Also, be sure to serve creamy dips like sour cream and guacamole, plus salsas or hot sauce on the side. If you end up with any naked chips (gasp!), these powerhouses will solve the problem for you.
I am personally fond of using the oven – the heat is even, and my cookie sheet fits. In a pinch, you can microwave a plate of nachos if you’re only serving yourself, but this is not a recommended method.
If you come up with a particularly amazing plate of nachos, be sure to tag me in your Instagram so I can see (and cheer) your creativity! If you tried this recipe for my Easy Homemade Carne Asada Nachos, please be sure to rate and review it below!
Carne Asada Nachos with Guacamole
Ingredients
- Tortilla chips
- 1 ½ cups black beans, drained and rinsed
- Grilled carne asada, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Oaxaca, Quesadilla, or Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced
- 1 roma tomato, chopped
- 1 to 2 jalapeños, sliced
Topping Options:
- Guacamole
- Crema Mexicana or sour cream
- Chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place your tortilla chips across the bottom of your cast iron skillet or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add beans evenly across the chips; sprinkle the grilled carne asada, shredded cheese, onions, tomatoes, and jalapeño slices across the chips evenly.
- Repeat to build layers if you’re feeding a crowd. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and veggies are warm, about 15 minutes for a single layer or 20 minutes for multiple layers. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings and don’t forget the guacamole.
- Add the garlic, onion, jalapeño (optional), salt, and tomato (optional). Squeeze the lime juice over all the ingredients and give everything a gentle stir, but don’t overdo it.
Notes
- Swap out the protein, using Chicken Tinga, Slow Cooker Pasilla Pulled Pork, Chorizo Chili con Carne, or even a vegetarian option like grilled vegetables.
- Switch up the cheese! You can get some of those old school vibes by swapping in homemade chile con queso for shredded cheese.
- Change your base! If corn is out of the question, try using flour tortilla chips. You can also go off script and use any number of different potato varieties like tater tots, french fries, or sweet potato fries.
- More topping options:
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography: Jenna Sparks
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Ohh that sounds heavenly too! I’m not up on what everything means but I’m sure good at trying everything out;)
entered the contest..thanks!
Wow, that looks really good. I’ve got a recipe for Asado (it’s Texas style or so I’m told) that has some of the best juice ever. I swear I could swim in it.
Asado
2 lb. stew meat
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 onion grated
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. blk. pepper
1 14 oz. can tomato sauce
4 beef bullion cubes
Trim excess fat if any, cut into 1″ pieces, brown meat in dutch oven or heavy pot in bacon grease. just enough to cover bottom of pan. place meat, garlic, and onion in pot together until lightly browned.add enough water to cover meat, add bullion cubes, cumin, pepper, and tomato sauce. Cover and simmer on low until tender, about 1 1/2 hrs. toward end of cooking time flour can be added to thicken. Dip out with slotted spoon to serve on flour tortillas.
Carne Asada and Asado are quite different. We have a delicious Asado de Chile Colorado (Pork in Red Chile Sauce) in our printed cookbook. It is sooo amazing!
Awesome Prizes.. Can Only Hope For A Win, GLTA
I can’t wait to try these dishes out! yum
I cannot get the image of how good this looks, and the blackened skillet just tops it. I am making this right now!
Your post/blog has brought back so many memories. I discovered you on the Homesick Texan blog. I too was born in El Paso, lived in Texas most of my life and now transplanted in Michigan. Your recipes have brought warmth and comfort to me. They have re-ignited my passion to keep alive those recipes I too learned from my Grandmother and my Father – also from El Paso. I laughed at your yellow cheese comments, I too secretly indulge at times. In San Antonio there are a couple of places that do the Carne Asada layered nachos…so fresh and yummy. Alas there are also some “Fruiterias” that have the ooey, gooey yellow versions too. I am educating my British/Italian husband on the varieties and differences of Mexican food; the BIG difference between Mexican avocados and the “other” av ocados; and the ties between Mexican food and holidays…tortas de carmaron, capirotada and Easter,etc. Best of luck for continued success! Can’t wait to keep reading!
Well hello Rose from El Paso! So glad you found us! I have a feeling you would LOVE our printed cookbook. It is a beautiful collection of all of our favorite dishes — most not on this blog. I have a feeling your hubby would love all the special dishes too.
May our blog and cookbook warm your heart and Michigan home 😉
Please keep in touch!
Salud!
Avocados make me so happy!
this sounds so good! i cant wait to make it
Thank you Amanda! Buen provecho!