Air Fryer Nachos

5 from 2 votes

For the fastest way to go from no nachos (sad) to boom, nachos! (yay!) get your air fryer involved. These Air Fryer Nachos are ready in just 5 minutes!

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican-American

Keyword: air fryer chicken nachos, air fryer nachos

Servings:

Calories: 758kcal

Author: Christina Koncker

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

4-5 handfuls tortilla chips
1 ½ cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
½ cup pickled banana pepper rings
3 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
Cooking spray
Salsa(s) of your choosing (optional)
Parsley or cilantro, chopped (optional)

Instructions

Spray your air fryer tray lightly with cooking spray.
Remove the banana peppers from the jar and lay them out on paper towels. Cover with paper towels as well to remove excess moisture. This will prevent the nachos from getting soggy.
Lay down a fairly uniform layer of tortilla chips. Spread the entire cup of smoked gouda evenly over the nachos.
Add the shredded rotisserie chicken next, ensuring even coverage. Add the banana peppers next, followed by the finely minced red onion.
Take the cup of shredded pepper jack cheese and do a final even, cheesy layer.
If necessary preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit - the Ninja Foodi does a 90-second preheat.
Add the tray of nachos to the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, keeping close tabs so the cheese doesn’t overcook - you want just melted cheese that’s gooey.
Remove from the air fryer oven and garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro and serve with salsa(s) of your choosing.
Snack away!

Notes

*Nutrition information is approximate and was calculated using an online nutrition calculator.

Please don’t use pre-shredded cheese. I’ve ranted and raved about this before, but pre-shredded cheese is coated with cellulose to prevent clumping and it melts like trash. You’ll get better nachos if you suck it up and shred your own cheese. I said what I said.

My air fryer recommendation. I used my Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Countertop Air Fry Oven to make this nachos recipe. I love it! It’s worth every penny and has more or less replaced my oven at this point.

Don't overcook. Air fry until the cheese has just melted. If you let them go too long, you risk the cheese getting overly crisp. These are nachos, not cheese crackers, so the cheese should be just melted and gooey. Keep an eye on these while they cook so you don’t overdo it!

Nutrition