Nachos are one of the things I miss the most about being dairy-free (and pizza, let's be serious!). And hey, if it were up to me, I would love to eat them, but it's just not in the cards! These Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Nachos are an incredible way to still enjoy nachos that are packed full of flavor without feeling like you're missing out! You can make a batch to watch the game, enjoy as a snack, or make it a whole dinner!
As always, I do include a few affiliate links in this post for products I truly use and love. This just means that if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I'll earn a little money (at no cost to you) to keep the kitchen up and running, which I promise to use to create more fun content like this! One of those affiliates is with Amazon, which requires a very clear disclosure: as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you have any questions about affiliates, please reach out!
Ingredients You'll Need for Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Nachos
- Sweet potatoes: smaller (more narrow) sweet potatoes tend to work better than large, very round sweet potatoes, but any kind will ultimately work
- Black beans: make sure you drain and rinse them first!
- Red onion: a small dice is perfect!
- Cherry tomatoes: you can also use regular tomoatoes, diced.
- Ground beef: if you wanted to sub this for another meat (or meat alternative), you could!
- Dairy-free sour cream: I like to use Good Culture Lactose-Free Sour Cream
- Your favorite nacho toppings such as jalapeño, radishes, avocado, and limes
- Pantry spices including chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper
Equipment you'll need to get started
They're nachos! I'm pretty sure you've got everything you need! But just in case, here are a few things I like to use:
- Gramercy Kitchen Co. Mandoline from Amazon - this is one thing that you might not have, and I HIGHLY recommned using a mandoline to slice the chips rather than trying to cut by hand! I've dont it both ways, and trust me, the mandoline is a million times easier and better!
- NordicWare Baking Sheets from Amazon
- GIR Spatulas from Amazon
Making the sweet potato chips
The chips are the star of this show, so it's important to get them right! I absolutely recommend using a mandoline to slice the sweet potatoes rather than trying to cut by hand. It's important that the slices are thin, but also that they're uniform so they cook at the same time. I've also used a slicing attachment in my food processor to make chips, which works well for smaller potatoes.
Smaller potatoes tend to work better than larger potatoes (think about the size of the chip you'll end up with), but any shape of sweet potato will ultimately work.
Make sure you're being very careful when slicing! Whether you're using a mandoline, a food processor, or cutting by hand, we're looking for thin chips, so watch out for your fingers! You'll then toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and place in the oven to bake.
It's also important that the slices are in one layer (not overlapping) so they'll cook evenly. After the first ten minutes of baking, keep a close eye -- these will go from undercooked to burned very quickly.
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Nachos FAQ
Can I substitute ingredients?
Sure! If you don't like black beans, use kidney beans or another of your choice. You could use ground chicken rather than ground beef, etc. Nachos are very customizable and you can make them however you like!
How can I store nacho leftovers?
If you happen to have leftovers, I like to separate the "cold" ingredients from the "warm" ingredients. By that I mean the ingredients that you'll want to heat up (chips, meat, beans, etc.) vs. the ingredients you'll want to keep cold (tomatoes, avocado, etc.). Put the "cold" ingredients in an airtight container and store in the fridge. Wrap the "warm" ingredients either directly on the plate / tray, or you can move to another airtight container to store in the fridge.
When you're ready to reheat, heat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and bake the "warm" ingredients for 10-15 minutes. Then top with the "cold" ingredients as you normally would.
Below is my recipe for Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Nachos -- leave a comment and let me know what you think! Happy snacking!
Dairy-Free Sweet Potato Nachos
Ingredients
- 2-3 sweet potatoes sliced to ¼ in (3mm) thick
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 cup red cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 cup dairy-free sour cream
- 1 jalapeño sliced and de-seeded
- radishes sliced, for topping
- avocado slided, for topping
- lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Slice sweet potatoes to ¼in. (3mm) thickness and place on a 13x18in. baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and cracked pepper. Toss to coat evenly and spread chips into one even layer. You'll likely need to spread over 2 baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip, then bake for another 5-8 minutes. Watch carefully! After the flip, the chips will burn quickly, depending on their thickness. Remove chips from the oven and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine ground beef, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, garlic powder and onion powder. Break up the ground beef as it cooks, until browned. Remove from heat.
- To assemble the nachos, create a layer of sweet potato chips, then top with the ground beef, black beans, red onion, cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, radishes and avocado. Top with sour cream, or add on the side along with lime wedges.
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