The Best Pulled Pork Nachos
Simple pulled pork nachos where pork is the star. These nachos are loaded with delicious BBQ pulled pork, Colby-Jack cheese, pickled jalapenos, red onion and other fun toppings. Simple dish but it’s satisfying every time!
Enjoy more pulled pork recipes like pulled pork tacos, and pulled pork sandwiches.
Table of Contents
If you happen to have some leftover pulled pork in your fridge that you’re not quite sure what to do with, you’ve come to just the right place! Pulled pork nachos are so easy to toss together with simple but deliciously bold ingredients. And if you don’t have any pork on hand, just make my favorite Instant Pot pulled pork and you’ll be good to go in just an hour and a half.
The BBQ flavor of these nachos is really what gives them a unique edge. Barbecue sauce coats the pork and it’s all perfectly complimented by lots of gooey cheese, crisp red onions, sliced avocados and whatever other toppings you enjoy. On occasions like Superbowl Sunday and summertime pool parties, these nachos practically fly off the platter.
I also love assembling these BBQ pulled pork nachos just for the family sometimes! There’s no other weeknight dinner that’s as much fun as nachos. Pro tip – make sure to spread the love all across the chips, that way your kids aren’t fighting over the chips that have the most toppings! Every chip should have a good amount of pork, cheese and toppings on it.
Ingredients in Pulled Pork Nachos
Pulled Pork – Remember, it’s always best to make homemade pulled pork and this is an excellent recipe for leftovers. Although, if you need to, you can buy it from the store.
Tortilla Chips – Any brand will do, so just use your favorite and make sure they’re sturdy. Don’t use thin and crispy chips for nachos.
BBQ Sauce – For the very BEST flavor, consider making homemade BBQ sauce. With that being said, you can of course use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce instead.
Cheese – Colby Jack cheese is my favorite to use on these BBQ pork nachos. For the very best flavor and consistency, make sure to grate the cheese right off the block yourself. It makes a huge difference!
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pulled Pork Nachos
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare the pulled pork. Warm up pulled pork and mix it with BBQ sauce (1).
Add the chips to the baking sheet. Spread the tortilla chips on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer but overlapping each other slightly (2).
Make it cheesy. Evenly spread the grated cheese over the chips covering the chips evenly. Save a little bit of cheese to spread over the top of meat (3).
PRO TIP: I like to pop the chips in the oven for a minute or so for the cheese to start melting at this point, but that’s optional.
Add the pulled pork and onions. Spread the pulled pork evenly over the cheese (4) and spread the thinly sliced red onion over the pork (5).
Add more cheese and bake. Spread remaining cheese over the top (6) and bake for about 7-10 minutes (7).
Prepare and top! Prep your toppings while nachos are baking so it’s ready to go. Once the nachos are done baking, spread the pickled jalapeños, green onions, avocados, and tomatoes over the top.
Try More Toppings Options
There are quite a few toppings that pair very well with BBQ pulled pork nachos! Just a few of my favorites include:
- Cheese – My favorite cheese to use in this nachos recipe is Colby Jack because it offers a little more flavor than cheddar. You can go with Pepper Jack cheese for a little more spicy notes or make some simple nacho cheese.
- Pickled Vegetables – Pickled veggies like jalapeños and red onions are fabulous with BBQ, so of course they’re great on these nachos.
- Fresh Vegetables – Pico de gallo is always a big hit on nachos of any kind! Other fresh veggies that we love include tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, avocados, sour cream and of course guacamole.
Storing and Freezing Recommendation
Once assembled, nachos should be served right away. However, you can prep the BBQ pulled pork ahead of time! Store cooled pulled pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can easily freeze this pulled pork with or without sauce. Make sure to cool the pulled pork to room temperature prior to freezing. Portion the pork into several zip-top freezer bags, let all of the air out, seal, label, and freeze.
Freeze for up to 6 months. Let it slowly defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Recipe FAQs
Use sturdy tortilla chips that won’t fall apart. Try to steer clear of “thin and crispy” chips! They’ll get soggy and break from the weight of the toppings.
Absolutely! In fact, that’s what I recommend doing. You can store pulled pork in the fridge or freezer. That way, it’s ready to go when you are! It’ll keep in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months. I usually keep some pulled pork in the freezer just for recipes like this one. Scroll up just a little bit to my storing and freezing section to learn more!
Unfortunately, no! Chips gets soggy very quickly once the nachos are assembled. You usually have just enough time to enjoy your nachos before they get soggy and stale. If you’re unable to finish the nachos though and you don’t want to waste the toppings, there’s an easy way to save them!
Simply pull the toppings off the chips, discard the chips, and save the toppings to make a burrito bowl the next day. Heat it up, mix it with cooked rice, then you can even add some sour cream or guac on top!
More Pulled Pork Recipes
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Pulled Pork Nachos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups pulled pork
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 8-11 oz tortilla chips
- 12 oz Colby-Jack cheese block, grated
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos juices drained
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 2-3 tbsp sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.(Note: you can use two smaller baking sheets and make two portions or use one large baking sheet.)
- Warm up pulled pork and mix it with BBQ sauce.
- Spread the tortilla chips on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer but overlapping each other slightly.
- Evenly spread the grated cheese over the chips covering the chips evenly. Pleased a little bit of cheese to spread over the top of meat.TIP: I like to pop the chips in the oven for a minute or so for the cheese to start melting at this point, but that's optional.
- Spread BBQ pulled pork evenly over the cheese and spread the thinly sliced red onion over the pork. Spread remaining cheese over the top and bake for about 7-10 minutes.
- Prep your toppings while nachos are baking so it's ready to go.
- Once nachos are done baking, spread the pickled jalapenos, green onion, avocado, and tomatoes over the top. Serve topped with a scoop or two of sour cream or with it on a side.
Notes
- Cheese – My favorite cheese to use in this nachos recipe is Colby Jack because it offers a little more flavor than cheddar. You can go with Pepper Jack cheese for a little more spicy notes or make some simple nacho cheese.
- Pickled Vegetables – Pickled veggies like jalapeños and red onions are fabulous with BBQ, so of course they’re great on these nachos.
- Fresh Vegetables – Pico de gallo is always a big hit on nachos of any kind! Other fresh veggies that we love include tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, avocados, sour cream and of course guacamole.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2016.
Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Appetizer Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Lunch Recipe Ideas, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Pork Recipes, Snack Ideas, Super Bowl Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
These nachos were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re so welcome! I am so glad you liked them!
Such awesome dishes and recipes to try out. Also the photos looked awesome. Would definitely love to try them out
Thanks 🙂
YUM!! Looks delicious! We are making a cheater sorta soup today — we are home and the temperature plummeted. Poor plants will probably be freezer burned. Would you please send us some warm weather. Our poor bodies are used to Florida weather 🙂 Great shots of your dish!! I’m still trying to convince my other half of the necessity of a new camera with a good lens.
Thank you, Marisa! I would gladly send you some warmth in exchange for a cool breeze at least; it’s basically summer year-round here. A good camera is a necessity, I agree. Good luck! 🙂