Loaded Breakfast Nachos

Serves 8
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes || Active time: 1 hour 15 minutes

These vegan breakfast nachos are loaded with everything you want at brunch: scrambled tofu, roasted potatoes, creamy cashew cheese sauce, black beans, and a fresh avocado salsa. And to make matters even better, they’re stacked onto tortilla chips. No fork needed. No forks given. Just pop brunch right into your mouth as nature intended.

This recipe is one of my favorites on the site, and a lot of that comes down to the love story between potatoes and Mexican-inspired flavors. Crispy, salty roasted red potatoes nestled between cheesy sauce and warm beans, brightened by lime and cilantro, hit by a little jalapeño heat. Anything potato in a Mexican context is on my permanent YES list.

A note from a nacho professional: do not just toss everything on top of a pile of chips. Layering is key. Ladle a little cheese sauce on the bottom of the plate, then chips, then a layer of tofu, potatoes, beans, zigzags of cheese, and salsa, then another layer of chips, then repeat. Every chip should be loaded.

And here’s a pro-tip: all of the components make great tacos or a breakfast burrito if you prefer! Maybe add some Walnut Chorizo? Yum.

These are perfect for Mother’s Day brunch, Cinco de Mayo, Sunday morning, or any time you want to make breakfast feel like a celebration.

What’s all in this vegan breakfast nachos recipe?

The whole thing is built from a handful of components, all of which are good on their own:

Roasted potatoes. Diced red potatoes tossed with olive oil and salt, then roasted until golden and crispy. The structural backbone of these nachos and the reason I make them.

Tofu scramble. Crumbled extra-firm tofu cooked with onion, garlic, cumin, turmeric, and nutritional yeast. The “eggs” of the operation.

Creamy cashew cheese sauce. Soaked cashews blended with vegetable broth, white miso, and nutritional yeast for that melty, queso-style texture. Pourable, drizzly, the cheesy glue that holds everything together. Soak the cashews for 2 hours, or skip the soak if you have a high-speed blender.

Smoky black beans. Just a can, rinsed and drained. Adds protein and substance.

Avocado salsa. Tomato, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, and diced avocado. Fresh, bright, and doing the work of pico de gallo and guac in one. That said, if you would rather just have guac and pico, that’s great, too.

Vegan sour cream. A cool, tangy drizzle on top to balance the heat and richness. Use my easy vegan sour cream or store-bought, both work great. For a drizzle-from-the-bottle texture, thin with a tablespoon or two of water or lime juice.

Restaurant-style tortilla chips. Get the good ones. They’re the foundation.

Make-ahead breakdown

Breakfast nachos look like a project (ok, they are) but you can knock most of it out in advance. Here’s what to do when:

Cashew cheese sauce. Make up to 5 days ahead. Refrigerate in a sealed container. Warm gently before serving, and whisk in a splash of water if it’s gotten too thick.

Vegan sour cream. Make up to 4 days ahead. It actually needs at least 2 hours to set, so you’re going to want to make it ahead anyway. That said, I watered it down a bit for this recipe so that it was easy to drizzle. So you can make it the morning of and be just fine with drizzling instead of scooping.

Roasted potatoes. Roast up to a day ahead. Reheat in a 425°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes to crisp them back up before assembly.

Tofu scramble. Best made fresh the day of, but you can do it an hour or two ahead and keep it covered and warm. I’m just a day-of-scramble-kind-of-girl.

Avocado salsa. Make this fresh, day-of. The lime, the avocado, the tomato…it just doesn’t hold. 10 minutes of chopping right before assembly is worth it.

Tortilla chips. Buy them. Open the bag. Heat them up in the oven along with the potatoes.

By the time guests show up, you’re really just warming up potatoes, scrambling tofu, and chopping a salsa.

Vegan Breakfast Nachos FAQ

Can I make this nut-free? The cashew cheese sauce is the only nut element. Sub in Easy Breezy Cheesy Sauce (oil-free + nut-free) for an easy swap. Done and done.

Can I make these breakfast tacos instead? Hells yeah. All the same components, just spoon into warm tortillas instead of layering on chips. Maybe add some shredded lettuce.

Can I make this gluten-free? Yup, just check that your tortilla chips are gluten-free (most are, but some aren’t). Everything else is naturally gluten-free.

How do I scale this for a smaller group? All the components halve cleanly. Just halve everything and you’ve got nachos for 4.

More Vegan Breakfast & Brunch Favorites:

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Golden, fluffy biscuits served with a rich, peppery cashew gravy built on a toasted roux

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Breakfast Nachos

Loaded vegan breakfast nachos with scrambled tofu, roasted potatoes, creamy cashew cheese sauce, black beans, avocado salsa, and a drizzle of cool sour cream. Brunch as a stadium event.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

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For the potatoes:

• 1 1/2 lbs red potatoes diced 1/2 inch
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

For the scrambled tofu:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Small yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 14 oz extra firm tofu
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the melty cheezy sauce:

• 1 cup unroasted cashews soaked in water for at least 2 hours, drained (skip the soak if you have a high-speed blender)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons mellow white miso
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt to taste

For the avocado salsa:

• 1 large tomato diced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeño seeded and thinly sliced into thin rings
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Pinch salt
• 1 avocado diced medium

To assemble:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans a 15-oz can, rinsed and drained
• 1 big bag restaurant-style tortilla chips
• Vegan sour cream for drizzling
• Fresh cilantro for garnish
• Hot sauce for serving
• Lime wedges for serving

Instructions

 

Roast the potatoes:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On the prepared baking sheet, toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt. Cook for about 30 minutes, tossing once or twice, until golden and tender. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack until ready to use.

Make the scrambled tofu:

• Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for 3 minutes, until onion is translucent. Break the tofu apart into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with salt, and cook for about 10 minutes. Get under the tofu with a thin metal spatula now and then as it cooks. Scrape the bottom and don’t let it stick to the pan, that’s where the good, crispy stuff is.
• Add the cumin and turmeric, with a few splashes of water if it seems dry. Toss to incorporate, and let the turmeric color the tofu. It should be a nice bright yellow. Add the nutritional yeast and lime juice and cook for about 5 more minutes. Taste for salt. Cover with foil to keep warm until ready to assemble.

Make the cheezy sauce:

• Puree everything in a blender until absolutely smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula occasionally. This could take 2 to 5 minutes, depending on your blender. Remember to give the motor a rest every minute or so.

Make the avocado salsa:

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except for the avocado. Get them really well incorporated and let them sit for 5 minutes or so to get the tomatoes to release some juice and for the flavors to meld. Fold in the avocado.

Assemble:

• Whether you’re making big shareable plates or little individual servings, zigzag a little cheezy sauce on the bottom of the plate. Place a layer of chips on the plate, layer with cheese sauce, tofu, potatoes, beans, and salsa, then add another layer of chips and repeat. Garnish with cilantro, drizzle generously with vegan sour cream, and serve. Hot sauce on the side for whoever wants it.

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