These air fryer carne asada nachos (steak nachos) are loaded with delicious flavorful carne asada, melty cheese, fresh guacamole, pico de gallo, and sour cream. They are easy and quick to make in the air fryer. They make the perfect appetizer, dinner and the perfect snack for game day! Carne asada is one of my favorite things to make. I can really eat it every day. I love carne asada in burritos tacos and of course these nachos!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Nachos are so flavorful with cheesy goodness and all the fresh toppings
- They are the perfect appetizer for game day, any celebration, and really any night of the week
- Nachos in the air fryer are so easy to make
- These make the perfect game day nachos to snack on
Ingredients you'll need
- carne asada- skirt steak is my favorite cut for carne asada, but flank steak or bavette cut can be use here too
- seasonings - Worcestershire sauce, pepper, minced garlic, ground onion, garlic powder, kosher salt and lime juice
- tortilla chips - I like making my own air fryer tortilla chips but store bought restaurant style tortilla chips work great
- shredded cheese - I like using Mexican blend shredded cheese but you can use cheddar cheddar cheese or any good melting cheese of choice
- guacamole - I love using this quick guacamole but store bought works too
- pico de gallo - for some added freshness. Store bought or you can make your own.
- sour cream - for added goodness
How to make nachos in the air fryer
- Make the tortilla chips - Start by making the air fryer tortilla chips. For this recipe 10 corn tortillas were used. Preheat the air fryer for four minutes at 350 degrees. Cut the corn tortillas in triangle wedges and drizzle olive oil and sprinkle kosher salt. In a single layer add the tortilla wedges in the air fryer and fry for five minutes until crispy and set aside. Don't have time to make the tortilla chips? You can use store bought restaurant style tortilla chips.
- Prep the meat - Start by cutting the meat into small pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and marinate with minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ground onion, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice. Let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes, but the longer it marinades the better. You can either grill the meat in the bbq grill or cook on the stovetop. For stovetop carne asada use a cast iron skillet or a regular skillet works too. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook meat pieces stirring occasionally. I like cooking the meat until it starts to charred for that added yummy flavor, but cook the meat according to preference. Once cooked set aside.
3. Assemble the nachos. Preheat the air fryer (I use this 5qt air fryer - affiliate link). Place a layer of parchment paper in the air fryer (this prevents any fallout under the air fryer and helps transfer the nachos to a serving platter like a charm) and cover the bottom layer with tortilla chips, top with a layer of Mexican blend shredded cheese, spread the meat pieces on top. Repeat another layer of the tortilla chips, meat and cheese on top.
4. Melt the cheese - Air fry for 3-5 minutes at 320°F degrees until the cheese has melted. Remove the nachos with the parchment paper and place on a serving dish. Add all the toppings; guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream and serve with a side of salsa.
Don't have an air fryer?
No problem! you can make these delicious steak nachos in the oven! Preheat oven to 350°F and arrange half of the tortilla chips on an 8x8 baking dish or you can use a cookie sheet. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese on top and add half of the meat on top. Repeat the layer process and bake for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Topping Variations and Substitutions
Tortilla chips - The best thing about making nachos at home is you can make your own tortilla chips at home. You can use air fryer tortilla chips, fried tortilla chips or if you want to cut some time in half you can buy a bag of restaurant style tortilla chips.
Carne asada - Don'w want to do carne asada nachos? You can also use shredded chicken or shredded beef, ground beef or any protein of choice.
Cheese - Instead of Mexican Blend shredded cheese you can use cheddar cheese or any good melting cheese. Buying the block of cheese and shredding your cheese at home melts much better than buying the bags of shredded cheese.
Toppings - You can add beans, sliced jalapeños, chopped onion, green onions, green tomatillo salsa and really any favorite topping of choice.
Carne Asada Nachos
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Carne Asada
- ½ lb skirt steak (or flank steak)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 minced garlc
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground onion
- ½ ground pepper
- 1 juice of half lime
For the Nachos
- air fryer tortilla chips (I used 10 corn tortillas) (or 9oz store bought bag)
- 2-3 cups Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese (or cheddar cheese)
- ⅓-1/2 cup Guacamole (or store bought)
- ⅓ cup Pico de Gallo (or store bought)
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Prep the toppings: Pico de gallo and guacamole. If using store bought skip to step 2.
- Make the tortilla chips - Start by making the air fryer tortilla chips. Preheat the air fryer for four minutes at 350 degrees. Cut the corn tortillas in triangle wedges and drizzle olive oil and kosher salt. In batches add the tortilla wedges in the air fryer in a single layer and fry for five minutes until crispy and set aside. Don't have time to make the tortilla chips? Skip this step and use store bought restaurant style tortilla chips (9 oz bag)
- Prep the meat - Cut the meat in small chunks. Add the cut meat in large bowl and marinate with minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ground onion, garlic powder, salt, and lime juice. You can either grill the meat in the bbq grill or cook on the stovetop. For stovetop use a cast iron skillet or regular skillet works too. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook meat pieces stirring occasionally. I like cooking the meat until it starts to charred for that added yummy flavor, but cook the meat according to preference. Once cooked set aside.
- Assemble the nachos. Place a layer of parchment paper in the air fryer (this prevents any fallout under the air fryer and helps transfer the nachos to a serving platter like a charm) and cover the bottom layer with tortilla chips, top with a layer of Mexican blend shredded cheese, spread the meat pieces on top. Repeat another layer of the tortilla chips, meat and cheese on top.
- Melt the cheese - Air fry for 3-5 minutes at 320° degrees until the cheese has melted. Remove the nachos with the parchment paper and place on a serving dish. Add all the toppings; guacamole, pico de gallo and sour cream and serve with a side of salsa.
Notes
Recipes you might like with these nachos:
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