These Vegan Pizza Nachos are the ultimate game day snack! This recipe brings a delicious twist to pizza by having the connivance of nachos, and the deliciousness of pizza. They're easy to make, customizable, and perfect for large groups.
With football playoffs happening right now and the Super Bowl right around the corner, it's the perfect time to start party planning.
If you're looking to make a vegan appetizer that will not only be a fan favorite but something everyone will be talking about for weeks, these pizza nachos are for you.
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Ingredients For Pizza Nachos:
Aside from a couple of ingredients, these pizza nachos are completely customizable. I'll include my favorite toppings, but if there are different toppings you love and don't see, feel free to add them on top and make it your own way!
For The Pizza Nachos:
- Pizza Dough - You can use store-bought dough, or you can make homemade dough.
- Pizza Sauce -Ā Any pizza sauce will work, or even a marinara sauce. You can make your own, or buy pre-made pizza sauce from the store. If buying pre-made, just make sure to take a close look at the label and make sure it is made with clean ingredients.
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese - Any brand of vegan mozzarella will work for these cheesy nachos. I always use the VioLife brand, because it's made with clean and simple ingredients (and it tastes amazing!).
Toppings:
- Roasted Red Peppers - One of my favorite pizza toppings is roasted red peppers. They are full of flavor, and since they're already roasted, they have the perfect soft texture.
- Black Olives - I love adding black olives to any supreme pizza, but I especially love adding them to these pizza nachos, because it helps to achieve that signature nacho look.
- Banana Peppers - My favorite pizza topping ever! I know they're not for everyone, but I love banana peppers on pizza. They're salty, spicy, and delicious. Make sure to look at the label and make sure that you are buying peppers that are naturally colored with turmeric, and not artificial food dye.
- Basil - I love garnishing this recipe with some fresh basil. It helps the presentation, and it adds delicious flavor on top!
- Italian Seasoning - I love to sprinkle a little Italian seasoning on top of the pizza nachos for added flavor.
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Pizza Nachos:
āIf you're looking for the perfect easy new recipe these pizza nachos are for you. They only take about 30 minutes to make and the steps are very simple.
1. Begin by preheating the oven to 375 and preparing a large pizza pan with parchment paper. Next start rolling out the pizza dough on a floured surface until it's about Ā¼ of an inch thick. Once rolled, cut horizontal strips across the rolled dough.Ā
2. Next, cut the horizontal strips into triangle crust chips.
3. Ā Bake the crust chips for about 5 minutes (just until they are baked, they shouldn't be golden) on a large prepared baking sheet. They should not be touching each other before/while baking. Next, assemble the crust chips on a baking sheet in a pile (like you would with nacho chips).
4. Coat the crust chips with pizza sauce. I like to use a silicone brush to coat the chips evenly. Make sure to cover as many chips as possible without drenching them in pizza sauce.
5.Ā Spread half of the mozzarella on the coated chips. Mix them around lightly and then add the rest of the mozzarella.
Allow the pizza nachos to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
6. Add your favorite toppings and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and the chips have golden edges.
7. Allow the pizza nachos to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Hint: Bake the pizza nachos on parchment paper for an easy clean-up!
Substitutions
This is a great recipe because there are so many substitutions that can be made, and everyone can enjoy it!
- Cheese- Although this pizza nacho recipe is vegan, and I strongly encourage you to make it vegan, any cheese will work perfectly in this recipe. You can also use different cheese varieties like cheddar cheese or you can sprinkle extra parmesan cheese on top (opt for the vegan version!).
- Gluten-Free - These pizza nachos can easily be made gluten-free. To make this recipe gluten-free, all you need to do is use a gluten-free pizza crust or gluten-free pizza dough recipe.
- ToppingsĀ - As I said earlier, feel free to add any pizza toppings. Here are some suggestions; red onion, green pepper (or any bell pepper),Ā minced garlic,Ā Ā artichoke hearts, tomatoes, mushrooms, tempeh, etc.
- Oil-Free - If you're looking to make these vegan pizza nachos oil-free, you can use the cheese recipe from my Oil-Free Vegan Pizza recipe!
Pizza Nachos Variations
Another great thing about Pizza Nachos is there are so many variations that can be made.
- Spicy - Add red pepper flakes or chili flakes to the sauce to make it spicy. You can also sprinkle some on top.
- Mexican - Enjoy these pizza nachos with a Mexican spice by adding chili powder to the sauce, using cheddar/Mexican blend cheese, and topping with green chilis, olives, corn, peppers, and guacamole. I wouldn't recommend making them with crispy tortilla chips, because the sauce would be too heavy, however, you could use fresh tortillas and bake them as you would with the pizza dough.
- Kid-Friendly - Use lots of cheese and sauce with no extra toppings to make cheese pizza nachos that the kids will love!
What You Need To Make These Vegan Pizza Nachos:
These pizza nachos are great because they do not require a lot of equipment. You probably have the equipment on hand already.
- Baking Sheet I recommend using a light-colored metal baking sheet. This won't heat up as much as other baking sheets and will prevent the nachos from burning on the bottom.
- Chef Knife - Any knife will work, however, I recommend using a long knife like a chef's knife because it will be easier to cut the strips.
- Silicone Brush - This will help you spread the pizza sauce over the chips.
How To Store Pizza Nachos:
There's something about leftover pizza that is just so good. Luckily you can still enjoy these pizza nachos as leftovers too!
I wouldn't recommend storing them for more than a couple of days. However if stored in an airtight container these pizza nachos can be a real treat the next day.
Top Tip
My top tip for this pizza nacho recipe is to let it bake for longer than you think it needs to. It's best when the crust chips get firm on the edges. Every oven is a bit different, so you'll want to keep a close eye on the nachos. I recommend baking them for longer than 20 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Tortilla chips are the base of pretty much every nacho recipe. However in my opinion tortilla chips and pizza sauce don't go together. This is why I made the crust chips used in this recipe. If you want that extra crunch, I would recommend using pita chips instead of tortilla chips.
This is a very common question amongst vegans, and honestly, the answer is: it depends. There are so many brands and varieties of vegan cheeses, each with different ingredients. My rule of thumb when choosing a healthy vegan cheese is to look for cheese with as minimal ingredients as possible. The fewer ingredients, the cleaner it is. Also make sure that it uses a healthy oil like coconut oil or olive oil, and not canola oil.
Related Vegan Appetizers:
Looking for more vegan game day appetizers for next time? Here are some of my favorite appetizers:
Best Vegan Pizza Nachos
Equipment
- 1 round baking sheet
Ingredients
For The Crust Chips:
- 1 package pizza dough (or one batch of homemade pizza dough)
For The Pizza Nachos:
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 bag plant based cheese
- Ā½ cup roasted red peppers
- ā cup banana peppers
- 1 small can sliced black olives
- Ā½ bunch basil
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 375 and preparing a large pizza pan with parchment paper. Next start rolling out the pizza dough on a floured surface until it's about Ā¼ of an inch thick. Once rolled, cut horizontal strips across the rolled dough.Ā
- Next, cut the horizontal strips into triangle crust chips.
- Bake the crust chips for about 5 minutes (just until they are baked, they shouldn't be golden) on a large prepared baking sheet. They should not be touching each other before/while baking. Next, assemble the crust chips on a baking sheet in a pile (like you would with nacho chips).
- Coat the crust chips with pizza sauce. I like to use a silicone brush to coat the chips evenly. Make sure to cover as many chips as possible without drenching them in pizza sauce.
- Spread half of the mozzarella on the coated chips. Mix them around lightly and then add the rest of the mozzarella.
- Add your favorite toppings and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and the chips have golden edges.
- Ā Allow the pizza nachos to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Food Safety
It's always important to practice good food safety measures in the kitchen.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Favorite Vegan Game Day Recipes:
These are my easy recipes to serve with pizza nachos:Ā
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