Vegan Kale Nachos Recipe

Ready to have your mind blown? We made nachos … without tortilla chips or cheese. Yep, they’re totally vegan and gluten-free, and, dare we say it, even more flavorful than the real thing. Between the crispy kale chips and spicy vegan “queso” sauce, finished off with avocado, tomatoes, jalapeño, and cilantro, this app will even win over nacho purists. 

Vegan Kale Nachos

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Active Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the kale chips:
3 bunches of kale, stems removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch sea salt

For the vegan “queso”:
2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
Large pinch sea salt
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the toppings:
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1 small jalapeño, sliced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Make the kale chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Tear kale into 2- to 3-inch sized pieces and toss with olive oil and salt. Arrangle in a single layer on two baking sheets and bake 10 to 15 minutes until crispy and slightly golden around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool.

Make the vegan “queso”
While kale chips are baking, combine all queso ingredients in high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth, adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture reaches a thick, creamy consistency.

Assemble the nachos
Drizzle chips with queso, then top with avocado, jalapeño, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont