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Have you ever made nachos at home, only to end up with a gooey mess that’s nothing like the restaurant version? I’ve learned a few tricks to make sure these Pulled Pork Nachos stay crunchy and perfectly loaded! This recipe calls to me when I want a decadent lunch, party appetizer, or casual dinner. It’s easy to assemble, especially if you use leftover pork carnitas (Mexican pulled pork). Crispy tortilla chips topped with seasoned, crispy-edged pulled pork, melted cheese, spicy jalapeños, and fresh cilantro are hard to resist.
The key to perfect nachos is all in the balance. Getting the right ratio of chips, cheese, and pork makes all the difference. Too much cheese can make them soggy, and too little leaves them lacking flavor. I stick to a 1:1:1 ratio — 8 ounces of chips, 8 ounces of meat, and 8 ounces of cheese. Preheating the chips and layering the ingredients helps keep them from getting soggy and ensures every bite is loaded with flavor. Serve them hot from the oven, alongside chilled pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream for a great mix of textures and flavors.
“My husband and I made this with our leftovers and it was such a hit we made more bbq this week so we can have these again.”
Sally
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Pulled Pork Nachos
- Corn Tortilla Chips: Thick chips are sturdier and work best for nachos.
- Cheese: I use Monterey Jack cheese or a mix of Jack and mild or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Pulled Pork: Leftover Mexican pulled pork (pork carnitas) is ideal. Or use Chicken Carnitas for a lighter option.
- Oil: A little bit of olive oil or vegetable oil for crisping up the pulled pork in a skillet.
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper: to season pork to taste
- Fresh Cilantro: I love fresh cilantro, but omit it if you’re not a fan. Sliced green onions are a good substitute.
- Avocado: I serve sliced ripe avocados or mash and mix them with Pico de Gallo and fresh lime juice to make easy Salsa Guacamole.
- Salsa: I really enjoy my homemade Pico de Gallo in this recipe, but the fresh, refrigerated versions sold in supermarkets also work. Jarred salsa doesn’t provide the same refreshing contrast.
- Sour Cream: Use your favorite brand.
- Jalapeño: Top with thinly sliced fresh or pickled jalapeño if you prefer.
- Lime: I like to squeeze a little over the whole pan to add extra zip, but limes are optional here.
The Secret to Ultra-Crispy Tortilla Chips
Here’s the secret I mentioned earlier to perfectly crispy chips: bake them before adding the toppings. Even if they’re pretty crispy straight out of the bag, a short stint in the oven will evaporate any moisture they my have absorbed and give them a freshly-cooked level of crispiness (like those irresistible, warm chips some Mexican restaurants serve!). Bake the chips for just 3-5 minutes, then assemble your nachos. You’ll see that it makes a world of difference.
How to Layer Nachos
Once your chips are hot and crisp, here is the best way to layer your sheet pan nachos and the 3 steps to perfect nachos every time:
- Create an even layer of tortilla chips (overlapping, but not stacked)
- Sprinkle on a layer of cheese, then pulled pork, then another layer of cheese. So top your hot chips with 1/2 of the shredded cheese, followed by pulled pork, and finish with the remaining cheese.
- Bake 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese has melted and serve hot!
Use your favorite pulled pork for this recipe, but I recommend my Mexican pulled pork (carnitas). It’s a snap to make with boneless pork butt / pork shoulder in your slow cooker and freezes well for up to 3 months, so you can always have it on hand. It also keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Regardless of which variety of meat you use, be sure to warm it and crisp the edges before layering it onto the nachos. Cold chunks of meat sandwiched between hot chips and melted cheese is not the result you want here! If you’re thinking, “That just adds extra time,” it really doesn’t. I crisp up the pork quickly in a skillet while my chips are in the oven.
3 Recipe Tips
- Use cheese that melts well, like Monterey Jack (and/or Pepper Jack) or cheddar cheese.
- To make shredding cheese easier, you can freeze the block of cheese first for about 20-30 minutes, which firms it up and makes it easier to shred. If you have a food processor with a shredding disk, you can shred large batches and store them in the fridge in a tightly sealed plastic bag.
- Avoid using watery toppings (like some salsas) because the extra moisture seeps into the chips and makes them soggy.
How to Serve
Serve your pulled pork nachos with your favorite toppings like Pico de Gallo or Mango Avocado Salsa, guacamole, cilantro, a few jalapeño slices and, of course, sour cream (or Green Onion Dip for added flavor depth.).
I love these Pulled Pork Nachos for their simple ingredients, complex flavors and appealing blend of hot, cool, crunchy, creamy and spicy! Using leftover pulled pork, I can have a delicious pan ready to eat in about 20 minutes. I also like the versatility of this dish— feel free to customize the toppings and make them for lunch, dinner or as a party-favorite appetizer.
More Must Try Nachos
How to Make Pulled Pork Nachos
Spread corn tortilla chips into an even, overlapping layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a 375˚F for 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile warm and crisp bite size pieces of pulled pork in hot olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Top hot chips first with 1/2 of the cheese, then the pulled pork pieces and finish with remaining cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes until cheese has melted. Serve hot with desired toppings.
Pulled Pork Nachos
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pulled pork ideally this Carnitas / Mexican pulled pork leftover or just made
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 8 ounces tortilla chips ideally thick and sturdy
- 8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese or a mix of Jack and cheddar
- thinly sliced jalapeño fresh or pickled, to taste
- chopped fresh cilantro to taste
- Pico de Gallo to taste
- guacamole to taste
- sour cream to taste
- lime wedges for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Shred or cut pulled pork into bite-size pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until hot. Add pork; cook and stir until heated through and slightly crisped, 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Spread chips onto a quarter sheet pan in a single layer with chips overlapping, but not stacked. Bake 3-5 minutes (depending on chip thickness) until lightly crisp and fragrant.
- Top hot chips evenly in 3 layers: 1/2 of cheese, followed by pulled pork pieces, finishing with remaining cheese. Bake 5 to 7 minutes until cheese has melted.
- Serve hot, topped with jalapeño slices, lime wedges, cilantro (optional), and pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream on the side.
Notes
- Note that preparation time does not include making Pico de Gallo or guacamole from scratch, but I recommend that you do! ๐
- It’s worth it to shred your own cheese. Skip the bagged stuff that’s coated in potato starch or cellulose powder as it doesn’t melt well.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of shredded cheese. I’ve seen recipes with much less than I suggest and up to twice as much – the amount is definitely subjective. I encourage you to make these your own!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband and I made this with our leftovers and it was such a hit we made more bbq this week so we can have these again.
That is wonderful to hear, Sally!
Going to make them tonight!
BTW… Another way to use pulled pork and it might sound strange, but we made pulled pork and dumplings (just the simple frozen dumpling strips) and then the usual chick broth, onions, carrots seasoning, etc. and good handfuls of pulled pork. Worked out pretty well!
Sounds great to me, Ed! Hope you enjoy the Nachos.
Making them for Super Bowl Sunday, today! Cannot wait!
Great tips, thank you!!
My pleasure, Dorothy. Enjoy!
We always keep smoked pulled pork in the freezer, but we let our stash run out due to the move to Asheville. I have plans to get in there and restock it soon…and this recipe is reminding me that I need to do that sooner than later! Looks delicious!!
woohoo! I can’t wait for you to try this, David! And congrats on the move to Asheville – I hope you and your family will love it there.
Making these tomorrow for our Christmas luncheon at work. Your secrets and tips are what I was looking for in a recipe, bravo and thank you. โ๏ธ๐๐จ๐ฆ
My pleasure, Chuck! I hope they’re a big hit!
We just had a pulled pork pizza and were absolutely loving it Marissa, so I’m thinking these nachos are up next! They look super delicious!
Perfect! I hope you love them, Mary Ann.
Yasss! I couldnโt agree more – nachos (and pizza, lasagna, really anything yummy) is all about the proportions and these nachos look like they have the PERFECT chip-to-cheese-to-pork ratio!! I could eat an entire pan of these all by myself!! This is the perfect addition to our Cinco de Mayo spread!!
I love to hear that, Cheyanne. Thank you!
Excellent tip about baking the chips for a few minutes first – I’ve never done that, but it makes so much sense! Not only does it crisp them up, but I’m thinking the hot chips makes the cheese melt better, too. We always keep pulled pork in the freezer, and now I’m craving this recipe for a Friday night in the basement! A cold beer is a requirement, too. ๐
Love how you think, David!
I love pulled pork, but I think I mentioned recently that I’ve never made it myself – well nothing changed since that! Lol. These nachos look and sound fantastic. Love the combination of textures and flavours. Delicious!
Well, in your defense, you would have had to make it in the past two days. lol! Time to give it a try!
Crunchy chips, juicy pork and melty cheese…that’s a great combo of texture and flavours. This proves again that you don’t need fancy ingredients to have a good meal. I wish I could dig right in!
I wish I could share! Thanks, Angie!