Pulled Pork Nachos
Need an easy game day appetizer? These Pulled Pork Nachos are loaded with two types of cheese, smoked pulled pork, beans, and your favorite toppings! The nachos are assembled on a sheet pan and baked for ease – perfect for your next game day party.
Making Nachos with Pulled Pork
My family loves nachos of all kinds, but this pulled pork version is a particular favorite. We like to make pulled pork nachos for game day or Super Bowl watch parties — or whenever we have leftover smoked pork shoulder and I want to repurpose the meat in another dish.
I often stash extra pulled pork in the freezer for later use in other recipes, but if you don’t have access to a smoker, you can still make these shredded pork nachos using smoked pork you purchased from your favorite local BBQ restaurant!
These smoked pork nachos can be loaded up with any toppings you like, but I’ve listed my suggestions in the recipe card below. Keep this recipe tucked up your sleeve for football season!
Looking for more Super Bowl party food ideas? Check out our Reader Favorite Top 25 Super Bowl Recipes that will keep your guests coming back for more . . . and even more. These crowd pleaser favorite super bowl dips and great finger food ideas are all game day approved, tested by the football fans and the food lovers so they’re sure to be a hit from kick off to final score!
Tools You’ll Need to Make Pork Nachos
Making nachos with pulled pork is quick, easy, and requires little to no prep on your part (once the pulled pork has been cooked or purchased, that is!). I suggest having the following kitchen tools on hand for this recipe:
- Cheese grater — Only needed if you’ll be shredding blocks of cheese by hand. It’s not needed if you buy bagged pre-shredded cheese.
- Knife and Cutting Board — For prepping the toppings for this loaded nachos recipe.
- Large baking sheet or Cast Iron Skillet — The pork nachos are baked in the oven and served straight from the baking sheet or skillet.
- Whisk — For combining the sour cream and lime juice.
Pulled Pork Nachos Recipe Ingredients
The key ingredient in this recipe is the shredded smoked pork. You can either prepare your own pulled pork, or purchase it from your favorite local BBQ restaurant. Note that this recipe calls for regular pulled pork, NOT BBQ pulled pork! So skip the BBQ sauce this time.
Here’s what else you’ll need to make smoked pork nachos:
- Tortilla Chips
- Smoked Pulled Pork
- Black Beans
- Cheddar Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Red Onion
- Lime Juice
- Sour Cream
- Fresh Cilantro
- Pickled Jalapeño Slices
- Tomato
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions to make pork sheet pan nachos, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
How to Make Pulled Pork Nachos
Assembling the nachos takes all of 5 minutes! Here’s an overview of the basic recipe steps:
- On a baking sheet, layer the nacho ingredients in the following order: half of the chips, half of the pulled pork, half of the black beans, half of the cheese, and half of the red onion.
- Repeat this layering process with the remaining ingredients to form a second layer.
- Bake the assembled nachos for 5 – 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are heated through and the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- While the nachos are baking, whisk together the lime juice and sour cream.
- After the nachos have baked, add dollops of the sour cream mixture throughout the nachos.
- Garnish with cilantro leaves, pickled jalapenos, and diced tomato.
The above is simply a quick summary of this pork nachos recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for the Best Pulled Pork Nachos
Recipe Tips
- Use a sturdy tortilla chip when making pulled pork nachos. Some of the restaurant-style tortilla chips are wafer thin and break easily, so opt for a thicker chip that can hold the nacho toppings without crumbling.
- Make the smoked pulled pork ahead of time. Smoking a pork butt or pork shoulder takes quite a while, so this recipe is best made when you’ve cooked the pork the day before OR if you previously made a big batch of pulled pork and have leftover meat in the freezer.
- Buy smoked pulled pork, if needed. You can order smoked pulled pork (get it without bbq sauce!) from a local restaurant instead of making it from scratch, if you need to save yourself some time.
- Mix and match the toppings as desired. You can use another type of cheese, switch up the beans, add guac or salsa — the list goes on! You can layer any toppings you like on your smoked pork nachos.
- Layer the nachos for best results. You want to layer the tortilla chips and toppings so that every bite of the nachos is equally covered. If you skip the layering process, all of the toppings will get stuck atop the pile of tortilla chips, and the bottom of the nachos will wind up being just plain chips!
Pulled Pork Nachos Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make the ultimate pulled pork nachos? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
What if I don’t have a smoker/don’t have smoked pulled pork?
If you don’t own a smoker or don’t have time to make the pulled pork yourself, order it from your favorite local bbq restaurant. Just be sure to get the pork without any barbecue sauce on top!
Can I use another meat on these nachos?
Absolutely! Instead of shredded pork, you can layer the nachos with slow-cooked pulled pork, Instant Pot shredded pork, Crockpot shredded mexican chicken, ground beef/turkey/chicken seasoned with spicy taco seasoning, or leftover brisket. You have plenty of protein options!
What are the best tortilla chips for nachos?
Look for a thicker, sturdier tortilla chip that can hold all the pork and toppings without breaking. Mission tortilla chips are good, as are classic Tostitos.
Your local Mexican restaurant might sell bags of tortilla chips, too!
What toppings are good on pork nachos?
We love layering these nachos with smoked pulled pork (duh!), black beans, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, and red onion. Then, we top the nachos with sour cream, fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños, and diced tomatoes.
But you can use any toppings you like!
Can I make these nachos vegetarian?
Sure, but you’ll likely want to increase the beans and/or maybe use some meatless soy crumbles to bulk up the nachos.
Alternatively, try these Oven Baked Veggie Nachos that don’t have any meat in them.
What other nacho toppings can I add?
If you like fully loaded nachos, you can also top the pork nachos with:
- Grilled corn cut off the cob — add before or after baking
- Diced avocado — add after baking
- Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce — add after baking
- Green Chiles — add after baking for extra spice
- Restaurant style salsa or roasted salsa verde — add after baking
- Queso Blanco — add after baking
- Homemade Guacamole — add after baking
- Pico de Gallo — add after baking
What other beans can be added to nachos?
If you don’t have black beans on hand, then I recommend pinto beans as a substitute. Refried beans would also work if you like extra gooey nachos.
Can I make pork nachos BBQ-style instead of Mexican-style?
Sure! We prefer Mexican-style nachos made with pulled pork coated in a simple dry rub, but you can definitely adapt this to make BBQ nachos.
However, if you want BBQ pork nachos:
- Stir 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce into the pulled pork before adding to the nachos.
- Add diced avocado in place of the diced tomatoes (or in addition to if you like!).
- Skip the salsa/guacamole.
Note that grilled corn is especially good when added to this BBQ version!
What’s the best way to serve nachos that were baked in the oven?
Since these pork nachos are baked on a sheet pan, I prefer serving them DIY style — as in, each guest can serve themselves and add toppings to the nachos as they please.
Make a nacho bar with additional toppings so that guests can easily serve themselves. People can eat the nachos when they’re ready and customize them with fresh toppings however they want!
How should I store leftover pulled pork nachos?
Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.
How to reheat leftover nachos?
Unfortunately, leftover pulled pork nachos will never taste as fresh as just out of the oven – the fridge can make the crispy chips somewhat soggy.
If you have leftovers and want to reheat them to eat later, I recommend transferring them to a rimmed baking sheet and heating them in a 325 degree F oven until hot. The oven will revive them better than the microwave.
What to Serve with Pulled Pork Nachos
Try serving the nachos with one or more of the following:
Try Pulled Pork Nachos at Home!
Next time you’re looking for an easy Game Day appetizer, give these shredded pork nachos a try!
Did you love the melty beans and cheese with all your favorite nacho toppings? Leave a star rating and comment below to give it a review for others to see what you thought of this great recipe.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see your photo of your Mexican pork nachos!
More Easy Game Day Appetizers:
Crock-Pot Queso con Carne features gooey cheese combined with spicy meat, tomatoes, and plenty of tortilla chips for scooping. This easy crock pot queso dip is perfect for all your Sunday football parties!
This Buffalo Cream Cheese Ball features hot sauce, shredded chicken, celery, green onion, blue cheese, and chopped walnuts. A twist on the traditional cheese ball recipe.
Rosemary White Bean Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip is a remake of the classic recipe so many know and love. In this recipe, creamy white cannellini beans and rosemary pair perfectly with artichokes, fresh spinach, and cheese.
Check out this list of 15 tried and true Super Bowl Dip recipes! I’ve got you covered with salsa recipes, cheesy dips, bean dips, and tons more – don’t worry, there are plenty of easy appetizers on this list if you’re looking for a simple Super Bowl recipe to serve on game day.
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Pulled Pork Nachos
Need an easy game day appetizer? These Pulled Pork Nachos are loaded with two types of cheese, smoked pulled pork, beans, and your favorite toppings! The nachos are assembled on a sheet pan and baked for ease.
Ingredients
For the Nachos:
- 12 ounce bag Tortilla Chips
- 2 ½ cups Smoked Pulled Pork
- 15 ounce can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- ¼ cup diced Red Onion
Garnishes:
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- Pickled Jalapeño Slices
- ½ cup diced Tomato
Serve with:
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Drain and rinse the black beans. Set aside.
- On a baking sheet or large cast iron pan, layer the ingredients in the nachos in the following order: half of the chips, half of the pulled pork, half of the black beans, half of both cheeses, and half of the red onion. Then, repeat with the remaining ingredients to form a second layer.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the assembled nachos for 5 - 10 minutes, or until the ingredients are heated through and the cheese is hot and bubbly.
- While the nachos are baking, whisk together the lime juice and sour cream. Set aside.
- After the nachos have baked, add dollops of the sour cream mixture throughout the nachos. Then, garnish with the cilantro leaves, pickled jalapenos, and diced tomato.
- Serve with sides of guacamole and salsa, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 528Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 1074mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 8gSugar: 14gProtein: 24g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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