These Vegan Fully Loaded Nacho Fries take all of the toppings of nachos and pile them high on a plate of French fries. Get the recipe below.
Not your normal nachos
According to Wikipedia, nachos originated in North Mexico, more specifically in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, in 1943. So the tale goes, the wives of US soldiers stationed at Fort Duncan in nearby Eagle Pass were in Piedras Negras on a shopping trip, and arrived at a restaurant in search of some food but it had already closed. What happened next is the stuff of history.
The maître d', Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya, invented a new snack for them with what little he had left in the kitchen, including tortillas and cheese. He cut the tortillas into triangles, fried them, and then covered them with cheese before heating them and topping with sliced pickled jalapeños.
Unsurprisingly the popularity of the dish soon sky rocketed and they could be found across Northern Mexico, Texas and the Southwest. I am a huge fan of Tex-Mex food and nachos are no exception. I'd love to meet Ignacio Anaya and shake his hand! Nachos are pure genius.
The recipe I'm sharing with you today is most definitely inspired by this original nacho recipe but there is one big difference - instead of fried tortillas, the base of this dish are fries! These vegan fully loaded nachos came about in much the same way as the original recipe.
Late one Saturday evening Jon and I found ourselves raiding the fridge. We had a couple of potatoes, cheese and salsa. It seemed obvious that we should fry up some chips, top them with cheese, salsa, avocado and sour cream which we had lurking in the back of the fridge. What started as a quick and easy late night meal has now become an epic feast!
Nacho toppings
Now don't get me wrong, it's important to have really good French fries forming the base of this dish. You want something crisp and firm enough to be able to be picked up with a big scoop of salsa, avocado and sour cream, but it also needs to be soft and fluffy inside. That's why this recipe starts with tripple cooked fries.
After the fries comes the vegan cheese. I like to put the cheese straight on to the fries so that it forms an ooey-gooey, stretchy glue to hold the fries together. That way when you pull out a couple of fries you're guaranteed that the salsa and avocado on top have a solid foundation to sit upon.
The salsa is a fantastic mix of tomato, peppers, chilli, spring onion, lots and lots of lime, a splash of tequilla and plenty of salt.
Last but not least, I spoon on fresh avocado, sour cream and if I'm feeling fancy some pickled jalapeños just like the original nachos back in 1943.
The recipe
Every mouthful is full of sweet, sour, savoury and salty flavour. The textures range from crisp and crunchy to soft and creamy.
Vegan Fully Loaded Nacho Fries
Ingredients
- 2 potatoes
- Vegetable oil for frying, see your deep fat fryer's instructions for volume
- 200 g vegan cheese grated
- 2 cups salsa
- 1 avocado
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- Jalapeños to serve optional
Instructions
- Fill your fryer with vegetable oil (follow your make and models instructions) and heat to 175C.
- Plunge the chips into the fryer and cook for 5 minutes remove from the fryer and allow to rest on a piece of kitchen towel for 5 minutes.
- Plunge the chips back into the fryer and cook for a further 5 minutes before removing and allowing to rest.
- Repeat for a third time before turning out on to your plate and immediately top with the vegan cheese so that it begins to melt.
- Top with salsa, spoonfuls of avocado, sour cream and jalapenos as desired!
Nutrition
Variations
You can also top these nacho fries with:
Why not also try one of these salsa recipes
More Mexican inspired recipes
If you love Tex-Mex food as much as I do, why not try some of these authentic and not-so authentic Mexican recipes.
The Mexican recipe archive
For the full range of Mexican inspired recipes on the blog check out my Mexican recipe archive.
Cathy @ Planet Veggie says
Yum, this looks amazing and easy to make veggie, too 🙂
Emma Walton says
Thanks Cathy! Jon always does a veggie version - we either use a Quorn based chilli or spicy black beans! It's delicious 😀
Jemma says
I love all the colours in this and it looks so easy to make too. Yum!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Jemma! It is pretty vibrant 😛
Sylvia says
Wow, this looks amazingly delicious! I had a little craving for anything Mexican yesterday so I'll definitely bookmark your recipe for the future 🙂
Emma Walton says
Thanks Sylvia! It is a little indulgent but well worth the extra calories 😀 it's certainly satisfied our Mexican cravings on a number of occasions!
Sarah says
I'm loving the history lesson as much as I love my beloved nachos on this! But that oooey, gooey cheese definitely takes the cake as my favorite! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Kerry at Kerry Cooks says
You really have outdone yourself here lady! Oh my days!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Kerry 😀 glad you like it!
peter @Feed Your Soul Too says
This looks great and the flavors are yummy. My wife has been asking me to make something like this for her.
Emma Walton says
Thanks Peter! Definitely give it a go. I'm sure both you and your wife will love it! Keep an eye out because on Wednesday I'll be posting a salsa recipe I love to serve with it!
Christie says
I have heard the story about nachos before. It is amazing how something thrown together has become such a sensation. Sounds even better with fries.
Emma Walton says
Thanks Christie! It is amazing isn't it. Some things just take off!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland says
This is MY kind of meal --- and I love how colorful it is!
Emma Walton says
Thanks Sue 😀
Ali @ Home & Plate says
Wow...I could do some serious damage on this appetizer. It is the perfect dish to serve a crowd and with game day weekends approaching it's going in the recipe file pronto!
Emma Walton says
Haha glad you like it Ali!
Candida says
That looks so amazing... and it's probably great for parties! Tequila in the salsa is an inspired idea.
Emma Walton says
Thanks Candida 😀 it is definitely a crowd pleaser! And the tequila spices things up a bit 😉