The BEST dairy free nachos you will ever make!! With a BBQ or buffalo chicken options, and an amazing dairy free queso blanco sauce!

Your new favorite appetizer for summer holidays and backyard BBQs, family parties, game day, or girls night. You name it- these dairy free nachos will take any gathering to the next level. They’re full of flavor, super easy to make using rotisserie chicken and a quick and simple blender queso sauce, and any toppings you love!

I’be given suggestion for toppings in the recipe, but you can really make these your own and load the nachos up with anything you love!

These BBQ (or buffalo) chicken nachos are:

  • Dairy free
  • Gluten free
  • Paleo friendly (using a grain free tortilla chip)
  • Soy free
  • Simple, healthier than your average nachos, and SO delicious.

You will be lucky enough to likely have some of the delicious queso leftovers. You can keep this in the fridge for drizzling on roasted potatoes, broccoli, chicken, tacos, or more nachos. It’s honestly addicting!!

This queso blanco was inspired by the Siete store-bought version. If you’ve had it, you knowhow amazing it is! I have to say…as much as I love that one, I think I like this one way more. It’s so creamy, not too spicy but has a little kick (you can of course make it spicier), and made with just a handful of ingredients.

You can also, of course, make the queso on its own without plans to make the nachos. It’s super versatile 🙂

I am SO excited for you guys to make these nachos! Be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see yours, and leave a rating and review below if you give them a try 🙂

Enjoy! xo

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Dairy Free Queso and BBQ Chicken Nachos (gluten free)

  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 812 servings 1x
  • Category: Sides

Description

Dairy free, gluten free, and paleo-friendly BBQ or buffalo chicken nachos!


Ingredients

Scale

For the queso

  • 1 heaping cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 1 hour and drained*
  • 1 (4 oz) can of green chiles 
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/21 tsp sea salt, to taste
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 can diced tomatoes with chiles, drained 
  • Optional: cayenne for extra spice

For the nachos

  • ~16 oz bag of your favorite tortilla chips (or more, see note**)
  • 2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 3/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (can sub buffalo instead)
  • Cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

Optional add ins:

  • Thinly sliced shallot or red onion
  • Fresh spinach, roughly chopped for topping
  • Pickled jalapeños 
  • Tomatoes, diced
  • Avocado
  • Cilantro

Instructions

  1. Soak your cashews in boiling water, covered, for 1 hour (or soak them uncovered in cool water over night). Drain and rinse, set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix your chicken with your BBQ sauce. In your desired baking dish, spread a layer of tortilla chips. Sprinkle your chicken, black beans, and thinly sliced shallot or red onion (if using) on top, then repeat with another layer of chips and so forth. (Alternatively, you could do 1-2 layers on a large baking sheet). You can make as much or as little nachos as you’d like. 
  3. Bake for 5-10 minutes, until chicken is heated through. 
  4. While nachos are in the oven, add all queso ingredients BESIDES the drained tomatoes and chiles to your blender. Blend for about a minute, until super smooth. Pour queso into a bowl or jar, then stir in 1/3 of the can of drained tomatoes and chiles. If desired, you can add more of the tomatoes. Taste, and stir in cayenne if you want it spicier or more salt if needed. 
  5. Pour a generous amount of queso over the nachos, add your desired toppings, serve and enjoy!

Notes

*You can also soak the cashews overnight in cold water. If you don’t have a high speed blender, I recommend this method!

**You don’t have to use the whole bag, or you can use two bags. I made a smaller batch of nachos and had leftover queso to use later on!

Appetizers + Sides, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Lunch + Dinner, Recipes, Snacks

Category:

May 26, 2021

Dairy Free Queso and BBQ Chicken Nachos (gluten free)

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to tag @gatherednutrition on INstagram so I can see what you made! Leaving a rating and review on the site is a huge help too!

  1. Lauren says:

    Amazing!! Made as a Memorial Day weekend appetizer and everyone loved! My dad had no idea it was dairy free. A new party staple for sure!

  2. Paige says:

    So yum!! I made the queso by itself and it seriously tastes like cheese. I love it so much and will definitely be making it again!!

  3. Stephanie Janower says:

    I’m allergic cashews. Can I sub a different nut or anything else? These sound so yummy

  4. Jenna says:

    I made the queso by itself and dipped the nachos in it & I absolutely love it!! I’ve been making it every week!!

  5. Vidhi Patel says:

    So good!

  6. Madi says:

    I will absolutely be making this again! I made the queso + nachos for my two best friends, one who is a vegetarian and dairy free. I left out the chicken and we cleaned the whole plate. I didn’t even notice the queso was dairy free.

  7. Danielle Wrubel says:

    This queso is AMAZING!! I literally was shook when I took my first bite. I cannot even tell that this is dairy free and even pulled up the recipe again to make sure I read it all right because it really is that good. if you are questioning whether you should make this recipe or not…. This is your sign to full send it

  8. Jenelle says:

    Where can I find the nutrition information for this? Can’t wait to make it! 🙂

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Recipe rating

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Simple. Attainable. Gathered Nutrition.