This article was updated on 6th September 2023 for freshness and to incorporate new insights.
In this article, I share the results of my experiment where I tested out five different methods to reheat nachos. In a rush? Here’s the short answer:
The best way to reheat nachos is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C) and remove any cold toppings from the nachos. Spread the tortilla chips out in a single layer and reheat for 10 to 15 minutes. For quicker results, use an air fryer or the broiler.
How I tested reheating nachos
I ordered a bunch of nachos from my local Mexican and then (using all my willpower) kept them overnight.
The next day, I tested the following methods to reheat the nachos:
- In the oven: My favorite method, good for soggy nachos.
- In an air fryer: Quick and crispy results.
- In the microwave: Okay results but not good for already soggy nachos.
- In a skillet: A bit messy and awkward.
- Under the broiler: Another quick and easy method
I was looking for crispy tortilla chips, oozy cheese, and tasty toppings.
Nacho reheating tips
The secret to delicious reheated nachos is extra melted cheese. Nothing can taste bad with freshly melted cheese over it!
If your leftover nachos have a lot of wet ingredients on top like chili or refried beans, try your best to scrape these off and reheat them separately in the microwave or on the stove.
How to reheat nachos in the oven or toaster oven
Time: 10-15 minutes
Rating: 8/10
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Remove any cold toppings from the tortilla chips and set them aside.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the nachos out on the tray.
- Place the tray of nachos in the oven and heat them until crisp (around 10-15 minutes, or 5 minutes in a toaster oven). Add extra ingredients like cheese towards the end.
- Reassemble the ingredients before serving.
The nachos need to be exposed to crisp up, so make sure to spread them out. And if your nachos are really soggy, I would lower the oven’s temperature slightly and heat them for longer, so they have longer to crisp up.
If the heat is too high, the edges of the nachos will burn before the rest have had a chance to dry out.
The parchment paper on the baking tray makes it super easy to transfer the nachos to your serving dish, plus less washing up!
Results: My nachos dried out nicely in the oven, and there was a nice toasted flavor to the chips. It was slower than other methods (although a toaster oven is quick), but it makes up for this by being consistent and reliable.
How to reheat nachos in an air fryer
Time: 4-6 minutes
Rating: 9/10
- Preheat the air fryer to 300°F (150°C) and remove any cold toppings from the tortilla chips.
- Place the nachos in the air fryer basket, spreading them out as much as possible.
- Heat the nachos for 3-4 minutes to crisp them, then add any extra toppings you want and heat for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Replace the cold toppings and serve.
If you’ve got messy toppings going into the air fryer, line the basket with foil for an easy clean-up. I also like to poke some holes in the foil to ensure I don’t reduce airflow.
The air fryer works quickly, so check on the nachos often to ensure they’re not burning! If you have lots of nachos to reheat, it’s best to do them in layers. Put the soggiest nachos at the bottom and heat them for around 2 minutes to give them a head start at crisping up before layering on the rest of the nachos.
Results: This method was really quick and my nachos were nice and crispy. But it’s fiddly to reheat large portions if you have a small air fryer, and you have to be careful not to dry out the toppings.
How to reheat nachos in the microwave
Time: up to 2 minutes
Rating: 6/10
- Remove the cold toppings from the nachos and keep them to one side.
- Place a serving or two of nachos on a microwave-safe dish.
- Add any extra toppings to the nachos you want.
- Heat the nachos in 30-second intervals until the cheese is melted.
Pro tip: If you want the nachos to have a toasted flavor, microwave them by themselves first for 30 seconds before adding any toppings.
An advantage of the microwave is that it heats everything at once… which is perfect for layering nachos. If I use the microwave, I like to have two layers of nachos with two layers of cheese. If you tried this in the oven, the second layer of cheese wouldn’t melt fast enough.
Results: If you’re only feeding one or two people and your nachos aren’t that soggy, the microwave will do (and it’s super quick). The nachos were crisp and the cheese was really gooey. But if the nachos are already soggy, the microwave can make this worse.
How to reheat nachos in a skillet
Time: 3-4 minutes
Rating: 5/10
- Heat a skillet on medium heat.
- Remove any cold toppings from the nachos.
- Spread the nachos out in the skillet and cover it with a lid – this will trap the heat and ensure the nachos heat evenly.
- Heat the nachos until they’re warm and the cheese starts to melt (3-4 minutes).
If your skillet doesn’t come with a lid, you can use aluminum foil instead.
Keep the heat to medium to ensure the nachos on the bottom don’t burn. And if your skillet isn’t big enough to spread the nachos out in one layer, reheat them in batches. Trying to reheat them all at once will leave them soggy.
Results: I wasn’t a fan of this method. It was awkward and the nachos didn’t crisp up as much as they did with the other methods. That said, I can see it being good for small portions if you don’t want to use the microwave.
Bonus method: Reheating nachos under the broiler
Spread the nachos out on a wire rack and remove any cold toppings. Set the broiler to medium-high heat and warm the nachos for 4-5 minutes. Perfectly crispy, but you need to keep an eye on the edges as they could burn.
How to store nachos
To store leftover nachos, separate any wet toppings from the nachos as soon as possible to prevent the chips from becoming soggy. Place the nachos in an airtight container and cover them with a paper towel before sealing the container. Nachos will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Place any extra toppings in separate airtight containers, or discard them and use new toppings when you’re reheating your nachos.
The paper towel helps prevent the nachos from going stale by absorbing any excess moisture that’s in the container. It’s also important your nachos are at room temperature before storing them. If they’re still warm, condensation can build up in the container and leave you with soggy chips.
Can you freeze nachos?
You can’t freeze leftover nachos successfully. But you can freeze the tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and cooked meats or beans separately, so they’re ready to throw together when you fancy some nachos. Freezing tortilla chips is a great way to keep them fresh.
How to freeze tortilla chips
- Put the tortilla chips in a Ziploc bag and remove as much air from the bag as possible (without crushing the chips)
- Place the tortilla chips in the freezer and use within 6 months.
The tortilla chips will be ready to eat as soon as you take them out of the freezer. Because they don’t contain any moisture, the chips won’t actually freeze solid. They just get really cold.
To make your nachos, all you need to do is defrost the toppings (in the fridge overnight or in the microwave). Assemble the dish and heat it!
How To Reheat Nachos [Tested Methods]
Ingredients
- 1 portion nachos
- 1 portion extra cheese optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Remove any cold topping from the tortilla chips and set them aside.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the nachos out on the tray. Add any extra ingredients you want to at this point, such as more cheese.
- Place the tray of nachos in the oven and heat them until crisp (around 10-15 minutes, or 5 minutes in a toaster oven).
- Reassemble the ingredients before serving.
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