5pm tonight and the kids were officially on Spring Break. (woo hoo!) An entire week off of school. We’re celebrating with one of the easiest (and most fun) food ideas around—a Build Your Own Nacho Bar. Piles of crispy chips, melty cheese, fresh toppings, and everyone building their own plate? Yes, please. It’s the perfect way to kick off a week of relaxing, snacking, and enjoying a little extra time together.
Now that you have the idea of how our build-your-own nacho bar works, let’s get into the details. Below you’ll find some suggested ingredients along with simple directions for setting everything up so everyone can create their own perfect plate. Try not to drool on your phone or computer while you read this! haha
🫓 Base
Start with a big bowl of tortilla chips (or two kinds if you want variety):
- Regular corn chips
- Restaurant-style thin chips
- Scoop chips (good for kids)
🧀 Cheese Options
Offer 1–2 cheeses:
- Shredded cheddar
- Monterey Jack or Mexican blend
- Optional: warm queso cheese sauce
🍖 Protein Options
Choose 1–3:
- Taco ground beef
- Shredded chicken
- Black beans
- Refried beans
- Pulled pork
🌽 Hot Toppings (go on before baking)
- Black beans
- Corn
- Jalapeños
- Diced onions
- Bell peppers
🥑 Cold Toppings (after baking)
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Salsa or pico de gallo
- Avocado slices
- Green onions
- Cilantro
🔥 How to Cook Them
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Everyone builds their nachos on foil or parchment on a sheet pan or you can get individual trays (yay Dollar Tree!)
- Add chips + cheese + hot toppings.
- Add cold toppings after.
To make the night extra festive, I turned to a little help from Alexa and Amazon Music. It reminded me of the good old days when the kids and I were subscribed to Raddish Kids and we’d play music that matched the theme of the month while we cooked together. So for our nacho bar, we put on some festive Mexican music to set the mood. The kitchen instantly felt more lively as we set out all the chips and toppings for everyone to build their own plates. By the time we sat down to eat, the music had everyone smiling—and honestly, it’s still playing as I sit here typing this.
However you build them, a nacho bar is a great way to kick off Spring Break or for an easy dinner any night of the week. It’s simple, lets everyone customize their own meal and makes it feel just a bit more special. Add some festive music and you have the perfect start to a fun night!
What would you include on YOUR ideal nacho plate? Share below!
With Love and Aloha,
Lacy
This looks lip smacking good! What a great idea! My kids are all raised, but this is a great idea when the grandkids come!!
Thank you! Great to meet you!
Thank you for being a military family! Y’all are the best of us!!
P
Awe thank you! 😊 And here’s a fun secret…us moms can sneak a little treat too 😉 I’m about to dig in myself! Haha I’m having it with some chocolate topping! What will you try first?
Oh, I do love the cheesecake cups ice! Thank you for sharing it!
But, nacho bar looks like great fun for the grandkids! All the choices! Fun! Probably the chicken, taco beef and refried beans for proteins!!
Love nachos or taco or anything in that genre!
Yes! I’m a taco meat kind of gal too! The nacho bar is always a great hit at our house! I hope your grandkids have as much fun with it as we do!!! Thanks for reading! Lacy