Impress your guests with these fun (and amazingly DELICIOUS) smashed potato vegan nachos!
Smashed Potato Vegan Nachos
No matter the event you are hosting (except for maybe high tea), these smashed potato vegan nachos are sure to be a hit! They are full of flavor and totally customizable with different toppings, like vegan sour cream, green onions, avocado, tomatoes…
The lentil taco “meat” and vegan nacho cheese are definitely the stars of this dish. Placed on top of a crispy smashed potato and you’re at the NEXT LEVEL. A little messy and super delicious. YES PLEASE. (All of the caps lock happening here is so necessary.)
The base of these smashed potato nachos are, of course, the potatoes! Baby potatoes are the perfect size for these appetizers. Wash ’em and boil ’em, smash ’em, bake ’em, top ’em.
Let’s rewind back to “smash ’em”. After placing the boiled potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, take a small glass cup or spice jar, press them to the tops of the potatoes, and gently push down. You don’t want to smash them to the point where they will totally fall apart, but you definitely want to expose that delicious potato.
Once they are all smashed, brush them with a little olive oil and bake until the edges are crispy!
Lentil Nacho Meat
The next layer to chat about is the lentil nacho meat. This was one of the first “vegan alternative” recipes I fell in love with. I could eat lentil tacos ALL DAY LONG.
You’ll be cooking the lentils as per usual, but with some additions to the pot- tomato paste and taco seasoning! While the lentils take in those amazing flavors, go ahead and make your nacho cheese.
Vegan Nacho Cheese
The base for this vegan nacho cheese is actually carrots and potatoes. Crazy right? Just trust! You’ll boil them, blend them up, and then blend them up again with: veggie stock, non-dairy milk, lime juice, tomato paste, arrowroot flour (or corn starch), nutritional yeast, and classic nacho cheese spices. You can also add in jalapeños or chipotle peppers for added spice!
It’s so special it even has it’s own recipe post.
Once everything is all prepped and ready to go, simply spoon some of the lentils onto a potato and drizzle some cheese on top! Have some bowls with vegan sour cream, green onion, tomatoes, etc ready to go if your guests want some additional toppings.
It’s almost like a taco bar…but WAY cooler – because hello – smashed potato VEGAN NACHOS. (I should start apologizing for overusing the caps lock key at this point!)
Ingredients
Smashed Potatoes
- 1 bag baby potatoes
- olive oil*
- salt
Lentil Nacho Meat
- 1 cup dried lentils
- 2 cups water or veggie broth
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
Vegan Nacho Cheese
- 1.5 cup potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2/3 cup carrots peeled and cubed
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup non-dairy milk soy, cashew, almond, etc will work
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1.5 tsp arrowroot flour - or corn starch
- 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Smashed Potatoes
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Wash the potatoes well - don't peel!
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Boil potatoes in a large pot of water for 15-20 minutes, until fork tender.
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Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, allowing room in between for when each potato is smashed.
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Smash by gently pushing down on the potato with a small glass or spice jar. Smashing too far down may result in the potato breaking apart.
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Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
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Bake at 450 for 15-20 min, until edges are brown and crispy.
Lentil Nacho Meat
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Add all ingredients for the lentil nacho meat into a medium pot.
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Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 20-30 minutes, covered, until lentils are cooked through. You may have to add a little more water if lentils are not tender.
Vegan Nacho Cheese
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Add potatoes and carrots to a pot of water. Bring to a boil, and let boil for 10 minutes. Strain and add to a blender.
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Blender together the potatoes and carrots. They don't have to be perfectly blended - just break them down a little.
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Add in remaining ingredients for the nacho cheese and blend until smooth and creamy!
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Assemble your smashed potato nachos and dig in!
Recipe Notes
Vegan nacho cheese recipe adapted from hot for food.
*Oil is optional - potatoes will still get crispy without it but may take additional time.
A pity there’s so much oil in the recipe. Can you make an oil-less version, especially of the cheese?
You can substitute more non-dairy milk for the oil and completely omit it during the roasting process.
UPDATE: Nacho cheese recipe has been updated to be completely oil-free!