These paleo nachos are made with sweet potato chips, tasty spicy beef, zesty guacamole and dairy-free cheese dip. They are much healthier than regular nachos but without compromising on the flavour and textures. Enjoy them with friends and family, while watching your favourite game or a movie. These are gluten-free, Whole30 friendly.
I love regular nachos, and although I still eat them from time to time, I wanted to recreate a paleo-friendly version to be enjoyed at home. These paleo nachos use sweet potato chips instead of corn chips and dairy-free cheese dip instead of regular cheese.
They are great for a party or if you simply want to wedge out on the couch with your favourite movie or while watching some sport.
The best part is that you won’t feel bloated or heavy after these nachos as there are no grains, legumes or dairy. With all that nutrient-dense beef, avocado, sweet potatoes and salsa, you can enjoy your favourite comfort food while nourishing your body.
How To Make Paleo Nachos
There are five key elements to these delicious, healthy nachos. Let’s break them down.
1. Sweet Potato Chips
You can use any starchy root vegetable but I love thinly sliced sweet potatoes. Coat them in a little oil and bake in the oven until crispy (see below recipe card for full timings and instructions). Sweet potato crisps are grain-free and more nutritious than corn chips.
2. Spicy Beef
Spicy beef is a little bit like beef chilli and is made with ground meat, onions, garlic and spices. It’s super easy and you can make a batch ahead of time. It freezes well so you could store a few portions for occasions like this. Sometimes, I use leftover Bolognese sauce with a little added chilli, cumin and paprika powders. This beef con carne with chorizo would work excellently here.
3. Guacamole
Feel free to use your favourite guacamole recipe here or use my ingredients and instructions below. Even simple mashed avocado with a little citrus juice will work perfectly. You can also try my wicked creamy avocado dressing or jalapeno and leek guacamole.
4. Fresh Tomato Salsa Salad
Okay, you can use ready-made salsa of any kind. I like a bit of freshness on my nachos so I chop up fresh tomatoes, spring onions and coriander and drizzle them with lime juice and a little olive oil. Season with salt and that’s it! Wanna mix it up a bit? Try my grilled pineapple salsa.
5. Dairy-Free Cheese Dip
Now, onto the exciting part of the nachos – the cheese! I mean, aren’t nachos all about that melted cheese? Well, as these are paleo nachos and I was trying to make them healthier, I whipped up a little dairy-free cheese dip instead. It consists of soaked cashews blended with nutritional yeast flakes, lemon juice, olive oil, and some seasonings. Turned out really well and worked perfectly with the whole ensemble of foods.
Make Ahead Tips
You can make the beef and cheese sauce ahead of time, just reheat before serving. You can skip the sweet potato chips and get some pre-made ones from your local health food store or a supermarket. Plantain chips, beetroot chips, yam chips or even some regular corn chips can be used as well. You can also make this Paleo Cheese Sauce recipe.
Best Way To Eat Healthy Nachos
There is no right or wrong way to eat these tasty nachos. I like to dip the sweet potato chips in the cheese sauce first. Then top with a little beef and guacamole; finish with tomato salsa. You might end up scooping a bunch of ingredients into a bowl and just eating them with a fork.
More Tex-Mex Recipes You Might Like
Healthy Naked Burrito Bowls
Chili Con Carne With Chorizo
Jalapeno Coconut Bread With Chipotle Butter
Quick Paleo Chicken Tortilla Soup With Kale
Saucy Spicy Meatballs (Albondigas)
Description
These paleo nachos are made with sweet potatoes, guacamole, spicy beef and dairy-free cheese dip and can be served as a dinner meal or shared between friends. If you can tolerate dairy, feel free to melt some regular cheese over the top.
Sweet potato chips
Spicy beef
Dairy-Free Cheese Dip
Tomato salsa
Guacamole
- Sweet potato chips. If making sweet potato chips, preheat the oven to 170 C/338 F (conventional, not fan forced). Slice the sweet potato as thin as you can, you can leave the skin on. Use a mandolin slicer or a slicer setting on a food processor if you like. Toss the potato slices in melted coconut oil or olive oil, use your hands to separate the slices and get them coated evenly. Place parchment/baking paper on two flat roasting trays and place potato slices in a single layer, overlapping each other slightly if needed. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then turn the chips over. Bake for another 20 minutes or even longer if you want them very crunchy. Keep an eye on the time if you oven tends to get too hot and reduce by 5 minutes on each side.
- Spicy beef – In a deep skillet or a frying pan, heat the ghee or coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and chilli and sauté for 5 minutes, until golden. Add the beef and bring the heat to high. Cook and stir with a spatula for 5 minutes, separating the pieces along the way. Then add the rest of ingredients, stir and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, with a lid on, stirring regularly.
- Cheese sauce dip. Place all ingredients except for arrowroot powder and extra 1/4 cups of water in a blender. Process until smooth. If too thick, add more water until it’s like a thick smoothie. Transfer to a small pot. Heat up over medium heat and stir. In the meantime, dissolve arrowroot powder in quarter of a cup of water. Stir into the sauce and take off the heat. Arrowroot will thicken the mixture. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and lemon juice if you like.
- Tomato salsa & guacamole – Combine salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Prepare the guacamole and set aside.
- Finally, assemble the nachos in the following order. Place the beef in the middle of a large, deep platter. Make a well in the middle and push the beef outwards. Add the tomato salsa around the beef and place the chips on the edges of the platter. Place dollops of guacamole on the beef and pour the cheese dip in the well of the middle of the platter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Quarter of a platter (sweet potatoes, beef, guacamole, salsa and cheese dip)
- Calories: 638
- Sugar: 19.1 g
- Sodium: 1207.7 mg
- Fat: 32.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.5 g
- Protein: 33.8 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip was a Denny family favorite long before anyone heard of Ranch Dressing! And this family favorite Ranch Dip is a delicious low-carb and keto dip recipe and in my family this makes an appearance at every holiday gathering!
PIN Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip to try it later!
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is one of my favorite memories from childhood! As early as I can remember, my Grandma Denny made a fantastic dip that she served with carrots and celery as an appetizer at every family gathering. In those days we called Grandma’s homemade ranch dip just *Vegetable Dip* as if there was only one kind of dip that could possibly be served with veggies.
This was long before the introduction of Ranch Dressing to the American culinary scene, and obviously my Grandma Denny was ahead of her time, because now people all over the country are eating Ranch Dip with veggies. And in my own extended family, there would never be a holiday gathering without this delicious homemade Ranch Dip on the table.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with making Ranch-Style Vegetable Dip using a package mix if that time-saver works for you. But my grandma’s Homemade Ranch Dip is a bit fresher tasting as well as being low in carbs, and if you usually use the mix but don’t have a package on hand I bet you’ll love my Grandma’s recipe.
Grandma Denny always used full-fat mayo and sour cream, but for anyone wanting lower fat you can obviously make this with reduced-fat products if you prefer. Or if you don’t like mayo, you might prefer the variation below for Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, made with Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese for a higher protein, lower-fat dip.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Can you make this dip with onion powder?
I love the flavor the grated onion gives to my Grandma Denny’s homemade ranch dip. But if you prefer or want to save time, just use 1 tsp. onion powder.
Can you make this homemade ranch dip with Greek Yogurt?
I sometimes make a variation of this that I call Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip that’s lower in fat and higher in protein. For that variation follow this recipe but replace the sour cream with one cup of cottage that’s blended in the food processor until it’s nearly smooth and replace the mayo with one cup fat-free Greek Yogurt. (This is the version I would make when I was strictly following the original South Beach Diet.)
Want a version of ranch dip with more texture?
You can make a variation of this homemade ranch dip recipe with a little chopped red onion, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper if you’d like a chunkier dip. I would use about 2 T of each.
How to Make Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt as the secret seasoning in her vegetable dip, but it’s no longer being made (sob!) If you still have Bon Appetit, use it, but now I use Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link). If you’re in Europe you can also use Trocomare Seasoning. (affiliate link)
- Grate a small amount of raw onion into a bowl. (I use the large side of a box grater; don’t use a microplane grater which just turns the onion to liquid.)
- Add mayo and sour cream to bowl.
- Then add Beau Monde Seasoning and dried dill weed (affiliate link).
- Mix all ingredients together well with a whisk. You can use a food processor as well, but the whisk is quicker.
- Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two for best flavor.
- Serve with raw vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower.
- This is also good with carrots or as a dip for baked sweet potato fries for those who don’t mind more carbs.
- I tested this out on my friend Robin and she gave it two thumbs up!
More Tasty Vegetable Dips You Might Like:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream (see notes)
- 1 cup mayo (see notes)
- 1 tsp. grated onion
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 2 tsp. Beau Monde Seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Grate onion into a bowl, using the large side of a box grater or flat grater (not a microplane grater.)
- Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk (or you can use a food processor, but it’s not necessary.)
- Chill an hour or so before serving.
Notes
I only use Daisy full-fat sour cream and full-fat mayo for this recipe but if you prefer to make a lower-fat version of the recipe you can definitely use reduced fat sour cream and mayo.
My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning for this. When that was discontinued I started making it with Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link), which is almost identical in flavor.
This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Nutritional information doesn’t include vegetables and is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.
Recipe from my Grandma Denny, who was a wonderful cook!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 245Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Did you make this recipe?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is great for low-carb diets.Eat with low-carb vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, jicama, bell pepper strips, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower for low-carb diets. If you’re making this for the original South Beach Diet the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip variation above is better for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Kalyn was making this dip recipe long before the existence of the internet, and it was first posted on this site in 2005 (probably without a single photo in those days.) The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
Share This:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Join the Conversation (0)
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
- Calories N/A
- Total Fat N/A
- Saturated Fat N/A
- Cholesterol N/A
- Sodium N/A
- Total Carbohydrates N/A
- Protein N/A
Hi, I'm Alex!
I love sharing easy, healthy, and family-friendly recipes that anyone can make at home.
Be the first to comment on this recipe!