Healthy Bell Pepper Nachos (Oil-Free)

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Healthy Bell Pepper Nachos are a super fun way to enjoy nachos while getting in tons of veggies, beans, and flavor. Sliced mini bell peppers are loaded up with black bean taco crumbles, pico de gallo, low fat guacamole, and vegan nacho cheese sauce! The best part is that most of the components can be made in advance so you can have healthy whole foods, plant based nachos whenever you want.

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So when I went whole foods, plant based in May 2023, it was totally for health reasons. However, I’ve found that I love cooking this way!

There’s never any oil to clean up, I don’t have to feel unwell or disappointed in myself after an “indulgent” meal, and I can get all my veggies in while enjoying the foods I love.

I get to eat pizza with my portobello pizzas, pasta like my mac and cheese or mushroom stroganoff (both coming soon!), and now nachos. YUM!

Anyway, let’s talk about how awesome these nachos are. So yeah, I know I’m going to get some comments about the fact that I could just bake my own tortilla chips (using oil-free corn tortillas) and make awesome nachos that way.

And I’ve made vegan nachos that way and they’re awesome. I’ve also made potato nachos (both with regular potatoes and sweet potatoes) and those are also awesome.

But these bell pepper nachos are awesome in different ways. They’re more loaded with veggies thanks to the bell peppers (well, technically a fruit… but I think nutrient-wise they count as a vegetable), they’re super crunchy and they actually don’t really get soggy, the actual “chips” hold up really well, and they have a very light sweetness to them that contrasts well with the cheesy goodness they’re loaded with.

So is this a super-authentic-perfect-dupe-for-nachos? Maybe not. But is it a super-delicious-healthy-version-that’s-quick-and-easy? YUP!

Oh, and if you like these plant based nachos, you’re going to love my Plant Based Burrito Bowl!

Ingredients

See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list (with amounts) and instructions.

Bell Pepper Nachos

• Mini Bell Peppers: These are such a fun alternative to chips! Just cut off the tips and slice in half lengthwise. Scrape out any seeds, but you can leave the thin white strips of membrane unless they bother you (I never notice them when I make these).
• Black Bean Taco Crumbles: See below sections for the ingredients you need to make these, or the Substitutions sections below for other options.
• Pico de Gallo: You can make this yourself OR use store bought pico. I used store bought this time.
• Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce: Not that I’m biased or anything, but you should totally try my homemade plant-based nacho cheese sauce.
• Guacamole: I can’t have vegan nachos without guac, but since I’m eating lower fat these days, I made edamame guacamole which is truly delicious.
• Other Toppings: Of course, use the toppings of your choice! Try chopped white or green onion, sliced black olives, cilantro, etc.

Black Bean Taco Crumbles

• Black Beans: I prefer to use no-salt-added black beans. You can buy them canned or cook them from dried black beans (in advance of making this recipe). It’s really easy to make Instant Pot black beans, if you have a pressure cooker.
• Mushrooms, Optional: I used Baby Bella / Cremini mushrooms. The mushrooms completely disappear in this recipe, so it’s a great way to add extra nutrients and sneak them in for eaters who aren’t thrilled about mushrooms. They can also be left out.
• Ground Cumin, Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, Dried Oregano, and Granulated Garlic: This is for the taco seasoning, which you can totally buy pre-made. I tend to make my own because I like less cumin in mine, and store bought blends usually contain salt and/ore sugar.
• Dulse Flakes: This is what I use for a salty flavor in the recipe. Yes, dulse flakes are seaweed, however the spices in this recipe overpower any “seaweed flavor” in this recipe. I promise it doesn’t taste like seafood.

Substitutions

• Mini Bell Peppers: If you need to use regular-sized bell peppers, try cutting them in larger chunks so you’re able to load them up with all the toppings and pick them up to eat them (of course you’re welcome to eat them with a fork if you prefer). If you don’t want to use bell peppers at all, you can use cooked potatoes or sweet potatoes (I like to cut them in ¼-inch thick circles or you could do French fry shapes), baked tortilla chips, brown rice cakes or brown rice crackers, or something like Mary’s Gone Crackers.
• Black Bean Taco Crumbles: Use any other homemade or store bought “crumbled meat” replacement and add your own taco seasoning! Or use straight up beans or oil-free refried beans.
• Pico de Gallo: If you don’t have or don’t want to make pico de gallo, you can just add some finely chopped onions and seeded diced tomatoes! If you like heat, add some minced jalapeños.
• Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce: If you don’t want to make your own, you can use the plant based cheese sauce like store bought vegan queso (or vegan cheese shreds) of your choice.
• Guacamole: You can use regular guacamole or diced avocado if you like.
• Black Beans: If you still want to make my taco crumble but don’t have black beans, any other beans will work just fine. You can also use soaked raw walnuts or cooked brown lentils.
• Mushrooms: If you can’t have these you can just leave them out. You could pulse in other veggies like a bit of grated carrot, onions, etc.
• Dulse Flakes: This is a replacement for salt. You could totally use regular salt or the lower sodium potassium chloride salt substitute if you prefer. Miso paste would also work, but you’re cooking the mixture, so the fermentation benefits of the miso would get ruined during the cooking process.

How To Make Healthy Bell Pepper Nachos

Watch me make this recipe or follow the step-by-step instructions below.

1. Make the edamame guacamole, if using: If you’re making my homemade edamame guacamole, I like to make that first (or even up to a day in advance) so it has time to get cold! You can skip this step if you’re using traditional guacamole or diced avocado.
2. Blend the black bean taco crumble mixture: Add the black beans and chopped mushrooms (if using) a food processor (or a blender can work). Pulse until it’s well chopped. If it becomes a puree, don’t worry. Mine was pretty close to that state and it still cooks up nicely. You may need to stop the food processor a few times to get all the mushrooms finely minced.
3. Heat and season the black bean mixture: Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes and spread the black bean mixture over the flat surface of the skillet. Sprinkle on the spices, stir well, and flatten the mixture once more.
4. Cook the black bean taco crumbles: Let the mixture cook for about 10-15 minutes or until it looks sufficiently dried out. Definitely stir it every few minutes, flipping as much of it as possible so it gets evenly dried out and browned. There’s a lot of moisture in the mushrooms, which is why it takes a while. You’ll know it’s done when you can easily break up the mixture with your spatula and it looks more dried out and less like cookie dough. Once it cools, you could crumble it further, or you can simply just sprinkle medium-sized chunks of it onto your bell pepper nachos.
5. Make the cheese sauce: Blend up your vegan nacho cheese sauce ingredients (unless using store bought vegan queso or vegan cheese shreds) until smooth and creamy. Taste, make any necessary adjustments, blend again if you add anything, and set aside. You can warm it when you’re ready to serve, if you like.
6. Cut the mini bell peppers: Take a washed mini bell pepper, slice off the top, and then slice is lengthwise so you can two triangular shapes, much like a narrow tortilla chip. Scrape out any remaining seeds. If you’d like, you can using a small paring knife to remove the thin strip of membrane, but I don’t even notice it underneath all the delicious toppings. Repeat with as many bell peppers as you’d like to use.
7. Assemble bell pepper nachos: If the crumbles are done, it’s time for assembling! You can do this any order you like, but this is how I usually do it: lay the sliced mini bell peppers inside facing up on a large plate, crumble some of the cooked black bean mixture over the top of them, dollop the edamame guacamole with a small spoon, fill in some of the gaps with the pico de gallo, and give everything a real good drizzle of the vegan nacho cheese sauce! You can do a double drizzle if you want; I usually do. Top with anything else you want to use, like cilantro, green onion, tofu sour cream, hot sauce, anything!
8. Storage: The individual toppings—guac, black bean taco crumbles, cheese sauce—keep well in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cut bell peppers usually get soft, so I’d wait to cut those till you’re ready to serve.

Expert Tips

• Cook the black bean taco crumbles in the oven: Instead of babysitting a pan on the stove, you can cook the crumbles on a parchment paper lined baking tray in an oven heated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius). Make sure to stir and rotate the pan halfway through. This process may take anywhere from 30-45 minutes in the oven, but seems to go a bit faster on the stovetop.
• Don’t have a food processor or blender? Use a fork or a potato masher to mash the black beans and finely mince the mushrooms. Cook together in a pan with the spices.
• Don’t be afraid to play with toppings and flavors: Add more or different toppings, they’re YOUR bell pepper nachos! This recipe is fairly forgiving, so you can really dress up these healthy vegan nachos any way you like.
• Want hot nachos? If you prefer warm food, you can load these up (I’d leave off the guac till the end…) and bake them in the oven. I would keep a close eye on them though, since the bell peppers can go soft pretty quickly. If you don’t mind eating them with a fork though, you can let them get a bit softer if you like things less crunchy.

Serving Suggestions

I love these bell pepper nachos AS the meal, but you can also serve them as an appetizer, or with a soup like my potato cauliflower soup or cabbage mushroom soup.

More Whole Food, Plant Based Recipes

• Plant Based Burrito Bowl
• Portobello Pizzas
• Butter Bean Hummus
• Kale Sweet Potato Salad
• Spinach Artichoke Hummus
• Healthy Chickpea Tuna Salad
• Beet Hummus
• Chocolate Cherry Overnight Oats
• Date Energy Balls
• 3-Ingredient Plant Based Chocolate Sauce

Healthy Bell Pepper Nachos Recipe

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