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Decadent BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos With Homemade Cheese Sauce

ByNicole Langdon Hours Updated on
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These 30 minute BBQ pulled pork nachos are piled high with gooey cheese sauce, savory pork, spicy jalapenos, and fresh toppings! Perfect for digging into when you’re craving comfort food and don’t care how many calories you’re consuming. But if you’re looking for healthier nachos, check out our high protein cottage cheese nachos recipe.

A pile of nachos piled high with a homemade cheese sauce, BBQ pulled pork, pico de gallo, jalapeno rings, and a fresh guacamole.

As two people who love nachos, we order them almost everywhere we go. And the best nachos we’ve ever had might just be the barbecue pulled pork nachos from our favorite ski mountain, Mammoth. Ever since we moved back to the east coast and can’t get them quite as easily anymore, we’ve been craving the smoky, savory flavor of barbecue pork on nachos!

This recipe instantly brings us back to the crisp air and warm sun of the mountain. Digging into a platter of BBQ nachos and washing it down with a cold margarita on the patio after a long bluebird day of snowboarding.

What To Expect

  • Great for: A decadent winter lunch or dinner, a fun game day party appetizer, or a much needed treat after a long day on the slopes.
  • Ready in: 30 minutes
  • Serves: A large meal for two, or an appetizer for 6 to 8.
  • Flavor profile: Rich cheese sauce, smoky, tangy BBQ pulled pork, spicy jalapenos, fresh guac, and a bright pico de gallo.
  • How to make it: Prep the toppings, heat up the pork with BBQ sauce, make the nacho cheese sauce, and assemble.

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Why We Love This Recipe

Food brings back memories. And these decadent nachos bring back the best skiing and snowboarding days of our lives at Mammoth Mountain. And even if this recipe didn’t have memories attached, the combination of salty chips, gooey cheese sauce, and bbq pulled pork is enough to make some new memories.

– Alex

BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos Ingredients

  • Tortilla chips – Use large, sturdy chips that can support the weight of all the toppings.
  • Nacho cheese sauce – The best nachos are drenched in a creamy, gooey cheese sauce! We make a roux-based sauce with butter, flour, milk, sharp cheddar, Monterey jack, and salt.
  • BBQ pulled pork – Use our slow cooker pulled pork recipe here, premade from the store, or restaurant leftovers!
  • Fresh toppings – Pico de gallo, homemade guacamole, sliced jalapenos, and fresh cilantro go best with pork nachos. You can also add on sour cream (or our favorite alternative, Greek yogurt), salsa, and any other classic nacho toppings.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

A large pile of nachos topped with pork, guacamole, cheese sauce, and pico on a wooden serving board.

How To Make Loaded BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos

  1. First, prep the cold toppings. These can sit off to the side, or in the fridge, while you heat up the pork and make the cheese sauce.
  2. Next, make the pork. Warm up the pulled pork in a frying pan, then drench it in barbecue sauce. Keep warm while you make the cheese sauce.
  3. Then, make the nacho cheese sauce. Work over low heat in a small saucepan. Build the roux by melting butter, sprinkling in the flour, and stirring until it puffs up. Then, add the milk a little at a time, and stir in the cheese until it melts. Season with salt to taste.
  4. Finally, assemble the nachos. Start with a pile of chips, then some cheese and pico de gallo. Add more chips, cheese, pico, and top with jalapeno slices, BBQ pulled pork, guacamole, and cilantro! Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

  • Shredded cheese – Always buy block cheese and shred it fresh for melting. This yields the smoothest, creamiest texture.
  • BBQ Sauce – The exact BBQ sauce you use doesn’t really matter, so go with your favorite. We prefer a thick, sweet BBQ sauce (Kansas City style is our favorite BBQ sauce) that adds to the decadence of these nachos and helps hold everything together.
  • Pulled pork – Batch prep pulled pork with our easy slow cooker recipe and store ready-to-go portions in your freezer, so it’s always on hand for pulled pork recipes. This is also a great recipe for when you already have leftover pulled pork.
  • Prep order – Make the cold toppings, like pico and guac, first. They can sit off to the side – or in the refrigerator – while you warm up the pork and make the nacho cheese sauce, so everything is at the right temperature when it’s time to assemble the nachos.
  • Assembly – Add cheese to each layer of tortilla chips when building your nacho platter! Then you won’t ever end up with plain chips.

Pork BBQ Nachos Serving Suggestions

  • Game day snack: BBQ pork nachos hit the spot while watching Sunday football. Make it a party with other finger foods like our buffalo chicken dip bites, easy Mexican street corn dip, and 3-ingredient beer battered onion rings.
  • Dinner for two: Loaded nachos are plenty filling to make a meal for 2 to 4 people. We often enjoy nachos as a meal for the two of us, with leftovers to snack on the next day. We find nachos go best as a dinner when paired with a cold beer or a smoky pomegranate margarita.
  • Comfort food: There’s nothing like a plate of ooey gooey, cheesy nachos to satisfy any comfort food craving. Especially when they’re loaded with heaps of BBQ pork! Share this decadent dish with friends and family at cookouts, parties, game days, or any other gathering.
A tortilla chip with cheese sauce, pork, and jalapeno being pulled out from a pile of nachos.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

In case you accidentally make too many nachos for yourself and can’t eat them all, not to worry! You can store leftover pork BBQ nachos in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, although they are best enjoyed fresh.

  • Reheating nachos in the oven: 350 degrees F for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until warm
  • Reheating nachos in the air fryer: 350 degrees F for about 7 to 10 minutes, or until warm

Note that the chips will become slightly soggy due to the cheese sauce and pico de gallo. We recommend topping your reheated nachos with a fresh batch of guacamole before enjoying them, and digging in with a fork to help scoop up all that deliciousness!

Give our BBQ pulled pork nachos recipe a try and let us know what you think by rating, commenting, and sharing below!

BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos FAQs

We love to top our pulled pork nachos with a decadent cheese sauce, jalapeños wheels, pico de gallo to add brightness, and fresh guacamole. You could also add on fire roasted corn, black beans, Greek yogurt (or sour cream), or red onion.

The best cheese for pulled pork nachos by far is a cheese sauce. We make a roux-based cheese sauce with cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses that’ll make you want to never have regular melted shredded cheese on nachos ever again. Our cheese sauce is luxurious, decadent, gooey, and the perfect cheesy flavor to pair with BBQ pulled pork.

Simple, you build a nacho bar! Put the chips in a bowl, the BBQ pulled pork on warm in a slow cooker, and the cheese sauce in a fondue pot. Then put out the cold toppings in bowls of their own. Allow your guests to make their own nachos so everything stays at the right temperature and the chips don’t get soggy!

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Tell us what you think!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! When you try it out, please leave a review and a star rating in the comments below. Happy cooking! – Nicole and Alex

Barbecue pork nachos with lots of toppings.

Decadent BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos With Homemade Cheese Sauce

Nicole & Alex Langdon
These 30 minute BBQ pulled pork nachos are piled high with gooey cheese sauce, savory pork, spicy jalapenos, and fresh toppings! Perfect for digging into when you’re craving comfort food and don’t care how many calories you’re consuming.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 784 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 6 ounces tortilla chips

Guacamole

  • 1 medium avocado mashed
  • ½ medium jalapeno diced
  • ½ medium roma tomato diced
  • ⅛ medium red onion diced
  • ¼ medium lime juiced
  • 1 pinch sea salt

Pico de Gallo

  • 1 medium roma tomato diced
  • 1 medium jalapeno diced
  • ¼ medium red onion diced
  • ½ medium lime juiced
  • 1 pinch sea salt

BBQ Pork

Nacho Cheese Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
  • 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded
  • 1 pinch salt

Other Toppings

  • 1 medium jalapeno sliced
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped

Instructions
 

  • First, make the guacamole and pico de gallo, and set aside.
    Guacamole – In one bowl, combine the avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion, lime juice, and salt and mix well to combine.
    Pico de gallo – In a separate bowl, combine the tomato, jalapeno, onion, lime juice, and salt and mix well to combine.
  • Next, make the BBQ pork. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, cook the pork until it's warmed through, about 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the barbecue sauce until fully incorporated.
    Keep warm over low heat while you make the nacho cheese sauce.
  • Now, make the cheese sauce. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Once it’s fully melted, sprinkle in the flour and stir in a figure-8 motion to cook the roux. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the roux has puffed up and turned golden, stirring constantly.
    Now, add the milk a little at a time, still stirring constantly. Make sure to fully incorporate each addition of milk and let it come up to temperature before adding more – it should be lightly steaming.
    Once all the milk has been incorporated, add the shredded cheese in batches, stirring constantly, until fully melted. Add a pinch of salt to taste, and optionally adjust the consistency of the cheese sauce if it’s too thick by adding a few more tablespoons of milk at a time.
  • Finally, assemble the nachos. Start by adding half the tortilla chips to a large platter in a single layer, slightly overlapping the chips. Drizzle about half of the cheese sauce over the chips, then top with about half of the pico de gallo.
    Then, add the rest of the chips to make a second layer, and drizzle with the remaining cheese sauce. Top with the rest of the pico, the jalapeno slices, and the BBQ pulled pork. Dollop the guacamole on top and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
One last step:Please consider leaving a review to let us know how it was!

Notes

Pulled pork: Batch prep pulled pork with our easy slow cooker recipe and store ready-to-go portions in your freezer, so it’s always on hand for pulled pork recipes.
BBQ Sauce – The exact BBQ sauce you use doesn’t really matter, so go with your favorite. We prefer a thick, sweet BBQ sauce (Kansas City BBQ sauce is our favorite style) that adds to the decadence of these nachos and helps hold everything together.
Cheese: Always buy block cheese and shred it fresh for melting. This yields the smoothest, creamiest texture.
Prep tips: Make the cold toppings, like pico and guac, first. They can sit off to the side while you warm up the pork and make the nacho cheese sauce, so everything is at the right temperature when it’s time to assemble the nachos.
Storing and reheating: These nachos are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat at 350 degrees F in the oven (10-12 mins) or air fryer (7-10 mins) until warm. We recommend topping them with a fresh batch of guacamole and extra cilantro before serving!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 784kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 35gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 113mgSodium: 1180mgPotassium: 918mgFiber: 8gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 1254IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 554mgIron: 3mg
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If you have any questions regarding the information presented in this post, please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer here.

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90% of Nicole’s thoughts are about food. She’s had a passion for cooking (and eating) for as long as she can remember! Growing up, she started cooking with her mom at a young age, learned family recipes from her Italian grandmother, took every opportunity to make cookies (so many bake sales), and always loved going out to restaurants to try new foods.

Nicole currently works part-time as a marketing professional for OmieLife while also working nonstop on The Candid Cooks. As a former mechanical engineer, Nicole has consistently found herself at the intersection of creativity and logical reasoning. She credits not only her passion for photography, design, and writing, but also her problem-solving nature and desire to learn, as the foundation on which The Candid Cooks was built.

Nicole’s hobbies include anything that gets her moving - mainly hiking, skiing, ice skating, and dancing - as well as reading fantasy novels and scrapbooking. Her favorite food is a big plate of nachos, as long as they’re cheesy enough!

5 from 1 vote

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