When you think of nachos, you probably picture a big platter loaded with cheese, meat, salsa, and all your favorite toppings—the kind of meal you might enjoy while watching a game or sharing food with friends. But nachos don’t have to wait until lunch or dinner. With a few breakfast-inspired ingredients, you can transform this familiar favorite into an incredible way to start the morning.
Today’s Breakfast of the Day is Breakfast Nachos, a hearty combination of crispy tortilla chips, fluffy scrambled eggs, melted cheese, savory breakfast sausage or bacon, and fresh toppings such as tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and salsa.
It is essentially everything you love about a loaded breakfast burrito served nacho-style.
Breakfast Nachos are also wonderfully flexible. You can make a large platter for the entire family, prepare individual servings, load them with vegetables, turn up the heat with jalapeños and hot sauce, or pile on the meat and cheese for an indulgent weekend breakfast.
If you’re tired of eating the same eggs and toast every morning, this is one breakfast worth trying.
Why Breakfast Nachos Deserve a Place at the Breakfast Table
Breakfast doesn’t always have to follow the traditional formula.
Pancakes, waffles, cereal, eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast are classics for a reason, but sometimes you want something completely different. Breakfast Nachos take familiar morning ingredients and present them in a fun new way.
Instead of putting scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and salsa inside a tortilla, everything is layered over crispy tortilla chips.
Every bite can be slightly different.
One chip might be covered with scrambled eggs and melted cheddar. Another could have sausage, avocado, and salsa. The next might have a little bit of everything.
That variety is part of what makes a platter of Breakfast Nachos so enjoyable.
They are especially good for weekends when you have a little more time to sit down and enjoy breakfast rather than rushing out the door.
Breakfast of the Day: Breakfast Nachos
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4–6
Ingredients
- 1 large bag sturdy tortilla chips
- 8 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound breakfast sausage
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup sliced green onions
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup sliced jalapeños, optional
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- Hot sauce, optional
You can also substitute cooked and crumbled bacon, diced ham, chorizo, or another favorite breakfast meat for the sausage.
Step 1: Prepare the Breakfast Sausage
Preheat your oven to 375°F.
Place a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the breakfast sausage and cook, breaking it into small pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon.
Continue cooking until the sausage is completely browned and cooked through.
Drain away any excess grease and transfer the cooked sausage to a plate.
If you prefer bacon, cook approximately 8–10 strips until crispy and crumble them into bite-sized pieces.
For an especially hearty platter, you can even use a combination of sausage and bacon.
Step 2: Make the Scrambled Eggs
Crack the eggs into a medium bowl.
Add the milk, salt, and black pepper.
Whisk everything together until the yolks and whites are completely combined.
Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
Pour in the egg mixture.
Allow the eggs to cook briefly before gently moving them around the pan with a spatula.
Continue cooking until the eggs are softly scrambled but still slightly moist.
Avoid overcooking them.
Remember that the eggs will spend a few additional minutes in the oven once you assemble the nachos.
Remove the eggs from the heat.
Step 3: Build Your Breakfast Nachos
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly coat it with cooking spray.
Spread the tortilla chips across the baking sheet.
Try to create a relatively even layer while allowing some of the chips to overlap.
Sprinkle approximately half of the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses over the chips.
Next, distribute the scrambled eggs evenly across the platter.
Sprinkle the cooked breakfast sausage over the eggs.
Add the remaining cheese.
If you’re using jalapeños, you can add some before baking or wait until afterward.
The goal is to distribute the ingredients rather than placing everything in the center. Good nachos should have toppings throughout the entire platter.
Nobody wants to reach the bottom and discover a pile of completely plain chips.
Step 4: Bake Until Cheesy
Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven.
Bake for approximately 5–8 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted.
Keep an eye on the nachos because tortilla chips can begin browning quickly.
Once the cheese is hot and bubbly, remove the baking sheet from the oven.
Now comes the best part: the toppings.
Step 5: Add the Fresh Toppings
Scatter the diced tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and optional cilantro over the warm nachos.
Add sliced jalapeños if you enjoy some heat.
Serve the salsa and sour cream on the side or spoon small amounts across the platter.
Finish everything with a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce if desired.
Serve immediately while the cheese is still melted and the tortilla chips remain crispy.
The Secret to Really Good Breakfast Nachos
Great nachos depend on balance.
You need enough toppings to make every bite interesting, but adding too many wet ingredients can quickly turn crispy tortilla chips soggy.
That is why ingredients such as salsa, sour cream, avocado, and fresh tomatoes are best added shortly before serving.
You can also serve the salsa and sour cream separately so everyone can add their own.
Another important consideration is your choice of tortilla chips.
Look for thick, sturdy chips capable of supporting eggs, sausage, cheese, and toppings without immediately breaking.
Thin tortilla chips might taste great with salsa, but they can struggle under the weight of fully loaded Breakfast Nachos.
Turn Them Into Bacon Breakfast Nachos
Breakfast sausage is delicious, but bacon is another excellent choice.
Cook bacon until crispy, drain it on paper towels, and crumble it across the nachos before adding the final layer of cheese.
Bacon works particularly well with cheddar cheese, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and green onions.
You could also use both bacon and sausage if you’re preparing Breakfast Nachos for a special occasion or particularly hungry crowd.
Try Chorizo Breakfast Nachos
For a spicier variation, replace traditional breakfast sausage with Mexican-style chorizo.
Cook the chorizo thoroughly and drain excess grease before adding it to the nachos.
Pair it with scrambled eggs, Monterey Jack or pepper Jack cheese, jalapeños, pico de gallo, avocado, cilantro, and salsa.
A little hot sauce can bring everything together.
You can even add black beans for additional flavor and texture.
Make Them With Potatoes
Want an even heartier breakfast?
Add crispy breakfast potatoes.
Dice potatoes into small pieces and cook them until golden brown before adding them to your nachos.
Potatoes work beautifully with eggs, sausage, bacon, cheddar cheese, and salsa.
You can also use crispy hash browns.
Imagine a tortilla chip topped with melted cheese, scrambled egg, sausage, crispy potato, salsa, and sour cream.
That is a serious breakfast.
Make a Breakfast Nacho Bar
Breakfast Nachos are fantastic for entertaining because everyone can customize their plate.
Instead of preparing one fully loaded platter, make the basic nachos with chips, eggs, meat, and cheese.
Then arrange different toppings nearby.
You could offer:
- Salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Diced avocado
- Tomatoes
- Jalapeños
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Black beans
- Hot sauce
- Queso
- Bacon
- Sausage
- Chorizo
Everyone can build their perfect combination.
This is especially fun for weekend brunches, family gatherings, birthdays, holidays, or game-day mornings.
Vegetarian Breakfast Nachos
Breakfast Nachos don’t need meat to be satisfying.
Simply leave out the sausage and replace it with vegetables or beans.
Try scrambled eggs with black beans, sautéed bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, and salsa.
You could also add roasted corn.
For additional protein, increase the eggs or add extra beans.
The result is colorful, filling, and packed with different flavors.
Turn Up the Heat
If you enjoy spicy breakfasts, Breakfast Nachos provide plenty of opportunities to bring the heat.
Use pepper Jack cheese instead of Monterey Jack.
Add fresh or pickled jalapeños.
Include spicy chorizo.
Drizzle hot sauce over the finished nachos.
You could even add thinly sliced serrano peppers if you want something considerably hotter.
The richness of the eggs, cheese, avocado, and sour cream helps balance the heat.
Keep It Mild for the Family
Not everyone wants spicy food first thing in the morning.
For a family-friendly version, use scrambled eggs, mild breakfast sausage, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream.
Keep jalapeños, hot sauce, and spicy salsa on the side.
That allows everyone to customize their serving.
Children may especially enjoy Breakfast Nachos because they’re familiar, easy to eat, and fun to customize.
Don’t Forget the Cheese
Cheese is one of the ingredients holding everything together—literally.
Cheddar provides a familiar sharp and savory flavor, while Monterey Jack melts beautifully.
Using both gives you a great combination of flavor and texture.
Other cheeses worth trying include:
Pepper Jack: Great if you want extra spice.
Colby Jack: Mild, creamy, and excellent for melting.
Mexican cheese blend: An easy option that works perfectly for nachos.
Queso: Drizzle warm queso across the platter for incredibly cheesy Breakfast Nachos.
You can even combine shredded cheese with a little queso for an over-the-top version.
What to Serve With Breakfast Nachos
Breakfast Nachos can easily serve as the main event, especially when they’re loaded with eggs and breakfast meat.
If you’re serving them as part of a larger brunch, consider pairing them with fresh fruit.
Watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, oranges, or grapes provide a refreshing contrast to the salty, cheesy nachos.
A simple fruit salad works particularly well.
For beverages, serve coffee, orange juice, apple juice, iced tea, or a fruit smoothie.
If you’re hosting an adult brunch, Breakfast Nachos can also pair nicely with classic brunch cocktails.
Perfect for Weekend Breakfast
Weekday mornings are often about convenience.
You might grab cereal, toast, oatmeal, or something you can eat quickly before starting your day.
Weekends give us an opportunity to slow things down.
Breakfast Nachos feel like weekend food.
They’re casual, comforting, colorful, and meant to be enjoyed rather than rushed.
Put a large platter in the middle of the table and allow everyone to dig in.
There doesn’t need to be anything fancy about it.
Sometimes the most memorable meals are the ones where everyone gathers around the same plate.
Breakfast Nachos for Game Day
Breakfast Nachos are also perfect when your favorite team has an early game.
Traditional nachos are already one of the ultimate game-day foods, so giving them a breakfast makeover makes perfect sense.
Prepare a huge tray with eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, jalapeños, salsa, and avocado.
Put it on the table before kickoff and let everyone grab what they want.
If you’re serving a larger crowd, prepare several trays and customize them differently.
One could be sausage and cheddar.
Another could feature bacon and Monterey Jack.
A third could have chorizo, pepper Jack, and jalapeños.
Suddenly breakfast becomes part of the game-day celebration.
Don’t Be Afraid to Get Creative
One of the best things about nachos is that there really isn’t one correct way to make them.
Think about your favorite breakfast ingredients and find a way to incorporate them.
Love ham?
Add diced ham.
Love breakfast potatoes?
Throw some crispy potatoes on top.
Love queso?
Drizzle it everywhere.
Love avocado?
Add plenty.
You can even add a fried egg to the center of the platter for an impressive finishing touch.
When the yolk breaks over the warm chips, meat, and cheese, it creates an incredibly rich sauce.
A Breakfast Worth Sharing
Food has a way of bringing people together, and Breakfast Nachos practically demand to be shared.
Instead of everyone having a separate plate of eggs and toast, you can place one big platter in the middle of the table.
People reach in, grab a few nachos, add some salsa or sour cream, and keep coming back for more.
It creates a casual and relaxed atmosphere that is perfect for weekend mornings.
And if you’re eating breakfast alone?
Make a smaller batch.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having your own personal tray of Breakfast Nachos.
Tips for the Best Breakfast Nachos
Use thick tortilla chips so they can support all those delicious toppings.
Don’t overcook your scrambled eggs because they’ll cook slightly more in the oven.
Drain sausage or bacon well to prevent excess grease from making the chips soggy.
Layer your ingredients instead of piling everything on top. Cheese between the layers helps ensure you don’t end up with plain chips underneath.
Add wet toppings such as salsa and sour cream immediately before eating.
Serve the nachos as soon as possible after they come out of the oven.
And most importantly, customize them.
A recipe like this is really just a starting point.
Make Breakfast Fun Again
It’s easy for breakfast to become repetitive.
You wake up, pour another bowl of cereal, make another piece of toast, or scramble the same eggs you’ve made countless times before.
There is nothing wrong with those breakfasts.
But occasionally, breakfast should be something you genuinely look forward to.
Breakfast Nachos accomplish that.
They’re crispy.
They’re cheesy.
They’re savory.
They’re customizable.
And they combine some of the best parts of breakfast with one of the world’s most enjoyable shareable foods.
Whether you make them with sausage, bacon, chorizo, vegetables, potatoes, or a combination of everything, you can create a platter that matches exactly what you’re craving.
Final Thoughts
Today’s Breakfast of the Day: Breakfast Nachos proves that breakfast doesn’t have to be predictable.
A layer of crispy tortilla chips becomes the foundation for fluffy scrambled eggs, savory breakfast sausage, melted cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, salsa, and sour cream.
Every bite brings something different.
They’re easy enough for a casual weekend morning but impressive enough to serve at brunch, family gatherings, holiday breakfasts, or game-day parties.
Best of all, there are almost endless ways to customize them.
Make them spicy with chorizo and jalapeños.
Load them with bacon and potatoes.
Keep them vegetarian with beans and sautéed vegetables.
Cover them with queso.
Add guacamole.
Finish them with hot sauce.
Or simply stick with eggs, sausage, and plenty of melted cheese.
However you build your Breakfast Nachos, one thing is certain: breakfast just became a lot more interesting.
What would you put on your ultimate plate of Breakfast Nachos?
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