If you’re seeking a filling, flavorful, and fun appetizer, these shrimp nachos are for you! Plus, the base recipe requires just 5 ingredients and about 15 minutes to come together.
As a mom juggling her time with a love for great food, this nacho recipe with shrimp ticks all the right boxes—easy, efficient, and elevated!
In this seafood nacho recipe, you’ll learn the basics of baking shrimp and making melty, cheesy nachos in the oven. I’ll also share some topping suggestions to help you make this recipe your own!
P.S. If you love both seafood and nachos as much as I do, try these canned tuna nachos next!
Shrimp Nachos Ingredients
Here’s everything you need:
- Shrimp. Fresh or frozen. If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure it’s thawed completely before you start. You can defrost shrimp by transferring them to the refrigerator 24 hours ahead of time or putting them in a sealed bag and submerging the bag in a large bowl of cold water for about 45 minutes.
- Olive oil.
- Taco seasoning. Grab a packet or make your own taco seasoning.
- Tortilla chips. Use your favorite! I like to use a “lightly salted” or “unsalted” chip for these as the cheese and taco seasoning adds enough salt for me.
- Cheese. I used a combination of cheddar and pepperjack cheese. I like the sharp flavor of the cheddar and subtle spice from the pepperjack. You can use any cheese or combination of cheese you like, but my top picks outside of cheddar and pepperjack are Monterey jack, Colby (or Colby jack), and queso Blanco.
Topping Ideas
- Diced jalapeno.
- Sliced or mashed avocado or guacamole.
- Diced red or white onion.
- Chopped cilantro.
- Lime wedges and/or lime juice.
- Diced tomato or pico de gallo.
- Sour cream or crema.
- Black beans.
- Chopped lettuce.
How to Make Nachos with Shrimp
How to Male Simple Oven-Baked Shrimp for Nachos
I like to buy fresh, raw, deveined large white shrimp and just peel it myself. Alternatively, you can also buy the shrimp pre-peeled if you prefer.
You can also opt for frozen shrimp. Just make sure it is completely defrosted before you jump into this recipe.
Once peeled, pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Drying your shrimp will help to avoid mushy shrimp and grant you the best texture.
Then, add the shrimp to a baking tray. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle on the taco seasoning. Toss to evenly coat and spread the shrimp out so it is in a single layer.
Bake in a 400°F preheated oven for 6-8 minutes until the shrimp curls and turns an opaque pink or the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Then, set the cooked shrimp aside.
Choosing Your Cheese
I highly recommend using a block of cheese and shredding it yourself simply because pre-shredded cheese has extra anti-caking agents to help the pieces from sticking together that can affect the melting. For oven-baked nachos, having melty cheese is key!
Now shredding a whole block of cheese can be tedious—which is why I use a food processor that can shred your cheese in seconds! Of course, if you don’t have a food processor and don’t want to hand shred, go ahead and use pre-shredded cheese.
You can use any cheese or combination of cheese that you like. My all-time favorite combo is sharp cheddar and pepperjack. Some other favorites include Monterey jack, Colby (or Colby jack), and/or queso Blanco.
I just use the same baking tray I baked the shrimp on (less clean up? Yes, please!) and line up my tortilla chips on it. Sprinkle the cheese on top, in an even layer.
Place the chips and cheese back in the oven for 2-4 minutes just until the cheese is nice and melted.
Serving Your Shrimp Nachos
Once your cheese is nice and melted, add the shrimp back on top and fill the oven-baked nachos up with your toppings of choice. This time, I went with jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, and fresh lime juice.
Serve them fresh out of the oven while the cheese is still nice and hot.
I sometimes treat these nachos as a full meal, but they also make such a great shareable appetizer or snack.
How to Properly Store and Reheat Nachos with Shrimp
Cover the nachos up and keep them stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
To reheat, preheat your oven to 375°F and stick them on the top rack until the cheese gets melty again and the shrimp is heated all the way through. This should take 8-10 minutes.
Easy Oven-Baked Shrimp Nachos
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- Baking Sheet (I used a 7" x 9")
- Food Processor (optional for shredding cheese)
Ingredients
Shrimp Nachos
- ½ pound large white shrimp
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 8 ounces tortilla chips
- 8 ounces cheese (like cheddar, Monterey jack, pepperjack, etc.)
Topping Ideas
- 2 large jalapeno (diced)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1 large lime (cut into wedges)
- ½ large red onion (diced)
- 1 tomato (diced)
- ¼ cup sour cream (or Crema)
- 1 avocado (sliced or mashed)
- 1 can black beans (drained)
- ¼ cup chopped lettuce (rinsed and dried)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Peel the shrimp if need be and pat it dry with a paper towel to reduce excess moisture (try these bamboo paper towels for a more sustainable option!).
- To a small baking sheet, add the shrimp, olive oil, and taco seasoning and toss. Spread the shrimp out, leaving a little space in between each one.
- Bake on the top rack for 6-8 minutes until the internal temperature of the shrimp reaches 145°F. When the shrimp is ready, it'll curl up and turn an opaque pink.
- Set the shrimp aside and add an even layer of tortilla chips to the baking sheet. Cover with a thin layer of cheese.
- Place back in the oven for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is nice and melted.
- Add the shrimp and toppings of choice on top and enjoy hot!
Pro Tips
- Leftovers will last covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the oven at 375°F for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melty again and shrimp is heated through.
