My family loves football. Okay, my husband loves football and I love football because he does. And because the Chiefs are awesome. I also love throwing a fun football party. I made my very own DIY nacho bar a few years back that was football themed, but it’s definitely not the only time that a nacho bar would work! How about Cinco De Mayo that’s coming up next week? A nacho bar is a perfect option for a Cinco De Mayo party. You could even do this for a birthday party, a movie night, or really any time. People love nachos and giving them the option to choose their own nacho toppings is about as good as it gets! I’ve put together the best of the best nacho bar ideas out there as well as ideas for toppings to include, tips for serving, and more! If you’re planning a nacho bar, I’ve got you covered! There are even some free printables that I used at my own football themed nacho bar signs the very bottom of this post!
How to Make a nacho bar
Creating DIY nacho bar with all of the toppings you can think of laid out for your guests is easier than you’d think. First, you need to get all of the things you need for your nachos. I like to do a variety of meat – this homemade taco meat, these shredded pork tacos, and these Instant Pot chicken tacos are always a hit! Then you need your nacho bar toppings – I’ve included some of our favorites below!
Nacho Bar Toppings
These are just a few of our favorites:
Cheese – shredded, queso, Mexican cheeses like cotija, and anything else you can think ofLettuce – both shredded and cut up romaine so people can turn their nachos into a salad if they wantSliced black olivesSliced jalapenos Caramelized corn – just like we use in this layered taco dipPepperoni – I like a good pizza nacho but if you don’t, you can skip this Beans – black beans, pinto beans, and refried beans are all good choicesDiced tomatoes and pico de gallo Chopped cilantroSour cream or this cilantro lime dressingSalsa – this could include one or various types including green, mild, hot, and moreGuacamole Queso/cheese sauce
I mean really the possibilities are pretty endless. Most things are good on top of chips! You could even do a caramel apple nacho bar if you really wanted!
Nacho Bar Ideas
The next step is setting up your nacho bar! There are so many different ways to do this – I grabbed a bunch of my favorite setups to give you some good examples of how to lay them out!
What to Serve with a Nacho Bar
One of the most popular questions I get is what do you serve with a nacho bar. The simplest answer is anything but in reality the nachos, especially if you’re serving a couple of types of meat, are the main dish in themselves. Even if people aren’t eating a full serving of nachos, they’re likely going to eat enough chips and salsa or chips and guacamole to be happy, so I wouldn’t worry about making a lot of other appetizers unless they’re things like this taco dip that would go well on the nacho bar. My recommendation is to focus on some simple drinks and desserts to serve alongside the nacho bar. If you want to skip with the Mexican theme, you could make this sopapilla cheesecake or fruit salsa (with homemade cinnamon chips). If you don’t care about the Mexican theme, these homemade brownies are always a winner. To drink, I always recommend having water on hand plus some sort of signature drink. This citrus strawberry mocktail would be a great choice.
More Food Bar Ideas
If you like this nacho bar idea, you’ll love these other fun food bar ideas including everything from s’mores to pie!
S’mores bar ideas – fun ways to setup your very own s’mores bar for a celebration! You may also want to check out this yummy s’mores charcuterie board for more ideas!Hot chocolate bar sign – everything you need for a hot chocolate bar including printable signs to include in the bar and of course, a homemade hot chocolate recipe!Caramel apple bar – a simple way to setup a caramel apple dipping bar complete with caramel, toppings, and tips!Pie party decorations – use these printables to setup your very own pie bar, great for the fall or for celebrating pi day!
Free Nacho Bar Sign Printables
For my football nacho bar, I made a set of recommended nacho toppings that went along with football play names – kind of like a football coach always draws out plays! If you’re using this for something other than a football game, you can always make up your own combos as well!
Download the Free Printables
If you’re ready to download the free printables you can see all of the different printables and download them by simply clicking the button below or clicking here.
