Chili Cheese Fries
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Make the best Chili Cheese Fries with this easy recipe! This American classic is made by topping crispy french fries with flavorful homemade chili and melted cheddar cheese to create the ultimate comfort food. It’s perfect as a party snack or paired with Chili Burgers for a delicious meal!
Table of contents
After perfecting my chili recipe to top these delicious chili burgers, I knew that I also had to try this chili out on top of fries. In high school I worked at Sonic as a carhop. There were many corn dogs, onion rings and chili fries eaten the year that I worked there.
Now I’m taking my love of chili fries into my own kitchen to create this classic American comfort food at home. It’s really easy to make and always a crowd-pleaser at parties!
The key to great chili fries is a flavorful chili with just the right consistency. Too runny and it will make the fries soggy. Too thick and it won’t create the “chili sauce” consistency that we’re looking for.
It took me several attempts to make the perfect chili to top fries, burgers and hot dogs, but here we are today with the best chili sauce for fries. It’s so flavorful, easy to make, with just a hint of spice, does not contain beans (not what you want for chili sauce!) and it’s the perfect texture to top fries.
Add freshly grated cheddar cheese that melts perfectly over the chili, and you have one delicious party app, game day snack, or the perfect side dish for burgers!
Ingredients
- Ground beef – I recommend a ground beef that’s 80/20, meaning 80% lean and 20% fat. This will give you the perfect amount of fat to make flavorful chili.
- Chili seasoning – I always use my homemade chili seasoning. It’s easy to mix together in 5 minutes with spices like chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and ground cumin, and it has the best flavor! You can also purchase pre-made chili seasoning packages at the grocery store in the spice aisle.
- Worcestershire sauce – my secret ingredient for adding a wonderful umami flavor to the chili. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Vegetable oil – or another neutral-flavored oil, like canola oil, or avocado oil.
- Onion – for this recipe you’ll need 1 cup of diced yellow onions for the chili. This will equal about half of a large onion.
- Garlic – I recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce – you’ll find these canned in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. For this recipe, you’ll use two peppers from the can and a teaspoon of sauce from the can. These add mild-to-medium spice to the chili and add a great, smoky flavor.
- Salt – to season the chili.
- Crushed tomatoes – a can of crushed tomatoes will give you a delicious chili with a great texture that’s not too thick, or runny.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – it is very important that you grate the cheese at home yourself. Pre-shredded cheese sold in a bag at the grocery store will contain anti-caking additives that will prevent the cheese from perfectly melting over the fries. For the love of chili cheese fries, please take 2 minutes to freshly grate the cheddar cheese at home! I always prefer melted cheese on the fries, over cheese sauce, because that’s what I grew up with. If you’d like to top the chili fries with cheese sauce, check out this recipe for nacho cheese sauce, made with real cheese.
- Frozen french fries – I recommend the “shoestring” variety, as they crisp up nicely in the oven, or an air fryer. This means, they’re more likely to stay crispy after you cover them with chili and cheese. You can also make homemade fries, if you want!
- Green onions – top the fries with a delicious, fresh crunch at the end. These are optional, but recommended.
Instructions
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this chili cheese fries recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the ground beef. Cook onions and garlic in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add ground beef, crumble and cook until browned, then drain any grease from the skillet.
- Season the ground beef and add tomatoes. Add diced chipotle chilis, adobo sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili seasoning, salt, and a can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine everything, then simmer the chili for 15 minutes to thicken it.
- Cook the french fries. While the chili is simmering, cook frozen french fries according to package directions, either in the oven, or in an air fryer. This will usually take between 13-20 minutes. You can also follow this recipe for homemade air fryer french fries.
- Top with chili and cheese. After the fries are cooked and crispy, remove them from the oven. Turn the oven from bake to broil. If you cooked the fries in an air fryer, place them in an even layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Turn the oven broiler on to high. Sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese on top of the fries. Evenly spread the chili over the fries, then sprinkle the other half of the cheddar cheese over the chili. Place the fries under the broiler in the oven on high for 1 minute to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven, top with diced green onions and serve immediately.
Optional toppings
To make loaded chili cheese fries, add any (or all!) of these tasty toppings to the fries after removing them from the oven.
- Dollop of sour cream
- Drizzle of ranch dressing
- Drizzle of burger sauce
- Sliced pickled jalapenos
- Sliced fresh jalapenos
- Diced red onions
- Caramelized onions
- Pickled onions
- Fresh chopped cilantro
Recipe tips
- Make sure the fries are crispy before adding the chili and cheese. If the fries aren’t crispy before adding the chili and cheese, they certainly won’t be after!
- Serve the fries immediately after removing them from the oven. The longer the fries sit under the chili and cheese, the more likely they are to get soggy. If serving these fries at a party, you can bake the fries ahead of time, and prepare the chili ahead of time, but make sure to top the fries with the chili and cheese right before serving.
- The chili can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to prepare the fries. To reheat the chili, place it back in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. To reheat the chili in the microwave, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.
- To add even more flavor to the fries, spray them with cooking spray, then toss them with 2 tablespoons fry seasoning before cooking them in the oven, or an air fryer.
- You can also make chili cheese tater tots using this recipe, just simply swap out the frozen fries for frozen tater tots.
- Always shred the cheddar cheese at home, instead of purchasing pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store. It melts so much better and makes the best chili cheese fries!
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, before preparing the chili cheese fries, for easy cleanup.
- I do NOT recommend saving leftovers of this recipe. The fries will become soggy and there’s really no way to reheat them to a good texture, once they’ve been covered in the chili. If you don’t think you’ll eat the entire recipe, feel free to cut it in half. Click the ½ button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to cut the recipe in half.
What to serve them with
While a Chili Burger is the perfect pairing for these chili cheese fries, they’re also delicious served as a side dish with any burger, sandwich, or a variety of other meals. Try them with any of these tasty recipes!
More cheesy recipes
If you love easy, cheesy recipes as much as I do, you have to check out these other blog favorites!
Chili Cheese Fries
Make the best Chili Cheese Fries with this easy recipe! This American classic is made by topping crispy french fries with flavorful homemade chili and melted cheddar cheese to create the ultimate comfort food. It's perfect as a party snack or paired with Chili Burgers for a delicious meal!
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef, 80/20
- 2 chipotle chiles, minced + 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili seasoning, click link for the recipe
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Fries
- 28 ounces frozen french fries
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup diced green onions
Instructions
How To Make The Chili
- Add the vegetable oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, cook 4-5 minutes, add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the ground beef, crumble and cook through for 6-8 minutes, or until the beef is browned, then drain any grease from the skillet.
- Add the minced chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, worcestershire sauce, chili seasoning, salt, and crushed tomatoes.
- Simmer the chili for 15 minutes, or until it’s thickened. In the meantime, cook the fries.
How To Make The Fries
- Follow the package directions on the bag of frozen french fries and either air fry, deep fry or bake the fries in the oven. You can also follow this recipe for homemade air fryer french fries. For even more flavor, spray the fries with cooking spray, then toss them with 2 tablespoons fry seasoning before cooking.
- After the fries are cooked and crispy, preheat the broiler on the oven to high. If baking the fries in the oven, then switch from bake to broil after the fries come out of the oven.
- If the fries weren’t baked in the oven, arrange them in an even layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle half of the cheddar cheese on top of the fries, then spoon the chili evenly over the cooked fries, distribute the other half of the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the chili on top of the fries.
- Place under the broiler in the oven on high for 1 minute.
- Remove from the oven, top with the green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
- Always shred the cheddar cheese at home, instead of purchasing pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store. The bag of cheese from the grocery store will contain anti-caking additives that will prevent the cheese from perfectly melting over the fries.
- Serve the fries immediately after removing them from the oven. The longer the fries sit under the chili and cheese, the more likely they are to get soggy. If serving these fries at a party, you can bake the fries ahead of time, and prepare the chili ahead of time, but make sure to top the fries with the chili and cheese right before serving.
- The chili can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container until you’re ready to prepare the fries. To reheat the chili, place it back in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. To reheat the chili in the microwave, place it in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and reheat for 2-3 minutes, stirring halfway through the time.
- You can also make chili cheese tater tots using this recipe, just simply swap out the frozen fries for frozen tater tots.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, before preparing the chili cheese fries, for easy cleanup.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 592kcal (30%)Carbohydrates 43g (14%)Protein 21g (42%)Fat 38g (58%)Saturated Fat 15g (75%)Polyunsaturated Fat 2gMonounsaturated Fat 17gTrans Fat 1gCholesterol 69mg (23%)Sodium 1171mg (49%)Potassium 899mg (26%)Fiber 7g (28%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 862mg (17%)Vitamin C 15mg (18%)Calcium 252mg (25%)Iron 4mg (22%)
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