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With a homemade chili and cheese sauce, these Cheesy Chili Fries are an easy, family-friendly staple that you will want to make over and over.
Cheesy Chili Fries have to be one of my favorite appetizers or main dishes ever. They are super easy to throw together, messy, and just all-around delicious.
We use a homemade chili and cheese sauce for this recipe, and it really makes all the difference. If you put a plate in front of me, I can guarantee you that there will be none left.
Using frozen french fries really makes the process just a little quicker, but trust me, you’ll want to make the chili and cheese sauce homemade.
It really makes all the difference flavor-wise, and you will just want to dig in with a shovel. I might be biased, but these are so good.
And hey, if you want to make your own, homemade fries, then go for it! Sometimes it’s more about flavor and less about saving time.
The best part is that you can make this as an appetizer or a main dish so you can choose how you want to eat them, depending on how large your appetite is that day!
No weird ingredients are used, just delicious ones that you might already have in your house, so that is another reason that I urge you to make these Cheesy Chili Fries.
Some of my other favorite chili recipes we have on our site include: Chili Cheese Dogs, Chili Cheese Dog Mac and Cheese and Chunky Beef Chili.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- The sauces are not lacking in flavor at all!
- This all comes together in less than an hour- perfect for serving on game day.
- You can make this for dinner or an appetizer.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- Frozen fries
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Garlic
- Pinto beans
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt
- Ground cumin
- Tomato sauce
- Beef stock
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Paprika
- Whole milk
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Green onions, optional
HOW TO MAKE CHEESY CHILI FRIES:
- Cook the fries per the directions on the bag. Once the fries are cooked, lower the heat to 350°F.
- While the fries are cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat add the beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the beef. Brown the beef and cook until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the excess fat.
- Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Stir to combine, cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato sauce and beef stock, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
- In a medium-size saucepan melt the butter over medium-low. Whisk in the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Slowly stream in the milk while whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Cook until thickened, just until it comes to a simmer, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add half of the cheese, stir it in until melted and smooth.
- You can do this for a large crowd or individually. Layer fries on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Top with some of the cheese sauce, add some chili, top with more cheese sauce. Add shredded cheese. Place the sheet tray in the oven just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Top with scallions if desired and serve immediately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
DO I HAVE TO USE SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE?
We highly recommend the sharp cheddar for this chili cheese fries recipe. It is a more flavorful cheese where the flavor does not get lost in the other ingredients.
If you were to use a milder cheese, it would taste more like the seasonings than anything, so if you want that cheese flavor to come through, use the sharp cheddar for this recipe.
CAN I USE ANOTHER BEAN?
If you are not a fan of pinto beans, you can use black beans or red kidney beans as well, or you can completely leave the beans out to make it a beanless chili sauce.
I know not everyone likes beans, so that is an option, and it shouldn’t change the flavor of this recipe at all, minus having that bean flavor.
WHAT FRIES ARE BEST TO USE?
We like to use just regular crinkle-cut fries for this recipe.
I like the crinkle cut because it holds onto the ingredients well. I don’t recommend using already-seasoned fries.
You can use regular fries that aren’t crinkled, waffle fries, or curly fries. We just use crinkle-cut fries, as we find that they work the best for this recipe.
Don’t forget, you can also bust out your fry cutter and make your own crispy fries, too!
ANY ADDITIONS?
I’m all about easy recipes that can easily be changed. You could even use sweet potatoes!
- Red pepper flakes for a little kick in the chili.
- Sweet potato fries as a base for a healthier twist.
- Black olives sliced on top for extra flavor.
- Sour cream dolloped on top for a cool contrast.
- Avocado slices or guacamole for a creamy addition.
- Jalapeños sliced for fans of chilis who crave more heat.
- Corn kernels mixed into the chili for a sweet pop.
- Cilantro chopped, as an optional topping for fresh herby flavor.
- Red onion diced, for a sharp bite.
- Cayenne pepper sprinkled into the chili or cheese sauce for extra heat.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Swap things out to make the appetizer of your dreams. Try your own favorite chili recipe. These cheesy fries are all about what you want.
- Beef broth instead of beef stock for a deeper flavor in the chili.
- Air fryer fries instead of oven-baked, for a crispy, healthier option.
- Texas chili style, omitting beans for a traditional take.
- Mozzarella or pepper jack cheese for the cheddar in the cheese sauce for different flavors of gooey cheese sauce.
- Veggie chili as a substitute for beef chili for a vegetarian option.
HOW TO STORE:
This is a dish that you will want to make when you are ready to eat it. You can make the chili sauce ahead of time and store that in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat it, and then assemble your Chili Cheese Fries.
You can freeze the chili for up to 3 months.
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Make sure that you are using freshly shredded cheese for this recipe, it melts best.
- You can swap the pinto beans for red kidney beans or leave them out.
- The chili sauce can be made ahead of time, see my tips above.
- You can use homemade french fries if you’d like.
- You can double this recipe to serve larger crowds.
Looking for that completely messy but utterly delicious recipe? These Cheesy Chili Fries are absolutely what you need and you will fall in love.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these CHEESY CHILI FRIES, let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Homemade Cheesy Chili Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- 32 ounce frozen fries
For the chili:
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup canned pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- ⅓ cup beef stock
For the cheese sauce:
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
- Thinly sliced scallions optional
Instructions
- Cook the fries per the directions on the bag. Once the fries are cooked, lower the heat to 350°F.32 ounce frozen fries
- While the fries are cooking, in a large skillet over medium-high heat add the beef, onion, and garlic, breaking up the beef. Brown the beef and cook until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes. Drain the excess fat.1 pound ground beef, ½ cup diced onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Stir to combine, cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.1 cup canned pinto beans, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Add the tomato sauce and beef stock, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to low and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.15 ounce can tomato sauce, ⅓ cup beef stock
- In a medium-size saucepan melt the butter over medium-low. Whisk in the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, and paprika. Cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon paprika
- Slowly stream in the milk while whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Cook until thickened, just until it comes to a simmer, stirring constantly. Take off the heat and add half of the cheese, stir it in until melted and smooth.2 cups whole milk, 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- You can do this for a large crowd or individually. Layer fries on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Top with some of the cheese sauce, add some chili, top with more cheese sauce. Add shredded cheese. Place the sheet tray in the oven just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Top with scallions if desired and serve immediately.Thinly sliced scallions
Notes
- Make sure that you are using freshly shredded cheese for this recipe, it melts best.
- You can swap the pinto beans for red kidney beans or leave them out.
- The chili sauce can be made ahead of time, see my tips above.
- You can use homemade french fries if you’d like.
- You can double this recipe to serve larger crowds.
Nutrition
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