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Nacho Fries are the crispy, seasoned, cheese dipped fast food favorite that my family begs Taco Bell to bring back, so I started making them at home one craving fueled Friday when they were off the menu again. Golden double fried potatoes get tossed in a bold homemade seasoning and served with a warm nacho cheese sauce, and if you love copycat snacks you have to try our Pizza Hut cheese sticks too.
Double frying the potatoes is the secret to that signature crispy outside and fluffy inside, just like the drive thru version.
Nacho Fries Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 19 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 29 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 380kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Crispy, smoky, and spiced with creamy nacho cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our chili cheese fries
Quick Answer
Cut russet potatoes into fries and soak in cold water, then blanch them in 325 degree oil until soft but pale and drain. Make a quick nacho cheese sauce by melting Cheez Whiz, American cheese, pickled jalapeno juice, and milk. Raise the oil to 375 degrees and fry the blanched fries again until crispy and golden. Toss the hot fries in a homemade seasoning blend of sweet and smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper, then serve with the warm cheese sauce.
Jump to:
- Nacho Fries Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- How This Compares to the Original
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Nacho Fries
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Nacho Fries FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Snacks
- Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Fries
How This Compares to the Original
Taco Bell’s Nacho Fries are a limited-time menu item that appears for a few weeks at a time, disappears, and comes back to massive fan demand. The restaurant version uses seasoned fries dusted in a Tex-Mex spice blend and served with a warm nacho cheese sauce. This copycat matches the flavor profile with a homemade spice blend (paprika, garlic, onion, chili) tossed over fresh-fried or oven-baked fries. The cheese sauce can be as simple as melted cheez whiz and American cheese with a splash of milk. The advantage: you can make them any day, not just when Taco Bell decides to put them back on the menu.
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- The seasoning goes on while the fries are still hot and slightly oily. The residual oil on fresh-cooked fries acts as glue for the spice blend. If you wait until the fries cool, the seasoning slides off and piles up at the bottom of the bowl. Toss the hot fries in a large bowl with the seasoning immediately after cooking and the spices stick to every surface. This is the same technique Taco Bell uses.
- Double frying creates the perfect texture. A low fry cooks the inside, and a hot fry crisps the outside.
- Soaking removes excess starch. A cold water soak helps the fries crisp up instead of turning gummy.
- Drying is essential. Patting the fries dry keeps the hot oil from spattering and helps them brown.
- A homemade seasoning nails the flavor. Sweet and smoked paprika plus chili powder recreate that signature nacho fry taste.
- Cheez Whiz shortcuts the sauce. Melted with American cheese and jalapeno juice, it tastes just like the drive thru.
- The cheese sauce must be warm, not cold. Cold nacho cheese clumps on the fries and does not drip or dip properly. Warm the cheese sauce in a small saucepan or microwave until it is pourable.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Available anytime. No waiting for them to come back to the menu, make them whenever you want.
- That crave worthy seasoning. The smoky, spiced blend is the star, just like our fried red potato wedges.
- Crispy fries plus cheesy dip. The combo is impossible to resist and perfect for sharing.
Key Ingredients
- Russet Potatoes: Starchy russets fry up the crispiest; cut them into thin fries.
- Cheez Whiz and American Cheese: The base of the smooth, fast food style nacho cheese sauce.
- Pickled Jalapeno Juice: Adds tang and a little heat to the cheese sauce.
- Sweet and Smoked Paprika: The backbone of the signature reddish nacho fry seasoning.
- Chili, Garlic, and Onion Powder: Round out the bold seasoning blend, like the spices on our copycat onion petals.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use frozen fries. Skip the cutting and blanching and fry or bake frozen fries, then season.
- Load them up. Top with seasoned beef, beans, tomatoes, and sour cream for loaded nacho fries.
- Make them spicy. Add cayenne to the seasoning or extra jalapeno juice to the sauce.
- Bake or air fry. A lighter option that still gets crispy.
- Pair with more copycats. Serve alongside our Pizza Hut cheese sticks for a fast food night.
How to Make Nacho Fries
- Cut the russet potatoes into thin fries and soak them in cold water while you heat the oil to 325 degrees.
- Take the fries out a handful at a time, dry them completely, and blanch in the oil 6 to 8 minutes until soft but pale. Drain on a wire rack.
- Make the cheese sauce: melt the Cheez Whiz, American cheese, pickled jalapeno juice, and milk in a saucepan over medium low heat until smooth, then keep warm.
- Stir together the sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to make the fry seasoning.
- Increase the oil temperature to 375 degrees.
- Fry the blanched fries in batches until crispy and golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then drain on a wire rack.
- Add the hot fries to a large bowl and toss with the seasoning to taste.
- Serve immediately with the warm nacho cheese sauce for dipping.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soak the cut fries. Cold water pulls out starch so they fry up crispy.
- Dry them well. Wet fries spatter and steam instead of crisping.
- Do not skip the double fry. The two stage fry is what makes them crispy outside and fluffy inside.
- Keep the oil temperature steady. Fry in batches so the oil does not drop too low.
- Season while hot. Toss the fries in seasoning straight from the oil so it sticks.
- Serve right away. Nacho fries are best hot and fresh with warm cheese sauce.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Nacho Fries are made for snacking and sharing, so I love piling them on a platter with a bowl of warm nacho cheese right in the middle for dipping. They are perfect for game day, movie night, or an afternoon treat.
Turn them into a full fast food night by serving them with our Pizza Hut cheese sticks and a basket of copycat onion petals. For a loaded version, pile on taco toppings, or serve them next to our chili cheese fries for the ultimate fry bar.
Serve as a side with our Perfect Smash Burgers or our Southwest Egg Rolls. For a Taco Bell copycat night, add tacos, burritos, and our Doritos Taco Salad.
However you serve them, dig in right away, because these crispy fries are best hot with that warm, cheesy dip.
Nacho Fries FAQs
The best version uses fresh-fried or oven-baked fries tossed in a Tex-Mex seasoning blend ( paprika, garlic, onion, chili) while still hot, served with warm nacho cheese sauce for dipping.
Cheez Whiz gives the sauce that signature smooth, fast food style texture, but you can make a homemade nacho cheese sauce instead with a quick roux, milk, and shredded cheese. The Cheez Whiz shortcut just gets you closest to the Taco Bell flavor with the least effort.
Beyond the cheese sauce: seasoned ground beef or our Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce, sour cream, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, guacamole, and chopped cilantro. For a full loaded version, check out our Chili Cheese Fries and swap the chili for nacho toppings.
The fries are best fresh and crispy, but you can blanch them and make the cheese sauce ahead of time. Keep the blanched fries in the fridge and reheat the sauce gently, then do the final fry right before serving so they stay crispy.
Double frying is the secret to restaurant style fries. The first low temperature fry cooks the potato through and the second hot fry crisps and browns the outside, giving you fries that are fluffy inside and crunchy outside.
Yes. Toss cut fries in a little oil and bake at 425 degrees or air fry at 400 degrees until crispy, shaking the pan partway through. Then toss with the seasoning and serve with the cheese sauce. The texture is a little different but still delicious.
Load them up like nachos with seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, guacamole, or pickled jalapenos. They are a fun base for a loaded fry bar, and you can even add shredded lettuce and a drizzle of taco sauce to make them feel like a full meal. A sprinkle of cotija or shredded cheddar over the top is delicious too.
Store the fries and cheese sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Re crisp the fries in the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave so they do not turn soggy, and rewarm the sauce on the stove or in the microwave, stirring in a splash of milk until smooth again. Season any reheated fries with a little extra blend to refresh the flavor.
Other Recommended Copycat Snacks
If you make these Nacho Fries, I would love to hear how they turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag us in your photos. Happy cooking!
Still filling out the menu? Readers love pairing this one with our air fryer tater tots, jalapeno cheddar corn dogs, Blackstone smash burgers, and air fryer tater tots.
And when you are planning next week’s dinners, our Taco Bell nacho cheese and birria tacos keep the same easy comfort going.
Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Fries
Ingredients
- peanut oil for frying
- 3 medium russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/4 inch sticks
For the sauce
- 15 ounces cheez whiz cheese dip
- 3 slices American cheese
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno juice
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
For the fry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a deep fryer or dutch oven with 4 inches of oil up the side of the pan to 325°F.
- Place the cut potatoes into cold water while you are waiting for the oil to come up to temp.3 medium russet potatoes
- When the oil is ready, take the fries out of the water a handful at a time and dry them off completely using paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Add the fries to the oil and cook until they are just cooked through and soft, 6-8 minutes. Stir them around every few minutes. The fries will not have much color on them at this step.
- Place the blanched fries onto a wire rack that is placed over a sheet tray to catch any drips. Repeat with the remaining fries.
- While you are blanching the fries, make the cheese sauce. Place the cheez whiz, American cheese, jalapeno juice, and milk into a medium-sized saucepan.15 ounces cheez whiz cheese dip, 3 slices American cheese, 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno juice, 2 tablespoons whole milk
- Place the pan over medium-low heat, stirring every so often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Keep cooking until everything is smooth and melted together, up to 10 minutes. Take off the heat, add a lid to the pan, and set aside until serving.
- When all the fries are blanched and the cheese sauce is ready, increase the temperature of the oil to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, set aside.1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Once the oil is up to temp. Add handfuls of the blanched fries to the oil. Cook until crispy and golden brown, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Again, drain the fries on a wire rack over a sheet tray to catch any drips.
- Repeat with the remaining fries. Once they are all cooked, add them to a large bowl. Add half of the fry seasoning and toss to coat the fries. Taste, add more seasoning to your liking.
- Immediately serve the fries with nacho sauce.
Notes
- Use Velveeta cheese in place of Cheez Whiz, but you may need more milk.
- The fries can be frozen, see above on how to do that. I do not suggest freezing the sauce.
- You can add other additions to this recipe, see some of my ideas above.
- This can easily be doubled or tripled.
- Use your favorite cut of frozen fries in place of homemade in a pinch.
- You can make this recipe ahead through step 5.
- Use peanut oil for frying if possible, as it is a cleaner oil and doesn’t stink up the house as much.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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Mine came out soft, not crispy. 🥴 But I do not have a thermometer so guessed on oil temperature, so likely that was the problem.
Sounds good, my question is why blanch the french fries , seems like thats added work.