Cheese Fries Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

Cheese Fries Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (1)

By: Becky Hardin

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Cheese Fries are one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. Made with frozen French fries, garlic, cheddar cheese, a little flour, and some fridge staples like butter and milk, they are super easy to make and always disappear fast at my house. Who doesn’t want to devour crispy potatoes smothered in a creamy, dreamy homemade cheese sauce? I love that this delicious snack is something that my entire family enjoys and craves.

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What’s in Texas Cheese Fries?

This delicious appetizer, side, or midnight snack takes me just minutes to put together with these simple ingredients! I don’t want to admit how many times we make these at my house.

  • Frozen French Fries: While you could make this recipe with homemade French fries, you will save so much time by using frozen – and they will taste just as delicious.
  • Butter: I like to use grass-fed butter in my recipes, but the important thing is to use real butter and not margarine.
  • Garlic: One of the healthiest foods on earth, this ingredient always adds irresistible flavor to any recipe.
  • Flour: All-purpose flour is all you need to thicken the cheese sauce.
  • Milk: For the best, creamiest cheese sauce, go for full-fat milk in this recipe.
  • Cheese: The recipe calls for yellow cheddar cheese, but you can also use another cheese like white cheddar, Colby, or Monterrey Jack.
  • Cayenne Pepper: This red spice adds the right kick to turn up the heat slightly.
  • Toppings: Chopped green onions and diced jalapenos add depth and flavor to this already flavorful comfort food dish.

Variations on Cheddar Cheese Fries

When I’m looking to add a bit of Mexican flair, I swap the cheese sauce for white queso, poblano queso, or Rotel dip. They’re also delicious made with my homemade nacho cheese.

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What to Serve with Homemade Cheese Fries

While I could eat cheesy fried potatoes as a complete meal any day of the week, they go great with Air Fryer Hamburgers, Philly Cheesesteaks, or Stovetop Burgers.

Recipe

Cheese Fries Recipe

4.70 from 13 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

Total: 30 minutes minutes

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Serves4

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Texas Cheese Fries are always a crowd favorite on game day. Who doesn't want to devour crispy French fried potatoes smothered in a creamy and dreamy cheese sauce?

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Ingredients

  • 1 pound frozen french fries
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (⅛ stick)
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 6 ounces medium cheddar cheese freshly grated
  • teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings

  • Thinly sliced green onion
  • Diced jalapeño peppers
  • Bacon crumbles

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • Bake the fries according to the package directions.

    1 pound frozen french fries

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  • While the fries bake, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and cook until lightly golden.

    1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 cloves garlic

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  • Sprinkle over the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the butter has absorbed all of the flour.

    1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

  • While whisking, slowly stream in the milk, making sure to quickly break up and lumps.

    ¾ cup whole milk

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  • Continue to whisk until the sauce simmers and thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat.

  • One handful at a time, add the cheese to the sauce. Stir until the cheese is completely melted before adding another handful. Continue until all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth.

    6 ounces medium cheddar cheese

  • Whisk in the cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

    ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

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  • Arrange the fries on a serving platter. Top with the cheese sauce and garnishes, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

    Thinly sliced green onion, Diced jalapeño peppers

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Becky’s tips

  • Use your favorite frozen fries, or make your own fries!
  • Feel free to swap some or all of the cheddar cheese for mozzarella, pepper jack, Swiss, Colby jack, or American.
  • For less spicy fries, omit the cayenne; for more spice, double it!
  • It is important to slowly add the cheese to the sauce off heat to prevent the sauce from becoming grainy. If the cheese isn’t melting into the sauce, return it to low heat and stir constantly while it melts.
  • If your sauce is too thick, add in another splash of milk.
  • Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.25pound Calories: 530kcal (27%) Carbohydrates: 39g (13%) Protein: 15g (30%) Fat: 36g (55%) Saturated Fat: 16g (100%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Monounsaturated Fat: 14g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 56mg (19%) Sodium: 1433mg (62%) Potassium: 599mg (17%) Fiber: 5g (21%) Sugar: 2g (2%) Vitamin A: 614IU (12%) Vitamin C: 8mg (10%) Calcium: 371mg (37%) Iron: 2mg (11%)

Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!

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What are the best frozen french fries for cheese fries?

The best frozen fries for cheese fries are your favorite brand! Regular, shoestring, steak, or crinkle-cut fries all work well. I like extra crispy fast-food-style fries because they hold up well to the cheese sauce!

Can I make cheese fries with homemade french fries?

You sure can! Try my shoestring fries recipe, or pour the sauce over baked potato wedges!

Are cheese fries gluten-free?

Unfortunately, these cheese fries are not naturally gluten-free. Many brands of frozen french fries contain wheat flour, and we use all-purpose flour to thicken the cheese sauce.

What kind of cheese is best for cheese fries?

The best cheese for cheese fries is classic cheddar cheese! However, you can always swap some or all of the cheddar for a different cheese, like mozzarella, pepper jack, Swiss, Colby jack, or American.

Why is my cheese sauce grainy?

It is important to slowly add the cheese to the sauce off heat to prevent the sauce from becoming grainy. If the cheese isn’t melting into the sauce, return it to low heat and stir constantly while it melts.

What should I do if my cheese sauce is too thick?

If your sauce is too thick, add in another splash of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Can I store cheese fries for later?

I really don’t recommend storing these cheese fries. Cheese sauce thickened with flour and butter doesn’t reheat well. I recommend halving the recipe if you think you won’t finish it all in one day.

More Loaded French Fry Recipes We Love

  • Chili Cheese Fries
  • Bacon Cheese Fries
  • Garlic Parmesan Fries
  • Carne Asada Fries

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FAQs

What is the best cheese for fries? ›

Velveeta: Okay, I know I've said this 471 times already, but you have to use Velveeta for the creamy, melty sauce that is crucial to the best cheese fries. Velveeta is similar to American cheese – it's a mixture of milk, whey and emulsifiers that make it melt smoothly and perfectly.

How to make train wreck fries? ›

Train Wreck Fries Instructions:

Pile crispy fries onto a large platter. Drizzle chili, cheese sauce, and sriracha ranch sauce over the fries, garnish and serve piping hot. Prepare to see an empty platter in a couple of minutes and repeat.

Who first put cheese on fries? ›

Two possible firsts involve Dairy Queen. One story goes that Austin Ruse invented them at a Dairy Queen in Missouri; another is that a 16-year-old diner named Don Jenkins mixed chili, cheese and fries at a Dairy Queen in Tomball, Texas.

How to season store bought fries? ›

"Add a bit of gourmet flair to your fries by sprinkling them with some garlic powder, fresh rosemary, seasoned salt, or fresh virgin-olive [oil] or truffle oil," Koeppe said. As well as adding flavor, a drizzle of oil can also help keep fries from sticking together in the oven.

How unhealthy are cheese fries? ›

According to the Center for Science in Public Interest's new book Restaurant Confidential, an appetizer of cheese fries packs 3,000 calories, 217 grams of total fat, and 90 grams of artery clogging saturated fat.

Which sauce is used in McDonald's cheesy fries? ›

Our newly introduced Cheesy Fries offers an irresistable combination of our World Famous Fries with smoky-spicy and creamy taste of Chipotle sauce.

How do restaurants get their fries so crispy? ›

Deep fried french fries are often double fried (once at a lower temp, once at a higher temp to crisp) I found out that the same thing works magically for oven fries! You can make oven french fries so good and crispy. Soak the potatoes in cold water after cutting for at least 30 minutes.

What is triple frying? ›

The chips are first simmered, then cooled and drained using a sous-vide technique or by freezing; deep fried at 130 °C (266 °F) and cooled again; and finally deep-fried again at 180 °C (356 °F). The result is what Blumenthal calls "chips with a glass-like crust and a soft, fluffy centre". Triple-cooked chips.

Why are they called dirty fries? ›

These dirty fries are so loaded that you might even call them filthy fries. Also known as loaded fries, dirty fries typically involve french fries topped with cheese (either a cheese sauce or just grated cheese), bacon (veggie bacon in this case!), onions or another veg, and multiple toppings.

What is a fun fact about cheese fries? ›

Cheese fries have been said to have grown in popularity in the United States after canned cheese products such as Cheez Whiz were introduced in 1952. Don A. Jenkins is said to have invented the chili cheese fry variation, at the age of 16, in Tomball, Texas.

Has McDonald's ever had cheese fries? ›

This summer, McDonald's announced that the meaty, cheesy fries are coming back on June 5, and they'll be available nationwide. This basket of artery clogging joy starts off with McDonald's classic fries topped with a cheddar cheese sauce and crumbled applewood smoked bacon pieces.

Is it better to season fries before or after frying? ›

When to Season French Fries. Whether or not you season the french fries before or after they are cooked depends on the cooking method that you use: Deep Fried french fries are seasoned immediately after they're finished frying. Baked or Air Fried fries are seasoned before they're cooked.

What are Mcdonald's fries seasoned with? ›

When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring. This ensures the great-tasting and recognizable flavor we all love from our World Famous Fries®. The Fries are cooked in our kitchens, seasoned with salt, and served hot to you.

What cheeses are best for frying? ›

What cheeses can be fried? Cheeses that have a high melting point can be fried. While the cheese melts slightly, it will generally retain its shape in the fryer or skillet. Popular fried cheese options are cheese curds, queso blanco, halloumi, paneer, mozzarella, bread cheese, certain cheddars, and provolone.

Which cheese is best for potatoes? ›

Cheesy Potato Ingredients

You can vary these ingredients to suit your taste or use what you have on hand. Cheese: I find that cheddar cheese produces the best sauce with the most flavor, especially if you use extra-sharp but a nice swiss or your fave cheese will work just fine!

What is the best cheese to melt? ›

What is the best melting cheese? Cheeses with more moisture and lower melting points - cheddar is one of the most popular choices, but Swiss and Gruyère are also terrific options. Which melts better, mild or sharp cheddar? Mild cheddar melts more smoothly than sharper (more aged) cheddar.

What cheese doesn't melt when fried? ›

But as the weather gets hotter, maybe we should take a look at some cheeses that don't melt. There's a family of semi-firm cheeses — among them, queso panela, queso fresco, paneer, halloumi, feta, cotija, ricotta and soft goat cheese — that won't melt over direct or indirect heat in your kitchen.

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