Chili Cheese Fries
Best Chili Cheese Fries Recipe – Nothing is better than a plate of crispy fries loaded with a quick and easy chili, LOTS of melty cheese, and your favorite extra toppings! This delicious dish is perfect for game days, parties, or any time you’re craving classic junk food with a homemade twist.
Why We Love This Easy Cheese Fries Recipe
At your next party, skip the chips and dips and make a giant pile of homemade Chili Cheese Fries instead! They are ready to cover with your favorite toppings and serve in under an hour, even with a vibrant scratch-made chili.
This simple recipe consists of a bold chili, homemade french fries (or frozen baked fries), and simple toppings. There are so many easy and delicious ways to customize these… However you choose to load up your fries, they are sure to be a winning snack on game day or at any fun and casual gathering!
Ingredients You Need
For the Chili –
- Ground beef – 80/20 is my favorite for chili
- Mexican chorizo – spicy ground sausage
- Onion – diced
- Bell pepper – diced
- Garlic – minced
- Tomato sauce – canned or jarred
- Canned tomatoes – regular or fire-roasted, if you like
- Ancho chile powder – slightly spicier than regular chili powder
- Ground cumin – for a deep southwestern flavor
- Water – for the chili base
- Salt and Pepper – a bit of each to taste
For the Chili Cheese Fries –
- French fries – We’ve got a couple of great french fry recipes here on the site, but since you’re using so many toppings, good quality frozen fries work just as well here. Your choice!
- Shredded cheese – Use your favorite cheddar, colby jack, or spicy pepper jack cheese.
- Other toppings – Here we use sour cream, scallions, and pickled jalapenos … Keep reading for more suggestions for tasty add-ons!
How to Make the Ultimate Chili Cheese Fries
Set a large 6-quart pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, chorizo, onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces and cook the meat and onions for 5-8 minutes, until the meat is well browned.
Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and juices, ancho chili powder, ground cumin, and an additional cup of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer the chili for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavor is well-developed. Taste, then salt and pepper if needed.
Do not add salt earlier as many of the ingredients are already salty.
As the chili is simmering, make the french fries. Either follow this recipe for homemade fries, or bake frozen french fries on a large baking sheet, according to the package instructions.
Get the Complete (Printable) Chili Cheese Fries Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy!
Once the fries are golden and crispy, pile them on a large serving platter or in individual lined baskets.
Ladle hot chili over the top of the fries, then follow with a heavy sprinkling of cheddar cheese.
Next, add several dollops of sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions.
More Best Toppings for Cheese Fries
Start with our basic recipe for homemade chili cheese fries, then add on whatever toppings you like! Along with cheese, sour cream, and onions, consider also loading on any of these extra goodies:
- Pickled jalapeno slices
- Chopped cooked bacon bits
- Diced white onion
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream)
- Avocado slices
- Fried onions
- Ranch dip or 3-ingredient magic taco dip
Recipe Variations
- Proteins – Swap beef for ground turkey or chicken and/or leave out the chorizo.
- Vegetarian – Make an easy veggie bean chili by subbing the ground meat with 2 cans of rinsed and drained kidney beans. Or, swap the ground beef with your favorite plant-based alternative.
- Chili – This is a great way to use leftover homemade turkey chili! For faster chili fries, feel free to swap the homemade stuff with ready-to-use canned chili.
- Fries – Substitute regular frozen french fries with frozen sweet potato fries, air fryer potato wedges, shoestring fries, or even frozen and baked tater tots!
- Cheese sauce – Make this an extra satisfying comfort food dish by spooning on rich and yummy homemade cheese sauce or classic queso. You can use this instead of shredded cheddar cheese, or go all-in and use both!
Frequently Asked Questions
Go ahead and dig in with your fingers or a fork… Either way, you are going to want to have plenty of napkins on hand!
You can make the chili a day or so in advance. But I do not recommend assembling the chili fries until you’re ready to eat.
The quick homemade chili will keep well for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. Prepare the fries right when ready to load with toppings and serve.
Looking for More Easy Retro Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- 5 Ingredient Pulled Pork Nachos
- Easy Retro Sausage Balls
- 5 Layer Bean Dip
- Tamale Bites
- Loaded Stuffed Jalapenos
Chili Cheese Fries Recipe + VIDEO
Ingredients
For the Chili –
- 1 pound ground beef
- 7 ounces Mexican chorizo
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced bell pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 cup water
- Salt and pepper
For the Chili Cheese Fries –
- 28 ounce bag frozen French fries
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup sliced pickled jalapenos
Instructions
- Set a large 6 quart pot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, chorizo, onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the pot. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces and cook the meat and onions for 5-8 minutes, until the meat is well browned.
- Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and juices, ancho chili powder, ground cumin, and an additional cup of water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Simmer the chili for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavor is well developed. Taste, then salt and pepper if needed. Do not add salt earlier as many of the ingredients are already salty.
- Once the chili is simmering, make the french fries. Either follow this recipe for homemade fries, or bake frozen french fries on a large baking sheet, according to the package instructions.
- Once the fries are golden and crispy, pile them on a large serving platter. Ladle hot chili over the top of the fries, then follow with a heavy sprinkling of cheddar cheese, several dollops of sour cream, a sprinkling of scallions, and pickled jalapeños. Serve immediately.
these bring me back to my childhood! thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe!