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These cheese fries are easy to whip up at home! They’re crispy and smothered in a sumptuous homemade cheese sauce.
Craving cheese fries? Here’s how to make them at home! This gooey cheese sauce smothers the crispy baked potatoes in sumptuous goodness. It’s the best way to transform frozen french fries into your favorite diner side for a tasty midnight snack. Here’s how to make a great platter of cheese fries…without having to leave your house.
Ingredients for cheese fries
Cheese fries are French fries covered in a cheese sauce. Of course, you can always add other toppings like chili for chili cheese fries. But the classic cheese fry is simply sauce and potatoes. To make a great homemade cheese sauce, you’ll just need a handful of ingredients you might already have on hand: as long as you’re stocking a block of cheddar cheese. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Frozen Fries or Homemade Baked Fries: We prefer using frozen fries here for ease of preparation. Find a great brand you love: our favorite brand is Alexia.
- Flour
- Butter
- Milk
- Cheddar cheese, grated
- Onion powder, garlic powder and kosher salt
- Apple cider vinegar (or red wine or white wine vinegar)
- Hot sauce (optional)
- Fresh parsley or chives, for garnish
Tips for the cheese sauce
There are a few tricks to a great cheese homemade cheese sauce: otherwise, it can turn out gloppy or grainy. Here are a few things to keep in mind when making your cheese fry sauce:
- Use block cheese if possible. Bags of shredded cheese have additives that can make your cheese sauce grainy. If you can, shred your own cheese off a block.
- Use low heat and add the cheese gradually. You’ll want to add a handful of cheese, then whisk it in until it’s smooth and then add another handful.
- Vinegar makes a glossy finish to the sauce. It makes for a glossy sheen and rounds out the flavors.
- Hot sauce is optional but delicious. Use 1 teaspoon and it gives a subtle complexity without much heat.
- Another option for the cheese sauce? Top with our Nacho Cheese Sauce!
Serving cheese fries
Once you’ve got your cheese sauce and baked fries, you’re ready to assemble! Here’s a tip: serve immediately if you can. This sauce has the best consistency immediately, so try to have the fries done as close to when you finish the sauce as possible.
Generously pour on the cheese sauce, and you’re ready to eat! Add chopped parsley or chives for a garnish if you’re feeling fancy. Some people love to sprinkle with crumbled bacon as well. But there’s no need to get too fancy: this is a straightforward dish. Cheese plus fries always equals delicious!
Reheating the cheese sauce
Cheese sauces made with butter and flour don’t reheat well: the sauce is not nearly as creamy and stretchy as on the day it is made. (Trust us, we’ve tried it!) For that reason, we recommend consuming most of it the day it’s made! Consider making a half recipe if you don’t plan to use the entire 1 cup.
More fries recipes
Love fries? Us too! Here are a few more seasoned fries recipes you’ll love:
- Try these Classic Chili Cheese Fries
- Go for Home Fries or seasoned Cajun Fries
- Opt for Greek Fries or grab Garlic Fries
- Try fan-favorite Baked Sweet Potato Fries
This cheese fries recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Cheese Fries
These cheese fries are easy to whip up at home! They’re crispy and smothered in a sumptuous homemade cheese sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Side dish or appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Fries
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen french fries or 1 recipe Crispy Baked Fries
- 1 tablespoon flour*
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¾ cup milk, plus more for thinning
- 6 ounces mild to medium** cheddar cheese, grated (1 ½ cups)
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or red or white wine vinegar)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- Finely chopped parsley or chives, for the garnish
Instructions
- Bake the fries according to the package instructions or the Baked Fries recipe. Once the fries are done, taste and add additional salt as necessary.
- In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute, until bubbly and golden.
- Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will instantly turn chunky. Constantly whisking, continue to add splashes of milk and whisk them in until the entire quantity is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently, until very thick and smooth.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spices. Stir in the cheese 1 handful at a time, only adding more when it has melted. Once you need more temperature to melt the cheese, return heat to low to complete melting. Once fully smooth, it will be thick. Whisk in 2 more tablespoons of milk until it comes to a pourable consistency, then stir in the vinegar (and hot sauce, if using). If the sauce needs to sit until the fries are done, re-heat it on the stovetop and add a little more milk if necessary to make it pourable.
- Place the warm fries on a platter and pour over the warm cheese sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley or chives and serve immediately.
Notes
*Leftovers don’t reheat well after refrigeration. Consider making a half recipe if you don’t plan to use the entire 1 cup.
**Don’t use an aged cheddar: the flavor is much too strong.
It was very lovely, thank you!
I need more training acquizition from you. Thanks
This cheese sauce will be my go-to EVERY TIME I need a cheese sauce for chips, fries and other creations. Mmmm, it’s so good and the recipe and measurements listed were definitely tried and true. 5 Stars*****
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