Game day get-togethers mean Chili Cheese Fries are on the menu! Crispy fries are topped with homemade beef chili, melty cheese, and all your favorite toppings. Dig in!
Email Me the Recipe!
Enter your email below to save this recipe to your free Well Plated recipe box.
From time to time, we'll send you the best of Well Plated. Already registered? Log in here.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Chili Cheese Fries Recipe
- The Over-the-Top App You Crave for Game Day. What is it about football that makes us want to stuff ourselves with Buffalo Chicken Pizza and 7 Layer Taco Dip? I don’t know, but I’m not going to complain when it gives me an excuse to make chili cheese fries. This recipe is ALWAYS a hit.
- Semi-Homemade to Save You Time. My philosophy with chili cheese fries is that you can make the chili from scratch or make the fries from scratch, but you can’t do both because that’s just too much work on a Sunday afternoon. Here, we use store-bought fries and make the chili from scratch, which is definitely the move—it’s thick (so it doesn’t make your fries soggy!), meaty, and packed with big flavor.
- Totally Customizable. Add your go-to chili toppings, swap in sweet potato fries or tater tots (or homemade Sweet Potato Fries and Tater Tots if you’re super ambitious), use ground turkey instead of ground beef—this is a recipe that gives you plenty of options.
How to Make Chili Cheese Fries
The Ingredients
- Lean Ground Beef. If you use a higher fat ground beef, I recommend draining off some of the grease after you brown it.
- Vegetables. Yellow onion and bell pepper (you can use green, which has a bit more sharpness to the flavor, or a mellower sweet red or yellow pepper), plus garlic.
- Seasonings. Chili powder, ground cumin, oregano, and of course, the salt and pepper.
- Beer. The beer you choose will affect the flavor of the chili. Most people prefer something that’s not too hoppy, like a lager or porter. A stout beer also works and adds a rich, robust flavor. (If you want to skip the alcohol, just add extra beef broth.)
- Crushed Tomatoes. I like crushed tomatoes instead of diced because they have more texture than tomato sauce, but they’re broken down more, unlike diced tomatoes.
- Beef Broth. I use a low-sodium broth so I can season the chili to taste and avoid overly salty chili cheese fries.
- Black Beans. Or another bean you like in your chili. Rinse and drain well.
- Frozen French Fries. I like to use Alexia fries. While I went with traditional fries, waffle fries would be excellent for scooping up lots of chili and toppings!
- Toppings. Cheese, Pickled Jalapeños, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), green onions, cilantro, and anything else you want to pile atop your loaded fries.
The Directions
- Brown the Beef. Add it to the pan in a slab, brown both sides, then start breaking it into smaller pieces. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the Veggies and Seasonings. Sauté the onion and bell pepper over medium heat until softened, then stir in the spices and cook until fragrant.
- Deglaze the Pan. Pour in the beer. Bring it to a simmer and scrape up the browned bits from the pan.
- Simmer. Once the beer has reduced, add the beef back to the pan with the tomatoes, broth, and beans. Simmer partially covered over low heat for at least 10 minutes, or up to an hour.
- Make the Fries. Follow the instructions on the package. EASY!
- Assemble. Top the fries with the chili and your desired toppings. Serve the chili cheese fries immediately and ENJOY!
Recipe Variations
- Use Your Go-To Chili. Feel free to swap in your favorite chili recipe. (Try Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili for vegetarian chili cheese fries, or Healthy Turkey Chili.) I recommend adding it to the fries with a slotted spoon, though, to make sure your chili cheese fries don’t get overly soggy since some chili recipes have more liquid than others.
- Make Potato Wedges. For chunkier fries that hold more stuff, use potato wedges (or these Air Fryer Potato Wedges) as the base.
- Do a Potato Skin Mashup. If you love Potato Skins, use the crispy potato skins as a base for the chili and toppings instead of fries.
What to Serve with Chili Cheese Fries
- Dips. Mexican Corn Dip is always a huge crowd-pleaser.
- More Classic Game Day Snacks. You can’t go wrong with Buffalo Chicken Meatballs or BBQ Chicken Pizza.
- Wings. Wings are a must! Try these Air Fryer Chicken Wings or Smoked Chicken Wings.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Serve Right Away. As the chili cheese fries sit, the fries will start to soften. People have mixed feelings about this! If you demand crispy fries, you’ll want to eat this recipe right away.
- Offer an Assemble-Your-Own Option. Another way to keep those fries nice and crispy is to let everyone put together their own plate of chili cheese fries. Customization ifs always fun, plus it keeps the fries from sitting under the chili for an extended time.
- Get a Head Start. Make the chili up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerate it until you’re ready to make the fries. Warm it up on the stovetop over medium heat.
Chili Cheese Fries
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Crispy fries are topped with thick, meaty chili, melty cheese, and all your favorite toppings to make the best loaded chili cheese fries!
email me the recipe!
Enter your email below to save this recipe to your free Well Plated recipe box.
From time to time, we’ll send you the best of Well Plated. Already registered? Log in here.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus additional as needed
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion diced, about 1 cup
- 1 medium bell pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup beer or additional beef broth
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth plus a few splashes if needed
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 (28-ounce) bag frozen French fries I used Alexia brand
Toppings
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese
- Pickled Jalapeños or swap storebought
- ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt thinned with 1-2 teaspoons water
- Green onions thinly sliced
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the beef in a single block and cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom. Flip and brown on the other side. Break the beef into 4 large chunks and continue to cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, until well browned, then start to break it up into small crumbles. Before the beef is fully cooked (there will still be some pink), transfer it to a plate, leaving any drippings in the pot.
- If the pot is dry, add another drizzle of olive oil. Return the pot to medium heat and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Pour in the beer and bring to a simmer, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced.
- Return the beef and any juices that have collected to the pot, along with the tomatoes, broth, and beans. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer over low heat for at least 10 minutes to develop the flavors, stirring occasionally (you can go up to 1 hour for the max-effect chili flavor!). If the liquid evaporates too much, add another splash of broth and cover the pot.
- Prepare the fries according to package instructions.
- Transfer the crispy fries to a serving platter and top with the chili. Garnish with shredded cheese, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, and thinned sour cream. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Once assembled, these chili cheese fries will not store very well. You can refrigerate them for up to 2 days, but the fries will be soft. It’s best to store each component separately if you can.
- TO REHEAT: Reheat assembled chili cheese fries in the microwave until warmed through. Otherwise, the fries can be reheated in the oven at 400ºF and the chili can be reheated on the stovetop.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 935kcalCarbohydrates: 99gProtein: 42gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 79mgPotassium: 2.424mgFiber: 22gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 942IUVitamin C: 59mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 11mg
Join today and start saving your favorite recipes
Create an account to easily save your favorite recipes and access FREE meal plans.
Sign Me UpRelated Recipes
Loaded fries are always a good choice for game day. Here are a few more recipes to try:
I’m not usually one to leave reviews, but these Chili Cheese Fries deserve a 5 stars. I made them for game day, and they were a huge hit. It was flavorful without being too spicy, and topping it all with a generous amount of cheese was the cherry on top.
So glad you did, Robbie! Thank you!
Great afternoon snack that held us over until dinner time. I whipped up this recipe earlier, and it exceeded all my expectations. The combination of fries, chili, and cheese was just incredible. Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear, thank you Valerie!
I can’t get over how good these Chili Cheese Fries turned out! The recipe was super easy to follow, and the results were amazing. Perfect for movie nights. We will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Great to hear, thank you Kandice!