EASY Loaded Cheese Fries
Loaded Fries done the right way! These crispy French fries are smothered in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with bacon, chicken tenders, jalapeños, green onions, and even more cheese. They’re a crowd-pleaser that won’t disappoint!
LOCKED AND LOADED!
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m a sucker for a crispy French Fry. They’re my lil appetizer before I eat my burger or chicken sandwich. But this time around, let’s make them LOADED. Oh and when I say LOADED, I mean from the top to the bottom! So let’s make some!
My Easy Loaded Cheese Fries are the ultimate snack for you and your guests on gameday, weeknights, and especially those late nights when you're craving something good! They’re layered with a homemade cheese sauce, bacon, chicken tenders, and so much more! What more could you want?!?
LET’S TALK Cheese Sauce!
These Loaded Fries are a game-changer, but the secret is in the sauce! Most of the time you’ll see loaded fries or nachos with just some shredded cheese and topping on top. But for this recipe, we’re making a 3-cheese cheese sauce.
Making homemade Cheese Sauce is a little intimidating for some. But y’all know I’ve got y’all covered with a few easy tips & tricks:
Don’t Allow Your Butter to Burn. You want your butter to be a maximum golden brown. This is the foundation of your sauce and you don’t want that burnt flavor all throughout it. Keep your pan at medium heat as well to prevent burning.
Only Cook Your Roux for 1 - 2 Minutes. For those who don’t know what a roux is, a roux is part fat and part flour (usually a 1 to 1 ratio). This is the thickener for the sauce. You want your roux to be a whitish-creamish color. So, only allow it to cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
Make Sure Your Sauce Comes to a Simmer/Light Boil. In order for your sauce to thicken you have to bring the sauce to a light boil/simmer. This will allow the roux to activate and thicken the milk you have added to it.
Shred Your Own Cheeses! You want a smooth and creamy sauce whenever you're making a homemade cheese sauce. Any easy way of doing this is by shredding your own cheeses. Yes, this is an extra step, but by doing so you won’t have cellulose in your sauce. A lot of pre-shredded sauces are tossed in a cellulose coating in order to keep the cheese from sticking to each other.
Easy Loaded Cheese Fries Ingredients:
Okay now, let’s talk ingredients! These ingredients are very easy to find and use! You probably have some of them already in your pantry.
Frozen French Fries: You can get frozen fries from pretty much any grocery store. My favorite brand of frozen potatoes is the Grown in Idaho French Fries (all shapes and sizes lol). But you can choose your favorite brand and cook them how you like (air-fry, bake, deep fry).
White Sauce: To start your cheese sauce, you have to make a roux with some melted butter and all-purpose flour. Once the roux is slightly cooked, you’ll add in some whole milk.
Cheeses: For this sauce, I went with Sharp Cheddar, Colby Jack, and some processed cheese, such as Velveeta. The Sharp Cheddar & Colby Jack gives some nice bite and saltiness to the sauce, while the Velveeta helps make the sauce extra creamy.
Hot Sauce: Adding hot sauce is totally optional, but I love the added spice from it. You want to make sure you take your sauce off the heat before adding in the hot sauce. The acid in the hot sauce could break the cheese sauce, so the less heat the better.
Chicken Tenders & Cooked Bacon: These are loaded fries aren’t they?!? To make these fries extra delicious, I layered in some chopped chicken tenders and crispy chopped bacon. Use your favorite brand of both, just make sure they are both crispy.
Jalapeño Peppers: Y’all already know how much I love adding a lil spice to my dishes. So, I had to add a few sliced jalapenos to make the fries taste even better.
Green Onions: For a lil garnish on top, I topped my fries off with some chopped green onions. This is totally optional as well.
Ranch Dressing: I am a sauce kind of guy, so I drizzled some ranch dressing on top of the fries to make them extra-loaded. Blue Cheese Dressing will work just as well too!
How to Make Easy Loaded Cheese Fries:
These fries are too good not to finish! Did I mention they’re easy to make and take no time at all? You’ll have your friends thinking you really know how to cook!
The full written recipe is below, but here’s an overview:
STEP 1: Cook the Fries. Cook fries as directed on the package, until crispy. You can choose to bake, air-fry, or deep fry your french fries depending on your preference.
STEP 2: Make the White Sauce. In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook and stir for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Make sure to stir frequently until the sauce is thickened.
STEP 3: Add the Cheeses to Finish the Sauce. Add ½ cup of the Cheddar Cheese, ½ cup of Colby Jack Cheese, and the cubed Velveeta, stirring until the sauce is smooth and the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the hot sauce (optional).
STEP 4: Layer the Fries with Toppings. Remove the fries from the oven, air-fryer, or deep fryer. Preheat the broiler in your oven to high. Place half of your fries on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil or in a cast iron. Begin layering your fries with cheese sauce, chicken tenders, bacon, jalapenos, and the remaining shredded cheese. Repeat this process with the other half of the fries.
STEP 5: Broil the Cheese & Garnish. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the shredded cheese is bubbly. Top with some extra sliced jalapeños and chopped green onions. Drizzle with Ranch Dressing to serve and enjoy!
Can I make these ahead of time?
Honestly, that’s a Yes & No kind of answer. You can definitely make some of this recipe ahead of time.
Make your Cheese Sauce, cool it down, and hold it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat the sauce in a skillet or saucepan. If the sauce is a little thick, whisk in small amounts of water at a time (about 1 tbsp) until you get your desired consistency.
You can also cook your bacon ahead of time and reheat it when you're ready to build your fries.
TRY OUT THESE OTHER Appetizer RECIPES!
These loaded fries are such an easy appetizer or meal to make! They can be served with so many different apps to make your parties even more of a hit! Here are a few suggestions that would go great with them:
I’d love to hear your feedback about these EASY Loaded Cheese Fries! Leave me a message in the comments section below. Remember to share and enjoy! Follow Be Greedy Eats on Pinterest and Instagram as well!
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