These easy Chili Cheese Fries are a quick and fun family dinner! Frozen shoestring french fries topped with chili and shredded cheese – perfect for a movie night at home!

Growing up in Philadelphia, the BEST EVER chili cheese fries come from a place called Nifty Fifties. If you’re planning a trip to see the sites in Philly, I highly recommend planning a meal there. Typical chili cheese fries are pretty simple: a bed of fresh hot french fries, topped with a layer of chili and finished off with a layer of melted cheddar cheese.

Is your mouth watering, yet?

Now that we live about 90 minutes away from the closest one now that we live in Amish Country, I set out to try and make my own version here at home. Recreating favorite restaurant menu items in your kitchen is a great way to cut costs of eating out, and also a way to “tweak” the recipe to your specific tastes.

Where did chili cheese fries come from?

This is highly disputed! Texas, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia all take credit for being the first city to serve chili cheese fries. Each region serves it slightly different, too – of course you know I’m partial to Philly’s fries, chili, and melted cheddar combination!

Do chili cheese fries have meat in them?

It depends on what kind of chili you serve with yours. There are many canned chili varieties that contain only beans for a meat-free option. One of the best reasons to make this at home is the ability to cater to your family’s preferences!

Here’s how to make it:

Start with crispy oven baked shoestring french fries. Make sure to stir them halfway through baking for ultimate crispy fries!

Top with shredded cheddar.

Spread chili evenly over the cheese.

Top the chili with even more cheese!

Finish this off in the oven to melt the cheese and heat up the chili. SO good!

Tips to make this more homemade:

Swap the frozen french fries with roasted potato wedges: wash and slice 4 baking potatoes into wedges, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 425 for about 25 minutes or until the wedges are tender. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe!
Use leftover homemade chili! About 2 cups of homemade chili can be substituted for the canned variety – SO much more flavor, too!

Can these chili cheese fries be frozen?

No, because this recipe starts with already frozen french fries, I do not recommend freezing this recipe. However, it’s easy to always keep the frozen french fries and canned chili on hand to whip this up in a moment’s notice – just pick up some shredded cheddar cheese and you’ll be good to go!

If you liked this recipe for Chili Cheese Fries, please leave a rating and a comment below this post!

Chili Cheese Fries

A recipe for chili cheese fries using frozen shoestring french fries, chili, and cheddar cheese.

3.98 from 47 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili cheese fries, recipe for cheese fries

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 18

Total Time: 23

Servings: servings

Calories: 403kcal

Author: Kelly Miller

Ingredients

▢ 14 oz frozen shoestring french fries
▢ 15 oz can chili with beans
▢ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
▢ sour cream and chives, optional garnish

Instructions

Spread frozen fries in an even layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake at 420 degrees for 18 - 20 minutes being sure to stir fries halfway through baking, this helps them crisp up.
Meanwhile, heat chili in a small saucepan over medium-low heat stirring occasionally.
When fries are done, transfer them to a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over fries.
Spread warmed chili over cheese. Top chili with remaining 1 cup cheese.
Return to oven and bake an additional 5 - 8 minutes or until cheese is fully melted. Serve with optional sour cream and chives.

Nutrition

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