Cheese Fries Recipe (Just 2 Ingredients)

This cheese fries recipe needs just 2 ingredients, french fries and Merkts cheddar cheese spread, and it’s ready in under 10 minutes. I’ve been to many restaurants and bars over the years and I’ve had my fair share of cheese fries. There’s nothing quite like a heaping plate of french fries covered in cheese, which is why I decided to give away my secret recipe to the greatest plate of cheese fries you will ever indulge in.

Sure, there are a lot of restaurants out there with cheese fries, but cheese fries are definitely not all created equal. Some cheese fries are made with nacho cheese sauce, some are made with melted shredded cheese, some are topped with bacon, some are topped with chili… some are topped with stuff I’ve never even heard of… stuff that shouldn’t be anywhere near french fries. But no matter how you create your cheese fries, the secret lies in the cheese you use… that’s it.

You could use the most amazing bacon in the world, or pulled pork that’s been smoked for days, but it doesn’t matter if the cheese you use is garbage.

So now that you’re mouth is watering for the name of this incredible food, let’s take a look at the recipe.

Key Takeaways

• This recipe needs just 2 ingredients: french fries and Merkts Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread.
• It takes about 10 minutes total, mostly the time to cook or reheat the fries, plus about a minute or two to melt the cheese.
• This recipe makes about 2-3 servings, depending on how many fries you cook.
• The cheese is what makes this recipe, not the fries, any fries you like will work, even fast food ones.
• Melt the cheese in short 15-second microwave increments so it doesn’t overheat.

Cheese Fries Recipe

The Fries

Honestly, the fries don’t even matter that much so just use what you prefer. I tend to just use Ore-Ida Country Style French Fries or the Shoestring fries, frozen and then just throw them in the Air Fryer until they are nice and crispy.

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, which I highly recommend, you can always bake them or use a deep fryer. I just personally don’t like dealing with the oil that comes with using a deep fryer, and I feel like baking them doesn’t give you the same crispiness that I look for in a french fry.

Also, if you’re really lazy and don’t want to bother buying a huge bag of french fries and cooking them up, just swing by your favorite fast food place and pick up a large order of fries. The McDonalds fries will work just fine for this and nobody will judge you… too harshly.

So now that you’re sitting with a large pile of cooked up french fries, it’s time to bring in the star of the show… the cheese.

The Cheese

As I said above, the cheese is absolutely the key to any good cheese fries. You could have the freshest french fries, the most amazing bacon bits, great chili, whatever… but if the cheese is bad, it ruins the whole plate.

Don’t get me wrong though, when it comes to making nachos at home I can do the Kraft Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese on top of a pile of tortilla chips all day… but I don’t mess around when it comes to my cheese fries.

So now, without further delay, the star of the show, heaven in your mouth….

Merkts Cheddar Cheese Spread

That’s it, that’s the secret sauce.

I have written about Merkts Cheddar on this site before and can’t express how much I love their Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread. I eat it on crackers, I put it on my burgers, I put it on grilled cheese, I put it on fries (obviously), I put it everywhere… it’s that good.

Places like Edzo’s Burger Shop and Buffalo Joe’s in Evanston have figured out that this cheese is absolutely amazing, which is why they drench their cheese fries in it (cheddar chips if you’re a Buff Joe’s purist). Cheesie’s Pub and Grub has also discovered the awesomeness that is Merkts cheddar and have incorporated it into one of my favorite grilled cheese sandwiches at their restaurants, The Mac (American cheese, Merkt’s cheddar cheese and homemade macaroni and cheese on Texas toast).

So there’s no doubt that this cheese is doing something right, but the best part is, it’s available at most local grocery stores (at least I think it is, their store locator is broken at the moment).

How to Make The Best Cheese Fries at Home

What You Need

As mentioned above, you only need two things for this recipe.

• French Fries (dealers choice)
• Merkts Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation and Execution

1. Cook the fries using your preferred method.
2. Scoop Merkts cheddar into a microwave safe dish
3. Place dish with Merkts cheddar into the microwave and nuke for 15 seconds.
4. Check the cheese to determine if it’s melty enough, if not, nuke a little longer, try to do this in small increments as you don’t want to overheat the cheese, you just want it melty enough to pour over the fries (or dip into).
5. Pour melted cheese overtop of fries, or set dish next to fries for dipping.
6. Enjoy!

Seriously, that’s it.

You can always add things overtop of the cheese fries if you’d like; bacon, scallions, chili, pulled pork, tomatoes, onions… whatever, use your imagination, but at the core of this delectable dish is the cheese.

FAQ: Cheese Fries

Why Merkts cheddar specifically?

It’s what makes this recipe work. Merkts Sharp Cheddar Cheese Spread melts smoothly in the microwave without turning greasy or separating, and it has a sharper, more distinct flavor than most shredded cheeses used for cheese fries.

Can I use a different cheese?

You can, but the whole point of this recipe is that Merkts cheddar is what sets it apart from ordinary cheese fries. A different cheese spread or a nacho cheese sauce will still melt and pour, but it won’t taste the same.

How do I avoid overheating the cheese in the microwave?

Microwave it in short increments, about 15 seconds at a time, checking after each one. Cheese spreads like this can go from perfectly melty to overcooked fast, so small increments give you more control than one long blast.

Can I use fast food fries instead of making my own?

Yes. The fries are the easy part of this recipe, so a large order from your favorite fast food place works just as well as fries you cook at home.

What else can I add to cheese fries?

Whatever you like: bacon, scallions, chili, pulled pork, tomatoes, or onions are all common additions. The cheese is the essential part, everything else is optional.