This chili cheese fries air fryer recipe cooks completely in the air fryer, with no additional pans required. It’s warm, crispy, cheesy, and easy to make with canned or leftover chili.
1Bagfrozen seasoned french fries, any cut(approximately 24-26 ounce size)
15Ouncecan prepared chili, any typeor about 2 cups of leftover chili
9Ouncecan cheddar cheese sauce(or about a cup of other varieties)
Instructions
Preheat air fryer to 400°F
Place the parchment or foil in the basket, and add the frozen fries on top in a single layer (you may need to cook in batches depending on size of air fryer)
1 Bag frozen seasoned french fries, any cut
Air fry the fries for 10-15 minutes, pausing to shake and flip them every 5 minutes, or until they’re crispy to the touch and lightly browned. Very thick fries may need 5 more minutes. For fresh cut fries, cook for 20-25 minutes instead
Pull the basket out, and top the fries with any fry seasoning that’s desired, then add the chili
15 Ounce can prepared chili, any type
Return to the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes at 400°F to warm the chili
Remove the basket again, this time topping the chili with the cheese
9 Ounce can cheddar cheese sauce
Place basket back in the air fryer, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is warm and melted
Top with sliced green onions, jalapeno slices, sour cream, hot sauce, or anything else you like!
Notes
Any type of frozen fries will do, and they can be regular or sweet potato. I like crinkle or waffle cut because I find they hold the toppings on better, but you can use standard cut, wedges, or your favorites
Choose seasoned or battered frozen fries for additional flavor, or add some french fry seasoning to plain fries
If you prefer to use fresh potatoes, you’ll want about 1.5-2 pounds of russets cut into fries
Any type of chili is fine: canned, leftover, with beans, no beans, spicy, vegetarian, or vegan chili - they all work great! You can add more or less as well, depending on your preferences
Cheddar cheese sauce works best for that true loaded fries feel. Use jalapeno cheddar or queso if you like more heat
You can substitute about 1 cup of shredded cheese if you prefer. Cheddar, pepper jack, colby jack, and monterey jack are all great options if you go this route
Variations: Substitute cooked, crumbled bacon instead of chili for bacon cheese fries. Omit chili altogether for plain cheese fries
I use a spatula to help turn my fries during cooking since I don’t want to tear or move my parchment or foil accidentally
When the fries are done, use the foil to lift them out of the air fryer basket and you’ll have a nearly clean basket. Hooray for no cleanup!
You can heat your chili ahead of time on the stove or in the microwave to skip that cooking step, but who wants to make extra dishes?
Especially if you use shredded cheese instead, don’t overcook and add any additional time desired in small increments, as it burns quickly
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients, additional toppings, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
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