These super easy loaded fries come together in just minutes and will be a crowd pleasing appetizer for your next game day celebration or family get together. Crispy seasoned waffle fries are topped with melty cheese, crispy bacon, plenty of sour cream, and sliced green onions!
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You Will Love These
- These loaded cheese fries are an easy recipe for an amazing appetizer on game day, Sunday afternoon football, or family game night. With simple, easy-to-find ingredients, and a quick few minutes in the oven, loaded fries come together in no time for a delicious side dish your family will love!
- If you loved this loaded fries recipe, be sure to check out my Easy Pepperoni Pizza Fries, my Chili Lime Party Meatball Appetizer, my Crispy Greek Fries, or my Jalapeno Popper Dip.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Frozen Waffles Fries - Frozen seasoned waffle fries are best for these loaded French fries and can be found at your local grocery store in the frozen aisle. But you could also use seasoned curly fries or sweet potato fries. If you prefer to make your own, try my super easy homemade crispy baked fries recipe!
- Shredded Cheese - I like to use a mix of mild cheddar cheese and Monterey jack for these loaded fries. Another favorite combo of mine is sharp cheddar and pepperjack. Freshly shredded cheese will melt best so I recommend grabbing a block from the store and shredding it yourself. Some loaded fries call for cheese sauce, but I find that can make the fries soggy so I opt to melting shredded cheese instead.
- Bacon - The bacon really takes these loaded fries to the next level. Baking the bacon on a sheet pan is the very easiest way to cook it and if you haven't tried it yet you are going to love it! You could also use store bought bacon bits in place of freshly crisped bacon.
- Sour Cream - Loaded fries are not complete without a hearty dollop of sour cream. I prefer to use full fat sour cream for this recipe because it has the best flavor and creamy texture.
- Jalapenos, Red Onions, Green Onions, and Chives - Adding a few fresh elements to these cheese fries is a great way to balance out the richness of this dish. Add your favorites and get creative!
Instructions
Bake fries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange crispy fries on a 9x13 baking sheet like this one. Add cheese and bake.
Add bacon, jalapeños, and onions and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream, green onions, and chives, and enjoy!
Tips
- Bake the bacon along with the fries! Save yourself time and energy and bake your bacon right along with your fries. Your bacon will likely be cooked through before the fries are done which works out perfect so that you have it crumbled and ready to go when it's time to assemble the fries!
- If you're serving these loaded fries to kiddos, you can carefully remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet and transfer them fries to a serving platter or right to the table so that no one burns themselves on the warm edges of the baking sheet.
- If you can only find seasoned fries, try using Lawry's seasoning salt or make a homemade fry seasoning.
- Switch up the toppings to suit your family's taste or clean out the fridge! Try adding cooked, seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, and salsa to make taco fries! You could also add leftover strips of steak to make cheesy steak fries or carne asada fries! Other fun toppings include, sliced olives, diced pickles, and diced avocado. If you're from the Midwest like me, you might also enjoy ranch dressing or BBQ sauce on your loaded fries! 😉
FAQ
What are loaded French fries?
Loaded fries are a classic appetizer served on game day that consists of French fries, topped with melted cheese, diced onions, sliced jalapenos, crispy bacon, and cool sour cream. They can be served in a baking dish or in a cast-iron skillet.
What's another name for loaded fries?
Loaded fries can also be called French fry nachos, cheese fries, or poutine. These variations can include a number of other toppings and ingredients served in a pan or skillet.
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make-Ahead: Bacon cheese fries are best served warm straight from the oven so I don't recommend making these ahead of time. You can however prep all the ingredients up to 3 days in advance which will save time when you're ready to bake the fries and assemble!
- Storage: If you do end up with leftovers (which is highly unlikely, trust me!) store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: To reheat loaded fries, transfer them to a baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes or until warmed through.
Homemade French Fry Recipes
- Easy Crispy Oven Baked Fries
- Homemade Crispy Greek Fries
- Crispy Greek Wedges with Yogurt Sauce
- Homemade Air Fryer Fries
- Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
Serve Loaded Fries With
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork Burgers
- Easy 15 Minute Smash Burgers
- Crispy Vegan Falafel Burger
- Simple Greek Turkey Burger
- Tasty Vegetarian Black Bean Burger
More Easy Appetizers
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The Easiest Loaded Fries
These super easy loaded fries come together in just minutes and will be a crowd pleasing appetizer for your next game day celebration or family get together. Crispy seasoned waffle fries are topped with melty cheese, crispy bacon, plenty of sour cream, and sliced green onions!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 20 oz. bag frozen, seasoned waffles fries
- 12 oz. thick cut shredded cheese
- 6 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
Garnishes
- sour cream
- sliced green onion
- sliced chives
Instructions
- Bake fries according to package directions. Arrange them on a 9x13 baking sheet.
- Add cheese. Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Add bacon, jalapenos. and onions and bake for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add sour cream, green onions, and chives, and enjoy!
Notes
- Bake the bacon along with the fries! Save yourself time and energy and bake your bacon right along with your fries. Your bacon will likely be cooked through before the fries are done which works out perfect so that you have it crumbled and ready to go when it's time to assemble the fries!
- If you're serving these loaded fries to kiddos, you can carefully remove the parchment paper from the baking sheet and transfer them fries to a serving platter or right to the table so that no one burns themselves on the warm edges of the baking sheet.
- If you can only find seasoned fries, try using Lawry's seasoning salt or make a homemade fry seasoning.
- Switch up the toppings to suit your family's taste or clean out the fridge! Try adding cooked, seasoned ground beef, diced tomatoes, and salsa to make taco fries! You could also add leftover strips of steak to make cheesy steak fries or carne asada fries! Other fun toppings include, sliced olives, diced pickles, and diced avocado. If you're from the Midwest like me, you might also enjoy ranch dressing or BBQ sauce on your loaded fries! 😉
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 0.3 g
- Sodium: 756.3 mg
- Fat: 28.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 12.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.2 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 15.1 g
- Cholesterol: 53.3 mg
Keywords: cheese fries, loaded french fries, bacon cheese fries
Sarah
Hey Kylie,
We love fries recipes too. They're so tasty and versatile that even the pickiest of eaters will dig in! Love the tip about baking the bacon along with the fries. Huge timesaver as it's one less dish to wash. Recently we made an elotes fries recipe as well as a birria fries recipe. Both were gobbled up quickly.
★★★★★
Luke
These loaded fries are one of our family's favorite weeknight dinners. The perfect way to clean out the fridge and our daughter loves them!
★★★★★