Easy Cheese Fries (with Homemade Fries)

These easy Cheese Fries are the ultimate indulgent comfort food.

Today I have a fun and easy snack/meal/midnight kitchen project for you, cheesy fries!

Cheese sauce being poured over fries. - 1

Cheese sauce being poured over fries. - 2

Easy Cheesy Fries

If you’re looking for something indulgent and comforting, you really can’t beat a plate of homemade fries loaded with creamy, glorious cheese sauce .

The good news (and maybe bad news) is that this is extremely easy to make at home, and all you need is a couple of russet potatoes, cheddar cheese, and some fridge and pantry staples.

Oven-baked Homemade Fries

If you have a bag of frozen fries in your freezer, you can absolutely use those, but these oven-baked homemade fries are really good and really simple to make.

A couple potatoes, a couple of minutes to cut them into wedges and toss them with olive oil, and about half an hour in the oven, and they’ll come out golden and beautiful, with crispy edges and creamy insides, ready to be drizzled with cheese sauce.

Ingredient Notes

Russet Potatoes: Russet potatoes make the best classic potato wedges. I like to peel them, but that’s optional. If you prefer your fries with skin, just make sure your potatoes are well-scrubbed and cut them into wedges.
Milk: You can use any percentage milk you’d like in this recipe, but the higher fat the milk, the smoother and creamier your sauce will be.
Cheddar cheese: I recommend using freshly shredded cheese. The anti-caking additives in bagged, pre-shredded cheese can make your sauce lumpy. Sharp cheddar is my go-to for cheese sauces, but mild to extra sharp will all work.

How to Make Cheese Fries

Scroll down to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.

Make your wedges: Toss potato wedges with olive oil, season, and then bake until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, flipping once about halfway through.
Start the cheese sauce: Melt butter and whisk in flour until a thick paste forms. Cook until the paste begins to turn golden (this will cook the raw flour taste out of the sauce). Slowly add in milk and whisk until mixture is thickened and bubbly around the edges.
Add cheese: Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the cheese a heaping handful at a time. Once the cheese is completely melted, add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
Pour cheese sauce over fries: Serve and enjoy!!

Recommended Toppings

And if you’re feeling a little more ambitious, here are some additional cheesy fry topping ideas:

Bacon (!!)
Easy chili
Sour cream
Steamed broccoli (LOL)
Carnitas , Barbacoa , or chopped up Carne Asada to make Carne Asada Fries

Can I use a different type of potato for my homemade fries?

While russets are my preferred potato here, use whatever you have on hand. Smaller potatoes like reds will of course take less time to cook, so adjust the baking time as needed.

Can you make cheesy fries ahead of time?

I don’t recommend it. Both homemade fries and cheese sauce are really at their best when served immediately.

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely. You can scale the recipe up with no preparation changes needed except the sauce will take slightly longer to thicken when you add the milk. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.

Cheese Fries Recipe Notes

Keep a close eye on your fries in the last few minutes of cooking time. They tend to go from browned to over-browned quite quickly.

Ingredients

Fries

▢ 2 medium to large russet potatoes peeled and cut into 8 wedges each
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ Seasoning salt or salt and pepper

Cheese Sauce

▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) salted butter
▢ 1 tablespoon ( 8g ) all-purpose flour
▢ ¾ cup milk any percentage
▢ ¾ cup ( 3oz ) shredded Cheddar cheese preferably sharp and freshly shredded
▢ Pinch of cayenne
▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions

Oven-baked Fries

Preheat your oven to 475°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Toss potato wedges with oil and arrange wedges on the baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with seasoning salt or salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes. Use a fork to flip the potatoes, sprinkle this side with seasoning salt/salt and pepper, and bake for an additional 10 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender and reach your desired level of crispiness. Watch closely in the last few minutes of baking time, as the edges will go from browned to burned quite quickly.
Remove from oven, and immediately start your cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce

In a small pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking continuously, until flour is lightly golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Slowly pour in milk, whisking out any lumps as they form. Continue to whisk the mixture until it is thickened and bubbly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add cheese by the heaping handful and whisk until smooth after each. Once all the cheese is incorporated, and add cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.

Assemble

Transfer potato wedges to plates or bowls and drizzle cheese sauce over the top. Serve immediately, and enjoy.

You can make a fantastic sweet and creamy banana milkshake without ice cream. All you need is a blender, a ripe banana, and a handful of pantry staples.

I love a good milkshake, and a couple years ago I started uploading a bunch of milkshake recipes to the site ( How to Make a Milkshake , The Best Vanilla Milkshake , Banana Milkshake , Oreo Milkshake , etc.).

Since then, I have gotten a TON of requests for a milkshake without ice cream, and today that day has finally come. Let’s make a banana milkshake without ice cream.

Banana milkshake without ice cream in a glass cup. - 8

A No-Ice Cream Milkshake

I’ll be totally honest, I was a little iffy about doing a no-ice cream shake. I mean isn’t a milkshake without ice cream just a smoothie?

BUT, I got so many requests for one, and I remembered really enjoying the banana “milkshakes” my health-nut parents used to make for me and my sisters as kids, that I figured I’d give it a try.

I called my mom for the recipe, gave it a couple of tweaks, and you know what? This is a really good milkshake, no ice cream involved.

It’s thick and frosty, surprisingly creamy, and satisfyingly sweet. Best part about it? It feels totally indulgent without actually overindulging.

Ingredient Notes

An overripe banana, preferably frozen: You’ll get the best results with a very ripe, frozen banana. The riper the banana, the more flavor your shake will have. And frozen bananas help you get that true frosty milkshake texture. I found during testing that shakes made with fresh unfrozen bananas were good, but much thinner and less milkshake-like. For extra tips and tricks on freezing bananas, check out my post How to Freeze Bananas .
Milk: Any milk will work here including non-dairy milks. For an extra rich shake, feel free to add a splash of heavy cream or half and half to your measuring cup before filling it the rest of the way with milk.
Ice: A bit of ice along with the frozen banana adds to the frosty texture of the shake. If you don’t have ice or have a blender that can’t handle ice, you can skip it, but your shake won’t be as thick. Also cut the sweetener in the recipe by half if you omit the ice.
Sugar or sweetener of choice: You can skip the sweetener if you want, but I feel like something called a milkshake should be sweet enough to feel like a milkshake. Start with a heaping tablespoon and add more to taste if needed. Honey, stevia, maple syrup or your preferred sweetener can all be used here.

Banana milkshake without ice cream ingredients in a blender. - 9

Banana milkshake without ice cream ingredients in a blender. - 10

How to Make a Banana Milkshake Without Ice Cream

In your blender, combine all ingredients and blend until well-mixed and frosty. If the contents of your blender stop blending at any point, stop, give it a stir, and continue. Repeat as needed.
Pour into a glass, top with optional whipped cream if desired, and enjoy.