Skip the drive thru and make your own Taco Bell Nacho Fries at home in less than half an hour. Crispy seasoned fries and a homemade nacho cheese sauce!
I know I wasn’t the only one excited to see the return of the Taco Bell Nacho Fries to the menu. But sometimes, I just don’t feel like leaving the house to satisfy those cravings.
And now, with this super easy Taco Bell Nacho Fries Recipe I don’t have to, and neither do you! This recipe is super simple with minimal steps that you will be making these all the time!
I’m all about making my own restaurant favorites at home when I can. These can literally go with any of your favorite meals, or just eat them by themselves as an appetizer or side, they are that cravable.
Both the fries and sauce are very close to the original- dare I say, better? Plus you get such a small portion when you go get these from the restaurant, with this recipe you get a ton with my Taco Bell Nacho Fries!
If you are a fan of Taco Bell but want to save a little money and gas/time, then this is the one recipe that you absolutely must make at home.
Some of our other favorite copycat recipes we have on our site include: Copycat Arbys Beef and Cheddar, Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken and Copycat Cracker Barrel Meatloaf!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Comes together with minimal ingredients in no time.
- Always a family favorite with kids and adults.
- No need to leave the house when the cravings strike!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Peanut oil
Russet potatoes
Cheez whiz cheese dip
American cheese
Pickled jalapeno juice
Whole milk
Sweet paprika
Smoked paprika
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
HOW TO MAKE TACO BELL NACHO FRIES, STEP BY STEP:
- Preheat a deep fryer or dutch oven with 4 inches of oil to 325°F.
- Place the cut potatoes into cold water while you wait for the oil to heat up.
- When the oil is hot, a handful at a time, remove the fries from the water and dry them off completely using paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Carefully, add the fries to the hot oil and cook until they are just cooked through yet still soft, usually takes 6-8 minutes. Stir them around every few minutes so they don’t stick together. The fries will not have much color on them at this step but that’s okay. Place the blanched fries onto a wire rack that is placed over a sheet tray to catch any drips. Repeat with the rest of the fries.
- While you are blanching the fries, make the nacho cheese sauce. Place the cheez whiz, American cheese, jalapeno juice, and milk into a medium-sized saucepan.
- Place the cheese filled pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Keep cooking until everything is smooth and melted, which can take up to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add a lid to the pan, and set aside until serving.
- When all the fries are blanched and the cheese sauce is ready, increase the temperature of the oil to 375°F.
- Stir together the sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, in a small bowl and then set aside.
- Once the oil has reached the temperature, add handfuls of the blanched fries to the oil. Cook until crispy and golden brown, which takes 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Drain the fries on a wire rack over a sheet tray to catch any drips.
- Repeat with the rest of the fries. Once they are all cooked, add them to a large bowl. Add half of the fry seasoning and toss to coat the fries. Taste test, add more seasoning to your liking.
- Immediately serve the fries with nacho sauce and enjoy.
DO I HAVE TO MAKE MY OWN FRIES?
If you don’t want to make your own fries, I totally get it, it can be time-consuming. Instead, you can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen shoestring fries and cook them using the directions on the back of the packaging.
The rest of the instructions for the recipe remains the same.
CAN I USE DIFFERENT POTATOES?
When frying potatoes, I only use russet potatoes. I do not suggest using a different type of potato, russets are starchy which helps them to brown evenly and cook up crispy.
CAN I MAKE THE SAUCE SPICIER?
If you like a little more heat to the sauce, add another 2 tablespoons of jalapeño juice, or you can add a 4- ounce can of diced jalapeños with the juice in place of the pickled jalapeño juice in the recipe.
HOW TO STORE:
These can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 4 days.
You can freeze these in an airtight container where they will keep for up to 3 months. They can be added to the oven from frozen or can thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
I do not recommend freezing the cheese sauce though.
To reheat, I suggest warming the Taco Bell Nacho Fries in a 350°F oven until they’re warmed through again.
I think the oven is best since they will have the seasoning on them, I would not add them back to the fryer once seasoned. Heat the cheese sauce on the stovetop stirring occasionally over low heat until it’s smooth and warm again before dipping the fries.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- If you want more heat, add another 2 Tablespoons of jalapeno juice, or add a 4-ounce can of dried jalapenos with the juice instead of the pickled jalapeno juice.
- Don’t use other potatoes other than Russet potatoes.
- You can use other oil for frying, like vegetable or canola, but I find peanut oil brings it the closest to the original.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying the potatoes but not too hot that it burns the potatoes before it finishes cooking on the inside.
- Use a candy thermometer to see what the oil temp is if needed.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- You can use frozen shoestring fries for this recipe.
- Easily double this recipe to serve more people or keep for later.
Ready to make some tasty seasoned fries and cheese sauce? You’re going to love being able to make this copycat Taco Bell Nacho Fries recipe at home!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
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Taco Bell Naco Fries
Ingredients
- Peanut oil for frying
- 3 medium russet potatoes peeled, cut into ¼ inch sticks
For the sauce:
- 15 ounce container cheez whiz cheese dip
- 3 slices American cheese
- ¼ cup pickled jalapeno juice
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
For the fry seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a deep fryer or dutch oven with 4 inches of oil to 325°F.
- Place the cut potatoes into cold water while you wait for the oil to heat up.
- When the oil is hot, a handful at a time, remove the fries from the water and dry them off completely using paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
- Carefully, add the fries to the hot oil and cook until they are just cooked through yet still soft, usually takes 6-8 minutes. Stir them around every few minutes so they don't stick together. The fries will not have much color on them at this step but that's okay. Place the blanched fries onto a wire rack that is placed over a sheet tray to catch any drips. Repeat with the rest of the fries.
- While you are blanching the fries, make the nacho cheese sauce. Place the cheez whiz, American cheese, jalapeno juice, and milk into a medium-sized saucepan.
- Place the cheese filled pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Keep cooking until everything is smooth and melted, which can take up to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add a lid to the pan, and set aside until serving.
- When all the fries are blanched and the cheese sauce is ready, increase the temperature of the oil to 375°F.
- Stir together the sweet paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, in a small bowl and then set aside.
- Once the oil has reached the temperature, add handfuls of the blanched fries to the oil. Cook until crispy and golden brown, which takes 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Drain the fries on a wire rack over a sheet tray to catch any drips.
- Repeat with the rest of the fries. Once they are all cooked, add them to a large bowl. Add half of the fry seasoning and toss to coat the fries. Taste test, add more seasoning to your liking.
- Immediately serve the fries with nacho sauce and enjoy.
Notes
- If you want more heat, add another 2 Tablespoons of jalapeno juice, or add a 4-ounce can of dried jalapenos with the juice instead of the pickled jalapeno juice.
- Don't use other potatoes other than Russet potatoes.
- You can use other oil for frying, like vegetable or canola, but I find peanut oil brings it the closest to the original.
- Make sure your oil is hot enough before frying the potatoes but not too hot that it burns the potatoes before it finishes cooking on the inside.
- Use a candy thermometer to see what the oil temp is if needed.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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