Taco Bell Naco Fries
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!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 332kcal
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
Calories: 332kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 1833mg | Potassium: 703mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1585IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 393mg | Iron: 2mg