Homemade Cheesy Chips recipe loaded with crispy fried chips/fries and creamy cheddar cheese sauce. Incredibly delicious and easy to make at home with a handful of cupboard-friendly ingredients.
If you love British chip shop style chips recipes, you will definitely love our reader's favourite, Chinese Salt and Pepper Chips, and Chilli Chips recipes.
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Cheesy chips are the ultimate comfort food that is made with crispy fried chips loaded with creamy cheddar sauce. It is one of the most loved chips recipes in the UK and across the world and is also known as ' Cheesy Fries '. Perfect as a starter, party snack or can be enjoyed any time of the day. In this post, I am sharing our homemade version of ultimate cheesy chips from scratch. All you need is a handful of pantry staples and of course a few large potatoes!
Following is a quick guide and detailed measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
What do we need?
Potatoes: I use large Maris Piper potatoes, you can try with any of your favourite starchy potatoes. Peel and cut the potato into the same size long strips and rinse with cold water.
Can I use frozen chips? Yes. If you already have ready oven chips, you can use them instead of making chips from scratch. Prepare the chips by the packet instructions and meanwhile the chips are in the oven, you can make the cheese sauce. Use oven chips, chunky, crinkle, curly, french fries or any of your favourite cut chips. Just make sure to bake or fry them until crisp before pouring the cheese sauce.
Cheese: You can use mature or mild cheddar to your taste. Cheddar is the best cheese to create a creamy cheese sauce.
Milk: Use whole milk, skimmed milk or evaporated milk.
Flour: Plain flour, all-purpose flour, or corn flour can be used to thicken the sauce.
Unsalted butter: Add the same amount of butter and flour to make the roux.
Seasoning: You will need simple basic seasonings salt, fresh ground black pepper and garlic powder.
Oil for deep frying: You will also need high smoke point vegetable oil like sunflower, canola, grapeseed or peanut oil.
Garnish: Sprinkle finely chopped parsley as a garnish or you can omit it. It's totally optional.
How to make homemade chips
- Peel and cut the potatoes into ½ inch thick long sticks. ( Or desire chip shape. )
- Place them in the cold water for 5 minutes, rinse and drain the water out.
- Then blanch the potatoes in the hot boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove from water and let it cool down over the clean cloth or paper towel.
- Once the potatoes are cool and dry, place them in a large bowl and toss them with corn starch. Toss the excess flour out before frying.
- Heat the vegetable oil to medium-high heat about 330°F and fry the chips for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oil and set it aside for 8-10 minutes. ( Meanwhile, you can make the cheese sauce. )
- Then reheat the oil to high heat about 350°F and double fry the chips. Fry 2-3 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oil and place the chips over the paper towel.
Baking or air frying option
- If you wish to bake or air fry the chips, blanch the cut potatoes in hot boiling water for 3-4 minutes and drain the water out. Let the chips cool and dry.
- Toss them with the corn starch and toss the excess flour out then place them over the baking sheet in a tray.
- Spray generous amount of vegetable or cooking oil over the chips and bake them in the pre-heated oven/ air-fryer 200°C ( 400°F ) for 15-20 mins or until crispy golden brown.
How do you make cheesy chips sauce ?
- Heat the pan into low-medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted add the plain flour and stir it well for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, pour the milk gradually and stir it well until the sauce is creamy.
- Now add the grated cheese and stir gently until the sauce is glossy. Season with a dash of garlic granules.
- To serve, place the fried chips on the serving plate. Season with salt and black pepper. Pour the cheese on chips and garnish with chopped parsley.
Top Tips
- Double fry the chip for ultra crispy coating texture.
- Make the cheese sauce before double frying the chips.
- Use freshly grated cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese packet. Pre-grated cheese can be a bit grainy.
- Cook the sauce with low to low-medium heat. Cooking with high heat might result lumps in the sauce.
- It is important to add the milk gradually to roux.
- Mix with mozzarella for ultra stringy cheese sauce.
- You can also serve this cheese sauce with potato wedges, jacket potato, pasta, maccroni, broccoli, cauliflower, or nachos tortilla chips.
- Be creative by adding extra toppings such as crispy fried bacon, sausages, or shredded chicken.
- If the sauce is too thick, adjust to the desire consisteny by adding more milk or water.
- Serve immediately once the fries and cheese sauce are cooked.
Frequently asked questions
Starchy potatoes are best for making cheesy fries. Use Russet, Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree, Rooster, or any starchy potatoes.
Mature cheddar is a classic cheese that has a strong, earthy, creamy flavour that we love to use to make a cheese sauce. You can also try with mild cheddar or add a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. Adding mozzarella creates a stringy texture.
You can make it one day ahead. Once the sauce is cool, you can store it in the air-tight container and reheat it just before serving.
Do not recommend freezing but can be stored in the fridge with an air-tight container/jar. It usually lasts in the fridge for a couple of days.
Reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Or you can reheat over the stovetop with low heat until the sauce is melted. Add a splash of milk or water if the sauce is too thick.
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📖 Recipe
Cheesy Chips
Ingredients
Homemade chips
- 2-3 Large Potato About 400g ( 14oz ), Russet, Maris Piper, Desiree, King Edward, ( see details in note )
- ¼ tsp Black pepper or pepper to taste
- ¼ tsp Salt or salt to taste
- 3 tbsp Corn starch or potato starch
- Oil for frying Vegetable, sunflower, canola, or neutral flavour oil
Cheese Sauce
- 250 ml Milk Whole milk or skimmed milk
- 150 g Mature Chedder About 5oz, grated
- 1 tbsp Butter Unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp Plain flour All-purpose flour or corn flour
- ¼ tsp Garlic granules or garlic powder ( Optional )
Garnish
- Parsley Finely chopped ( optional )
Instructions
How to make homemade chips
- Peel and cut the potatoes into ½ inch thick long sticks. ( Or desire chip shape. )
- Place them in the cold water for 5 minutes, rinse and drain the water out.
- Then boil the potatoes in the hot boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove from water and let it cool down over the clean cloth or paper towel.
- Once the potatoes are cool and dry, place them in a large bowl and toss them with corn starch. Toss the excess flour out before frying.
- Heat the vegetable oil to medium-high heat about 330°F and fry the chips for 4-5 minutes. Remove from oil and set it aside for 8-10 minutes. ( Meanwhile, you can prepare the cheese sauce. )
- Then reheat the oil to high heat about 350°F and add the single fried chips. Fry 2-3 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oil and place the chips over the paper towel.
Make Cheese Sauce
- Heat the pan into low-medium heat and add a tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is melted add the plain flour and stir it well for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, pour the milk gradually and stir it well until the sauce is creamy.
- Now add the grated cheese and stir gently until the sauce is glossy.
To serve
- To serve, add the fried chips to the serving plate. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the cheese sauce over the fried chips and sprinkle chopped parsley for a garnish.
Video
Notes
- Best potato for chips/fries - Starchy potatoes are best for making chips/fries. Use Russet, Maris Piper, King Edward, Desiree, Rooster, or any starchy potatoes.
- Can I use ready chips? Yes, you can try this recipe with your choice of ready oven chips straight cut, crinkle cut, or french fries. Even taste great with sweet potato fries. Prepare the chips by the packet instructions.
- Mature cheddar - Mature cheddar has a sharp, earthy, pungent, creamy taste which is best to make a cheese sauce. You can also use mild cheddar if you prefer the mild flavour.
- Stringy cheese - To make an extra stringy cheese sauce, add 50g of shredded mozzarella cheese and 100g cheddar cheese.
- Milk - You can use whole milk, skimmed milk, or even evaporated milk works well.
- Flavour variation - To enhance flavour to the cheese sauce, you can also add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, or a choice of mustard sauce. If you use English mustard powder, add ½ teaspoon.
- Toppings and garnish - Sprinkle chopped parsley, chives, spring onions, fried bacon, sausages to your taste.
- Yellow Cheese Sauce - Add a small dash of turmeric powder if you like the yellow colour cheese sauce.
- How to reheat the cheese sauce? Reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds or until the cheese is melted. Or you can reheat over the stovetop with low heat until the sauce is melted. Add a splash of milk or water if the sauce is too thick.
- Can you make it ahead? You can make it one day ahead. Once the sauce is cool, you can store it in the air-tight container and reheat it just before serving.
- Can you freeze it? Do not recommend freezing but can be stored in the fridge with an air-tight container/jar. It usually lasts in the fridge for a couple of days.
Tavish says
Very good!
Amy says
I made this recipe for my son. I used ready made frozen chips with your cheese sauce recipe. He said it is the best cheesy chip I have ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe.