Who wants boring frozen fries? Not me! Not you! In just minutes you can transform that bag of sadness into something great with this copycat Taco Bell Nacho fries. Spicy (as spicy as you want) seasoning that’ll wake you up and make you forget those tasteless fries of yesterday. And the cheese sauce! Oh my! Double the recipe and you’ll thank me, because you seriously cannot get too much of the sauce on your fries!
For my copycat Taco Bell nacho fries I used crinkle fries. That’s not what you’ll get at the fast food joint. Why did I commit such a heinous crime? Well, those crinkles hold more cheese sauce and the cheese sauce is yummy! Old school skinny fries aren’t going to give the glorious sauce as much to cling to. Go crinkle and get happy, I say!
I admit that at first, I was pretty sure I didn’t want or need an air fryer. Heck, I can bake my fries in my oven. I can cook my wings on my grill. Yes, I made a lot of excuses for not getting one. Well, the neighbor gave me one of her old ones and I’ve never looked back! I used to to cook these copycat Taco Bell nacho fries!
I use a pretty straight-forward air fryer, that doesn’t have a lot of bells (ok, it has a bell for when the timer goes off!) and whistles. It gets the job done.
Also try my spicy bacon cheese fries.
Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Fries
Ingredients
For the seasoning
- 2 ½ tablespoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the cheese sauce
- 1 cup Cheez Whiz cheese dip
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon brine plus 2 teaspoons, from pickled jalapeno slices
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
For the fries
- 2 pounds Ore-Ida Golden Fries frozen French fries or your favorite kind
Instructions
For the fries
- Prepare the fries according to the bag. I recommend making them in an air fryer or deep fryer to get them good and crunchy. While the fries are cooking, making the seasoning and sauce.
- Transfer the cooked fries to a large bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning blend (using however much or little as you want, you might have leftover seasoning). Toss lightly to coat. Serve with the warm cheese sauce on the side.
For the seasoning
- Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. I like to put them in a resealable container, close the lid, and shake gently to combine.
For the cheese sauce
- Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the cheese and heat through. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Keep warm until needed, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
