This chili cheese fries recipe is perfect for game day! A smoky, spicy plant-based chili and oozy vegan cheese sauce cover a layer of crispy French fries.

appetizers / snacks & dips — Jump to recipe

Jack and I are SO excited to dig into a plate of these chili cheese fries this weekend. We’re not big football fans, but it wouldn’t be Super Bowl Sunday without Super Bowl snacks, right?

If you’re watching the game on Sunday (or even if you’re not!), I hope you’ll try this recipe. I top a bed of crispy French fries with smoky plant-based chili and generous drizzles of vegan cheese. Yep, that’s right! These chili cheese fries are totally vegan. But more importantly, they’re tasty, satisfying, and really darn fun. What more could you want in a game day snack?

Chili Cheese Fries Recipe Ingredients

As you can probably tell from the name, this classic dish consists of three main components:

Chili
Cheese
And fries

We’ll start with #1: the chili! Typically, chili cheese fries are smothered in beef chili. In my vegan version, I make homemade chili with plant-based ground meat instead. I love its hearty texture and smoky, spicy flavor in this recipe, but if you prefer, you can substitute regular veggie chili. My Easy Vegetarian Chili would be great here!

Next up: the cheese! Shredded cheese and cheese sauce are both common toppings for classic chili cheese fries. Here, I go the sauce route, loading up my fries with my go-to vegan cheese sauce. It’s oozy, gooey, and positively cheesy! You won’t believe it’s made with plant-based ingredients like sweet potatoes, cashews, and nutritional yeast.

Tip: if you have any leftover sauce, spoon it over a baked potato, or make vegan mac and cheese!

Last but not least: the fries! Because I make the chili and cheese sauce from scratch, I use store bought frozen fries as the base of this recipe. That way, once the sauce and the chili are ready, it just takes a few minutes to assemble everything.

Spread a layer of fries in a large bowl, on a baking sheet, or on a plate. Top them with spoonfuls of the cheese sauce, followed by scoops of the chili. Drizzle more sauce on top. Finish the fries with your desired fixings, and enjoy!

Chili Cheese Fries Topping Ideas

Like nachos and veggie burgers, these fries are best with plenty of toppings. I like mine with sliced serranos, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion, but your options don’t end there. Try adding a dollop of cashew sour cream, sliced green onions, diced avocado, or pickled jalapeños. A scoop of pico de gallo would be delicious too.

Let me know what variations you try!

More Favorite Game Day Snacks

If you love this recipe, try one of these yummy game day snacks next:

Chili Cheese Fries

rate this recipe:

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 35

Serves 6 to 8

Save Recipe Print Recipe

This chili cheese fries recipe is the ultimate game day snack! It's entirely vegan, made with spicy plant-based chili and a gooey vegan cheese sauce.

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chili

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
½ teaspoon sea salt
Pinches freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces plant-based ground beef
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14-ounce ) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus + 3 tablespoons adobo sauce
1 cup water or broth
1 tablespoon lime juice

For the Chili Cheese Fries

1 16 to 20-ounce bag oven French fries
½ cup Vegan Cheese sauce
Desired toppings such as tomatoes, jalapeños, red onion, cilantro

Instructions

Make the chili: Heat the oil in a large nonstick pot over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper, salt, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the plant-based ground beef and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up the ground as it cooks. Add the garlic, tomatoes, black beans, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, water, and lime juice. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
Spread the fries on a large baking sheet and bake according to package directions until crispy. Serve with scoops of the chili over the fries and drizzle with the cheese sauce. Top with desired toppings.
Save the extra chili for lunch the next day. It also freezes well.