Crispy oven baked fries + melty stretchy gooey vegan nacho cheese + homemade tofu bacon bits = the best ever (surprisingly healthy) Easy Vegan Cheese Fries!!
Can you call cheese fries a dinner? Well, regardless of what might be the correct answer, I'm calling them a dinner because we've been making these loaded vegan cheese fries for dinner on repeat. And let me tell you, during these chilly winter months, they are the epitome of comfort food!
The best thing about these vegan cheese fries is that they are actually decently healthy. No really, don't go, hear me out! The fries are homemade and baked in an oven with just 1 tablespoon of oil for the entire batch. You could even reduce or omit the oil if you prefer.
The cheese is made from raw cashews, water, and some seasoning. And even the bacon bits, are made from tofu and seasoning. (Both recipes are oil-free). And of course if you like you could reduce salt to your preference.
I wasn't even really aiming for health when making these recipes, that's just the way the recipes tasted the best, how cool is that!? Sometimes I even like to add some roasted broccoli or cauliflower along with the fries to make it more of a full meal. YUM!
This comfort food heaven is simple to prepare fresh, but if you're a prep ahead kind of person you can make the tofu bacon bits and the nacho cheese ahead of time, and store in the fridge a few days in advance.
How to Make Easy Vegan Cheese Fries:
Make the tofu bacon bits:
These can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge or frozen. You only need about ¼ cup bacon bits for this recipe, (the full tofu bacon bits recipe makes about 1 ½ cups), but I recommend making the entire recipe because oh man is it delish!!!! I almost always have these on hand because they are a great addition to any dish. Soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, the options are endless.
Make the nacho cheese:
When preparing this recipe, add an extra ½ cup of water to the recipe (total water will be 1 ½ cups) so that the cheese is thinner and more pourable. This can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. Reheat over medium heat, adding more water if needed.
If you have a copy of my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan you could alternatively use my recipe Nacho Cheese Love on page 201 which is basically the same recipe with just a few tweaks.
You will only need about half of the cheese sauce for the vegan cheese fries, but I recommend making a full batch of nacho cheese because you will most likely want to make vegan cheese fries again the following day! And even if you don't (unlikely), you can use this nacho cheese on nachos, to dollop onto soup, pour over steamed broccoli, or to make a grilled cheese sandwich.
Make French Fries:
Follow my recipe to make crispy baked French fries or you can make fries in an air-fryer. If using store-bought freezer fries, follow the instructions on the package.
To Make Vegan Cheese Fries:
Once baked, pour all the fries onto the same baking sheet, or a serving dish. Drizzle generously with the nacho cheese. Sprinkle the tofu bacon bits on top. Garnish with any optional toppings as desired. Serve hot.
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Easy Vegan Cheese Fries
Servings: Servings as a main
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Ingredients
- 1 recipe Crispy Baked French Fries, (or store-bought freezer fries)
- ½ recipe Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese, + ½ cup water (see step 2)
- ¼ cup Vegan Tofu Bacon Bits
Optional toppings:
- 3 green onions,, chopped
- 2 tablespoons parsley,, chopped
- 1 sliced jalapeno
- 3 tablespoons vegan sour cream, (page 207 in Fuss-Free Vegan)
Instructions
- Make the tofu bacon bits. These can be prepared ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container in the fridge or frozen. I almost always have these on hand because they are a great addition to any dish!
- Make the nacho cheese. When preparing this recipe, add an extra ½ cup of water to the recipe (total water will be 1 ½ cups) so that the cheese is thinner and more pourable. This can also be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. Reheat over medium heat, adding more water if needed.
- Make French Fries. Follow my recipe to make crispy baked French fries or you can make fries in an air-fryer. If using store-bought freezer fries, follow the instructions on the package.
- To Make Vegan Cheese Fries: Once baked, pour all the fries onto the same baking sheet, or a serving dish. Drizzle generously with the nacho cheese. Sprinkle the tofu bacon bits on top. Garnish with any optional toppings as desired. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
MG says
So delicious omg!!!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
yay! So happy you enjoyed it!
Kathryn says
This was so good. Cured my pms cravings!!! I usually make something similar with store bought frozen fries, vegan cheese and bacon but I always feel gross after eating it. I felt great after eating this! I reckon it would be a hit with kids too. I’m excited to try the cheese with other recipes.
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, total comfort food but pretty healthy! It's win win!! 🙂
Susan Dubose says
Your "cheese" sauce however is the best I've ever had and easier than other "cheese" sauces I've made. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Susan 🙂
Megan says
This looks amazing Sam!! I can't wait to try it.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂