The Best Types Of Cheese For Delicious Homemade Cheese Fries, According To Experts

Cheese fries are a treasure. Indulgent, warm, and gooey — they strike the perfect balance between textures, offering a comforting, umami-packed snack. They're pretty straightforward to make but there are some ways you can really amp them up. While nailing the cook on the fries matters, it's the cheese that makes all the difference. To narrow down the best type to use, we spoke with a couple of experts to get some handy tips to help you along the way.

Clare Malfitano, the chef de cuisine for Murray's Cheese, likes to use cheese sauce rather than shredded cheese. This provides a richer, creamier finish that tops crunchy fries perfectly, and it will lead to a more even coating. But it's better to make your own cheese sauce, as this will allow you to control the flavors and consistency. "For a truly ooey-gooey, over-the-top cheese fry, similar to nachos, you really want even distribution of cheese throughout," Malfitano says, "and cheese sauce will deliver on that while also remaining warm for much longer than melted cheese, which will become tougher the more it cools."

Still, the choice of cheese is important. "The best cheeses for a cheese sauce would be those that are high moisture — think a Gouda, cheddar or Havarti," she explains. "The extra moisture in a younger cheese loosens the protein structure of the cheese, which we see in action when we make a grilled cheese." This makes the cheese melt easier, creating that famous pull.

Cheddar is a popular option for cheese fries, as is American. Chef Hugo Galvan of G.O.A.T's Arena sports bar recommends something with a little more character: "Jalapeño with cheddar sauce and shredded Monterey." Stronger flavors tend to stand up better to loaded fries, so if you're loading your fries up with toppings like bacon or chili, try to pick something that won't be overpowered. "For a chili I'd choose a very sharp cheddar and possibly even add some smoked cheddar, so there's a balance of acidity and smokiness," Malfitano says.

With bacon, she likes Alpine-style cheeses like Gruyere. "The flavors of Alpine cheese are quite pronounced, so they can stand up to the bacon and lend additional savory notes," Malfitano notes. "We often melt Raclette over bacon lardons, and the flavor combo is a match made in heaven." As for which cheeses to avoid, skip hard cheeses and anything else that is hard to melt, including parmesan and aged gouda. Pre-shredded cheese can also be tricky as it often contains anti-caking agents that prevent uniform melting. 

You can mix aged cheeses in with other types though. "Cheeses lose moisture as they age, so very aged cheese, like Parmigiano Reggiano, won't melt in that same way," Malfitano says. "However, if we use a combination of cheeses, we could grate a small amount of an aged cheese in there for extra flavor without risking the integrity of the sauce."

"Making fries can be difficult and dangerous if you don't have the right equipment," Galvan notes. "Besides that, it is time consuming." But it is doable. Malfitano recommends the double-fry method. She recommends you start by "soaking the fries in cold water to get rid of excess starch then to fry twice, a par fry at a lower temp to get the fries cooking, then a second fry that really focuses on the golden brown color." This trick will also help your homemade fries taste like they came from a restaurant. 

For the sauce, Malfitano recommends a classic mornay sauce. Start by making a roux with butter and flour, then whisk in milk until thickened. Add some seasonings and stir in the cheese until melted. A lot of people like to use frozen fries to save time, and Malfitano says the air fryer can provide great results. "There are so many different fries on the market in all sorts of fun shapes, and in the end you really just can't go wrong with cheese fries!" 

Her final tip is to layer the cheese fries so that the sauce is equally dispersed throughout: "Almost like a lasagna, put a thin layer of fries then a layer of cheese sauce covering all of the fries, then repeat." And don't be afraid to start with smaller portions. You can always reheat the sauce if it's kept separately to avoid a soggy result.