These chili cheese Fritos combine the salty corn flavor of Fritos with a zesty, seasoned beef mixture, pinto beans, and tons of cheddar cheese for the ultimate Mexican-inspired appetizer.
Whether you’re in the market for some new appetizer recipes for that upcoming party or fun, unexpected main dish recipes to keep weeknight dinners interesting, our chili cheese Fritos have the flavors and textures you’re looking for.
We love getting creative with flavors and textures, and that’s just what we’ve done with this delicious appetizer that’s so hefty it could be a main course.
Inspired by the flavors in our hot corn dip with chili cheese Fritos and the zesty pop of flavors in our chili dog sliders, we created this beefy recipe that combines salty corn chip flavor with bold, beefy flavor. It’s an easy, delicious recipe that everyone always loves, and we think you will, too.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients.
- Easy: It only takes about 30 minutes and a basic understanding of the kitchen to make this recipe.
- Tons of Flavor: The seasoned, spicy beef mixture, pinto beans, cheddar cheese, and Fritos create a dish that overflows with flavor in every bite.
- Customizable: It’s easy to tweak this dish to make it your own.
- Versatile: This recipe is a great appetizer or main course, especially for Taco Tuesday!
- Great for Meal Prep: The meat mixture is freezer-friendly, so you can make extra to use later.
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Variations
- Ground Beef: You can use ground turkey or a mix of ground beef and pork for this recipe.
- Chili: Try using our chuck roast chili in place of the ground beef mixture for a heartier dinner version with more texture.
- Mild: Omit the jalapenos for a version with less heat.
- Enchilada Edition: Replace the tomato sauce and water with enchilada sauce for an enchilada chili mashup that’s sweet and spicy.
- Pinto Beans: Kidney beans also work well in this recipe.
- Cheese: Shredded cheddar, cheddar Jack, Mexican, and taco blend cheese would all work very well with this recipe.
- Fritos: For even more spicy chili flavor, use Chili Cheese Fritos.
How to Make Chili Cheese Fritos
Step 1: Cook the meat, jalapeno, and seasonings in a large skillet. Then, drain it and return it to the pan.
Step 2: Add the tomato sauce and water, stir, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Add the beans and continue cooking until heated through.
Step 4: Add your Fritos to bowls and top them with the chili, cheddar, cheese, and green onions. Enjoy!
Tips
- Cook your beef until it’s no longer pink, and no further. Overcooking it makes it tough and rubbery.
- Always drain your meat mixture thoroughly to avoid greasy chili. This is especially true if you don’t use lean ground beef or you use a mix of ground beef and ground pork.
- Stir your chili frequently while cooking to avoid sticking.
- Stir your pinto beans into the chili just enough to distribute them well. They’re already soft, and you don’t want to smash them.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and NEVER touch your face.
Chili Cheese Fritos FAQ
To avoid greasy chili, thoroughly drain your ground beef after cooking it. Even if you use lean ground beef, it should still be drained to remove as much fat as possible.
Ground beef, a mix of ground beef and ground pork, or chuck roast are all excellent meats for chili, giving it a rich, meaty flavor and fantastic texture.
Rubbery ground beef is always the result of overcooking. Ground beef only needs to be cooked until it’s no longer visibly pink. Overcooking makes it tough and rubbery.
More Delicious Beef Recipes
If you try this recipe and love it, please be sure to leave a 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and comment! You can also pin it to save it for later. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.
Chili Cheese Fritos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, stem, seeds removed, diced
- 15 ounce pinto beans, drained
- 8 ounce tomato sauce
- 8 ounce water
- 1 teaspoon slap ya mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Corn chips
Instructions
- Cook meat, onions, jalapeno, all the seasonings. Drain grease. Return to the pan.
- Add tomato sauce and water. Stir, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add beans to the meat mixture.
- Cook until heated through.
- Add corn chips to bowls.
- Top with meat mixture, shredded cheese, and green onions.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze the chili for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
- Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen. Then, microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Cook your beef until it’s no longer pink, and no further. Overcooking it makes it tough and rubbery.
- Always drain your meat mixture thoroughly to avoid greasy chili. This is especially true if you don’t use lean ground beef or you use a mix of ground beef and ground pork.
- Stir your chili frequently while cooking to avoid sticking.
- Stir your pinto beans into the chili just enough to distribute them well. They’re already soft, and you don’t want to smash them.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling hot peppers and NEVER touch your face.
This is summer in a plate! I made this last night, and we loved it.
Amazing! I know this is an appetizer, but I served it for dinner last night. NO complaints. LOL
This is such a delicious, Tex-Mex feast. I love all the flavors, and it’s so easy to make.
These are incredible. I love the flavor of the Fritos with the beans, meat, and other ingredients. It tastes like a taco in every bite1
Simple comfort food that everyone loves. I’ll make these again for parties.