Vegan Cheese Fries with Beans

Homemade vegan cheese fries are baked in the oven, covered in a cashew cheese sauce, and topped with your favorite veggies. This is a healthier take on the popular comfort food classic!

Crispy fries drizzled with cheese sauce and all of your favorite toppings seem like something that should be reserved for special occasions. But not with this recipe! It’s simple to make, and if you can believe it, it’s healthy too!

Instead of crisping fries in a deep fryer, these rustic fries are baked in the oven, reducing the oil needed yet still achieving that crispy finish!

Instead of a high-calorie and fat cheese sauce, these fries are covered in homemade vegan cashew cheese! Creamy cashews are combined with nutritional yeast to get the flavor of cheese without any dairy!

Then, these fries are topped with nutrient-dense ingredients like high-protein kidney beans, diced tomatoes, fresh chopped peppers, and brightly refreshing herbs.

This dish can be served as a side dish or as a main meal. It’s so good that you’ll put it on your weekly rotation!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love These Vegan Cheese Fries
• Ingredients and Notes
• How to Make Vegan Cheese Fries
• Cooking Tips
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage and Reheating
• More Vegan Sheet Pan Meals!
• Recipe

Why You’ll Love These Vegan Cheese Fries

Healthy Comfort Food: Healthy and comfort food don’t usually go together, but in this dish, you get the crispiness of the fries and the ooey-gooey cheesiness without all the extra fat and calories!

Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free: If you have a special diet and want to make something that your family will enjoy but that you can eat, too, this is a great compromise!

Simple Preparation: While this recipe has quite a few steps due to making the homemade vegan cheese sauce, it’s not a complicated or time-consuming process.

Great for Entertaining: Serve a plate of these fries for your guests to snack on while you prepare the main meal, and watch them disappear.

Ingredients and Notes

Oven Baked Fries

Russet Potatoes: When making fries, I choose russet potatoes. They are the most popular potatoes because they are dense but don’t contain a lot of moisture, which is essential for crispy fries.

Olive Oil: To coat the wedges and create a crispy finish, you only need a small amount of olive oil. I like to use olive oil because it is anti-inflammatory, unlike canola or vegetable oil.

Salt and Pepper: Keep the seasoning simple with salt and pepper. The recipe will get more seasoning with the cheese sauce and toppings.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

Raw Cashews: Use raw cashews, not roasted cashews. You don’t want the extra oils and seasoning that come with roasted cashews, and raw cashews offer the creamy texture needed for the cheese sauce.

Vegetable Stock: A bit of liquid is needed to help blend all ingredients. Use low-sodium vegetable stock to control the seasoning.

Nutritional Yeast: Adds the “cheesy” umami flavor to the sauce.

Seasoning: A combination of chili powder, onion powder, turmeric, ground mustard, and salt gives the sauce a depth of flavor. The turmeric helps to provide the sauce with a bright yellow color.

Lemon Juice: A touch of lemon juice brightens the sauce. If you don’t have lemon juice, use apple cider vinegar.

Toppings

You can use any toppings you like, but I highly recommend using some legumes if you are making this as a main dish to get some extra protein.

Kidney Beans: These large red beans are firm to the bite, which compliments the cheese’s softness and the fries’ crispiness. You can also use black beans, lentils, or another type of bean.

Green Pepper: When I made this dish, I wanted to add a bright green element. Green peppers bring an earthy flavor to the vegan cheese fries. In the pictures, I used shishito peppers instead because that’s what I had on hand. They also make a nice addition, as they have a bit of heat.

Diced Tomatoes: I used cherry tomatoes since they are less prone to seeds and not as watery while offering a complimentary sweetness.

Cilantro: For a refreshing herbal finish. If you don’t like cilantro, use parsley instead.

How to Make Vegan Cheese Fries

Make the Potatoes

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
2. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
3. Wash and scrub the potatoes. Cut them into wedges. In a large mixing bowl, toss the wedges with the salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place them on the lined baking sheet without overlapping. 
4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Make the Vegan Cheese Sauce

1. While the potatoes are baking, rinse the beans and chop the green peppers and onion. 
2. Add the cashews to a small pot of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes until they are plump and have softened.
3. Drain cashews. Add drained cashews, vegetable stock, nutritional yeast, spices, and lemon juice to a high-speed blender. Secure lid. Blend until smooth and creamy, starting at the lowest speed and slowly increasing to the highest speed.
4. Transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to a bubbling boil, whisking constantly until thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Putting It All Together

1. Remove the baked fries from the oven. Top with the kidney beans and chopped green pepper. 
2. Drizzle the cashew cheese on top.
3. Bake for another 5-8 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and top with the diced tomatoes and roughly chopped cilantro. Serve and enjoy!

Cooking Tips

• Flip the potato wedges to make sure they are crispy on all sides. 
• If I line my baking sheet with aluminum foil, I spray it with cooking spray to help keep the potatoes from sticking. Even if the potatoes are coated in oil, they tend to stick to the aluminum foil.
• You can use vegan cheddar cheese shreds if you don’t want to make the cheese sauce.

Serving Suggestions

Tex-Mex: To give these vegan cheese fries a Tex-Mex flavor, top them with salsa or pico de gallo and homemade guacamole or diced avocado.

Add Chili: To make these really decadent, add your favorite chili on top—similar to my vegan dirty fries! I love using this homemade three-bean chili recipe.

Storage and Reheating

Fridge: Allow the fries to cool to room temperature. If possible, reserve the cheese sauce and toppings in separate containers. This will help keep the fries from becoming too soggy in the fridge. Transfer each component of the dish to airtight containers. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Reheating: When ready to reheat, transfer the fries to an air fryer and heat at 350°F for 5-10 minutes or until crispy again. Warm the cheese sauce in a saucepan, stirring consistently to keep it from cluping. Pour the the cheese sauce over the fries, and add the toppings.

More Vegan Sheet Pan Meals!

Recipe