Sheet Pan Smashburger Fries.

Smashburger fries are the best weekend snack. They are a hit for game day, any appetizer or a lazy sunday. Crispy, thin fries, topped with cheese sauce, tiny smashburger pieces, house sauce, pickles and jalapeños. One of the best things ever!

If this doesn’t scream “WEEKEND” as loud as possible, I don’t know what does.

I mean, smashburger fries. Cheeseburger fries! Crispy crunchy oven fries topped with cheese sauce, a few smashburger pieces, dipping sauce, pickles and more. 

MY DREAM.

These probably don’t need many words. They are the best combination of delicious, weekend game day food and a sheet pan mess that everyone loves. 

I made these fries because we are obsessed with the smash burger fries at one of our favorite local burger joints. Like, we fight over them. They add caramelized onions and theirs are a little spicy, but oh my heavens are they incredible. 

And then I figured I could make them at home! So I did.

Now our lives are basically over because we want to eat these all the time. They are fancy oven fries with the best of both worlds: the burger and fries on the same pan. 

Now here’s the thing. 

We’re doing frozen fries here. You know what? It’s almost impossible to get crispy crunchy fries in the oven – I’ve done some here on the blog a few times. But it’s WORK. There’s the whole soaking-the-potatoes thing ahead of time and all that. It’s not worth it for this recipe. Find a good bag of frozen fries and use those. You can even make them in the air fryer if you want – but you still need to have the oven on to bring everything together sheet-pan style. 

It’s important to use some frozen fries because we’re already going to make the cheese sauce and the smash burgers. I also like to make a drizzle for the top. You could even do my howsweeteats house sauce!

Anyway, here’s how I make them!

I bake or air fry my frozen fries. Whatever is easiest for you. Do the whole bag… trust me. 

While the fries are crisping up, I make a little homemade cheese sauce. Nothing unusual – something we make here often. It’s creamy and cheesy and extra perfect drizzled on fries.

I also make some smash burger pieces! This is exactly what you think it is. I tear apart some ground beef and essentially make tiny smash burgers in a hot skillet. You can also make regular smash burgers and tear them apart. Either way, you want smaller pieces than actual burgers so you can get bites of it with the fries. 

Next, I do a quick thousand island-ish dressing. You can make this ahead of time – it stays great in the fridge for a few days. Here’s the thing: I have never loved thousand island dressing, but on a smash burger? It’s everything. I highly suggest making this because the drizzle on top adds so much. 

I also like to slice jalapeños and pickles. You can add ANYTHING you want on there. Yes, you can do caramelized onions or diced raw onion. You could even do chopped tomatoes. Whatever you like on your burgers! 

Then it’s time to assemble. The fries are done – top them with the silky cheese sauce. Top with the smashburgers and then MORE cheese sauce. Do a little drizzle of the dressing. Your pickles, jalapeños, anything else you love.

And then go.to.town.

YES. Hello. It’s the weekend. These were made for us.  

Sheet Pan Smashburger Fries

Smashburger Fries

Yield: 4 to 6 people

Prep Time: 50 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Smashburger fries are the best weekend snack. They are a hit for game day, any appetizer or a lazy sunday. Crispy, thin fries, topped with cheese sauce, tiny smashburger pieces, house sauce, pickles and jalapeños. One of the best things ever!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

5 from 11 votes

Leave a Review »

Ingredients

• 1 (26 ounce) bag frozen, crispy french fries
• ½ pound ground beef
• kosher salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ½ cups freshly grated white cheddar
• pickles, whole or diced, for serving
• thinly sliced jalapeños, for serving

thousand island

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dill relish
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated onion
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Spread the fries out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once during cook time. If your fries call for cooking longer, make sure to follow the instructions. I like the 450 degrees for extra crispiness though.
• Season the ground beef all over with salt and pepper. While the fries cook, heat the butter in a skillet (cast iron is best for this) until melted. Once it’s sizzling, break the ground beef into 6 even portions. Press each one down into the butter in the skillet, using the back or a glass or jar to smash them into the skillet. Cook until browned, then flip over and cook another 1 to 2 minutes until browned. Turn off the heat.
• Next, make the cheese sauce! Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to create a roux - cook it for 2 to 3 minutes until it’s golden, fragrant and nutty. Slowly stream in the milk while whisking the entire time. Whisk and stir until the milk thickens, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cheese 1 handful at a time, stirring until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
• Assemble the fries! Do a drizzle of cheese sauce on the fries, then top with the smashburger pieces - you can break them apart further if needed. And another drizzle of cheese all over the fries and burgers. Stick the sheet pan back in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until everything is warmed together and hot.
• Remove from the oven and drizzle with the thousand island, top with pickles and jalapeños and anything else you love!

thousand island

• Whisk everything together until combined and creamy. You can make this ahead of time and store it in the fridge!

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

Did you make this recipe?

Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!

Never giving these up.