Carne Asada Fries are a San Diego staple and a fun way to serve up grilled carne asada. Crispy fries loaded with cheese, refried beans, carne asada, pico de gallo, and guacamole–truly the best loaded fries recipe!

Carne asada fries are perfect for game days, BBQs, or even just a quick and easy weeknight dinner. They’re delicious and so full of flavor–perfect for satisfying that Mexican food craving!

The Best Carne Asada Fries

Growing up in San Diego, carne asada fries were a staple for me growing up. They’re one of my favorite things to order when visiting my local taco shop!

There’s just something so good about the combination of crispy fries topped with melty cheese, grilled meat, and all the sauces and salsas.

Now that I have my authentic carne asada recipe up, I was so excited to get this recipe for carne asada fries up too! This is a great option for feeding a crowd on game days or a fun way to serve up a quick dinner.

Get a taste of classic San Diego taco shop fare right in your own kitchen!

What is Carne Asada?

Carne asada is meat that has been marinated and grilled. Literally translated, carne asada means “grilled meat”–so simple!

The most common type of meat used to make carne asada is skirt steak or flank steak. Traditional carne asada marinade has lots of garlic, onion, spices, and fresh citrus flavor which helps tenderize the steak.

Carne asada fries take that grilled carne asada and serve it up over crispy fries loaded with toppings like refried beans, cheese, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

How to Make Carne Asada Fries

Carne asada fries really are just that – a cross between loaded cheesy fries and nachos. We’re making things easy by using store bought frozen fries that you can bake or air fry until crispy!

Tools Needed

• Baking Sheet
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Carne asada. You can use my carne asada recipe or my pollo asado for this recipe.
• French fries. Use your favorite here!
• Cheese. I like a mix of cheddar and monterey jack here for flavor and meltiness.
• Refried beans. I like using my homemade refried beans here, but you can use store bought.
• Pico de gallo. The fresh tomato salsa adds freshness and a hint of spice!
• Sour cream. I love a couple of dollops of sour cream on top as a cooling contrast.
• Guacamole. I always make my 5-ingredient guacamole for this recipe, but you can use fresh store bought as well.
• Cotija cheese. A bit of cotija cheese on top adds a bit of salt and flavor.

The Process

1. Prepare the carne asada. Marinate the steak for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours. Grill or cook in a cast iron skillet until browned and cooked to medium. Let the steak rest before dicing it.
2. Cook the fries. For ease, we’re using store bought french fries. Cook them according to the package instructions using your oven or an air fryer (my preferred method!). Once the fries are cooked and crispy, lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Top the fries with beans and cheese. Drizzle the warmed refried beans over the fries and then sprinkle with the cheese. Transfer the fries to the oven for 4-5 minutes, just until the cheese is melty.
4. Add more toppings. Once the fries are out of the oven, top with the diced carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, dollops of sour cream, cilantro, and cotija cheese. You can serve the fries family style right on the baking sheet!

Making the Best Carne Asada

While you can definitely head to the store and buy pre-marinated carne asada, making your own at home is so easy!

Juicy, flavorful, and authentic carne asada is part of what makes carne asada fries so good! To make delicious carne asada, you’ll need to marinate some flank steak in a mixture of olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, and a few other ingredients for 2 hours.

Then, just fire up the grill and cook the carne asada until lightly charred and medium temperature on the inside. You can also cook the carne asada up in a cast iron skillet. Then, just rest the steak before dicing! Leftover carne asada makes great tacos, breakfast tacos, tortas, and more.

Storage Instructions

Once carne asada fries are assembled, they don’t necessarily store and reheat very well.

If you plan to make a big batch, I recommend keeping the elements separate and instead building individual carne asada fries on each person’s plate. This allows for easy customization too!

Store the elements separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Rewarm the fries in the oven or air fryer and rewarm the carne asada in a skillet, then assemble leftovers to enjoy carne asada fries again!

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These Carne Asada Fries are the perfect recipe for an easy weeknight dinner, meal prep, or any backyard BBQ. You can even host game day with a build-your-own carne asada fries bar! If you do give them a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Mexican Recipes to Try Now

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Sopa de Fideo
Beef Enchiladas Verdes
Bean and Cheese Tostadas

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