Look away if you're on a diet for the new year - these crispy fried cheesy potato balls are an incredible snack or side dish
12:28, Mon, Jan 12, 2026 Updated: 12:41, Mon, Jan 12, 2026
The recipe is easy to make (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Sometimes there's just nothing better than a delicious fried cheesy treat. While maybe not quite in line with a new year diet plan, something this tasty can be hard to resist.
One TikTok user shared an easy recipe for scrumptious crispy cheesy chilli potato balls, perfect as a side dish, or for a snack, and all you need to make them is a handful of ingredients you've probably already got at home. The recipe was shared by bellaskitchen, who has more than 150,000 followers on TikTok alone and regularly shares easy recipes for delicious dishes and snacks. The video opens with the chef showing the completed bites, squashing one and then pulling it apart to show the pleasingly melted cheese.
It then shows how to prepare them, with the cook shown taking some potatoes, peeling them, and chopping them into smaller sizes, before adding them to a bowl with salt. It then cuts to the cooked potatoes, which the chef mashes with a fork until smooth.
They then add the seasoning, cornstarch, and chopped peppers, combining them with the potato. After this, they take a lump of the mixture into their hands, flatten it, and add a cube of cheese roughly an inch on either side, before rolling it up into a sphere roughly the size of a golf ball. They then add the balls to a bowl of hot oil, before removing them with a skimmer once ready.
How to make the crispy cheese chili potato bites
Ingredients
- 8 potatoes, around 1kg
- 4 tbsp cornstarch
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 2-3 tbsp finely diced jalapeños (adjust to taste)
- Cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
- Vegetable oil, enough for deep frying
Crispy Cheesy Chili Potato Balls Ingredients 8 potatoes 1 kg 4 tbsp cornstarch 1½ tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1½ tsp salt (adjust to taste) 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp chili powder 2-3 tbsp finely diced jalapeños (adjust to taste) Cheddar cheese, cut into cubes Vegetable oil (sunflower or canola), enough for deep frying Instructions Peel and cut the potatoes then boil until fork-tender drain very well and let cool 10 minutes mash until completely smooth. Add cornstarch,seasoning and jalapeños,mix until firm and smooth. Take about 1 tbsp potato mixture place a cube of cheese in the center and roll into balls.Freeze at least 30 minutes.Heat oil to 170180°C (340355°F). Fry for 34 minutes until golden and crisp. #fyp #foodtok #potato #cheese #crispy
Method
- Peel and cut the potatoes, then boil until fork-tender
- Drain very well and let them cool for 10 minutes
- Mash until completely smooth
- Add cornstarch, seasoning, and jalapeños, and mix until firm and smooth
- Take about 1 tbsp potato mixture, place a cube of cheese in the centre, and roll into balls
- Freeze for at least 30 minutes
- Heat oil to 170–180 degrees and fry for three to four minutes until golden and crisp
TikTok users were amazed by the recipe. One said: "I just finished making them (...) holy c***. They’re so good."
Another said: "They look amazing." And someone else said: "Stop I’m so hungry lol."
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A different user asked: "Could you air fry them instead?" Another replied: I’d imagine so, obviously not as crispy but a lot healthier."
But another said: "It would most certainly melt the cheese, however the crisp would likely not be similar. Perhaps, a dry texture."