This Shake Shack Menu Hack Turns Regular French Fries Into A Zesty Dish You'll Love

If you're hunting for some of the best fast food fries, Shake Shack lands near the top. They're crinkle-cut, perfectly salty, and always cooked just right. While they're great on their own or dipped in ketchup, there's a way to kick them up a notch with a little heat and zest.

Here's the move: start with cheese fries, then top them off with chopped cherry peppers for a spicy kick. If you really want to take things over the top, ask for a side of ShackSauce. Together, it's a secret menu item that just might rival In-N-Out's animal-style fries — though we'll leave that decision up to you.

So why does it work? It's all about the balance. The creamy, sharp mix of American and cheddar cheese lays down a velvety base. The cherry peppers add a pop of color and a sweet-tangy heat, with their pickled brine keeping the spice from going overboard. Then comes the ShackSauce, adding another layer of creaminess and tang that brightens everything up and smooths out the heat. The kosher dill pickle brine in the ShackSauce adds just the right zing. Sure, this secret menu item is a little messy — but it's totally worth it.

Here's the catch: Shake Shack doesn't make it super easy to customize fries in the app. You won't find an option to add cherry peppers, or much else, really. If you want to try this hack, you'll usually need to ask in person. You may need to add cherry peppers to your burger as an extra topping and then transfer them onto your fries. On a burger, cherry peppers are an extra 50 cents, but they already come on the SmokeShack. You can also add crispy onions for $1.29. Kind of a hassle, but doable.

Official fry options are plain, cheese, or bacon cheese. But don't sleep on the free burger toppings, which include pickles and sliced onions. Both work great as extra fry toppers if cherry peppers aren't your thing. Pair pickles with ShackSauce for a tangy crunch, or pile on onions and cheese for a savory punch. You can even go wild with all three. Whichever way you mix and match, it's a fun way to shake up your Shack fries.