Volcano Fries are the appetizer/snack/side dish you never knew you needed! Dress up frozen fries with sautéed garlic, homemade sriracha aioli, and a final flourish of furikake sprinkled over the top. You can’t go wrong with this delicious island-inspired combination!
This super easy appetizer and snack recipe is inspired by the Volcano Fries at Nalu's South Shore Grill in Maui. Nalu’s is extremely popular among locals and visitors alike, an unlikely gem found in a simple shopping center in South Maui.
At Nalu’s there's usually an impressive line of people waiting to order, but it’s definitely worth the wait.
As wild chickens wander by your table you'll enjoy eclectic music, excellent service, delicious food, and serious island vibes. You’ll also find Volcano Fries on the side dish menu. I’m so glad we tried them because they were outstanding!
Crispy garlic fries are finished with a generous drizzle of creamy, spicy sriracha aioli and a shower of furikake, a Japanese rice seasoning comprised of sesame seeds and nori seaweed.
This recipe is my attempt to recreate those delicious Maui memories. Baking or air frying frozen fries is the easiest way to get started at home. If you have a small deep fryer, feel free to fry them as they would at the restaurant.
Ingredient notes
- Fries: Frozen fries work perfectly here. There’s really no need to go to the trouble of making your own fries from scratch (but you could if you really want to!). They use fairly standard french fries at Nalu’s but Volcano Fries would also be tasty made with skinny or shoestring fries or even crinkle cut fries, if you prefer. I use the hand cut style fries from Lamb Weston and love how crispy they are, but use whatever brand you like.
- Mayonnaise: Ideally use Hellman’s or Best Foods mayo. It’s the same brand but with two different names depending on the US region you’re in. This is what they use in Hawaii for their famous macaroni salad, so I’d suggest sticking with either those brands to keep traditions alive. I use the light version of Hellman’s and think it still tastes good (with a tiny bit less guilt)!
- Sriracha: Sriracha is a type of chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, pickled garlic, sugar, and salt. The original sriracha has Thai origins, but it’s become extremely popular in the United States, and is an incredibly versatile ingredient. Here, it provides a delicious kick to store-bought mayo to create a luscious sriracha aioli to top our Volcano Fries.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds just a hint of freshness and brightness to the sriracha aioli.
- Furikake: Furikake is a dry Japanese condiment and multi-purpose seasoning. It's often sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables, noodles, fish, and even used as an ingredient in onigiri (Japanese rice balls). It has a savory-sweet combination of flavors and usually contains sesame seeds, chopped nori seaweed, sugar, salt, and sometimes dried fish flakes. You can purchase furikake in the Asian section of many grocery stores (even Trader Joe’s has it in their spice section), online, or make it yourself.
How to make it
First, make the sriracha aioli by combining mayonnaise, sriracha, and fresh lime juice in a small mixing bowl. Refrigerate that until ready to use.
Bake or air fry the frozen fries according to the directions on the bag.
Right before the fries are ready, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add oil and minced garlic. Cook just until slightly fragrant but not browned at all, about 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately remove from the heat.
Remove the fries from the oven or air fryer and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Top the fries with the oil and garlic mixture.
Toss to lightly coat, then transfer the garlic fries to a serving dish.
Drizzle the sriracha aioli over the top. Finish with a generous sprinkling of furikake and serve immediately.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
I find the easiest (and least messy) way to toss the fries with the sautéed garlic and transfer to the serving dish is to wear food safe gloves and toss with my hands instead of using tools. The fries are less likely to break since I can be more gentle with my hands. I can also scrape every last bit of garlic from the bowl with my gloved hand!
There are a few ways you could drizzle the sriracha aioli over the top of your volcano fries.
- Drizzle all over with a spoon
- Use a condiment bottle to squeeze over the top
- Use a disposable piping bag or ziplock bag and cut a small hole in the tip/corner to squeeze over the top
Although I stuck with the original Volcano Fries inspiration from Nalu's, you can get creative with the flavors here. Use a classic garlic aioli instead of the sriracha aioli, or switch out the sriracha for another flavorful chile sauce like gochujang. Swap the fries for tater tots. Go wild!
Other recipes you may like
- Hawaiian Loco Moco (Hamburger Steak with Gravy)
- Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken)
- Hawaiian Hot Dog (Puka Dog Inspired Recipe)
- Authentic Hawaiian Macaroni Salad (Mac Salad)
- Saimin (Hawaiian Noodle Soup)
- Hawaiian Butter Mochi
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Volcano Fries (Garlic Fries with Sriracha Aioli and Furikake)
Ingredients
Sriracha Aioli:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 to 3 teaspoons sriracha or to taste
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Volcano Fries:
- 1 (26-to-28-ounce) bag frozen fries
- 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral-flavored oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (packed, about 3 medium to large cloves)
- ½ tablespoon furikake seasoning
Instructions
- First, make the sriracha aioli by combining all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Either cover the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use, or transfer to a condiment squeeze bottle, piping bag or ziplock bag and refrigerate that until ready to use.
- Bake or air fry the frozen fries according to the directions on the bag.
- Right before the fries are ready, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and garlic and cook just until slightly fragrant but not browned at all, about 30 to 60 seconds. Immediately remove from the heat.
- Remove the fries from the oven or air fryer and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Top the fries with the oil and garlic mixture and toss to lightly coat.
- Transfer the garlic fries to a serving dish and drizzle or squeeze (if in a condiment bottle, piping bag or ziplock bag with the corner cut) the sriracha aioli over the top. Finish with a generous sprinkling of furikake and serve immediately.
Notes
- The nutritional information is based on 6 servings using regular Hellman's/Best Foods mayonnaise. I like to use their light mayo, which would result in less fat and calories than what I've shared above.
- They use fairly standard french fries at Nalu’s but Volcano Fries would also be tasty made with skinny or shoestring fries or even crinkle cut fries, if you prefer. You could also try it with tater tots!
- You can purchase furikake in the Asian section of many grocery stores (even Trader Joe’s has it in their spice section), online, or make it yourself.
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Comments
No Comments