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I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted! One of the biggest reasons is that we made a huge cross-country move. If there is one thing I miss about CA, it’s In N Out! I miss their burgers and animal style fries. We have yet to find something that comes close, so we decided to attempt making out our own. I must say, this copycat In N Out burger and animal style fries recipe is SOOOOOO good!
Even if you do have an In N Out near you, this recipe is fun to make at home and will help you save a few bucks. The key to a homemade In N Out style burger is the sauce and layering the toppings correctly. The rest is pretty easy!
Copycat In N Out Burger Recipe
Homemade In N Out Burger Ingredients:
- Burger Patties
- Burger Buns
- American Cheese Slices
- Mayo
- Ketchup
- Sweet Relish
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Tomato Slices
- Onion
- Dill Pickles (optional)
Burger Patty: In N Out burger patties are pretty thin, so the thinner the better. We made a batch with thicker burgers and a batch with thinner burgers, and I must say the thin patty was the winner. It really does make a difference in the taste and texture.
Burger Bun: The bun is also important. You don’t need anything fancy. The trick is to butter the buns then grill them on the skillet to get that crispy layer while keeping the rest of the bun soft.
The Cheese: As tempting as it might be to get some fancy cheese slices, the good old fashioned American cheese slices are the real winner. Anything else will not give you that In N Out nostalgia.
In N Out Sauce: The In N Out burger sauce recipe is below. Don’t buy a thousand island dressing or secret sauce at the store. Making homemade In N Out sauce is easy and will taste just like it does at In N Out.
The Onions: Whether you like raw or grilled onions on your burger, grilled onions are always great for the animal style fries. When grilling the onions, you need to make sure they stay wet so they don’t get to crispy (more on that below).
The Toppings: Layering the toppings in the right order is important. I promise it makes a difference in the taste and texture!
In N Out Sauce Recipe
Combine 2 parts mayo to 1 part ketchup. Add 1 tablespoon of sweet relish for every 1/2 cup of sauce. Easy peasy!
The sauce will be the first topping on the buttered and grilled bun in the burger layering process.
In N Out Grilled Onions Recipe
Chop an onion into small squares. Add them to a skillet with cooking oil and cook on low-medium until they are translucent and a little brown. If the onions absorb all of the oil, add a splash of water and keep adding water until they are finished. If all the oil and water get absorbed too quick, the grilled onions will come out too crispy.
How to Cook & Layer an Animal Style Burger
We like our In N Out burger animal style. If you want it regular style, just omit the grilled onions, pickles and mustard while cooking the burger patty (more on that below).
- Cook burgers on a skillet (we use this cast iron skillet). When you flip the burger, add a little bit of yellow mustard on top (just enough that it will soak in and get cooked with the burger meat).
- Butter the buns on the inner top and bottom pieces. Grill on the skillet until they are a little crispy.
- Top burger patties with American cheese (the kind that are individually wrapped in plastic).
- Add the In N Out sauce to the bottom bun.
- Add pickles (optional).
- Add a slice or two of tomato.
- Add a slice or two of iceberg lettuce.
- Add the burger patty (with or without cheese).
- Add the onions (raw or grilled).
- Top the burger with the top bun.
In N Out Animal Style Fries Recipe
Fresh or frozen fries will work. We got frozen shoestring fries and cooked them according to the package directions in the air fryer.
Add the fries to a microwave-safe food container. Top the fries with 2 slices of American cheese. Microwave the fries with cheese for about 30 seconds (or just until melted).
Top the cheese fries with grilled onions.
Add In N Out sauce. That’s it!
Find other recipe ideas here!
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FAQs
In-N-Out fries are made with fresh, hand-cut potatoes and prepared in 100% sunflower oil. The Animal-Style fries were my absolute favorite. They would take their classic french fries and load them with melted cheese, caramelized onions, and an Animal-Style sauce.
What do they put on animal style fries at In-N-Out? ›
Animal Style fries, on the other hand, are topped with cheese, spread, and grilled onions. You'll want to mix 'em up with your fork before the cheese starts to coagulate (of course, you can also ask for just plain old cheese fries). And these options are just the start.
What is animal sauce made of? ›
3 tablespoons (45ml) mayonnaise. 1 tablespoon (15ml) ketchup. 2 teaspoons (10g) sweet pickle relish. 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
What are animal fries made of? ›
If you don't know, animal-style fries are a special In-N-Out menu item that feature french fries topped with cheese sauce, In-N-Out secret spread, and grilled onions.
What kind of oil does in and out burger use? ›
2 100% beef patties, lettuce, tomato, spread, 2 slices of American cheese, with or without onions, bun. Prepared fresh in 100% sunflower oil using only fresh potatoes.
What is the secret menu at In-N-Out Roadkill fries? ›
Roadkill Fries
Roadkill Fries are perfect for anyone who wants both a burger and fries but knows they don't have quite enough room for both. When you order roadkill fries from the secret menu for In-N-Out, you're ordering a Flying Dutchman on top of Animal-Style fries.
What makes an In-N-Out Burger animal style? ›
Animal style
The most-popular items on the secret menu are the "animal-style" burgers and fries. Ask for your burger "animal-style" and you'll get a burger with mustard fried into each patty, plus pickles, chopped grilled onions and an extra helping of In-N-Out's famous sauce.
What is gorilla style in and out? ›
What is Gorilla Style at In-N-Out? Also frequently called "Monkey Style" at In-N-Out, Gorilla Style refers to any burger with animal fries shoved in the middle. However, if you're planning on ordering this during your next In-N-Out Burger visit, be sure to tell the In-N-Out employee exactly what it is.
Are in and out fries baked or fried? ›
This results in fries with a crisp exterior and a soft interior — when they're properly cooked. To achieve that, the potatoes must be soaked in water before they're fried, ideally as much as overnight. In-N-Out doesn't do that. They fry their potatoes almost immediately after they cut them.
What oil does Five Guys use for fries? ›
Instead of cutting corners with cheaper oil, Five Guys refuses to use anything but peanut oil. “Lots of people prefer to use hydrogenated oils for a crisper fry, but we want that melt-in-your-mouth buttery taste that nonhydrogenated oil offers,” Murrell said.
Mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish create this secret spread. The combination of sweet and tangy is out of this world. It's similar to Thousand Island dressing but SO MUCH BETTER. This sauce is used on so many things like burgers, fries and pickles.
Why do they call it animal style? ›
It turns out that animal comes from rowdy customers or “animals.” Snyder wrote that these customers “would honk their horns while orders were taken,” or they would “leave trash on the lots and play their music extra loud”. According to Syner, they were sometimes so rowdy they would get into fights with each other.
What cheese does in and out use? ›
In fact, we don't even own a microwave or freezer. Our iceberg lettuce is hand-leafed. Our American cheese is the real thing. And we use the best available onions and the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes we can find.
What are the ingredients in the In-N-Out spread packet? ›
In-N-Out's burger spread, on the other hand, simply contains mayo, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, and a splash of vinegar. It's similar, and if you need a copycat In-N-Out burger spread in a pinch Thousand Island dressing might do, but it's not quite the real thing.
How unhealthy are in and out fries? ›
While there is only one size to choose from, the serving size of the classic In-N-Out french fries is about the same as a medium McDonald's french fry. The In-N-Out fries have about 370 calories, 15 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, and only 250 milligrams of sodium.
What are the ingredients in frozen fries? ›
Potatoes, Vegetable Oils (Contains One Or More Of The Following Oils: Canola, Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Corn), Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate Added To Maintain Natural Color, Annatto & Caramel (Color). Preheat oven to 450° F.
What are roadkill fries at in and out? ›
Other not-so-secret orders include “Roadkill Fries” with hamburger meat crumbled on top, “Grilled Cheese, “Animal Fries” and a “Scooby Snack,” which is just a patty in a wrapper.
