To Copycat In-N-Out's Sauce, You Only Need A Handful Of Ingredients

In-N-Out is one of those fast casual establishments that has a cult following. Fans love the simple menu of burgers, fries, and shakes. Real fans know about the chain's not-so-secret menu, which includes its infamous animal-style fries. In-N-Out's fries can be a contentious subject – several people hate them. The fries on their own are pretty limp and lifeless, so if you enjoy a crunchy fry, In-N-Out's may disappoint. According to In-N-Out, the fries are fresh cut, never frozen, and fried in 100% sunflower oil. If the fries on their own aren't that appealing, animal-style fries may be the game changer.

Any In-N-Out aficionado knows about animal-style fries. For those not in the know, animal-style fries are regular fries, topped with melted cheese, grilled onions, and a special sauce (per Hack the Menu). While the grilled onions and the sauce are great, it's the special sauce that takes it over the top. While the special sauce sounds very elusive, people have figured out how to DIY it at home. If you live in an In-N-Out-less state, or simply don't feel like traveling to one, you can easily whip it up with very few ingredients.

First things first, what is in the In-N-Out sauce? Thanks to social media, there are tons of recipes for making the secret sauce. According to Dinner then Dessert, the sauce is extremely similar to thousand island dressing. Fedbysad's TikTok video breaks down what is in the sauce and how to craft the perfect animal-style fries. The sauce is a combination of mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickle relish, and a splash of vinegar. There are various takes on the sauce with some people adding a touch of sugar and red chili flakes for some heat (per Farah J. Eats). According to Youtuber Joshua Wessman, the one key ingredient is deeply caramelized onions.

To make the sauce, you'll first need to caramelize onions. Chopped onions are added to a hot skillet with butter and oil and sauteed until deeply golden brown. The onions are added to the rest of the ingredients and mixed thoroughly. If you want to make animal-style fries, just slather the sauce over the fries, add melted cheese, and top with some extra caramelized onions. Of course, the sauce isn't limited solely to fries. You can make your own animal-style burger, by cooking your patty with mustard, then topping it with special sauce, pickles, and grilled onions.