We Have In-N-Out Fries At Home: How To Make Them

In-N-Out fries are divisive—when plain, they’re often somewhat sad, undercooked, and soggy (at least in my opinion). But when they’re made Animal-Style, In-N-Out’s special “secret” menu twist, they’re transformed by gooey melted cheese, dripping In-N-Out sauce aka something akin to Thousand Island dressing, and finished with caramelized onions.

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And if you’ve ever wondered what it takes to make those famous Animal-Style French fries at home, good news: It’s pretty easy.

Whipping up a DIY version of In-N-Out’s famous fries at home is as simple as grabbing store-bought French fries (that’s right, no potato peeling or cutting is required) and doing a small bit of cooking. You will need to turn on your stove and your oven, but trust us: The In-N-Out process is simpler than you think, and your homemade Animal-Style fries might just turn out even better than the restaurant version.

Start With Frozen Fries

In-N-Out may start with freshly-cut potatoes in its restaurants, but according to Spoon Fork Bacon, your very own at-home version can skip all of that complicated prep work and just use a bag of frozen fries. Specifically, you’ll want to have a bag of frozen shoestring-style fries on hand.

And don’t worry about a deep-fryer or even heating oil on your stovetop. You get to skip that messy, splatter-creating step, too. Just crisp up your frozen fries per the package instructions: Turn on your oven and bake them until they’re just as brown or crispy as you like them.

Beyond the frozen fries, you will need to do a tiny bit of cooking to pull together the layer of Animal-Style goodness that goes on top. 

You (Probably) Already Have the Animal-Style Topping Ingredients on Hand

There are a few other ingredients required to make In-N-Out Animal-Style fries at home: 

• Butter
• Sugar
• Yellow onion
• Slices of American cheese
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Relish

The butter, sugar, and onions are cooked together on your stove. Dice the onions and sweat them in melted butter, then add sugar as your finishing touch. With a little time, they’ll turn brown, caramelize, and look identical to the ones served up at your go-to In-N-Out location.

Next, you’ll need to make that famous In-N-Out sauce. And, like I mentioned above, it’s essentially Thousand Island dressing. You’ll mix together mayo, ketchup, and sweet relish to make the tangy, addictive sauce. Or simply just buy a bottle of Thousand Island dressing for the easy way out.

Lastly, the cheese is a breeze. With some pre-sliced American, you’re ready to go.

Once you have all of these components assembled and your fries are finished cooking in the oven, it’s time to bring it all together. Lay your fries together or in individual-sized portions. Place slices of American cheese over the fries, then pop the fries and cheese back into the oven briefly to melt it.

Now that your cheese is melted, you can add your In-N-Out sauce and caramelized onions. That’s it—all you need next is a fork, because these homemade fries are definitely about to get messy.