Animal Style Burger Fries (Copycat In-N-Out)

Name: Animal Style Burger Fries Recipe (Copycat In-N-Out)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 bag frozen fries ((24 oz)); 1 tbsp olive oil; ½ tsp seasoning salt (like Lawry's or other); 1 sweet onion (diced); 1 tbsp butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; ¾ cup water (divided); Salt to taste; ½ cup mayonnaise; ¼ cup ketchup; 2 tbsp yellow mustard; 1 tbsp dill relish; ½ tbsp sweet relish; 2 burger patties (beef, turkey, plant-based, etc.); 6 slices American cheese; ¼ cup Sliced pepperoncini (optional)

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These copycat In-N-Out animal style fries with meat are loaded with beef, cheese, caramelized onions, special sauce, and pepperoncini peppers for a mouthwatering party snack. They’re easy to make and taste even better than the fast food version.

A not-so-secret secret: animal style fries from In-N-Out are one of the best fast food options out there. Unfortunately, not everyone lives near an In-N-Out location, and even if you do, the lines are always way too long. Our animal style fries recipe uses frozen fries for convenience, American cheese for classic fast food vibes, and a homemade special sauce. We’ve added cooked burger patties for a meaty twist and chopped pepperoncini peppers for slight heat. The result is a comforting indulgence for when you’re craving something super tasty and over-the-top.

What Are Animal Style Fries?

A not-so-secret secret: animal style fries from In-N-Out Burger are one of the best fast food options out there. They’re part of the burger chain’s “secret menu,” and feature fries covered in American cheese, caramelized diced onions, and In-N-Out “spread” (their special sauce). You can even order them with “chilies,” which means they’ll add some chopped pepperoncini on top.

Unfortunately, not everyone lives near an In-N-Out location, and even if you do, the lines are always way too long. Our version has the same basic ingredients as the animal style In-N-Out fries, but with burgers too for extra protein and flavor. These animal style fries with meat start with a base layer of seasoned fries (use frozen fries for convenience), then the cooked and cut up burger patties for a meaty twist, then a layer of American cheese for classic fast food notes, a generous sprinkle of caramelized onions for slightly sweet richness, and finally a drizzle of special sauce and pepperoncini peppers for balance and heat. The result is a comforting indulgence for when you’re craving something super tasty and over-the-top.

Ingredients in the Animal Style Burger Fries

Frozen fries – use your favorite frozen French fries and season them with a little olive oil (to help them crisp), and seasoning salt. We don’t recommend using curly fries, waffle fries, steak cut fries, or wedge fries.
Caramelized onions – sweet or yellow onions cooked in butter and oil (butter = flavor; oil = higher smoke point), a little water to deglaze the pan and help the caramelize faster, and salt.
Burger patties – while not a traditional topping on In-N-Out animal fries, you can order animal style burgers from there, so we think cooked burger patties make an excellent topping for our version of these fries. If you don’t eat beef, feel free to substitute your preferred choice of patty or skip entirely.
American cheese – if you want these fries to taste as close to the original as possible, you have to use American cheese. Cheddar cheese would also taste good, however.
Animal style sauce (aka special sauce) – good quality mayonnaise (Best Foods/Hellmann’s or Duke’s), ketchup for sweetness and tomato flavor, yellow mustard for tang, and both dill and sweet relish for mild acidity and balanced sweetness.
Sliced pepperoncini – we like the subtle heat and brine that these peppers provide, but you can leave them out if you don’t like spicy food.

Top-down picture of a baking sheet with baked Animal Style Burger Fries, fully assembled.

How to Make Animal Style Fries With Meat

Preheat the oven according to package directions for fries (we cook ours at 425°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
Heat butter and oil in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add 2-3 tbsp water. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the water evaporates & onions turn golden, and repeat adding water/cooking until onions are soft and caramel in color, about 20-25 minutes total. Season with salt at the end.
While onions are cooking, toss the frozen fries with olive oil and seasoned salt. Bake for 20 minutes or according to package directions.
Cook the burger patties on the stove until they reach your desired doneness (6 to 10 minutes total). They will also be cooked more in the oven once the fries are assembled, so you could cook them slightly less at this stage so that they don’t overcook in the oven. Once done, cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Mix the animal style sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
Top the cooked fries with burger pieces and American cheese.

Top the seasoned fries with chopped burgers.
Top with American cheese slices.

Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melty.

Top-down picture of Animal Style Burger Fries on a baking sheet. It is comprised of fries topped with burger pieces, melted American cheese, and caramelized onions.

Add caramelized onions, special sauce, and pepperoncini, if using.

Our Tips for the Best Animal Style Burger Fries

Rachel and Emily from Cooking with Conks, standing side-by-side in green and yellow aprons.

Use frozen fries to save time and effort. This snack isn’t fancy and doesn’t require you to make your own fries from scratch. Of course, you can do that, if you want to.
Caramelize the onions while the frozen fries bake. The frozen fries need about 20 minutes to bake, which is almost the same amount of time as the onions need to caramelize. Once you place the fries in the oven, start caramelizing those onions so that you aren’t wasting time doing it later.

Add water to the onions to help them caramelize faster. Cooking the onions on a higher heat (medium-high), then deglazing the pan with water every few minutes lets them cook and brown faster without burning. Without adding water, you’d need to cook the onions on a lower temperature for about 45 minutes to an hour to get them to caramelize. While quick caramelized onions may not be as rich as the traditional method, they take about half the time.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

Who are we kidding? You probably won’t have leftovers if you set these out at a party. But if you’re eating them yourself or with your partner, sibling, or roommate, it’s possible you’ll need to put away some leftovers. We recommend storing any non-eaten animal fries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple of days. Reheat the leftovers in the oven at 350°F for a about 10 minutes or until they’re warm.

Serve these animal style fries with meat at your next party or whenever you get the craving for loaded fries.

FAQs: Animal Style Burger Fries

Yes! You can leave the meat out entirely or substitute the beef patties for chicken, turkey, or even your favorite veggie patty.

No, but that is the classic cheese used on typical In-N-Out animal style fries. So if you don’t use American cheese, these won’t taste quite the same as the fast food version. However, shredded mild cheddar could also work.

Absolutely! Leave them off completely or even put them on the side in case your guests want to top their fries with some additional heat.

Ingredients

Fries

1 bag frozen fries (24 oz)
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp seasoning salt like Lawry’s or other

Caramelized Onions

1 sweet onion diced
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
¾ cup water divided
Salt to taste

Special Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp dill relish
½ tbsp sweet relish

Additional Toppings

2 burger patties beef, turkey, plant-based, etc.
6 slices American cheese
¼ cup Sliced pepperoncini optional

Instructions

Preheat oven according to package directions for fries (we cook ours at 425°F).
Heat butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add 2-3 tbsp water. Cook for 6-8 minutes until water evaporates & onions turn golden, and repeat adding water/cooking until onions are soft and caramel in color, about 25 minutes total. Season with salt at end.
1 sweet onion, 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp olive oil, ¾ cup water, Salt to taste
While onions are cooking, toss frozen fries with olive oil and seasoned salt. Bake for 20 minutes or according to package directions.
1 bag frozen fries, 1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp seasoning salt
Cook burger patties on stove or grill until desired doneness (about 6 to 10 minutes total). Cut into pieces.
2 burger patties
Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup ketchup, 2 tbsp yellow mustard, 1 tbsp dill relish, ½ tbsp sweet relish
Top cooked fries with burger pieces and American cheese.
6 slices American cheese
Bake for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melty.
Add caramelized onions, special sauce, and pepperoncini, if using.
¼ cup Sliced pepperoncini

Final Thoughts

We always loved In-N-Out animal fries, but think these homemade animal style fries with meat are even better! They’re also a huge hit at parties and game day gatherings, so we highly recommend making a batch for your next shindig or whenever you get a craving for loaded fries. If you make these, we’d be thrilled if you’d leave a comment below and let us know how they turned out. You can also share a picture of your animal fries you make with this recipe and tag us in the post or story on Instagram!