Go Back
Animal style fries with burger meat on top of red and white checkered paper.

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

5 from 3 votes
Fries loaded with beef, cheese, caramelized onions, special sauce, and peppers make these copycat In-N-Out animal style fries with meat a hit! They’re easy to make and taste even better than the fast-food version.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:45 minutes
Total Time:55 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Fries
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Fries

  • 1 bag frozen fries (24 oz)
  • ¼ to ½ tsp seasoning salt like Lawry's or other

Caramelized Onions

  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 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 beef burger patties (or you can use turkey, chicken, plant-based, etc.)
  • 6 slices American cheese
  • ¼ cup Sliced pepperoncini optional

Instructions

Bake the fries and caramelize the onions.

  • Preheat oven according to package directions for fries (we cook ours at 425°F). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or according to package directions, then season with seasoning salt.
    1 bag frozen fries, ¼ to ½ tsp seasoning salt
  • While the fries are baking, heat butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, then add 2-3 tbsp water. Cook for 6-8 more minutes until the water evaporates and onions turn golden, then add more water. Repeat adding water and cooking until the onions are soft and caramel in color, about 25 minutes total. Season with salt at end.
    1 sweet onion, 2 tbsp butter, ¾ cup water, Salt to taste

Cook the burger patties.

  • While the onions finish up, cook the burger patties on stove or grill until desired doneness, about 4 to 5 minutes per side or 8 to 10 minutes total. (Note: 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.) Cut the patties into bite-sized pieces.
    2 beef burger patties

Mix up the sauce and finish the fries.

  • 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 the cooked fries with burger pieces, then lay the American cheese on top of the fries. Bake the topped for 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    6 slices American cheese
  • Top the fries with the caramelized onions (note: if the onions are looking too clumpy, you can mix them with an extra splash of water at this time). Spoon some special sauce on top of the fries and top with pepperoncini, if using.
    ¼ cup Sliced pepperoncini

Notes

Our Tips:

  1. Use frozen fries to save time and effort. This snack is rustic and doesn’t require you to make your own fries from scratch.
  2. Caramelize the onions while the frozen fries bake. The frozen fries need about 25 minutes to bake, which is the same amount of time as the onions need to caramelize. 
  3. 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.