Copycat In-N-Out Burger Recipe: Cheaper, Better, Faster at Home

People ask me all the time if I miss California. I spent most of my life there, so it’s a fair question. And the honest answer surprises them every time. It’s not the beach. It’s not the weather. It’s not even Disneyland, and that’s saying something. What I missed, more than anything, was a burger.

When we first moved to rural northern Colorado, the nearest In-N-Out was a plane ticket away, something we only got to enjoy on trips back to see our older son. Since then, In-N-Out has opened up several locations right here in Colorado. You’d think I’d be there every week.

I’m not. Because somewhere along the way, I figured out how to make one just as good, right in my own kitchen. Maybe better. I know how that sounds coming from a diehard fan base, but I stand behind it. Today I’m handing you the whole thing.

What Makes In-N-Out Worth the Fuss

If you’ve never had one, here’s the picture. Everything is made to order. Nothing sits under a heat lamp, nothing comes out of a freezer. The bun is soft, warm, and toasted at the same time, which sounds like it shouldn’t work and absolutely does. The pickles snap. The lettuce is plain old iceberg, unapologetically. The cheese is American, the tomatoes are the ripe kind, and the sauce runs down your wrist a little, which is exactly how you know it’s good.

You get to choose a raw onion slice or the caramelized kind, cooked down until it’s sweet and almost syrupy. And the menu stretches from a plain Single all the way up to a Double-Double, Animal-Style, loaded with everything. There’s a reason people build entire road trips around this place.

• MORE: 16 Brilliant Reasons to Stop Throwing Out Pickle Juice

Why Bother Making It Yourself

I get this question a lot, usually from someone standing five miles from an In-N-Out. Fair point. But making the burger at home isn’t really about convenience. It’s about control.

I know exactly what’s going into mine. I know the beef is fresh, I know how much salt is on it, and I know the bun didn’t come from a truck. There’s also something satisfying about nailing a recipe that ties back to a place I love. Every bite is a little bit of California, made in Colorado.

And yes, let’s talk money, because you know I will. A homemade Double-Double costs a fraction of what you’d pay at the counter, and you skip the line entirely. Cheaper, better, faster. That’s the whole idea.

What You’ll Need

Here’s your shopping list. Nothing exotic, nothing you can’t find at a regular grocery store.

• Ground beef, 4 ounces per patty, as fresh as you can get it
• Large, soft hamburger buns (Oroweat or Arnold, depending on where you live, is the closest match I’ve found to the real thing)
• Dill pickle chips
• Real deli American cheese, sliced thick
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• Iceberg lettuce, torn to fit the bun
• One ripe tomato, sliced about a quarter inch thick
• A sweet onion, sliced raw or caramelized, your call
• Yellow mustard
• Mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish for the spread

That’s it.

The Sauce That Does All the Work

This is the part people email me about most, so pay attention. In-N-Out calls it Spread, and it’s really just a souped-up Thousand Island. Mix together 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons of mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of ketchup, and 2 teaspoons of sweet pickle relish. That’s your whole sauce, about 4 tablespoons total, enough for two burgers.

Don’t skip this step and swap in bottled Thousand Island. I’ve tried it. It’s close, but close isn’t the same as right, and you’ll taste the difference immediately.

How to Put It Together

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and get everything laid out before you start cooking. Burgers move fast once the griddle’s hot, and you don’t want to be slicing tomatoes with one hand while a patty burns.

Form your beef into patties, 4 ounces each, pressed flat to about 4 inches across. Salt and pepper both sides generously. This is your only shot to season the meat, so don’t be timid about it.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high with a couple teaspoons of oil. Sear the patties on one side. While that side cooks, squirt a little mustard on top, then flip so the mustard cooks directly into the meat. That’s the move that separates a regular burger from an Animal-Style one, and it takes about thirty seconds of effort. After the flip, top each patty with cheese and cook until it hits 145 degrees.

While the patties are going, set your closed buns in the oven for exactly two minutes to warm through. If you’re caramelizing onions, chop them fine and let them cook right in the meat drippings, stirring often so they brown instead of burn.

Once your patties are resting under foil, open the buns and toast the cut sides in whatever’s left in the pan. Those drippings are flavor you’d otherwise throw away. Don’t waste them.

Spread two tablespoons of sauce on the bottom bun. Layer on four pickle chips, a slice of tomato, and your lettuce. Add one patty, then your onion, then the second patty, then the top bun. That’s a Double-Double. Want a Single? Use one patty and one slice of cheese, and you’re done.

The Not-So-Secret Menu

The best part of In-N-Out isn’t even on the menu board. It’s the stuff regulars order by memory, off a list that isn’t printed anywhere.

Protein Style

Skip the bun entirely and wrap your burger in big, sturdy iceberg leaves instead. At home, just pull two of the largest outer leaves you can find, overlap them, and build your burger right on top. Low-carb without feeling like a consolation prize.

Flying Dutchman

This one’s for the purists. Two patties, two slices of melted cheese, nothing else. No bun, no lettuce, no tomato, no sauce. Cook your patties exactly as I laid out above, stack them with cheese between and on top, and eat it like the world’s tidiest open-face burger.

There’s a newer twist making the rounds online: the Onion-Wrapped Dutchman. Instead of skipping the bun, you swap it for two thick slices of grilled onion. To make it at home, cut your onion into two half-inch rounds, keeping the rings intact, and grill them low and slow until they’re soft enough to hold their shape but caramelized at the edges. Build your Flying Dutchman as usual, then sandwich the whole stack between the onion slices instead of a bun. Messier than the original. Worth it.

Grilled Cheese

No beef at all here, believe it or not. It’s two slices of melted American cheese with lettuce, tomato, and spread, all tucked into a toasted bun. Follow the toasting and assembly steps from the main recipe, just leave the patties out of the pan entirely. Good for the kid who claims to hate burgers but somehow eats this one every time.

3×3 or 4×4

More is more. Stack three or four patties with a matching number of cheese slices, same seasoning and sear as always. I’ll be honest, once you get past a Double-Double you’re really just building a cheese-and-beef tower. Have at it.

Animal Style Fries

Cook up a batch of your favorite fries, then top them with a slice of American cheese while they’re still hot enough to melt it. Drizzle with the spread from this recipe, then finish with a spoonful of those caramelized onions. Eat immediately, with a fork, over the pan if you have to.

Chopped Chilies

This is the one nobody talks about enough. Dice up some mild yellow banana pepper chilies, the jarred kind you’d put on a sandwich, and scatter them right on top of your burger or fries. A little vinegar bite, a little heat. It costs pennies and it might be my favorite thing on this whole list.

Questions I Get About This Recipe

What is Animal-Style, really?

It’s the same burger, but the patty gets cooked with mustard right on the griddle, and you get mustard-fried onions plus extra pickles and sauce. That’s it. No secret handshake required, though you can order it that way anywhere on the menu even though it’s not printed there.

Can I use a different bun?

Sure, but the size matters more than you’d think. You want something soft enough to toast without turning into a cracker. Oroweat works because it’s close in size and texture to what the restaurant uses.

Do I have to caramelize the onion?

No. A raw slice is the classic order, and it’s genuinely good. Caramelized is the upgrade, not the requirement. I make it both ways depending on how much patience I’ve got that evening.

Can I make the sauce ahead?

Yes, and honestly you should. It keeps in the fridge for about five days, so double the batch and you’re set for burger night twice.

Give It a Try

You don’t need a plane ticket or a drive across three states to have one of these. You need a hot pan, twenty minutes, and a little nerve to season the meat like you mean it.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

5 from 6 votes

DIY In-N-Out Style Cheeseburger

I make this when the craving hits and the nearest In-N-Out is too far to justify the drive. Cheaper than the counter, and honestly, I think it's better. Judge for yourself.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 burger

Calories: 1226kcal

Ingredients

For the burger:

• 1/2 pound ground beef 80/20, divided into two 1/4-pound patties
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper freshly ground
• 2 tsp yellow mustard plus more to taste, for searing
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 slices American cheese use 1 for a Single cheeseburger
• 1 large soft hamburger bun
• 4 dill pickle chips
• 1 slice tomato about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 leaves iceberg lettuce torn to fit the bun
• 1 slice sweet onion raw, or caramelized (instructions below)

For the spread:

• 2 tbsp + 2 tsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp sweet pickle relish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange and assemble all of the ingredients.
• Make the spread: mix spread ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Form beef patties, pressing 4 ounces of beef flat to 4 inches in diameter for each patty. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Sear patties on one side. Squirt mustard on them as they cook. After about 2 minutes, flip so the mustard cooks into the second side. Cover each patty with a slice of cheese. Cook until internal temperature reaches 145°F. Remove to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
• While patties are frying, place the closed bun in the hot oven for exactly 2 minutes.
• To caramelize the onion, if using, chop finely and cook it in the meat juices left in the pan, stirring often so it browns without burning.
• Open the bun and toast it, cut-side down, in the remaining meat juices. Watch it closely.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of sauce on the toasted bottom bun. Top with pickle chips, tomato, and lettuce. Add one patty, then the onion, then the second patty. Close with the top bun.
• Enjoy your Double-Double, In-N-Out style. For a Single, use one patty and one slice of cheese.

Notes

1. Use 80/20 ground beef for the juiciest patties.
2. Oroweat or Arnold is the closest bun match to the real thing.
3. This makes about 4 tablespoons of spread, enough for 2 burgers. Double it and keep extra in the fridge for up to 5 days.
4. Nutrition values are for one full Double-Double cheeseburger.

Nutrition

Serving: 1double cheeseburger | Calories: 1226kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 52g | Fat: 97g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 20g | Monounsaturated Fat: 36g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 219mg | Sodium: 1861mg | Potassium: 922mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 984IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 577mg | Iron: 7mg

Question: I’d love to hear how yours turns out, and what you’d add to make it your own. What’s your must-have burger topping, the one that makes it feel like home?

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