A copycat of the famous crispy fries topped with melted cheese, caramelized onions and creamy "secret sauce"!
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT40M
Total time: PT60M
Rating
5 stars (19 reviews)
Keywords
Animal Fries, Animal Style Fries
Ingredients
1 batch Oven Baked French Fries (, click link for recipe)
4 slices American cheese or 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
OR Cheddar cheese sauce (, click link for recipe)
For the Caramelized Onions:
1 large yellow onion (, chopped)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
For the In-N-Out Sauce:
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup (, click link for homemade)
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (, click link for homemade)
1 tablespoon finely minced sweet onion
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Categories
Appetizer
Side Dish
Cuisine
American
Steps
To make the sauce, place the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving for the best flavor. This can be made up to several days in advance.
Follow my recipe for making the Oven Baked French Fries.
While the fries are baking make the caramelized onions: Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat, add the onions, salt and sugar, and cook the onions until they're nicely browned.
To serve place the French fries on a plate, top with sliced American cheese or shredded Cheddar cheese, top with caramelized onions and spoon over some sauce. Serve immediately.Note: If using shredded Cheddar, plate the fries, sprinkle the cheese over them and microwave briefly until melted, then top with onions and sauce.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 558 kcal
Carbohydrates: 49 g
Protein: 10 g
Fat: 42 g
Saturated Fat: 11 g
Cholesterol: 44 mg
Sodium: 942 mg
Sugar: 7 g
Unsaturated Fat: 30 g
Reviews
Lori on 2026-01-14 (5 stars): This was wildly popular at our dinner table tonight. Everyone ate eagerly and not a crumb left. I think that pretty much says it all.
Rita Chavez on 2025-10-24 (5 stars): Once again you've nailed it, Kimberly. This is not only spot on, it's even BETTER than In n Out!
Jessica Simms on 2025-09-23 (5 stars): You should have seen the look on my kids' faces when I made this for dinner last night :) Needless to say there was a lot of excitement and it was a big hit!
Sondra Tieger on 2025-09-17 (5 stars): Admittedly this is a favorite indulgence of mine and it removes a slight bit of guilt knowing it's homemade and not coming from a fast food restaurant, so thank you for that and for a great recipe! :)
Roy Garber on 2025-09-16 (5 stars): Ah these are super fun and super delicious! The sauce is spot on.