Copycat In-n-Out Sauce (Easy Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the In-N-Out sauce made of? ›

Spread 'em: Mastering the Special Sauce

I never understood why In-N-Out refers to their sauce as "Spread." Maybe they're just a little too cool for school. In any case, all it is is a basic Thousand Island-style dressing: a mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise, and sweet pickle relish.

Because of similarities in color and taste, many people assume that In-N-Out's burger sauce is simply Thousand Island dressing, i.e. a blend of mayonnaise and ketchup. However, Thousand Island has a thicker consistency and is slightly spicier than In-N-Out sauce.

A closer look at the ingredient list shows one significant difference between the two: while McDonald's, like In-N-Out, includes sweet pickle relish and mayonnaise in their secret sauce, McDonald's doesn't include ketchup or any tomato products at all.

The Burgers

This infamous mod takes the classic burger to the next level. The patty is mustard-grilled and topped with chopped caramelized onions and a smear of their famous “spread,” which is basically an awesome Thousand Island sauce.

Bun, 100% beef patty, lettuce, tomato, spread, 1 slice of American cheese, with or without onions. Bun, 2 100% beef patties, lettuce, tomato, spread, 2 slices of American cheese, with or without onions. Potatoes prepared fresh in 100% sunflower oil.

In fact, we don't even own a microwave or freezer. Our iceberg lettuce is hand-leafed. Our American cheese is the real thing. And we use the best available onions and the plumpest, juiciest tomatoes we can find.

Thousand Island Dressing can last anywhere from 3-8 months in your fridge. If unopened and properly stored, it may even last until the manufacturer's intended expiry date on the package, which is usually a year from the manufacturing date.

In-N-Out isn't the only burger chain that has a signature sauce that it puts on its sandwiches. McDonald's is famous for its Big Mac sauce, which is served on the sandwich of the same name (via McDonald's). McDonald's "special sauce" does have a similar texture and flavor to In-N-Out's burger spread.

Roadkill Fries

Roadkill Fries are perfect for anyone who wants both a burger and fries but knows they don't have quite enough room for both. When you order roadkill fries from the secret menu for In-N-Out, you're ordering a Flying Dutchman on top of Animal-Style fries.

Best: Protein Style Cheeseburger

This core menu item is the regular cheeseburger (1 all-beef patty and 1 slice American Cheese) wrapped in lettuce rather than on a bun. This option makes our best bet due to its modest calories, and better saturated fat and sodium counts compared to other burger choices on the menu.

What makes In-N-Out burger so special? ›

According to In-N-Out's website, said chuck is, "individually inspected...from premium cattle selected especially for In-N-Out Burger." The 100% USDA ground chuck is free of additives, fillers, and preservatives. And no, the patties are never, ever frozen.

Fortunately, there's a store-bought alternative that'll allow you to have as much Big Mac-like sauce as you want. According to a video posted by TikTok influencer Mike Haracz, a former McDonald's corporate chef, Great Value brand Secret Sauce is the closest thing you'll get to the fast food chain's Big Mac sauce.

"The [sauce] that best replicated Big Mac sauce from McDonald's that you should go buy if you want it is Great Value's 'Secret Sauce,'" he told his burger followers. "Look at the ingredients statement, it's almost identical."

According to McDonald's, you'll have to order exclusively through the restaurant's app to get your hands on the sauce, which comes in blue and white packaging inspired by an early Big Mac wrapper.

It's sweet, salty, a little zesty and the perfect condiment for any burger.

The yellow chile peppers carried by IN-IN-OUT burger are in fact cascabella peppers. Cascabella peppers are cone shaped and produce a chile pepper that is approximately 1 ¾” long by ¾” wide. Cascabellas turn from yellow, to orange, to red when mature. The plant has green stems, green leaves and white flowers.

We have always made our hamburger patties ourselves using only fresh, 100% USDA ground chuck — free of additives, fillers and preservatives. We deliver them to our stores direct from our own patty-making facilities in Baldwin Park, California; Lathrop, California; and Dallas, Texas.

Pan sauce is a thin sauce that's made from the drippings your meat cooked in, also known as fond.