West Coast fast food chain In-N-Out Burger is famous for a lot of things, from its not-so-secret
secret menu to its fresh beef burgers, its legendary shakes and its truly spectacular
loaded fries.
But one thing in particular gives many of these items their signature taste: the company's
famous burger spread.
But just what is In-N-Out's secret sauce really made of?
If you've ever been to In-N-Out, you'll know what this stuff tastes like.
The sauce is creamy, tangy, salty, and slightly sweet.
In-N-Out's burger spread comes by default on all of its burgers, but every fan of the
chain knows that there's one area where it really shines: in the restaurant's "Animal
Style" menu offerings.
An Animal Style burger comes with the burger of your choice, but with some upgrades.
The burger patties are smothered in mustard and grilled, which gives them a caramelized,
tangy exterior.
Then, they're put on a bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onions, and the crowning glory:
extra burger spread.
Animal Style fries feature an abundance of burger spread too — and if you order them
"well done," they'll be cooked longer, meaning your fries get crispy and golden brown.
In turn, that means they'll be better able to stand up to the load of toppings: which
include melted American cheese, grilled onions, and a mega-helping of that perfectly creamy
burger spread.
"I'll have what she's having."
Thanks to the similarities in their color, flavor, and texture, people sometimes think
that In-N-Out's burger spread is Thousand Island dressing, but it's not.
While you can probably assume that Thousand Island dressing does have some of the same
ingredients as In-N-Out's burger sauce, real Thousand Island dressing is a little more
than just a burger sauce.
For example, the original recipe for Thousand Island was also blended with a hard-boiled
egg to help thicken it, and was seasoned with a splash of Worcestershire sauce.
If you need a copycat In-N-Out burger spread in a pinch, Thousand Island dressing might
do, but real In-N-Out fans will tell you that it's just not the same as the real thing.
Sadly, figuring out the exact recipe for the chain's secret sauce isn't particularly easy.
In-N-Out doesn't list the ingredients for its spread on their website, but luckily there
are some burger sleuths out there who believe they've uncovered the secret formula.
"You're a genius!"
“We're both geniuses!”
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, chef and food scientist, is one of those people.
Lopez-Alt broke down the formula for making the spread, first by tasting it straight from
the packet, and then attempting to recreate it at home.
According to him, the spread is indeed a Thousand Island-style sauce, made from ketchup, mayonnaise,
and sweet pickle relish.
After breaking down the sauce by calculating its parts based on their caloric makeup, and
even by straining out and weighing the relish pieces, Lopez-Alt deduced that the In-N-Out
secret sauce is made by combining two tablespoons plus two teaspoons of mayonnaise, one tablespoon
of ketchup, and two teaspoons of pickle relish.
A splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar balances out the flavors, and voila — you have an
In-N-Out burger spread you can easily make at home.
But is it identical to the real thing?
Well, unless In-N-Out ever releases their official ingredient list or recipe, we'll
never know.
But until then, this is about as close to the real deal as you can get.
Of course, knowing the truth behind In-N-Out's secret sauce makes it easier to compare to
its biggest rival, too.
McDonald's is famous for its Big Mac sauce, which is served on the sandwich of the same
name.
And McDonald's "special sauce" does actually have a similar texture and flavor to In-N-Out's
burger spread.
But a closer look at the ingredient list shows one major 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.
It's because of that lack of ketchup that the Big Mac secret sauce comes across as just
a little less sweet and a little less tangy than In-N-Out's burger spread.
The more you know, huh?
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