After hearing everyone I know from the west coast talk about how amazing In-N-Out’s Animal Style Fries are, I put my culinary skills to the test to see if I can recreate them! To start, I reached out to two of my friends who have actually eaten at In-N-Out before and got their pointers on the most important parts of the dish. After speaking to them, I knew I needed to nail the extra crispy fries, perfectly caramelized onions, and the delicious animal style sauce.
I got in the kitchen and tested a bunch of frying techniques and variations of the sauce to make the perfect homemade version of the classic. As always, I have a whole video on my YouTube channel showing you how to make it as well as the typed out recipe below it. I can’t wait to see all of your pictures of how it came out in your kitchen!
In-N-Out Animal Style Fries
Ingredients
For The Fries:
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch fries
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- Vegetable Oil, for frying
For the Animal Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup dill pickles, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
For the Toppings
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 slices American cheese
Instructions
For The Fries:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the salt and white vinegar, stir until dissolved. Place all the potatoes into the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully, drain the potatoes from the pot and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to cool.
- Preheat a large pot of vegetable oil to 400o Fahrenheit. In small batches, fry the potato sticks for 60 seconds then place on a new paper towel-lined baking sheet. Once all the potatoes have been fried, place the cookie sheet back in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. (For best results, freeze overnight.)
- Bring the pot of oil back to 400o Fahrenheit. In small batches fry the par-cooked potato sticks for 2 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and place on a towel-lined baking sheet. Season the fries with salt immediately after taking them out of the oil.
For the Animal Sauce:
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, mustard, salt, pepper, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Set aside until fries are ready. Leftover sauce can be stored in the fridge.
For The Toppings:
- In a small frying pan, melt the butter on a medium heat. Add in the onions and saute for 15 minutes on a medium flame, stirring often, until they begin to caramelize.
- Place the finished hot fries in a serving dish. Top the fries with the slices of American cheese. The heat of the fries should melt the cheese, if not place in the oven for a few minutes on broil. Top with the caramelized onions then a large spoonful of the sauce. Serve immediately.
