I live in England, far away from the US fast-food chain In-N-Out Burger, but I have always known about animal-style fries and have wanted to try them for years. Since I’m unlikely to find myself in California anytime soon, I decided to make my own animal-style fries at home.
It’s safe to say, I wasn’t disappointed. Crispy fries topped with melty cheese, caramelised onions and a tangy burger-style sauce are pretty difficult to go wrong with.
What are animal-style fries?
Animal-style fries are one of the most famous items from In-N-Out Burger’s not-so-secret menu. They are essentially French fries topped with melted American cheese, caramelised onions and the chain’s signature spread.
The combination sounds simple, but there is something about the sweet onions, salty cheese and tangy sauce together that makes these fries very, very moreish.
I believe they are technically on In-N-Out’s ‘secret menu’, although it’s not particularly secret in reality. The problem for me is that In-N-Out restaurants are mostly found in the US, meaning a trip to California is a slightly excessive way to satisfy a craving for loaded fries.
So, I made my own version at home instead.
Why you’ll love these animal-style fries
If you like loaded fries, these are a must-try. You get crispy fries, gooey cheese sauce, sweet caramelised onions and a tangy burger sauce in every bite.
They are also surprisingly easy to make. You can make the whole thing from scratch if you want to, but I used frozen oven fries to make these a little more achievable for a weeknight.
And, obviously, you can eat them with your hands. That’s very important.
How to make animal-style fries at home
There are four main parts to making animal-style fries at home: cooking your fries, caramelising the onions, making the animal-style sauce and making the cheese sauce.
1. Cook your fries
First, decide how you’re going to cook your fries.
To make things quick and easy, I bought frozen oven-cook French fries from the supermarket. You could also use frozen chips cooked in an air fryer, or make your own fries from scratch if you really want to elevate them.
Whatever you use, I’d recommend getting your fries as crispy as possible. They have quite a lot of toppings going on, so you don’t want them to become soggy underneath everything.
2. Caramelise the onions
Next, you’ll need to caramelise your onions. This is super simple and just takes a little patience.
Dice your onions and fry them in butter with a pinch of salt and sugar. Cook them over a low heat, stirring often, until they become soft, sweet and golden brown.
I recommend doing this for at least 45 minutes, but ideally around an hour. It might seem like a long time for a topping, but properly caramelised onions are absolutely worth it.
You can make the onions while your fries are cooking, but don’t be tempted to turn the heat up too high. You want them to slowly soften and caramelise rather than burn.
Once your onions are done, set some aside for topping the fries and use a little in the sauce.
3. Make the animal-style sauce
While the onions are cooking, you can make the burger-style sauce.
I made my version using mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, chives, dill pickles, vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, sugar, garlic and some of the caramelised onions.
Simply combine everything in a bowl and give it a good mix.
The sauce is creamy, tangy, slightly sweet and has that classic burger-sauce flavour. The chopped pickles are particularly important here as they add a little acidity to balance out all the rich cheese and onions.
4. Make the cheese sauce
Finally, it’s time for the cheese.
The original In-N-Out animal-style fries are topped with slices of American cheese. I, however, decided to make a Cheddar and American cheese sauce because I wanted my fries to be extra special.
To make the cheese sauce, start by making a roux using butter and flour. Gradually stir in the milk until you have a smooth, thick sauce, then add grated Cheddar and American cheese and stir until completely melted.
The result is an incredibly creamy, gooey cheese sauce that you can pour all over your fries.
How to assemble animal-style fries
Once everything is ready, it’s time for the best bit.
Pile your crispy fries onto a plate or into a bowl, then drizzle over the cheese sauce. Add plenty of caramelised onions, followed by the animal-style sauce.
I like to finish with a few extra pickles and chives, but this is completely optional.
And that’s it! You have homemade animal-style fries without having to fly to California.
Can I use frozen fries?
Absolutely. In fact, that’s exactly what I did.
Using frozen oven fries makes this recipe much quicker and easier, and there are already enough components to make that I don’t think you need to make the fries from scratch unless you really want to.
For the crispiest result, cook your frozen fries according to the packet instructions and make sure they are properly golden and crisp before adding the toppings.
You can also cook them in an air fryer if that’s your preferred method.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Yes! These animal-style fries are vegetarian.
The only ingredient to look out for is Worcestershire sauce, as traditional Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. I used a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in my sauce to keep the whole recipe vegetarian.
What cheese should I use?
I used a combination of American cheese and Cheddar.
American cheese is particularly good for getting that classic animal-style fries flavour and an incredibly smooth, melty cheese sauce. Cheddar adds a stronger cheesy flavour, which I personally prefer.
You can use just American cheese if you want to keep them closer to the original, or just Cheddar if that’s what you have in the fridge.
Can I make animal-style fries ahead of time?
I’d recommend making the individual components ahead of time rather than assembling the fries in advance.
The caramelised onions and animal-style sauce can both be made ahead and kept in the fridge. You can also make the cheese sauce in advance, although you may need to gently reheat it with a splash of milk to get it back to a pourable consistency.
I’d always cook the fries and assemble everything just before serving so that you get crispy fries and melty cheese rather than sad, soggy fries.
My tips for the best animal-style fries
- Don’t rush the onions. Low and slow is the way to go. The longer they cook, the sweeter and more caramelised they become.
- Get your fries really crispy. They need to stand up to all those toppings.
- Make extra sauce. You can always put leftovers in the fridge and use it for burgers, sandwiches or dipping fries.
- Serve immediately. These are definitely best when the cheese is warm and gooey.
- Don’t be shy with the toppings. The whole point of animal-style fries is that they’re gloriously messy.
What to serve with animal-style fries
These homemade animal-style fries make a pretty substantial snack on their own, but they would also be perfect alongside a veggie burger or a homemade burger.
If you’re making a proper fakeaway feast, I’d serve them with burgers, pickles and something cold and fizzy to drink.
Or, honestly, just make a giant bowl of them and eat them for dinner. I’m not here to judge.
Similar Recipes
If you liked this recipe you might also like more of my loaded fries recipes:
Animal-Style Fries
Ingredients
Method
- First make the caramelised onions. Melt the butter in a frying pan or sauce pan over a medium heat.
- Once the butter is bubbling, add in the onions, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often until the onions are caramelised. Turn down the heat if the onions are starting to brown too quickly. Set aside.
- Cook your fries according to packet instructions. Time this so they will be ready soon after the onions have finished cooking.
- Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat.
- Whisk through the flour and cook for 30 seconds.
- Whisk in the milk gradually. Continue cooking and whisking until the sauce has thickened.
- Turn the heat to low and whisk in your cheese until melted.
- Take off the heat, cover and set aside.
- Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, except the onion, in a bowl. Once the onions are cooled, stir them through.
- Gently reheat your cheese sauce. Add the fries to a large bowl and load them up with the cheese sauce and burger sauce. Top with the caramelised onions and more chopped chives, if you like.
I’ve never been to in N out either but these were AMAZING