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Nothing beans a Double Double Animal Style Burger from In-N-Out and this copycat recipe nails it! You’ll start with two thin beef patties, caramelized onions, and their famous burger spread. These burgers are what dreams are made of.
Burgers are a whole big thing in my house and we make them at least once a week.
They’re a universal favorite with our kids, our friends, and our family so we always know that it’ll be a hit when we serve them up!
Of course, sometimes you crave a big, juicy, grease dripping down your arm style of burger and where better to go than In-N-Out? Well…sadly, I live in the Midwest and there are no In-N-Outs around these parts.
So, we’re making their Double Double Animal Style Burger at home. Strange name, but just stick with me…this burger is legit.
This recipe is based off of a copycat version of the Double Double Animal Style Burger from In-N-Out. I figured why bother reinventing the wheel when Serious Eats did such a good job already. 😉
???????? Ingredient List:
Ground Beef – Use the 73% lean ground chuck. You want a fatty beef for tasty burgers.
American cheese – Preferably the deli style rather than the plastic wrapped kind, but both work!
Yellow mustard – We’re squirting this on the burger as it cooks!
Onions – A must, if you’re making an animal style burger. We’re going to caramelize them.
Hamburger buns – The cheap store brand buns, please. We’ll butter them and toast them.
Burger Spread – Ketchup, mayo, vinegar, and relish.
Toppings – Pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes are a must, in my opinion.
???? What does ‘double double’ mean?
A double double burger from In-N-Out just means 2 hamburger patties and 2 slices of cheese.
???? What does ‘animal style’ mean?
Animal Style means that In-N-Out griddles the burgers with mustard and tops them off with pickles, grilled onions, and their delicious burger spread.
???? How to make this animal style burger:
Onion topping- First of all, these caramelized onions are sweet, salty, and soft. So even if onions aren’t your thing, you are likely to love these. Try them! To make them, dice your onions and cook them in a skillet with two tablespoons of melted butter for 15 minutes. Then add your water and continue cooking until the water evaporates and add another 1/4 cup of water. Cook until water evaporates then sprinkle with salt and set aside.
The secret sauce- You can start this while the onions are cooking. Stir together your ketchup, mayo, vinegar, and relish.
The buns – Start with cheapo store brand burger buns. Heat up a large skillet and melt butter on the skillet. Place the buns with the sliced portion down onto the butter and cook until golden brown. Add your sauce to your hot grilled bun and set aside.
The burgers- Take your same skillet you cooked the buns with and add 8 small balls of ground beef to it – 2 ounces each. Sprinkle them with salt and cook for one minute. Flip them over and then squish the meat flat into a thin patty about the size of your bun. Squirt some mustard on each patty and cook for a couple more minutes and flip again. Put your cheese on top of each patty then put your cooked onions on top of half of them. Cook until the cheese melts.
Serving- Place a patty without onions on top of a patty with onions. Then take that stack and place it on top of the bottom half of your prepared bun. Top with your favorite toppings and then add the top half of the bun.
Serve with our air fried french fries, potato wedges, or maybe our mac and cheese casserole. Can’t beat burgers & mac!
❔ FAQs:
In-N-Out is located in the west of the USA. You can find In-N-Out is seven states, including California, Nevada, Texas, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona.
Nope – they only use fresh beef pattied in their facilities located in California and Texas. The fresh patties are then delivered to their stores.
⭐More Favorite Copycat Recipes:
- How to make Chick-Fil-A Sauce
- Monterey Chicken
- Cajun Fried Corn
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- Chicken Chimichanga
Double Double Animal Style In-N-Out Copy Cat Burger
Ingredients
For the onions:
- 2 onions diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the burgers:
- 1 pound ground beef 75/25 if possible
- 8 slices American cheese from the deli (not the plastic wrapped kind)
- 4 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 hamburger buns store brand
- 4 tablespoons butter
- Pickles, lettuce, tomatoes for topping
For the secret sauce:
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dill pickle relish
Instructions
To make the onions:
- Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and add the diced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.
- When the onions are soft and beginning to brown, add 1/4 cup of water and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated. Repeat with the remaining 1/4 cup of water.
- After about 30 minutes of cooking the onions should be golden brown, soft, melty, and pure perfection.
- Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
To make the sauce:
- While the onions are cooking prepare the secret sauce. Stir together the ketchup, mayo, vinegar, and relish. Set aside.
To make the burgers:
- Heat a griddle or large cast iron skillet to medium.
- Melt the remaining butter on the hot griddle and place the buns, cut side down, on the griddle. Cook until golden brown.
- Spread around 1 tablespoon of the sauce on the bottom of each bun. Set aside.
- Turn the heat to high. While the griddle is heating, form the meat into 8 small balls of meat, loosely compacted.
- Place the balls of meat a few inches apart on the griddle and sprinkle the tops with salt. Let cook one minute.
- Flip the balls over and immediately take a small plate (or flat spatula that doesn’t have holes for the meat to squish through) and press the meat flat, forming a thin patty the same diameter as your bun.
- Squirt about 1/2 teaspoon of mustard on each patty. Cook for 1-2 minutes and flip again.
- Immediately place the cheese on each patty and top half of the patties with a heaping spoonful of the onions.
- Cook 1 minute or until patties are cooked through and cheese is beginning to melt.
- Use a spatula to pick up one of the patties without the onions and place it on top of a patty with the onions.
- Let cook for 30 more seconds to meld everything together.
- Remove from griddle to the grilled buns. Top with lettuce, tomato, and pickles, if desired.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was originally published March 2013. It was updated in August 2022 with new photos. Original photos below.
Shannon says
Where does the relish fit in? I’m making this tonight so I’d like to know what to do with the relish. Thanks! ๐
Karly says
@Shannon,
I’m so sorry! It gets mixed with the mayo and ketchup. ๐
Jennifer s says
These are the best burgers I’ve ever had, great job!
Karly says
@Jennifer s,
Yay! Glad you liked them as much as we did!
Jennifer s says
@Karly, Just made them again last night, with sautรฉed mushrooms. I dreamed about them all day, and they were just as good as I remembered. Seriously, best burgers ever. My husband agrees, and he is a burger snob. This is The One!
mandy says
I’ve had in-n-out…and have a friend who worked there..the mustard is the secret.. right on the money… ๐
Cheri says
I can’t stop laughing at the image I have of you running up and down your street screaming at all of your neighbors, “SPECIAL SAUCE! LET ME TELL YOU THE RECIPE FOR SPECIAL SAUCE!” In my vision, your neighbors are closing their blinds and saying things like, “There she goes again, Harold…” LOL!! Thanks so much for shouting your special sauce recipe loud enough that I got it, too.
Karly says
Ha! This cracked me up! ๐
eve says
?????
Sorry to argue but I’ve cut and pasted from your recipe
For the secret sauce:
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white vinegar
wheres the relish?
thats a standard Marie rose sauce some people use lemon some use vinegar
eve says
Not really a secret sauce…..as it more commonly known as ROSE MARIE SAUCE
Karly says
I didn’t think Marie Rose sauce had pickle relish? And it traditionally uses lemon juice instead of vinegar, but they are similar! ๐
Stacey says
Seriously going to be my guy’s hero. We used to live in Southern California (home of the glorious In N Out) but recently he got a job in WA where there are none. I will make him this and he will be weeping with gratitiude.
Karly says
Let me know how it compares!
I have some animal style fries coming to the blog soon! If I can ever stop inhaling them long enough to photograph them…
Megan says
These are amazing! I tweeked the special sauce a little by adding a few drops of Worcestershire and omitting the vinegar (I am in the UK at this time and the store close to me didn’t have white vinegar). The mustard on the Burgers while you cook them is genius and I shall do that anytime I cook burgers now. Thanks for the amazing recipe!
laurasmess says
Oh wow. I’ve never been to In-N-Out (they don’t even exist over here in Australia) but I’ve heard how amazing their burgers are. Continuously. Every friend who’s visited the USA has raved about them! So… that said… it’s awesome to find a recipe of a ‘copycat’ In-N-Out burger so that I can try it in the comfort of my own home. Love the idea of the thin, mustard-doused crispy patties and melty cheese. Sounds so delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe and your tips! xx
Bridgett says
I live in northern Illinois, the closest sounding thing to In-and-Out we have (that sounds like the descriptions I’ve read anyway) is Culvers, which is divine. Question: has bacon ever come into play in this recipe? I bet that would be fantastic. I gotta go clean up some drool now.
Heather says
I recently moved to Chicago from California and miss In-N-Out like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve tried all the “amazing” burger places in Chicago and nothing comes close. I’m so excited to try this recipe. It looks incredible!
Karly says
You’ll have to let me know how it compares! And I hope you’re enjoying all the snow today! ๐
Charity says
Made these tonight and they are as delicious as they look! Yummy yumm! One thing I will try next time is to half the amount of vinegar in the secret sauce. It was a bit too wangy for me and I love wangy usually. ๐ Thanks for a tremendous recipe!
Melissa @ No. 2 Pencil says
This looks absolutely amazing! Yum
terri says
Making these delicious looking burgers tonight. Can i use rice vinegar instead of white? I have 4 kinds of vinegar but no white
Jenn says
I’ve never had an In and Out burger but this looks delish!! And that sauce…. yum!