Animal Style Fries (In-N-Out Copycat)

I LOVE Animal Style Fries from In-N-Out and today we have a simple and VERY close copycat recipe for you all! I swear these taste just like the real thing, except we make things a little easier by using store-bought frozen shoestring fries (that aren’t kennebec fries), instead of making our own.

If you’re a fan of In-N-Out’s animal style fries or you’ve never had the chance to try them, we promise you will not be disappointed by our recipe! It’s so easy to make and absolutely delicious! It’s the perfect snack to enjoy while watching a movie or to serve up on any game day.

What Are Animal Style Fries?

Animal style fries is a menu item from In-N-Out’s (not so) secret menu and it consists of their French fries topped with cheese, their spread and diced grilled onions.

We’ve made ours just like they serve them up at In-N-Out for maximum copycat deliciousness!

How to Make Animal Style Fries

Ingredients

Process

Caramelized Onions

1. Melt butter in a large pan, over medium-low heat. Add onions.
2. Sweat onions until softened and translucent, 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar.

3. Raise heat to medium and continue to cook onions, stirring frequently, until onions have darkened and caramelized, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Spread

4. Combine all ingredients into a bowl.
5. Whisk together. Set aside.

Assembly

6. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Spread frozen French fries onto a baking sheet, in a single layer. Bake French fries until crisp and lightly browned 2 to 26 minutes.
7. Remove fries from oven, lower oven temperature to 350˚F, and top fries with cheese slices.

8. Place fries back into the oven and bake for about 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
9. Top fries with a generous drizzle of spread and a sprinkle of caramelized onions. Serve animal style fries immediately.

Why This is the BEST Copycat Animal Style Fries Recipe

• We keep things very simple and don’t try to deviate from the original, otherwise what would be the point of a copycat recipe, right?
• We make ours on a sheet pan to ensure each french fry gets smothered in all the toppings!
• We use store-bought frozen french fries. After all, we are trying to keep things as easy as possible!

Tips and Tricks for Success

• Use American cheese. Although it’s not for everyone, it’s what they use and really helps to capture the true flavors of animal style fries.
• Use store-bought frozen french fries to save a ton of time (rather than making your own french fries).
• Don’t rush caramelizing the onions. You really want to give the onions time to properly caramelize to get that slightly sweet flavor.
• Save some spread to serve on the side along with ketchup!

Variations

• Add pickle chips to the top of the fries.
• Drizzle some ketchup and/or yellow mustard over the top.
• Add some sliced pepperoncinis or sliced pickled jalapeños for a kick.
• If you prefer a cheese sauce topping to a melted cheese topping, top the animal style fries with our delicious cheese sauce recipe instead.

More Delicious Snack Recipes You Will Love