Animal Style Fries (In-N-Out Copycat)

Animal style fries on a baking sheet with dressing on the side.

5 from 10 votes

Animal Style Fries (In-N-Out Copycat)

A copycat recipe for In-N-Out Animal Style Fries that we promise taste just like the original! Our recipe is easy and highly addictive! You won't be able to stop snacking on these tasty loaded, oven baked french fries!

Servings:

Calories: 836kcal

Author: Teri & Jenny

Ingredients

caramelized onions

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

copycat secret spread

1 cup mayonnaise
7 tablespoons ketchup
5 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

sheet pan fries

30 ounces frozen shoe string french fries
8 slices American cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

caramelized onions

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

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.

Assembly

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.
Remove fries from oven, lower oven temperature to 350˚F, and top fries with cheese slices.
Place fries back into the oven and bake for about 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
Top fries with a generous drizzle of spread and a sprinkle of caramelized onions. Serve immediately.

Notes

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.

Nutrition