Homemade In-N-Out Spread - The Recipe Critic (2024)

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The famous In-N-Out spread is the best part of the burgers and fries at the popular California-born restaurant. Now you can enjoy this sweet and tangy condiment at home with this copycat recipe for In-N-Out spread.

Burger joints are known for their own secret sauces. Every restaurant tries to have a signature sauce that keeps the customers coming back. It’s fun to make your own sauces at home to elevate your burgers and fries. Try my popular fry sauce, this sauce if you’re wanting sweet and tangy, or yum yum sauce if you’re looking for unique Asian flavors.

Homemade In-N-Out Spread - The Recipe Critic (1)

In-N-Out Spread Recipe

In my opinion, In-N-Out has it down! They’re fast, consistent, friendly on the budget, and delicious. The soft toasted bun, fresh tomatoes and lettuce, American cheese, the juicy beef patty….and THE SPREAD! If you have ever wondered what condiments are in this special burger sauce recipe then keep reading. Mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish create this secret spread. The combination of sweet and tangy is out of this world. It’s similar to Thousand Island dressing but SO MUCH BETTER.

This sauce is used on so many things like burgers, fries and pickles. In fact, when you go to In-N-Out, order the animal-style french fries from their secret menu. Instead of just salt, they smother the fries with this sauce.They are so delicous and once you have them then you will want make them at home all the time! That’s why I love copycat recipes because they taste just like the real deal!

Ingredients in In-N-Out Spread

Most likely you have all the ingredients you need to make In-N-Out sauce right in your refrigerator. It comes together so fast, and I love that you can store it in the fridge for another day. Once you make this spread at home, you’ll want to have it all the time!

  • Mayonnaise: This is the base of the spread recipe.
  • Ketchup:A couple tablespoons ketchup adds in the sweetness of this spread.
  • Sweet Pickle Relish: Sweet relish is the secret to this spread. The sweet pickles take the spread to a whole new level.
  • White Vinegar: Vinegar gives the spread the tang to balance out the sweet.
  • Sugar: Sugar rounds out all the flavors in this spread. Feel free to adjust the sugar if you want it sweeter, or use less if you prefer.

How to Make In-N-Out Spread?

I can’t stress how easy this spread is to make! It’s so easy that even my kids will make it when they want dipping sauce for their McDonald’s French fries. Once you use it on your burgers and serve it with fries, you’ll want to make it over and over again!

  1. Mix All The Ingredients: Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, white vinegar, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
  2. Chill/Serve: Serve right away, or cover and chill for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor.
  3. Store: Store in a sealable container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  4. How to Serve: Enjoy with fries or spread on hamburgers!
Homemade In-N-Out Spread - The Recipe Critic (2)

Tips and Ideas

You have to make this In-N-Out spread at home. Whenever someone tries an In-N-Out burger for the first time, the flavor blows them away. It really is a simple burger, not much to it, but it’s the SPREAD that elevates the burger. Here are some ideas that will make this turn out just like the restauraunts!

  • Variations:You can make your spread to your liking just by tweaking it a bit. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter, or use more vinegar if you like the tangy flavor.
  • A Bit Healthier:Replace the full-fat mayo with reduced fat to cut the calories in half. You can also use low-sugar ketchup to help lower calories.
  • Let it sit:Refrigerate the spread for at least an hour before using. If you can make it the day before and let the flavors really meld together and the sauce will thicken a bit too.
  • Serve:This sweet and tangy spread can go with so many things. Hamburgers, french fries, tater tots, onion rings, or on top of homemade animal-style fries. If you know you know!
Homemade In-N-Out Spread - The Recipe Critic (3)

How to Store Leftover Spread

The best part about this spread is that it keeps well in the fridge. Make it ahead of time and have it ready to use whenever you want. You just never know when you’re going to want to dip something!

In the Refrigerator: Store leftover In-N-Out spread in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks! This sauce is best served cold.

More Copycat Recipes to Try!

Who doesn’t love being able to make your favorite restaurant foods without leaving the house?! I have rounded up some more of my very favorite copycat recipes that you can now have, even late at night when the restaurant is closed! Good luck trying to pick your favorite!

Dressings, Sauces, and Dips

Chili’s Copycat Skillet Queso

20 mins

Salads

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

15 mins

Soup

The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup

45 mins

Beverages

Chick Fil A Copycat Frosted Lemonade

5 mins

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In-N-Out Spread

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The famous In-N-Out spread is the best part of the burgers and fries at the popular west coast restaurant. Now you can enjoy this sweet and tangy condiment at home with this copycat recipe for In-N-Out spread.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, white vinegar, and granulated sugar together in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

  • Serve right away, or cover and chill for at least 30 minutes for the best flavor.

  • Store in a sealable container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

  • Enjoy with fries or spread on hamburgers!

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbspCalories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 227mgPotassium: 26mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 112IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: condiment

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Alyssa Rivers and the food blogger behind The Recipe Critic. The blog launched in 2012 as a place to share my passion for cooking. I love trying new things and testing them out with my family. Each recipe is tried and true, family-tested and approved.

Read More About Me

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Homemade In-N-Out Spread - The Recipe Critic (2024)

FAQs

What is spread made out of from In-N-Out? ›

Spread 'em: Mastering the Special Sauce

I never understood why In-N-Out refers to their sauce as "Spread." Maybe they're just a little too cool for school. In any case, all it is is a basic Thousand Island-style dressing: a mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise, and sweet pickle relish.

What is the sauce made of at in and out? ›

In-N-Out Burger Spread is a creamy and tangy sauce that brings a signature flavor to In-N-Out's burgers. It's a blend of mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet pickle relish, with a hint of sugar to balance the flavors. This secret sauce is what sets In-N-Out burgers apart and keeps fans coming back for more.

Is Thousand Island dressing the same as burger sauce? ›

Is burger sauce the same as Thousand Island? The two share a lot of similarities in ingredients and color, but they're not exactly the same. Burger sauce really just a mix of condiments like mayo, mustard, ketchup, and relish with a few extra flavorings thrown in. Thousand Island is a bit more complicated.

What is Big Mac sauce made of? ›

Ingredients: Soybean Oil, Sweet Relish (diced Pickles, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Salt, Corn Syrup, Xanthan Gum, Calcium Chloride, Spice Extractives), Water, Egg Yolks, Distilled Vinegar, Spices, Onion Powder, Salt, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Garlic Powder, Vegetable Protein (hydrolyzed Corn, ...

Why are spreads bad for you? ›

Oils and spreads (fats) are a source of energy and provide essential fatty acids (A, C and E) that the body can't make itself. However, eating too much fat can cause weight gain, because foods high in fat are also high in energy (calories).

How is spread made? ›

To make a spread, the liquid oils need to be mixed with about 20 per cent hard oil. Most often palm oil and palm kernel oil are used: these have a high saturated fat content which makes them harder at room temperature than other vegetable or seed oils.

What is gorilla style at In-N-Out? ›

Also frequently called "Monkey Style" at In-N-Out, Gorilla Style refers to any burger with animal fries shoved in the middle. However, if you're planning on ordering this during your next In-N-Out Burger visit, be sure to tell the In-N-Out employee exactly what it is.

What is in and out roadkill fries? ›

Roadkill Fries are perfect for anyone who wants both a burger and fries but knows they don't have quite enough room for both. When you order roadkill fries from the secret menu for In-N-Out, you're ordering a Flying Dutchman on top of Animal-Style fries.

What kind of peppers do they use at In and Out? ›

The yellow chile peppers carried by IN-IN-OUT burger are in fact cascabella peppers. Cascabella peppers are cone shaped and produce a chile pepper that is approximately 1 ¾” long by ¾” wide. Cascabellas turn from yellow, to orange, to red when mature. The plant has green stems, green leaves and white flowers.

Is Big Mac sauce just Thousand Island? ›

Some might think the special sauce is just Thousand Island/Russian dressing, but that's not quite right. The Big Mac topper is definitely similar to those two, but not quite the same. It has way more pickle relish than either of them, and there's another ingredient (or ingredients) that can't quite be placed.

What is the closest thing to Big Mac sauce? ›

“The [sauce] that best replicated Big Mac sauce from McDonald's that you should go buy if you want it is Great Value's 'Secret Sauce,'” he said. “Look at the ingredients statement, it's almost identical.”

Is Chick Fil A sauce Thousand Island dressing? ›

As the company tweeted out in 2012, the Chick-fil-A sauce is just a mixture of honey mustard, barbecue sauce, and ranch dressing. Yes, that's it.

What is Chick Fil A sauce made of? ›

Sugar, soybean oil, water, corn syrup, corn-cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, tomato paste, salt, paprika, mustard seed, modified cornstarch, beet juice, onion*, garlic*, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, natural flavor *dehydrated.

What store bought sauce taste like Big Mac sauce? ›

The closest option was Walmart's Great Value brand of Secret Sauce. “It's almost identical,” the chef said.

Why does Big Mac taste so good? ›

The reason Big Mac sauce is such a hit is because it's unique. A lot of restaurants have “special sauces,” but few are as beloved as Big Mac sauce. It's the perfect blend of creamy, acidic, savory, and slightly sweet that compliments the rest of the burger incredibly well.

Is spread real butter? ›

The main difference between butter and margarine and spreads is what they're made of – butter is made by churning milk or cream and margarine and spreads are mainly made from plant oils.

What is sandwich spread made of? ›

Heinz Sandwich Spread is a blend of salad cream and relish manufactured by Heinz and popular in the Netherlands and Britain. It is classified by the manufacturer as a sauce or relish.

What is in and out meat made out of? ›

We have always made our hamburger patties ourselves using only fresh, 100% USDA ground chuck — free of additives, fillers and preservatives. We deliver them to our stores direct from our own patty-making facilities in Baldwin Park, California; Lathrop, California; and Dallas, Texas.

Is there dairy in in and out spread? ›

Ketchup & Mustard Swap: If you aren't a fan of their spread (it's basically Thousand Island and is dairy-free), you can order ketchup and mustard instead.

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