I'm sort of a ninja at hacking restaurant recipes. OF COURSE I had to make Animal Style Fries because we're huge In-N-Out fans. And baked > fried. These are actually easier than they seem, and I'll give you my best tips that will save you a trip through the drive thru.

What are Animal Style Fries?

Animal Style French fries refers to an item on In-N-Out Burger's "secret" menu. It's a basket of fries with melted cheese, grilled onions, and their super delicious burger spread.

Honestly... I have a fraught relationship In-N-Out fries since they give me a stomach ache if I eat more than half of them. But, I always forget that fact when I can see them in the restaurant. Thus, my desire to make them at home.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• It's all from scratch, so you know exactly what goes into them.
• You don't have to peel the potatoes OR soak them in water beforehand.
• The fries aren't deep-fried. (Unless you want them to be!) They're oven baked!
• The spread is my own copycat In-N-Out burger spread and it's pretty clean for a burger spread.
• No drive-thru required.

Ingredients You'll Need

You can find everything you need at just about any grocery store.

For the Oven-Baked Fries

• Potatoes - I use small russets because they crisp up well in the oven, they're inexpensive (hello, Idaho!), and they're easier to cut into small fries. More on this later. You can also use red or Yukon gold potatoes. Or even sweet potatoes.
• Avocado oil - I use this because it has a high smoke point.
• Sea salt - potatoes need salt. Period.
• Cheese - In order for these to taste like In-N-Out animal fries, you'll need to use American cheese. (I KNOW. Please don't @ me.)

For the Caramelized Onions

• Sweet onions - I use regular sweet onions at the grocery store. Yellow onions would work well, too, or Vidalia, if you can find them. Those make excellent caramelized onions.
• Oil & Salt - like above, I use avocado oil. You can also use butter here.

For the Burger Spread

The recipe for my Copycat Burger Spread is linked here and in the recipe card below, but here are the ingredients you'll need. You can also use store-bought burger sauce/fry sauce instead.

• Mayonnaise - I use avocado oil mayonnaise.
• Dill relish - Yes, dill and not sweet. You could use sweet relish if you prefer that flavor.
• Ketchup - It's necessary, yes.
• Mustard - Just regular yellow mustard. Nothing fancy.
• Worcestershire - Just a little to give it some depth.
• Onion powder - Pulls it all together. It's delicious.
• Sea salt - or table salt. Either is fine.

How to Make Animal Style Fries

Step 1 Make the Fries

Cut the potatoes into thin planks -- no more than a half inch thick. Then cut those planks into strips. Toss them in oil and salt and bake them for about 20 minutes at 450F until they've crisped up.

Step 2 Caramelize the Onions

Dice the onion and cook in a large skillet with oil and salt over medium-high heat until the onions have softened and start to brown a little. Turn the heat down to medium or medium low, cover, and cook for another 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until deeply caramelized, but not black.

Step 3 Make the Burger Spread

Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Step 4 Assemble

Push the baked fries together on the pan (see below). Lay the cheese slices on top of the fries and then scatter the onions on top. Return the pan to the oven for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted. Then take it out and drizzle the sauce over the top.

You might need a fork. And you'll wish you had an extra pan.

Tips for the Best Animal Style Fries

• Cut the potatoes thinly and don't crowd the pan if you want crispy fries. Split the batch into two pans if necessary. It's worth it.
• If you want, use frozen French fries. I won't judge you.
• Take your time with the onions. If you try to rush it, they'll be scorched and not as sweet. You could even get those started before cutting your potatoes to give them ample time.
• Use American cheese, but please, for the love, don't use the individually wrapped cheese slices. Find some sliced American cheese in the grocery store deli. It'll taste better. I promise. If you're firmly anti-American cheese (I get it) just use shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese.
• Do some prep the day before! You can caramelize the onions and make the burger sauce ahead of time. I like to plan a burger night where I make extra of both so I can make animal fries later in the week.

Variations and Serving Ideas

• Sweet potato version - Follow the recipe the same, but use sweet potato fries instead!
• Air fryer version - Put your fries in the air fryer for 20-30 min at 400F and shake halfway. You could even assemble them in there with the cheese and onions and put it back in for a minute. And might as well eat out of the basket, too.
• Serve with burgers! (Duh) Smoked burgers would be good here since they can hang out in your smoker for 45 min while you work on the fries. Or Smash burgers.
• A big green salad would probably balance these out the best since they're still pretty rich.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Copycat Recipes You'll Love

Here are a few more of my favorite copycat recipes!

Chipotle Barbacoa Beef

Chipotle Pork-Chicken Chorizo

Cafe Rio Mint Limeade

Chevy's Grilled Salsa

Costco Sweet Kale Salad

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If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!