If you want the taste of In-n-Out Burger at home, whip up some of this Copycat Animal Sauce! It only takes a handful of ingredients and tastes exactly like the real thing. Great for fries, dipping chicken tenders into, spreading on burgers, and more!
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What makes Animal Sauce so extraordinary? It transforms ordinary burgers and fries into an explosion of flavor, making every bite a mouthwatering adventure. Who knew a few regular condiments mixed together could do that?
Fasten your seatbelts; I’m going to share with you the secret ingredients used to make the famous In-n-Out Animal Sauce. You probably have the ingredients in your fridge right now.
This rich and tangy sauce with hints of pickle uses only five simple ingredients and is ready in two minutes! It’s so simple to make that you never need to buy a burger sauce again.
What you’ll love about Copycat Animal Sauce
- This is a super fast sauce that’s loaded with flavor!
- Put it on burgers, sandwiches, and wraps, or dunk your fries into it.
- It’s easy to double and you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
INGREDIENTS
- Mayo – Use full-fat plain real mayo.
- Ketchup – Use good-quality ketchup.
- Sweet pickle relish – Can use dill pickle relish instead.
- White vinegar – Can use apple cider vinegar instead.
- White granulated sugar
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST COPYCAT ANIMAL SAUCE
For a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the recipe near the bottom of this page.
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
CHEF JENN’S TIPS
- Do not freeze extra Animal Sauce because it doesn’t freeze well. It’s best to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- You can swap out the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar, but it will give the sauce a very slight taste difference.
- If you use dill pickle relish instead of sweet relish, you’ll want to add a bit more sugar to make up for it. I suggest adding a little bit of sugar at a time and tasting in between until it reaches the correct flavor.
- This recipe is easy to double.
Recommendations
MAKE IT A MEAL
This Copycat Animal Sauce takes any burger and makes it taste like take-out. Try it on Smash Burgers or even these Bacon-Wrapped Burgers. I’ve also used this sauce to dip my fries into. Don’t stop at fries; use it with my Air Fryer Chicken Fries and Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken. It goes great on chicken burgers too! Drizzle it over burger bowls and those viral Smash Burger Tacos.
STORAGE
Any leftover Animal Sauce can be kept in an airtight container for about 2 weeks. This sauce is so delicious that I guarantee it will not last that long in your fridge!
Step By Step Process
Copycat Animal Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise use full-fat plain real mayo
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish can use dill pickle relish instead
- 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar can use apple cider vinegar instead
- 1/2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
CHEF JENN’S TIPS
- Do not freeze extra Animal Sauce because it doesn’t freeze well. It’s best to store it in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
- You can swap out the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar, but it will give the sauce a very slight taste difference.
- If you use dill pickle relish instead of sweet relish, you’ll want to add a bit more sugar to make up for it. I suggest adding a little bit of sugar at a time and tasting in between until it reaches the correct flavor.
- This recipe is easy to double.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
My kids LOVE this stuff so I was so excited to try your recipe! I am happy to announce that it was a hit! The boys loved it and it will be a new staple for burger night in our house.
I tried dipping chips and fries in this copycat animal sauce, and it was so delicious. I would say this recipe is really the same as the real thing! I would recommend giving this a try!
A classic and creamy dressing! Mayonnaise, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, vinegar, and a touch of sugar create the perfect balance. Thank you for sharing.
FINALLY I found a sauce that actually takes like the one from In and Out!! I’m like addicted to that sauce – haha. This was super creamy and the flavor was spot on. Def recommend this recipe.
This sauce works for absolutely everything! So far I’ve used it for fries, chicken fingers and even meatballs, so tasty!
This is nothing more than thousand-island dressing!!! I can’t imagine In & Out burger just puts thousand-island dressing on their burgers. I make this same thing at home (as salad dressing) except I add some minced fresh white onion in mine as well as 1/4 tsp minced garlic and a couple splashes of Tabasco. That makes it even better.
Yup, the secret is out. It’s pretty much Thousand Island dressing! I love your additions though – I’ll try that next time! ~Jenn