Food & Drink

5 Things You Didn't Know You Could Order Off-Menu at In-N-Out Burger

By Fred Hernandez Parade - Food and Drink Stories

Updated May 29, 2026 10:51 PM

The worst-kept secret in fast food is In-N-Out's off-menu items. In fact, they're some of the most popular in the game, with classics that'll make your mouth water and taste buds jump with joy.

Whether it's fries drenched in the burger chain's signature sweet and tangy spread or getting your patties grilled in mustard for an extra kick of flavor, In-N-Out's secret menu hits the spot every time. (Sorry to anyone who still hasn't tried it.)

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Although In-N-Out's menu may be one of the smallest (or curated, if you prefer) among other fast-food options, that's part of what makes it so good. More focus can be placed on every fresh and locally-sourced ingredient and the meticulous preparation process.

And there's plenty of room to customize your order beyond the listed menu items. You'd be surprised by the number of combinations you can come up with from such a simple lineup of ingredients.

Whether you're cutting carbs, craving melted cheese, or looking to add a spicy kick to your burger or fries, you can easily customize nearly every part of your order.

Looking for more than the typical Double-Double? This list of In-N-Out's not-so-secret menu covers the most popular ways to upgrade your meal.

In-N-Out Off-Menu Items

Ready to liven up your next In-N-Out run? Here's what you need to order next.

1. Animal Style Everything

[I Ate] In-N-Out. Grilled Cheese - Animal Style, Double Double - Animal Style, Regular and Animal Style Fries.

by u/fezenteenrabbit in food

Animal Style is In-N-Out's most popular off-menu option for good reason. On burgers, you get the standard lettuce and tomato, but the patties are mustard-fried and topped with pickles, spread and grilled onions. You can also order your grilled cheese Animal Style.

When ordering Animal Style fries, you'll get the chain's famous, fresh-cut fries topped with a couple of slices of melted American cheese, grilled onions and spread.

Some customers like to order the fries well done to keep them from getting soggy from the heavier toppings.

Pro tip: Ask for chopped chilies on top for some added heat, or request a whole grilled onion for an even more savory flavor.

2. Protein Style (No Bun)

Trying to cut carbs? In-N-Out's protein-style option lets you replace its regular burger buns with hand-leafed lettuce. It's crispy, fresh and actually pretty satisfying despite not having that soft, pillowy bread.

You can order anything from a single cheeseburger to a 4x4 (four patties and four slices of cheese) and ask them to be wrapped in lettuce leaves. It's basically the most delicious handheld cheeseburger salad.

3. The Flying Dutchman

Go beyond no bun with no veggies either. The Flying Dutchman is essentially two beef patties and two slices of melted cheese. Many people also add grilled onions or make it Animal Style with the mustard-fried patties, spread and pickles.

Whether you're ordering for picky eaters or on a keto or carnivore diet, this order comes in handy when you want to keep it simple. I'm a bun guy myself, but I recently tried this one, and I wasn't mad about it. It was scrumptious.

4. Fries Cooked Your Way

In-N-Out fries get a bad rap for tasting like cardboard, and I can see where people are coming from. They don't have the salty, crispy appeal of McDonald's fries or the fun waffle-cut texture of Chick-fil-A fries, but you can customize how they're cooked to get your ideal texture.

Ask for extra light, slightly light, light, normal, light-well, well-done or extra well, depending on how crispy you want them. Yeah, there's that level of customization. Some people prefer theirs light-well to avoid In-N-Out's typical fry taste, while still getting a crispy outside and fluffy inside.

You can also customize how salty you want them. Ask for light salt or extra salt, depending on your salt tolerance. Of course, you can also add cheese, spread, pickles, chopped chilies, onion, ketchup and mustard.

5. Neapolitan Shake

In-N-Out offers vanilla, strawberry and chocolate shakes, but did you know you can mix flavors, including all three? Just order a Neapolitan shake to get chocolate, vanilla and strawberry soft serve all blended together.

You can actually taste each flavor, and because the soft serve is not fully mixed, the flavor changes with every sip. We highly recommend dipping your fries in it for the full experience.

What Are "Roadkill Fries," and Can I Order Them?

Small joy [cartoon]

by u/liol in reddit.com

These are basically Animal Style fries topped with chopped Flying Dutchman patties. Roadkill doesn't exactly sound appetizing, but somehow this combo works.

Just order Animal Style fries with chopped patties on top. We also recommend adding grilled onions for an even more indulgent bite. Wash it down with a root beer or lemonade float, and you've got the perfect fast-food meal.

As you can see, In-N-Out's off-menu items are simple customizations that completely elevate the classic burger, fry and drink combo. So, next time you're at the drive-thru or ordering inside, keep this list handy to find your new favorite item.

This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 9:41 PM.