The Best And Worst Of In-N-Out's Secret Menu

The West Coast-based burger chain In-N-Out started in 1948, and since then it has always had a very simple menu. But the chain's loyal patrons know that ordering at In-N-Out is all about hacking the menu in secret (and not-so-secret) ways. The secret menu items are unique, creative, and in some cases, straight-up silly — and they're all created by altering existing In-N-Out menu items and ingredients.

This flexibility and willingness to produce these modifications (as long as they don't get out of hand) is part of what keeps In-N-Out's customers coming back for more. The chain has counted many a celebrity and celebrity chef among its biggest fans, including Anthony Bourdain.

So while at first glance the In-N-Out menu looks like a relatively routine affair comprised of burgers, fries, sodas, and shakes, these secret menu items make it so much more. I set out to a few of my local In-N-Out locations to try as many secret menu items as I could — including those not-so-secret additions that are actually listed on the company's website — and determined the best and worst of the chain's clandestine offerings. 

The Animal Style Cheeseburger is definitely one of the highlights of In-N-Out's official not-so-secret menu. The chain has been offering this since 1961, and it was originally prepared per customers' request. Apparently, they were rowdy customers that the staff called "animals" — that's where the name came from and it stuck.

The Animal Style treatment consists of four things. The burger patty is grilled with mustard (more on that in a bit), it's given extra spread, its onions are grilled, and it comes with pickles. There's good reason why this style is very popular with customers: The combination of all of the above undoubtedly makes for a more flavorful sandwich. Whether you're ordering a regular burger, cheeseburger, or a Double-Double, they can all be made Animal Style. If you've never had In-N-Out before, it's certainly worth trying. And it doesn't hurt that it's fun to say out loud.

This secret menu order or hack involves a topping that is not usually on the menu and it's a good one for all the spicy lovers out there: chopped chilis. Just as the name says, with this order the In-N-Out staff will add chopped chilis to the burger to spice things up.

The chopped chilis are actually pickled cascabella peppers. The cascabella peppers are yellow and look similar to banana peppers, which are generally sweet, but these are much spicier. The spice level is just below that of jalapeno, but with a fruitier flavor that is reminiscent of sweeter peppers. They wind up providing a slightly sweet heat that's an ideal flavor complement to the typical In-N-Out burger ingredients, making this secret menu hack an easy recommendation.

If the chopped chilis alone are not spicy enough for you, you can also order extra whole chilis on the side eat them with the burger. Sources say the pickled cascabella peppers the chain uses is from the brand El Pato.

Another rather famous (or is it infamous?) In-N-Out secret menu item is called the Flying Dutchman, which is basically a Double-Double (which is a double cheeseburger) without the bun, lettuce, tomato, or onions. That's right — it's just two beef patties, two slices of cheese, and nothing else. Because there's no bun to hold them, this order also doesn't even come with any spread. It also still costs the same as a Double-Double, so to me that already makes it a losing proposition.

This secret menu order is actually not-so-secret and has ties to the chain's founding family. The item was created by Guy Snyder, former president of In-N-Out and the eldest son of the company's founders. Snyder was also a drag racer and his nickname was the Flying Dutchman. Still, even with a connection to the founders' family, unless you're on a low-carb diet and also absolutely hate vegetables, I would not personally recommend ordering this. It's rather boring to just eat a patty of meat and cheese (or even two patties and cheese). For me, it needed something more in terms of texture or flavor.

This particular In-N-Out secret menu hack involves cooking the burger patty on one side, then squirting some mustard on the other side before flipping it. The mustard becomes caramelized on the grill and it seeps into the meat patty itself. This lends an extra tangy kick to the burger, and the caramelization adds more savory notes. In fact, the Animal Style Burger order actually also comes with mustard-fried burger patty and is part of the reason why that order is so popular.

The Mustard-Grilled Burger is an easy hack that I would recommend trying, as it doesn't change too much of the classic In-N-Out burger taste, but the extra oomph of flavor hits perfectly. To order this, just say you want your burger mustard-grilled or mustard-fried — both phrases get you the same thing. You can add this hack to any of the burgers on the menu or even off-the-menu.

In-N-Out's Double Meat order is pretty self-explanatory: it's a cheeseburger that comes with two beef patties instead of one. But unlike a Double-Double (which is part of the standard menu), the Double Meat burger only comes with one slice of cheese instead of two. This is good for someone who just wants a little more beef in their burger without the extra dairy.

Since In-N-Out's burgers are budget-friendly, the beef patties are not particularly thick. Double Meat is a good option to get more of that beef in each bite for those who don't need the extra cheese, and it makes more a more substantial meal. Personally, I prefer the Double-Double for a better cheese-to-meat ratio, so this winds up as a "worst," but to each their own. Since you're not paying for the extra cheese, Double Meat is also slightly cheaper than a Double Double, but that extra bit of cheesiness is worth a few cents more.

Getting Animal Style Fries is the best and most popular way to make In-N-Out's notoriously disappointing french fries better. Yes, the burger joint's french fries don't stay crispy long after they come out of the fryer (if they were even crispy to begin with). But that doesn't matter as much when the fries are all covered in melted cheese, spread, and grilled onions. Those three ingredients are what makes these fries Animal Style.

In this case, the fries become a vehicle to enjoy the toppings — fry texture and flavor take a back seat here. Keep in mind that the cheese will start to harden as it gets cold, so it's best to mix everything together as soon as you get the order to make sure the fries are evenly coated. They also tend to get messy, so you may want to keep that mixing fork handy to actually pick up these cheese-covered fries. The extra effort is worth it, though.

The good thing about In-N-Out's not-so-secret menu is that the names of many of the items are pretty easy to decipher. Such is the case with the 3x3. Like the name implies, the 3x3 is a cheeseburger made with three beef patties and three slices of cheese. For some people, a regular cheeseburger is just not enough for a meal. Even a Double-Double may not quite be enough, but thankfully, you can keep adding extra beef patties and cheese slices to your burger.

With three beef patties, the 3x3 is quite big, but not completely overwhelming (though as you'll see, an additional patty might get it there). For many people, including myself, two beef patties and two cheese slices are the perfect amount, and better balanced with the amount of vegetables and spread in the burger. I am certain the 3x3 is the perfect burger for someone else, though, and it's just a matter of preference.

The 4x4 is In-N-Out's ultimate burger for those who want to go big or go home. This burger comes with four beef patties and four slices of American cheese. The burger is stacked so high the wrapper could barely keep it all together. Technically, you can add as many patties and cheese slices as you're willing to pay for, but the 4x4 is where the not-so-secret menu stops.

For me this burger is already a bit too much. First of all, the 4x4 is quite big, so it's difficult to get everything in one bite. Of course, while it's a lot of meat personally, I can see why this order might appeal to other people. For big eaters, the regular cheeseburger just doesn't cut it for dinner. The 4x4, on the other hand, is certainly filling and satisfying, and you can order this for less than $10, even in expensive locations like Los Angeles. In the end, though, it's stacked a little too high for my taste.

In-N-Out's Protein-Style Burger is perfect for customers who are on a keto or low-carb diet (or just want to avoid carbs for the time being). Basically, instead of the usual buns, the beef patty and toppings are wrapped in lettuce. Protein-Style is another order that's on the "not-so-secret" menu.

This Protein-Style Cheeseburger is actually my go-to order at In-N-Out, even though I am not on a low-carb diet (I still order this alongside french fries). I just love the crisp lettuce and protein-style means you get more of it. I find it more refreshing with the lettuce substitution. It is, of course, a lighter burger and not as filling without the buns, but it's great for a light lunch (or an afternoon snack, perhaps). You can make any of In-N-Out's burgers Protein-Style, including a Double-Double or a 3x3, if you're looking something a little more filling.

Even In-N-Out fans like myself would concede that the chain's fries aren't very good. They are only fried once, which results in an finished product that's simple and not terribly crispy. Some folks also believe they're under-salted, which is a separate — but just as significant — problem. In-N-Out has salt packets you can use to sprinkle extra salt on your fries, but we all know that's just not the same as hitting them with the stuff as soon as they're out of the frying oil.

Ordering Well Done Fries aims at getting to the heart of In-N-Out's greatest weakness. This means your fries will spend a little bit longer in the fryer in order to produce a crunchy fry. The longer cook, though, ends up drying them out, and crunchy fries are not the same as crispy fries, so even with the added texture, these fall short of most other fast food fries you can order. It's a slight improvement on the actual menu item, though, so it's difficult not to recommend this hack if you're looking for a little more bite from your burger side.

One potential saving grace to In-N-Out's french fries is that they're cooked to order, so you can modify them somewhat. We just mentioned that you can ask to have your french fries cooked longer so they're crispier (even though it's still not as good as getting them double fried). On the other end of spectrum, you can also order the fries "light," which means they're not cooked as long as the normal fries, and thus come out less crispy.

Personally, I prefer my fries with some textural heft. In-N-Out's french fries are known to be less crispy and tend to get limp and soggy quite fast. The Light Fries are straight up soft, which is a no-no in my book, although they are less greasy than regular fries, so I guess they receive some minor points there. Some people seem to prefer their fries "soft and mushy," so this would be the order for them — but definitely not for me.

The name "Two-Minute Fries" basically tells the whole story here: It's when you order fries to only be cooked for two minutes. According to former In-N-Out employees, fries at the restaurant are regularly cooked for 5½ minutes. Naturally, ordering Two-Minute Fries means that you're asking for french fries that are cooked for less than half their regular time. For contrast, the aforementioned Light Fries are cooked for up to 3½ minutes, meaning Two-Minute Fries are about as light as you can get.

In fact, Two-Minute Fries are so lightly fried that some say they're still lukewarm and perhaps even a bit raw at the center. As mentioned, I prefer my fries with a little bit of bite and crisp, so these are a bridge too far. Even for those who prefer their fries soft and mushy, I'd say the Light Fries are already plenty light, which means Two-Minute Fries is arguably the worst secret menu item or modification you can ask for at In-N-Out.

The standard drink menu at In-N-Out consists of sodas, milkshakes, lemonade, tea, coffee and hot cocoa. Because the soda offerings include root beer, it makes sense that a Root Beer Float exists on In-N-Out's secret menu. It should be noted, though, that this isn't a standard root beer float, since it's not made with ice cream. In-N-Out's version is a combination of root beer and the chain's vanilla milkshake, and you can also opt for a different milkshake flavor if you prefer. In-N-Out's staff will fill a cup halfway with the milkshake before topping it off with some root beer.

Does the milkshake take away from the overall quality of the Root Beer Float? A bit. But it's still pretty darn good, and as a root beer lover, I'm a big fan of this order. It's a tasty treat that's just a little outside the box and isn't as filling as a straight-up milkshake.

When you order a cheeseburger at In-N-Out, you're usually asked whether or not you want onions. In-N-Out burgers typically come with raw onions, but of course not everyone likes raw onion on their burgers. Ordering a Cheeseburger with Whole Grilled Onion is a great workaround if you want some onion flavor that's a little mellowed out and a lot less crunchy. 

Be careful, though — if you simply order grilled onions on your In-N-Out burger, you'll receive cooked but chopped up onions. The Whole Grilled Onion order ensures your burger will be topped with a grilled cross section of the onion so you get rings instead of little pieces. The whole rings themselves are not actually as cooked as the chopped onion pieces, but you still get the sweetness and char while retaining that onion flavor. I think it's the best of both worlds for onion lovers and makes the burger more robust.

Going low carb? Look no further than the Onion Wrap. We discussed ordering a regular burger with whole grilled onions, but this takes it a step further and fully replaces the burger bun with them. Talk about a curveball.

As you might imagine, this one is difficult to eat as a proper burger. The onion slices are slippery and hard to keep a hold of — and even if you do, your paws will be covered in a mix of onion grease and cheese. Still, this low-carb option has plenty of flavor, so just be sure to have a fork and knife handy before you dig in. It's not the easiest or most popular carb-conscious secret offering In-N-Out has, but it's there, and it's good. Since there can be confusion about the order, be super clear with the associate that you want an Onion Wrap (or onion-wrapped burger) and not whole grilled onions on your burger.

As you've noticed, there are a few of ways you can get your In-N-Out fix if you're avoiding bread or carbohydrates. The Flying Dutchman and Protein-Style are probably the most famous, but another way, which is a lesser known secret menu item, is the Tomato Wrap. Instead of regular buns, the burger patty, cheese, spread, tomato, and onions are sandwiched in between two tomato slices. Yes, that means you get a total of three slices of tomato with this order.

Because of the juice from the tomato slices, the Tomato Wrap is a bit messier than a regular cheeseburger or even protein-style lettuce wrap. Thankfully, though the tomatoes were thick enough to not fall apart while eating it. Flavor-wise, I quite enjoyed it, but found it lacking texture-wise. Every component in this particular burger is soft and there's really no contrast to play off of that. I miss the crispness of the lettuce or the crunch of the toasted buns. Although this is a clever idea (and probably a tomato lover's dream), it's a pass.

This one is a small modification that you can ask for on any burger order (as long as it's not bun-less like a Protein-Style Burger). Actually, it's barely considered a secret menu item. Asking for extra toasted bun order means the staff at In-N-Out will cook your buns on the grill for just a minute longer. You'll be able to see a bit more char on the edges of the buns.

For people who like to toast the bread on their PB&J sandwiches for a bit of crunch, this is the move to make. The Extra Toasted Bun has a subtle impact on the overall flavor, but it has a nice textural effect. The toastiness adds to the complexity of the burger, making for a more satisfying bite. Plus, this modification is completely free, so there's no reason not to ask for it.

Usually, when you order a cheeseburger at In-N-Out, the workers will melt the cheese on the burger patty while it's on the grill. This is the best option if you're eating it right away, but it may not be when you get it to-go. Some customers who order In-N-Out to-go complain that by the time they get home, the melted cheese sticks to the wrapping paper, which not only makes a mess but also means there's less cheese left in the burger.

Enter Cold Cheese. When you ask for this, the workers will not melt the cheese before packing it in the cheeseburger. Once it's stacked on the burger, though, the hot patty will start to melt the cheese. According to some, ordering Cold Cheese results in the perfect cheese texture when they get home and it doesn't stick to the wrapping paper. Based on my experience, though, not all locations know to put the Cold Cheese on top of the hot beef patty. Sometimes it's inserted between the lettuce and tomatoes (like it was pictured above), so it never gets warmed up at all. This could be worth trying if your location is familiar with the hack, but the variance and disappointment of having it done wrong makes it worth skipping.

To say that In-N-Out doesn't have a lot of vegetarian options is an understatement. In fact, the chain doesn't even stock any vegetarian patties, which may be a downer for those who don't eat meat. However, one thing you can order at any location of this burger chain (other than fries) is the Grilled Cheese, which is basically a cheeseburger minus the patty. It does, however, comes an extra slice of cheese, which may make up for the lack of heartiness. The Grilled Cheese comes with tomato, lettuce and onions (if you want them, of course; the onions are always optional).

You can also order the Grilled Cheese "Animal Style" for some extra spread and pickles, which I think makes it that much better. In-N-Out's spread is a secret recipe, but it very much resembles Thousand Island dressing. As a non-vegetarian, I much prefer the cheeseburger, but I think the Grilled Cheese — especially the Animal Style version — is not a bad order. In fact, it just might save the day if you are a vegetarian who somehow finds yourself at In-N-Out and want something more satisfying than just fries and a milkshake.

The Cheesy Wiki is a vegetarian option you can ask for, but it is not a real secret menu item at In-N-Out. That is, if you try to order it by name, there's a good chance the workers won't be familiar with what you're talking about. That doesn't mean you can't order it, though — you'll just have to ask for the individual modifications.

The Cheesy Wiki is basically a souped-up Grilled Cheese, with a total of four slices of cheese instead of just two. Based on this alone, I prefer the Cheesy Wiki to the regular Grilled Cheese — after all, the more cheese the better, right? As for the other toppings that might go on this sandwich, like lettuce, tomato, and spread, you can modify as you like. I found they added good flavor and crunch to this ultra-cheesy concoction.

Not keen on beef or cheese? Enter the Wish Burger. This is a "burger" without the beef patty, and it's vegan because there is no cheese. It's basically a sandwich made using In-N-Out's buns, lettuce, tomato, and onions. (Of course, you can also add spread and pickles to this sandwich.) As far at meatless burgers go, though, I much prefer it with cheese and would opt for the Grilled Cheese or Cheesy Wiki instead.

It's said that the Wish Burger got its name from the phrase "I wish there was meat inside," but not all In-N-Out locations know the Wish Burger by name. You can try ordering it as a veggie burger, and you always order a burger and ask the workers to just take out the beef patty. While burger-lovers probably won't care for this item, it's not a bad option for the plant-based customers who somehow found themselves at In-N-Out. Burgers are the essence of this place, though, and omitting the patty (and cheese) effectively removes the heart of the In-N-Out experience for me.

In-N-Out's milkshakes are creamy and generally pretty affordable — I almost always order one when I go. The chain always offers the classic milkshake triumvirate: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. Given the three flavors, this secret menu hack is a no-brainer: Why not mix them all together and make it a Neapolitan Shake?

If you are someone who can never decide which flavor ice cream or milkshake they want, this order may be the way to go. Just ask for a Neapolitan Shake and In-N-Out's associates will mix in all three flavors — it's that easy, and it's still the same price. I also appreciate that they mix it together so you can see all three flavors from the top, instead of just filling up the cup with one flavor on top of the other. It's an almost obvious option that you may have never considered, but it can certainly satisfy your sweet tooth if you're feeling a bit indecisive.

The Neapolitan Shake offers the best of all worlds, combining all three of In-N-Out's milkshake flavors into a super sweet treat. But what if you don't like strawberry-flavored milkshakes? Or perhaps you don't like pairing chocolate with fruit flavors? If you answered yes to either of those questions — or simply like a chocolate-vanilla combo — the Black and White Shake is the mix to try.

In case the name didn't already give it away, the Black and White Shake is a vanilla milkshake swirled together with some chocolate milkshake. Whether the black and white milkshake is better than the Neapolitan or the individual milkshake flavors is completely up to personal preference. Some may prefer to have the slight tangy flavor that comes from the strawberry milkshake, which helps balance out the sweetness. However, it's fun to mix and match every now and then. As I see it, pairing vanilla and chocolate is always a winner, so this is an easy best.

The Lemon Up is a mashup drink of both In-N-Out's signature pink lemonade and 7Up. The staff may not know this order by name, but you can ask for a drink made with half pink lemonade and half 7Up and they will make it for you (in fact, you can ask to mix any of the soft drinks). Of course, if you order inside rather than hitting the drive thru, you can grab your own drink from the soda fountain and easily make this yourself.

The pink lemonade works well with 7Up since the soda is lemon-lime flavored — the combination basically produces a fizzy lemonade. It's a fun change from the usual beverage offerings, and this is one hack I would try again. Since 2023, In-N-Out also offers lite pink lemonade, which is made with stevia and monk fruit sweeteners, which in turn means you can make a Lite Lemon Up if you're looking to cut out some sugar from the equation.

There are some TikToks and internet articles that will tell you that there is an In-N-Out secret menu order called Roadkill Fries. According to these sources, Roadkill Fries are Animal Style fries topped with a Flying Dutchman. I recommend avoiding this order for one main reason: It doesn't exist.

That's to say this is not a real In-N-Out secret menu item, and if you try to order it, the associates will tell you they don't do this. This is something you can assemble on your own by ordering animal-style fries and Flying Dutchman separately, but for all intents and purposes, it doesn't actually count as a secret menu order. Even if it did, I feel like this would be rather difficult to eat. I did attempt to assemble this using the two separate orders (pictured above), but I didn't think adding the burger patty really made the fries any better. Hard pass.

While we're at it, it's worth noting other fake secret menu items: Doggy Style fries and Monkey Style burgers. Online sources will tell you that the former are Animal Style fries topped with sliced hot dogs, while the latter is a regular cheeseburger topped with Animal Style fries. You can attempt to assemble these yourself, but associated at In-N-Out won't make them for you.

I've been an In-N-Out fan for years. For this ranking, I went back to the drive thru and ordered all the secret and not-so-secret menu items I could find. There were several that I had previously read about or saw on TikTok but never tried before. However, after trying to order them, I found out that a couple were not real secret menu orders. I decided to mentioned them on this list anyway because ordering them is a waste of time (as is trying to create them yourself).

For the items I did manage to order, I tasted each one with a friend and we determined best and worst based on taste, quality, and overall practicality. Some of these just make sense and deserve points for that.

One final note: Some of these secret menu hacks can be added on top of one another. I separated each hack here for ranking purposes, but just know that, if you want to order an Animal Style Cheeseburger with Whole Grilled Onion in the future, you can — and absolutely should.