Tulo

Copycat In-N-Out Double-Double Burger Recipe

A stacked double cheeseburger with two thin beef patties, melted American cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato, oozing pink special sauce onto a toasted sesame bun.
Photo by Eduardo Krajan on Pexels

Thin, smashed patties cook fast and pick up a deep crust that thicker burgers can't get, and a quick ketchup-mayo-relish sauce plus onions cooked right on the griddle in the beef fat reproduce the specific sweet-tangy flavor of the drive-thru original without any special equipment.

Prep
20 min
Cook
20 min
Total
40 min
Servings
4

Ingredients

Servings4
  • 2 lbs ground beef, 80/20
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 8 slices American cheese slices
  • 4 buns sesame seed hamburger buns
  • 4 large leaves iceberg lettuce leaves
  • 1 large tomato, sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Nutrition per serving

Calories
1001
Protein
50g
Carbs
43g
Fat
68g

Based on the recipe as written, one serving. Recalculates if you swap an ingredient above. An estimate only, exact values depend on the specific ingredients used.

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Instructions

  1. 1Make the special sauce: stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. 2Divide the ground beef into 8 equal balls, about 4 oz each, and set them on a tray lined with parchment. Do not season yet.
  3. 3Heat a large cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Butter the cut sides of the buns and toast them cut-side down until golden, 1-2 minutes, then set aside.
  4. 4Add the chopped onion to the same skillet with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until softened and lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Push to one side of the pan or transfer to a bowl.
  5. 5Working in batches, place a beef ball on the hot skillet and immediately smash it flat with a sturdy spatula or the bottom of a heavy pot to about 1/4 inch thick. Season the exposed side with salt and pepper.
  6. 6Cook the smashed patty for 2 minutes, until deeply browned and lacy at the edges, then flip. Season the second side, top with a slice of American cheese, and cook 1-2 minutes more until the cheese melts and the patty reaches 160°F (71°C) in the center.
  7. 7Repeat with the remaining beef balls, stacking the patties in pairs as they finish so each burger gets two cheese-topped patties.
  8. 8Spread special sauce on both toasted bun halves. Layer the bottom bun with lettuce and tomato, then the two stacked cheeseburger patties, then the caramelized onions.
  9. 9Close the burgers and serve immediately, while the patties are still hot and the cheese is fully melted.
How to Use a Meat Thermometer

Tips & variations

  • For animal style, cook the patties as directed but add a squeeze of mustard onto each patty while the first side sears, then top with extra sauce and grilled onions.
  • Skip the cast iron and use a flat-top griddle if available; it holds heat more evenly across multiple patties cooking at once.
  • For a single burger instead of a double, use one patty and one cheese slice per bun and reduce the beef accordingly.
  • Swap iceberg for butter lettuce if wrapping the burger lettuce-style instead of using a bun.

Storage & reheating

These burgers are best assembled and eaten fresh, since the sauce and vegetables make the bun soggy on standing. Cooked patties alone can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days and reheated in a hot skillet for 1-2 minutes per side; store the sauce separately in the fridge for up to a week.

Tips from the Tulo kitchen

  • Keep the beef balls cold until the moment they hit the pan; warm ground beef smears instead of holding together when smashed.
  • A bench scraper or offset spatula works better than a regular flipper for prying up a fully smashed patty without tearing it.

FAQ

What makes this taste like an actual In-N-Out burger?

The combination of thin, hard-smashed patties for a lacy crust, real American cheese instead of cheddar, onions cooked in the leftover beef fat, and a mayo-ketchup-relish sauce is what reproduces the specific flavor, rather than any single ingredient alone.

Can I grill these instead of using a skillet?

Smashing works best on a flat surface like a griddle or cast iron pan; a grill grate won't let you press the patty thin or pick up the same crust, though you can still grill unsmashed patties for a looser copycat.

What is animal style at In-N-Out?

It's a mustard-fried patty topped with extra special sauce, grilled onions, and pickles, added on top of the standard burger build.

Can I make the special sauce ahead?

Yes, it keeps well covered in the refrigerator for up to a week and actually tastes better after a few hours as the flavors meld.

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