Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2024)

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Recreate the In-N-Out experience at home with these Lighter Animal-Style Burgers. Incredible burgers lightened up just enough!

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (1)

Southern California is known for many things: beautiful beaches, pristine weather, Hollywood, Disneyland. But nearly every time I meet someone who isn’t from here, the first thing they ask me about is In-N-Out. The fast food burger chain is almost mythical to those who aren’t on the West Coast.

If you’ve read my post about Skinny Special Sauce, then you know that I spent a lot of my teenage years at In-N-Out. It was the local high school hang out, mainly because a lot of our friends worked there, but also because it was (and still is) affordable.

Now, if I’m being honest, I do think In-N-Out burgers are a little overrated. The fries are pretty awful, and the burger patties themselves are a little anemic.

What makes their burgers stand out from the rest is the fresh ingredients, the unique way they cook their burgers, and the toppings. All of this can be recreated at home, but with a heftier burger patty, less grease, and plenty of leftovers.

Not to mention that a regular Animal-Style cheeseburger will cost you 19 SP. My version is only 8 SP! Dare I say that homemade Lighter Animal-Style Burgers are even better than the original??

What is “Animal-Style”?

Let’s talk about what “Animal-Style” means. Here is how In-N-Out differentiates:

  • Extra Spread: all burgers come with special sauce, but they add more to the animal-style orders.
  • Fried Mustard: when you ask for animal style or “mustard down,” they will cook your burger on the flat top with a thin layer of mustard cooked into one side. This adds a ton of flavor and juiciness to the meat.
  • Pickles: a standard burger at In-N-Out doesn’t have pickles.
  • Grilled Onions: they add sweet and melty onions instead of the raw onion that is served on their regular burgers.
Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2)

MY ORDER: People swear by animal style. And while it’s pretty iconic, there are some things that I’m picky about. First, get the extra spread on the side. That way you can add more sauce if you want instead of risking a soggy burger. I’m also not a huge fan of their grilled onions. I like the crunchy bite of the raw onion. And there really is no need for pickles when you’re already getting some subtle pickle flavor from the spread. So, I order:

Cheeseburger, mustard down, no tomato. Extra spread on the side.

I personally don’t like tomato on my burgers no matter where I get it from, so that’s just standard for me.

Oh, and if you’re going to get their fries, ask for them well done. With cheese and grilled onion, extra spread on the side. Same concept about sogginess–you can add as much spread as you want to your fries this way.

How do you Make Lighter Animal-Style burgers?

The real secret to a fabulous Animal-Style burger is the Skinny Special Sauce. You can read my rant about how special sauce > thousand island in that blog post.

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (3)

We will most definitely use the “fried” mustard technique, but we’ll use 94/6 ground beef to keep it lean. The mustard locks in moisture, so the burger still ends up tender even though it’s leaner.

In-N-Out patties are also pretty thin, so we’ll form our patties as thin as we can before seasoning the outside. They’ll shrink up as they cook, so try to get them as thin as possible without falling apart.

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (4)
Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (5)

Even though I don’t prefer the grilled onions, I’ll show you a way to make caramelized onions without any oil or extra fat. 0 SmartPoints and minimal calories.

Actually, we’re just going to use Kenji’s technique of adding water a little at a time, minus the oil. It’s perfect that way and takes just about 10 minutes to get perfectly browned and soft onions.

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (6)

Now were ready to get make your In-N-Out dreams come true at home!

I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (7)

Print Recipe

5 from 15 votes

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers

Recreate the In-N-Out experience at home with these Lighter Animal-Style Burgers. Incredible burgers lightened up just enough!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 295kcal

Author: Geri

Ingredients

  • 1 pound 94/6 ground beef
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons yellow mustard
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 slices light American cheese (I use Velveeta Singles)
  • 1/2 cup Skinny Special Sauce (make at least 2 hours ahead of time)
  • toppings: iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes, dill pickles (no sugar added)
  • hamburger buns of choice

Instructions

CARAMELIZE THE ONIONS

  • Spritz a medium skillet with cooking spray. Add onions to the skillet over medium-high heat and sauté until starting to brown. Season with about 1/4 tsp kosher salt.

  • Add in 3 tablespoons of water and continue to cook until the water completely absorbs into the onions. Add another 3 tablespoons and repeat the process until the onions are brown and soft, about 2 more times (about 10 minutes total).

COOK THE BURGERS WHILE THE ONIONS CARAMELIZE

  • Divide meat into 4 equal portions. Form each portion into a ball and press down on a plate to form a patty. Continue pressing out until as thin as possible while still maintaining a burger shape (see pics in blog post).

  • Season one side with salt and pepper (a little less than 1/4 a tsp of kosher salt per patty; pepper to taste).

  • Preheat a large, nonstick skillet over high heat. Spritz seasoned side of burgers with cooking spray and place them in the skillet, seasoned side down, so that the burgers aren't touching. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes before flipping.

  • While the first side of the burgers cook, spread mustard on the raw side of the burgers, about 1 1/2 teaspoons for each burger (see pics in blog post). Spritz mustard side with cooking spray.

  • Flip burgers and top cooked side with cheese. Cook mustard side of the burgers for another 2-3 minutes, or until beef is done to your liking. Let rest for a few minutes.

ASSEMBLE BURGERS

  • Slightly toast the buns. Add Skinny Special Sauce to both sides of the bun. I like to use 2 tablespoons total for each burger, but check that recipe for points breakdown if you want to add more/less.

  • Top bottom bun with lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Add burger on top of that. Spread caramelized onions on top of beef patty, then finish with sauced top bun. Enjoy!

Notes

Click hereto determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Calculation includes Burger patty, hamburger bun, 1 Velveeta single, caramelized onions, lettuce and tomato.

Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for each Tbsp of Skinny Special Sauce.

WW Green, Blue, and Purple SmartPoints:

Burger patty, no cheese: 2 SP | Burger patty, 1 slice of Velveeta Singles: 3 SP

2 tablespoons Skinny Special Sauce: 1 SP

Hamburger bun: 4 SP

All other toppings, including caramelized onions: 0 SP

Total points for a Lighter Animal-Style Burger with cheese, spread, caramelized onions, toppings, and regular hamburger bun: 8 SP

Nutrition includes cheese and bun

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g

Lighter Animal-Style Burgers | Lite Cravings | WW Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between animal style burgers and regular burgers? ›

Grilled onions cooked down in the collected meat juices on the hot griddle can be added to any sandwich, and come standard if you ask for your burger or fries Animal Style. An Animal Style burger also includes extra Thousand Island spread, mustard grilled patties, and extra pickles.

How do you make low fat burgers taste better? ›

Adding sauces, fruits, or vegetables to the patties is also a good way of using less meat in the first place, thus saving even more saturated-fat calories. Do add some hot sauce, cumin, or some Cajun seasoning to the mix for a great boost of flavor.

How can I make my burger more interesting? ›

Fixings – My go-to add-ins are tomatoes, onions, my homemade mayonnaise, and sugar-free ketchup. Sometimes I tuck in avocado, bacon, pickles, or even a fried egg. You could also use other condiments — try my sugar-free barbecue sauce, mustard, or spicy mayo (which is similar to burger sauce).

Why is In-N-Out burger called animal style? ›

It turns out that animal comes from rowdy customers or “animals.” Snyder wrote that these customers “would honk their horns while orders were taken,” or they would “leave trash on the lots and play their music extra loud”. According to Syner, they were sometimes so rowdy they would get into fights with each other.

What is a flying Dutchman at In-N-Out? ›

meat and cheese fest. It goes by the name of the "Flying Dutchman," and it's the ultimate Atkin's-friendly menu item. Two slices of cheese melted between two burger patties. No hippie vegetables, no wimpy buns, just pure protein and fat.

What can you add to lean ground beef to make it taste better? ›

Olive Oil: Olive oil offers a subtle, earthy undertone that complements the beef beautifully. I often use Clarified Butter in the place of olive oil. It adds richness and complexity to the overall flavor. Granulated Garlic: The ground spices are the secret to making the caramel color for the ground beef.

How to jazz up hamburger patties? ›

Top it:
  1. Coleslaw + Frank's RedHot® Buffalo Wings Sauce.
  2. Corn relish + Cheddar cheese.
  3. Ham + pickles + French's® Classic Yellow Mustard.

What is a good substitute for fat in burgers? ›

Although fat contributes to a series of physical and sensory attributes such as softness, juiciness and yield, it is possible to reduce the lipid content in beef burgers without depreciating the quality of food through the use of the following fat substitutes: oat flour, apple peel flour, green banana pulp flour, green ...

What is a Braveheart burger? ›

Our Braveheart burger patties are made up of a blend of 100% Angus Beef. The craft blend burger is made with beef chuck, beef short rib, and brisket. All burgers are served with a side of fries.

Why put ice cube on hamburger patty when grilling? ›

"Make your patties, then put your little ice cube in there and then when you grill it, it keeps it moist and keeps it from getting dried out," Elliot told Fox News.

What is the secret to juicy hamburgers? ›

Try out these 7 simple tricks for making a perfect, juicy grilled burger every time.
  1. Avoid extra-lean grinds. The higher the fat content of your ground beef, the moister the patty. ...
  2. Don't manhandle your meat. ...
  3. Make a dip. ...
  4. Resist the urge to press. ...
  5. Take them off the grill a little early. ...
  6. Water is your friend. ...
  7. Get stuffed.
Nov 17, 2022

How do you pimp up a burger? ›

Toppings can make or break a burger. We love homemade toppings like cranberry ketchup, mac n' cheese or spicy barbecue sauce paired with everyday condiments like cheese slices and crisp lettuce.

What does animal style burger taste like? ›

Order the burger "Animal Style" off their not-so-secret menu, and you bring the party to a whole new level. The onion slice gets replaced with a dollop of sweet, darkly caramelized chopped onions, an extra stack of pickle chips goes underneath the tomato, and the patties get fried with mustard directly on the griddle.

What are the three types of burgers? ›

Types of Burgers
  • Hamburger. The hamburger is the original and the best-known burger to date. ...
  • Turkey Burger. The turkey sandwich inspired the turkey burger. ...
  • Classic Burger. The classic beef burger is a staple of Australian cuisine. ...
  • Lamb Burger. ...
  • Chicken Burger. ...
  • Specialty Burger. ...
  • Cheese Burger. ...
  • Bacon Burger.
Aug 10, 2023

Does an animal style burger cost more? ›

The Double-Double usually comes with two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, and spread, but animal-style is slightly different. However, it doesn't affect the price.

What is the difference between a vegan burger and a regular burger? ›

Plant-based burgers are higher in fiber, but also higher in sodium and saturated fat, compared to beef burgers. Some plant-based burgers are more nutritious than others, so it's important to read labels and make informed choices.

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