If you’ve ever been to In-N-Out Burger, their cult following should be no surprise. Known for their extremely limited menu and incredibly fresh 100% beef burgers, fresh-cut fries, and shakes, this exclusive West Coast burger chain can only be found in California and Texas. If you’ve ever wondered about their vegan options, you might be surprised to learn there are some.
It may not come as a shock to learn that In-N-Out Burger only has a few vegan options available, three to be exact. Currently, the only vegan options you can choose from In-N-Out’s menu are their French fries, soft drinks, or if you order a “veggie” burger without spread, which is simply a regular burger without the burger patty.
Although it may sound disheartening, for those who enjoy spending time with their carnivorous friends, it’s good to know what your options are so you aren’t left out of a group outing. Or if you’ve recently gone vegan, you may be missing this beloved burger joint. Let’s look at some tips and tricks for ordering vegan at In-N-Out Burger, non-vegan foods to avoid, and some related questions.
Tips & Tricks for Ordering Vegan at In-N-Out Burger
Since In-N-Out Burger caters to meat lovers of all kinds, it takes a little skill and planning to order vegan items off their menu. Because of their limited options, below are a few tips and tricks to help get you started.
- In-N-Out’s grilled onions share a cooktop with their burgers and may become cross-contaminated with animal products. If you wish to avoid this, you can sub out the grilled onion options for fresh sliced or raw chopped.
- In-N-Out offers the addition of yellow chilis to any burger or as a topping for fries, but this is not advertised on their menu. You can have them added whole or chopped.
- In-N-Out’s spread is mayonnaise-based and therefore contains egg rendering it a non-vegan option. Instead, you can swap for ketchup or mustard.
- Currently, all In-N-Out Burger’s soft drink options, lemonade, tea, and coffee are vegan-friendly, but their milk, hot chocolate, and milkshakes are not.
- Some believe In-N-Out’s prized hot chocolate is made with water and is therefore dairy-free. However, it contains powdered milk in the mix and is therefore not suitable on a vegan diet.
Non-Vegan Foods to Avoid at In-N-Out Burger
In-N-Out Burger caters to meat lovers, with their main claim to fame being their hamburgers. With that said, most menu items at In-N-Out contain meat or cheese. Let’s look at what foods you should avoid at In-N-Out if you are on a vegan diet.
Burgers
In-N-Out’s menu includes a Double-Double (which contains two burger patties), Cheeseburger, and a regular Hamburger. All these options contain meat and In-N-Out’s mayonnaise-based spread. Their Double-Double and Cheeseburger also contain cheese.
1. Double-Double
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Two slices of American cheese
- Two beef patties
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Spread
- Tomatoes
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 burger)
- Calories 670
- Fat 41g
- Saturated fat 18g
- Cholesterol 120mg
- Sodium 1440mg
- Carbohydrates 39g
- Sugar 10g
- Fiber 3g
- Protein 37g
2. Cheeseburger
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- one slice of American cheese
- One beef patty
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Spread
- Tomatoes
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 burger):
- Calories 480
- Fat 27g
- Saturated fat 10g
- Cholesterol 60mg
- Sodium 1000mg
- Carbohydrates 39g
- Sugar 10g
- Fiber 3g
- Protein 22g
3. Hamburger
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- One beef patty
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Spread
- Tomatoes
Nutrition Facts (Per 1 burger):
- Calories 390
- Fat 19g
- Saturated fat 5g
- Cholesterol 40mg
- Sodium 650mg
- Carbohydrates 39g
- Sugar 10g
- Fiber 3g
- Protein 16g
Not So Secret Menu
In-N-Out Burger is well known for their “Not So Secret” menu which includes Triple-Triple and Quad-Quad burgers in addition to their Double-Double, for those looking for even more beef patties.
It also includes a Grilled Cheese, your burger of choice wrapped in a lettuce wrap, known as “Protein-Style” and “Animal-Style” which includes extra spread with grilled onions. You can also order fries animal-style, which includes extra spread, grilled onions, and cheese. Unfortunately, all these menu items include either beef, cheese, or mayonnaise-based spread.
1. Triple-Triple
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Three slices of American cheese
- Three beef patties
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Spread
- Tomatoes
*Nutrition Information not available*
2. Quad-Quad
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Four slices of American cheese
- Four beef patties
- Onions
- Lettuce
- Spread
- Tomatoes
*Nutrition Information not available*
3. Grilled Cheese
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Two slices of American cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Spread
- Onions
*Nutrition Information not available*
4. Protein-Style
Ingredients:
- Burger of choice wrapped in hand-leaf lettuce instead of a bun
- American cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onion
- Spread
*Nutrition Information not available*
5. Animal-Style
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Burger of choice
- American cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Mustard
- Pickles
- Extra spread
- Grilled onions
*Nutrition Information not available*
Shakes
In-N-Out Burger offers Chocolate, Strawberry, or Vanilla shakes made with real ice cream. At this time, In-N-Out does not offer any dairy-free shakes and no substitutions can be made.
1. Chocolate
Nutrition Facts (Per 15-ounce shake):
- Calories 580
- Fat 28g
- Saturated fat 18g
- Cholesterol 110mg
- Sodium 400mg
- Carbohydrates 84g
- Sugar 65g
- Fiber <1g
- Protein 10g
2. Strawberry
Nutrition Facts (Per 15-ounce shake):
- Calories 590
- Fat 24g
- Saturated fat 15g
- Cholesterol 95mg
- Sodium 310mg
- Carbohydrates 114g
- Sugar 100g
- Fiber 0g
- Protein 8g
3. Vanilla
Nutrition Facts (Per 15-ounce shake):
- Calories 570
- Fat 30g
- Saturated fat 19g
- Cholesterol 120mg
- Sodium 360mg
- Carbohydrates 65g
- Sugar 50g
- Fiber 0g
- Protein 10g
Beverages
Along with Coke products, various lemonades, tea, and coffee, In-N-Out Burger offers hot chocolate and milk which contain animal products and should be avoided on a vegan diet.
1. Milk
Nutrition Facts (Per 10-ounces):
- Calories 180
- Fat 6g
- Saturated fat 4g
- Cholesterol 30mg
- Sodium 190mg
- Carbohydrates 18g
- Sugar 18g
- Fiber 0g
- Protein 12g
2. Hot Chocolate (without Marshmallows)
Nutrition Facts (Per 8-ounces):
- Calories 130
- Fat 3g
- Saturated fat 2g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 190mg
- Carbohydrates 32g
- Sugar 27g
- Fiber 2g
- Protein 2g
3. Hot Chocolate (with Marshmallows)
Nutrition Facts (Per 8-ounces):
- Calories 150
- Fat 3g
- Saturated fat 2g
- Cholesterol 0mg
- Sodium 190mg
- Carbohydrates 32g
- Sugar 27g
- Fiber 2g
- Protein 2g
Vegan Options at In-N-Out Burger
Now that we know a little bit more about In-N-Out Burger’s menu, let’s look at some of the vegan options available. At this time, there are only three different vegan options, including their French fries, soft drinks, or if you order a “veggie” burger without spread, which is simply a regular burger without the burger patty.
Vegan Burgers
1. Veggie Burger
(Hamburger without beef patty and spread)– In-N-Out Burger currently allows you to order a “veggie burger” which is just a regular In-N-Out hamburger without the hamburger patty and the spread. This will leave you with lettuce, tomato, and onions on the inside of the toasted bun.
Keep in mind, their onions are grilled on the same flattop as their burgers, for those looking to avoid potential cross-contamination, choose freshly sliced or raw chopped onions. You can also add in whole or chopped yellow chilis to add a little extra heat.
You can also swap out the spread for vegan-friendly ketchup and/or mustard to give your burger a little more flavor.
Ingredients:
- Toasted bun
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Onions
Vegan Sides
1. French Fries
In-N-Out Burger’s French fries are made with fresh potatoes and deep-fried in 100% sunflower oil. No other food items at In-N-Out use the fryer therefore their French fries have a low chance of cross-contamination with animal products. Their ketchup is also vegan-friendly.
Ingredients:
- Potatoes
- 100% sunflower oil
Vegan Beverages
In-N-Out carries a variety of Coca-Cola products that are vegan-friendly, listed below.
- Coca-Cola
- Diet Coke
- 7UP
- Pepper
- Root Beer
- Pink Lemonade
- Minute Maid
- Zero Sugar Lemonade
- Iced Tea
- Coffee
Find an In-N-Out Burger Near You
- To find an In-N-Out Burger near you, click here.
Similar Restaurants to In-N-Out Burger
Currently, In-N-Out Burger’s top competitors include Denny’s, Smashburger, and Jack in the Box restaurants.
Related Questions
Does In-N-Out Burger have the Impossible Burger?
No, In-N-Out Burger does not currently offer the Impossible Burger, Beyond Burger, or any other veggie or vegan burger option. At this time, there is no talk of, or rumors that this will be added to their menu in the future. Currently, the only vegan burger option is to order a “veggie burger” that contains a toasted bun filled with veggies (tomato, lettuce, and onions). This is the same as ordering their regular hamburger without a burger patty and spread.
Are In-N-Out Buns Dairy-Free?
Yes, In-N-Out’s burger buns are dairy-free. Their spread is also considered dairy-free however, it does contain egg, so it is not vegan-friendly. This and In-N-Out’s American cheese slices are the two dairy products to watch out for as they are included in almost every single burger on their menu, as well as their “Not So Secret” menu. Thankfully, their buns are vegan-friendly or there would be even less options available for those trying to avoid animal products.
Are In-N-Out’s Grilled Onions Vegan?
Currently, In-N-Out’s grilled onions are grilled on the same flat-top grill as their burgers. This means their onions are likely to come in contact with animal products. For this reason, some vegans do choose to avoid In-N-Out’s grilled onions. No need to fret though, In-N-Out also offers freshly sliced or raw chopped onions that do not come in contact with the grill. You can also choose whole or chopped yellow chilis.