The viral Onion-Wrapped Burger from In-N-Out at home and even better! No bread buns but you won’t be missing them at all. The onions are caramelized to perfection, filled with umami flavor, and way better than lettuce or tomato-wrapped burgers!
The Secret Spread
Every single burger spot has its own burger sauce that is considered to be their “secret formula”! So many burger spreads though are exactly the same base with slight variations, usually containing a mixture of mayo, ketchup, and mustard. In-N-Out has the best spread in my opinion compared to other spots like Shake Shack. It has a less thick consistency which I enjoy because I don’t want to be tasting only mayo. It also has a nice tangy taste from the pickle relish and a little sweetness from the ketchup and it just cuts down on the heaviness of the burgers.
The spread takes less than five minutes to make. Here are the ingredients you need:
- mayonaisse
- ketchup
- pickle relish
- vinegar
- sugar
- yellow mustard, optional
Just add all the ingredients above to a small bowl and mix together until you have a creamy sauce consistency. Feel free to add anything else to your taste like if you want it to be sweeter, add more ketchup. Or if you want more pickle relish, add more! I actually like to add a little bit of sriracha in as well – just a little where it’s not spicy but it adds a nice flavor. Sometimes I also add a bit of chipotle adobo when I want a different flavor profile in the burger.
Caramelizing the Onions
Now it’s time to caramelize the onions! If you’ve been to In-N-Out before, you probably know you can get your burger lettuce-wrapped and most recently, tomato-wrapped as well. Then out of nowhere in this last month, everyone has been posting videos on TikTok of ONION-WRAPPED burgers which I have never seen before. I absolutely LOVE grilled onions so I knew I had to try this out and it was really messy to eat but it was so good.
Start with a yellow onion and cut into thick slices. You can also use a white onion if you have but I prefer yellow onion because it has a naturally sweeter taste. Get a grill or frying pan hot over medium heat and grease it with vegetable oil. Add the onion slices and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sugar. Let it cook for a few minutes until you start to see some browning around the edges. Flip over and let the other side caramelize too. When the onions are about to be taken off the grill, add a slice of cheese on half the pieces. You’ll need two slices of caramelized onions per burger you plan to make and one slice of onion will have cheese, the other will not.
I wanted to share some tips for caramelizing onions because if it’s your first time, it can surprisingly be a bit tricky. You don’t want the onions to burn, you want them to cook long enough to where they caramelize in color and taste. This means the heat cannot be too high! If it’s too high, the onions will char but still be raw on the inside. It’s ok if it chars a little bit if you like that flavor profile like me but just don’t let it burn before it even caramelizes. Another tip I like to use when making chopped grilled onions is adding a splash of water to the pan. The steam it creates helps the onions soften while also helping them to caramelize by deglazing the pan from any brown bits. You can also try that hear but just make sure if you do, there’s not any lingering oil on the grill or pan to avoid any hazard.
Assembling the Burgers
Onions are caramelized and the spread is made! Now let’s make the patties. When it comes to burgers, the fattier the better for ground beef! The lowest fat percentage you can get at the store is typically 80/20 so that’s what I go for and what is recommended.
Divide the meat into 3.5 ounces patties. You can weigh it out for the best accuracy. I found this size to be the best for getting the thin patty In-N-Out. You do not want the patties to be thick because the burger already has so many layers going on and it can get very high! Once the patties are divided equally, shape them into balls and then flatten it out very thin and wide. The patties will shrink as the fat melts down and cooks so don’t worry if they look too large. Salt and pepper then as well at this step!
Then it’s time to cook the patties. A skillet or pan works well, just any flat surface that conducts heat well really. Get the skillet nice and hot over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add a bit of butter and oil to the skillet.You can also use only oil, no butter. I just use vegetable oil!
Add the patties, most pans will only fit two at a time unless you have a grill or large skillet plate. Allow one side to cook for about 2-3 minutes. If you’d like, add a bit of mustard on the raw side and spread around. This is actually something that In-N-Out does and the flavor is so good that I do it with all my burgers now. Then flip the burger over and the let other side cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cheese on top of half the patties, add another patty on top of the cheese and let it melt as it finishes cooking. Ideally, you would cook the patties alongside the onions so everything can be ready at the same time but we don’t have a large grill like these fast food chains do. If you have a black stone, you can definitely cook it all at once.
Then it’s time to assemble! The bottom is a caramelized onion, then the two patties with cheese sandwiches in the middle, and finally the top is the caramelized onion with cheese. You can also add spread on top of the patties to have it in the burger or just leave it on the side to dip in. Enjoy with pepperoncinis just like the trend on TikTok and that’s it!
Craving More Restaurant Remakes? Try These Recipes Out!
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- McDonald’s Apple Pie
- Joe and the Juice Tuna Sandwich
- Spicy Lamb Meatballs
- Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding
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