These healthier In N Out burgers: double double animal style are just as good as they sound and look: two thin patties brushed with mustard, loaded with pickle slices, deeply caramelized onions, a creamy sauce spiked with my Whole30 ketchup recipe, coconut aminos, and relish, all sandwiched between two perfect iceberg lettuce buns. Inspired by the West Coast favorite, these burgers are made with totally real food and are paleo, Whole30, and low carb friendly.
These are a Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double, animal style. OK, Bye!
Like, that should be enough right? I don’t need to tell you about those tangy burgers, the creamy sauce, the over-the-top caramelized onions, do I? I didn’t think so. Pretty sure that description alone speaks for itself if the photos didn’t convince you at first glance.
In-N-Out is one of those things I crave when I’m away from the West Coast, the first thing I make my Lyft driver do when I get a ride from the airport on a business trip. But eh, I don’t need you anymore. Because we can make better double doubles (animal style!) at home. And the reality is it’s pretty dang simple!
Burgers with mustard + a ketchup-spiked mayo sauce with dill relish and coconut aminos + lettuce buns + deep, dark, look-into-my-eyes caramelized onions = Left Coast magic.
And the entire time I was eating them, sauce dripping down the burger, gripping their parchment paper wrap like my life depended on it, my eyes were rolled into the back of my head while, between bites, my mouth lost control, groaning “Ohmygahhhhhh honeyyyyy these are literally the besttttt thing I’ve everrrrr eatennnnn.”
You know, like a casual I’d like this for my last meal thanks moment.
These Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style work because we’re simply subbing thick iceberg wedges for the buns, not recreating them with any funky ingredients. They’re crisp and light and I actually prefer them to wheat buns, pretty sure. Not only do they make me feel like approximately 400000 times better after I eat them, but the crunch! Oh, the crunch. I can’t even with the crunch. They’re refreshing and crisp and I just adore them. Lettuce buns forever.
They’d be called In-N- Out double double animal style burgers if that made any sense, but you know. It doesn’t. It’s all about healthy, real food substitution and avoiding recreation. AKA it ain’t Whole30 if you whip up an almond flour bun to use instead. And why would you want to do that anyway? Lettuce buns are basically the answer to every problem.
The sauce uses coconut aminos to lightly and naturally sweeten things; I prefer coconut aminos over dates for a very minimal sweetness. Without dates, the sauce won’t be quite the same as In-N-Out’s, but I’m a-OK with that. If you’re not on a Whole30, make sure you use maple syrup instead of extra coconut aminos. It’ll round things out beautifully. If you’re on a Whole30, you’ll just use extra coconut aminos. This will thin the sauce a bit, but it’ll be stellar any way you slice or dice it.
Oh, and guess what! This recipe makes plenty of animal sauce and grilled onions so you can make Whole30 In N Out fries. Because Whole30 In N Out fries: a creamy, relish-spiked animal sauce with those super-rich onions over homemade sweet potato fries? There’s just nothing better. Be careful if this is a food with no brakes for you, though. It’s not for me at all (Hello nachos) but if you’re a fry addict otherwise, you might want to just wait until after a round to make some Whole30 In N Out fries.
So let’s get down to it.
How do you make those perfect lettuce buns?
Ooh, I am so excited to share these lettuce buns, Y’all! We struggled with giant, delicate iceberg leaves for years when trying to swathe our buns in veggie options, and that time was completely wasted. Here’s what you should do instead: cut off the end of the stem of a head of the iceberg, then cut it into 1/4s. You’ll find yourself with lettuce wedge salad-style wedges. You’ll then take out the inner layers of the iceberg, leaving about 1″ of an iceberg cup into which a couple of mustard-brushed burgers fit beautifully.
How thin do these Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style need to be?
Hella thin, Y’all. Like, make them as thin and wide as possible, then make them a little thinner. As they cook, they’ll get taller and not as wide, and you want them to be beautifully thin and giant when you’re done. Make them even thinner than this, if you can. Try pressing them out on a piece of parchment paper to make it easy to transfer to cook.
Do I need to wrap these Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style in parchment to eat?
Uh, yeah. You do. Or blend West Coast stereotypes and wrap your Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style in aluminum foil, burrito bar style. You’ll find them much, much easier to eat this way; they’ll stay together better and you’ll capture all the sauce that threatens to jump ship.
How dark do my caramelized onions need to be?
Hella dark, Y’all. Seriously, they need to be the color of like deep, dark toffee. The color of George Clooney’s pupils. Dark. You’ll thank me later. This is the most arduous part of theWhole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style process but quite possibly the most important one. Don’t skip and don’t cheat! You’ll thank me later. Did I already say that? I freaking meant it.
I don’t have homemade ketchup or mayonnaise!
Chill, girl! We got this. If you don’t have or don’t want to make homemade ketchup (even though my Whole30 ketchup recipe is crazy easy, as is my Whole30 immersion blender mayo recipe), try these:
Primal Kitchen makes my hands-down favorite paleo / Whole30 compliant mayonnaise. It tastes the best and is really pretty easy to find. You can AmazonPrime some to your doorstep with the click of a finger or you can kick it old school and head to ughhhh basically Kroger. Yep, it’s the future, and you no longer have to go to Whole Foods for fancy avocado oil mayo! Pick up a bottle of their Whole30 ranch dressing while you’re at it.
Tessemae’s ketchup has near cult status among most Whole30ers and for good reason. Sweetened with dates, it’s just like the stuff you used to get at all of those no-no places and great to have on hand. It’s a little harder for me to find Tessemae’s ketchup in stores, so AmazonPrime-ing it is the way to go. I can usually find it at Whole Foods but not always at Sprouts and definitely not at my Kroger.
I want to make Whole30 In N Out fries!
Go for it, friend! This recipe makes enough sauce and grilled onions to top some homemade sweet potato fries or turnip fries or whatever kinda fries you’re making yourself. Keep in mind, though, that this could be a food with no brakes for you, so tread lightly. Fries aren’t my thing at all but if they were, I’d probably skip it altogether for those 30 days. Whole30 In N Out fries will wait for you, I promise!
Any other questions? Proceed, my friends! Change your lives with these Whole30 In N Out burgers: double double animal style!
Healthier In N Out Burgers: Double Double Animal Style
Two thin beef patties brushed with mustard, loaded with pickle slices, deeply caramelized onions, a creamy special sauce, all sandwiched between two perfect iceberg lettuce buns. Paleo, Whole30, and low carb friendly.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise my Whole30 immersion blender mayo recipe is perfect – see notes
- 3 tablespoon ketchup my Whole30 ketchup recipe is perfect – see notes
- 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1-2 tsp. additional coconut aminos if on Whole30 skip additional if using maple syrup otherwise
- 2 tsp. maple syrup if not on Whole30
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 2 white onions medium, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt plus more
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce small to medium
- 3 teaspoons avocado oil divided
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- black pepper freshly cracked
- 8 dill pickles slices
- 2 slices ripe tomato 1/4" thick slices
Equipment Needed
Instructions
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Make the sauce: combine mayonnaise, ketchup, dill relish, coconut aminos, maple syrup (if not on Whole30), and vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to combine and chill while you continue cooking.
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Heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a medium skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat until oil is shimmering. Add onions and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are browned, about 15 minutes. Once onions are browned, they will start to sizzle and look dry. Add 1 tablespoon water to skillet and stir, cooking until water evaporates and onions begin sizzling again. Repeat the process with 1 tablespoon water until onions are dark brown and extremely caramelized, about 3 times, a total of about 30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
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Make the lettuce “buns”: slice off the stem of the head of iceberg lettuce, about 1/2-3/4”. Cut into fourths: down the center, then slice each half in half to make wedges. Take out the middle 2/3 of each iceberg wedge, so it leaves just a 3/4” thick lettuce “bun”. Set aside.
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Shape ground beef into four 2-ounce patties that are very thin and very wide, about 1/4″ thick and at least 4″ wide. Season patties with plenty of salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon avocado oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat; swirl the oil around the pan to coat with a thin layer. When the oil is very, very hot, add burger patties. Spread 1 tablespoon mustard on the top, raw side. Cook patties, without moving, until they’re very well browned and a bit crusty on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Flip patties so the mustard side is down and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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Prepare your burgers: for each burger, spread about scant 1 tablespoon of animal sauce onto the inside of one lettuce “buns”. Top with 2 pickles, then one slice tomato. Top with a burger patty and about 1 tablespoon caramelized onions, plus more if you like. Top with another burger patty and another 1 tablespoon caramelized onions. Top with another scant 1 tablespoon of sauce then the final lettuce bun. Wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil and devour!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes enough caramelized onions and animal sauce to serve on top of some homemade sweet potato fries or hash. You will have extra besides what you need for the burgers.
Note that you MUST omit the maple syrup in the sauce for this recipe to be Whole30.
For keto, omit all coco aminos and maple syrup and sweeten the sauce with
My Whole30 immersion blender mayonnaise recipe: https://40aprons.com/whole30-immersion-blender-mayo/
My Whole30 ketchup recipe: https://40aprons.com/whole30-ketchup-recipe/
Amazing recipe! This is a new favorite for comfort food night. I felt like the sauce was absolutely incredible and tasted like the real thing. Thank you!
Glad we could help!
My tastebuds and tummy are SO happy. This was perfection! I’m currently doing Whole30 and I really enjoyed this meal. #chefskiss
So glad you loved it!
Any chance you have the nutritional count on this? My hubs is doing SUPER low carb and asked the net carbs per serving. Thanks so much!
Just added it!
These look great! Can I use olive oil instead of avocado oil?
Hi! Thank you. 🙂
We are not huge fans of cooking with olive oil for most recipes due to the low smoking point. 🙂 It is definitely okay, though, if you are not worried about that!
I am the picky one in my family. On day 6 of Whole30-forgot my lunch at home and was starving all day. I made the mayo and ketchup in the notes the same night of the meal. (I would recommend making them ahead of time as a time saver.) Everyone had seconds. I’m going to have a hard time finding a recipe that tops this! Thank you for sharing-I have found my new favorite recipe site!
Made these tonight and they were fantastic! As a full-time working mom of 3, transition to a whole food diet has been challenging because real food takes more thought, prep, and cook time. This was on the table in 30 minutes and was super delicious! And clean up was a breeze because there were no leftovers 🙂 I just started following your blog and I’ve already ear-marked many more recipes we’ll be trying! Thank you
We are so glad to hear that, Lindsey! Anything that allows the workload to be a bit lighter is a definite winner.
I’m from the LA area and this recipe tastes just like In-n-Out Burger! So flavorful and savory, I forgot about the lack of bread bun – I think lettuce buns are my new favorite thing!
Note: I only gave a four star rating because it took a lot of time for me to prepare and there was a lot of cleanup afterward – but the results were SOOO worth it! Thank you for this recipe!
This recipe was legit the best thing I’ve eaten on my whole 30 journey! The onions take it to the next level and the homemade sauce damn near made me cry in it’s deliciousness. Thank you, my craving for In n Out was truly satisfied 100%!
You are so welcome!!
Omg! These were deeeelicioussss!!! I made the whole 30 mayo and whole 30 ketchup the day before because it just seemed like to much preparation in one day and I’m so glad I did ☺. Thank you so much! These recipes will be ” “keepers” in our home whole 30 or not, it’s still clean eating.
Thinking about making these with bacon and with portobello buns… what are your thoughts? Not sure if the flavor would conflict….
Sounds delicious!!!
These are amaaaaaazing! I am on Week 1 of Whole30 and needed something different than my easy go to chicken recipes. I made the homemade Mayo and Ketchup listed in the notes- they were so easy and a much cheaper option compared to buying Whole 30 compliant ketchup/mayo. The sauce on these burgers is incredible, I am from the East Coast so I have only had In N’ Out twice when visiting cali, but I agree, these burgers will give In N’ Out a run for their money!
Thank you for posting delicious and simple recipes 🙂
You are so welcome! This makes me so happy. 😀
This was INCREDIBLE!!!
I miss In N Out so much, can’t wait to try these out! Not to be nit-picking but it would be a Double Double Protien Style if you actually wanted your burger wrapped in lettuce at in n out!
It’s also just double meat. Double double means double meat and double cheese. ?
These are incredible. We have made them several times since stumbling upon your recipe. I do cheat and use Sir Kensington’s special sauce though. Thanks!!!
Looks so delicious! Do you think ghee could be used instead of the Avacado oil? Thanks!
Absolutely!
Holy moly. By FAR my favorite Whole30 recipe that I’ve found! Darn that moderation 🙂 I love your blog!!
Ha!! So so glad you liked them so much 😀
This is my kind of burger!! If someone asked me ten years ago if I would prefer a lettuce wrapped burger over a bun I would have scoffed at them! But it is the truth now….wrapped in crunchy lettuc and slathered in some sort of amazing sauce like this one!!
Right?! I seriously prefer a lettuce bun, too. So crisp and refreshing! Not so like squishy and heavy like a literal pillow. Ha!
So I had my menu all planned out for this week, but as soon as I saw these In-N-Out burgers in my email newsletter, I instantly replaced one of our meals this week. 🙂 Your recipes never disappoint! (I’ve made the chocolate mousse dip 2 times already)
Ha! I love that. I hope you like these burgers as much as we do! So glad you like the chocolate mousse dip, too. It’s one of my favorites!
These look so In-n-Out Legit!!!
That’s the biggest compliment, Justin!!
I made these last night for dinner, including your homemade ketchup recipe. Im in day 22 if whole30 and it was exactly what I needed! Burgers aren’t usually my thing, but THESE were amazing!!! Thank you!
I am so happy to hear that! I’m with you – burgers aren’t normally my thing either, but the mustard, the onions, and the sauce just make these so, so good. Thank you for coming back to let me know!