This Vegan Copycat In-N-Out Burger skips the mayo but keeps all the flavor. Instead it is made with a cashew-based spread and paired with grilled onions for that ultimate burger experience.
My favorite part of an In-N-Out sandwich had to be the grilled onions paired with the spread.
I enjoyed it so much that during the first few months of being vegan I still found myself in the drive-thru ordering a bun with grilled onions, lettuce, and tomatoes.
I would then take the sandwich home, add a black bean patty, and cover it with my homemade spread.
Ingredients
To get that classic In-N-Out flavor in a vegan burger, all you need are grilled onions, a delicious spread, and a great burger patty.
I like to use my black bean patty for this burger, but you can use your favorite vegan patty.
For the spread you will need:
- Raw cashews - The cashews are the base of the sauce. Use soaked raw cashews for a smooth sauce.
- Plant milk - I use almond milk, but any kind of unflavored and unsweetened vegan milk is fine.
- Ketchup - This gives the sauce its color and Thousand Island dressing taste.
- Relish - Use sweet relish for the perfect flavor.
- Salt - Any salt you have on hand is fine.
- Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds some tang to the dressing.
- Onion and garlic powder - These seasonings add extra flavor to the spread.
How to Make Vegan Spread
This spread is super easy to make.
To start, add the soaked cashews along with the remaining ingredients (leaving out the relish, which will be added after blending) into the cup of a NutriBullet or equivalent. Blend until the sauce is smooth.
Stir in the relish and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust any ingredients as needed before enjoying.
This copycat In-N-Out Vegan Burger with Spread is incredibly delicious-the flavors are surprisingly close to the real thing!
The mayo-free spread completed the taste. It's sweet, savory, and perfectly tangy. It also makes the perfect dip for some crispy, baked thin-cut fries!
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Recipe
Copycat In-N-Out Vegan Burger with Spread
Ingredients
- 4 black bean patties, or vegan burger patty of choice
- 1 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 burger buns
- Fresh lettuce
- Tomato slices
Spread Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked
- ½ scant cup almond milk
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon pink salt, or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons ketchup, start with 3 Tablespoons of ketchup, if needed, add more to taste
- 1-2 Tablespoon sweet relish
Instructions
For the Spread
- I recommend preparing the spread ahead of time so it has time to chill in the fridge.
- Add your presoaked cashews and the remaining ingredients (leaving out the relish, which will be added after blending) to a high-speed blender or NutriBullet. Blend until smooth.
- Stir in the relish and place in the fridge to chill for 30 min.
- Taste and adjust the ketchup and relish, and add more almond milk to thin, if needed.
For the Burgers
- Prepare and cook your patties according to their directions. For an authentic patty, add mustard to one side and place that side down on the pan. Spread mustard on the other side of the patty before flipping.
- While the patties are cooking, grill the onions (directions below), prep the lettuce, and slice the tomato.
- Preheat your oven to 400º. Then toast the buns by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the buns cut side down. Toast for about 5 min or until browned to your liking.
For the Grilled Onion
- Chop your onion into small pieces.
- Add about ¼ teaspoon refined coconut oil to a pan or skillet along with the chopped onion.
- Grill over medium-high heat until browned and caramelized, about 10-15 min. Stir frequently and lower the heat if needed.
Assemble
- Place your patty on the toasted bun. Add spread, lettuce, tomato and grilled onions. Serve with a side of thin cut, baked fries and of course extra spread.
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
More Vegan Recipes
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Tavia
Sweet or dill relish?
Marlena Luna
I use sweet. Dill will work, but I suggest adding a bit of sweetener to the sauce. Enjoy!
Shyla
I’m allergic to cashews. Is it possible to make this with another nut instead of cashews?
Marlena Luna
The cashews can be replaced with an equal amount of soaked sunflower seeds. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Enjoy!
Alice
Hi,
What brand did you recommend/use for your burger (black bean or veggie). Also, I can't stand coconut anything. I can always taste it, even in its subtlest form. Can I use another oil for the grilled onions, without skimping on the flavor?
Thanks!
Marlena Luna
I use my homemade black bean burgers, but you can use store bought as well. For grilling the onions, any neutral flavored oil you have on hand will work perfectly. Enjoy, Alice! :)
Nathan
After a flop attempt on my part with the BBQ ranch, I had an idea. And this one mentioned what I was thinking! I made this in our Nutri Ninja (basically the Nutri Bullet) and it worked out like a dream! Now I know what do when making sauces. This one turned out great! I might dial the ketchup back a smidge next time however. Still a nice sauce!
Marlena Luna
Awesome! I'm glad this recipe worked out. A high speed blender is definitely the key to a creamy dressing/sauce. Thanks so my for all your great feedback, Nathan!
Ali
It looks amazing! Unfortunately, we have tree nut allergies in our family. Do you know if there's anything I could use instead of cashews? So many creamy vegan recipes call for cashews and I'm always so disappointed because of that
Marlena Luna
You can try to replace the cashews with sunflower seeds, but it will yield a slightly different taste. You can also try a vegan mayo. Replace the cashews and non-dairy milk with 1 cup of mayo.
Hope
THIS TURNED OUT PERFECTTTTT! We moved to Italy from California and I constantly crave In N Out but of course as a vegan that's not attainable.. so thank you for giving me my favorite food back to me!!
Marlena Luna
That's awesome to hear Hope! I'm so glad you're able to enjoy this vegan version!
calgal
Wow, I'm blown away by this spread! It tastes exactly how I remember the sauce at In-n-Out, which I had plenty of growing up in California. Gonna use this to make animal style veggie burgers and fries, thank you!!
Marlena Luna
Animal style veggie burger and fries sounds ah-mazing! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Mom
Is organic necessary for everything? I'm about to move,and am unsure if what'll be available by me or prices. Which is super important(I'm about to be a single mom,and will only have about $50/week for groceries.)
Marlena Luna
No, organic is not necessary. This is an older post from when I was aiming towards an organic vegan blog. I learned that organic is not always obtainable (even for myself). So use what you'd like/prefer as far as organic ingredients go. :)
Miya
LOVE this recipe! Just devoured it tonight!!
Thank you!
One question.... what is that bun? We eat/cook aoil-free vegan and would love to know if the bun is made or purchased!
Again, thank you so much! Awesome recipe!
Marlena Luna
I'm so glad you love the recipe Miya!! I purchased the buns from a local health food store. They are Rudi's Hamburger Buns. However, they do contain oil. If you're looking to make your own I suggest doing a quick google search for "vegan oil-free sweet potato buns". I find adding sweet potato (or even pumpkin puree) to the dough really helps create a softer, oil-free bun. :)
Lea
This looks and sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it. I'm pinnin git.
Marlena Luna
Thanks Lea! Enjoy! :)
Sally
Hi
Can I use a gluten free flour to replace the oat flour?
Marlena Luna
Gluten-free flour should work just fine. You can also try fine ground cornmeal as well. Enjoy, Sally!!
Serena
I'm going to try this recipe this week. I'm going to add some vegan cheese and see if I can replicate "animal style fries". Wish me luck ☺️
Marlena Luna
Enjoy, Serena! :)
Katie
I feel bad that I've been using this recipe for months and have never left a message. I make these once a week for my family and we LOVE them! The sauce is amazing and spot on. Even better than the original. Anyway, thanks for making our tummies really happy. My favorite recipe, hands down.
Marlena Luna
Thank you for the wonderful comment, Katie! I'm so happy to hear your family loves this recipe and you enjoy it weekly. I've always thought the sauce was better than the original as well, but then I thought maybe I'm being bias. Thanks for confirming my unbiased love for the sauce! :)
Trisha
This looks absolutely delicious! I definitely want to try it because my boyfriend and I have been craving in n out for awhile now. I'm vegan and he's vegetarian. However, I am allergic to some types of nuts, cashews included. So I was wondering if there was a way to sub for this, or be able to leave it out altogether?
Marlena Luna
Hi Trisha,
The cashews are used to thicken the spread, but they can easily be replaced by sunflower seeds. Otherwise, a vegan mayo option can replace the nut/seed altogether. If using a vegan mayo, I would omit the non-dairy milk as well. And, if needed, only add enough to thin the spread a bit. I'm sure you guys will love them! Enjoy! :)
Trisha
Thank you very much for your response, can't wait to try these! :)
Rhonda
These vegan replicas of In-N-Out burgers are insane!
I use to enjoy them back in my teen years too. The best
part was the fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and dressing.
Now I will be making these and sharing the love!!
I heard a rumor a while ago that In-N-Out was considering
a veg burger. If we want to see it happen, we have to use
our voices. I suggest writing to them a brief "Please add
a good vegan burger and dressing to the menu."
It could make a difference as other fast food places are adding
a veg burger to their menus. We have to keep asking and this
gets the ball rolling.
Tara
This looks awesome! You are not alone, I have also ordered lettuce, tomato, and grilled onion at in n out!
Marlena Luna
Nice to know I'm not alone! :) Now I can just make this when I'm craving In-N-Out!
Caroline
This spread tastes JUST like in n out. Made homemade buns and patties... the family didn't even notice they were eating a vegan dinner! TRY it
Marlena Luna
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Caroline! :)
Caroline
This burger is DELICIOUS ! Pretty easy to make, (I made my patties ahead of time and kept in the fridge about 11-6:30), and made some homemade buns as well. SERIOUSLY, you gotta taste this burger.
Mya
These burgers were delicious! Better than the original not to mention healthier! Thank you for this wonderful creation!
Marlena Luna
Thank you for your kind words, Mya! I'm so glad you enjoyed them! :)
Jenn
Made these last night along with your baked seasoned fries. SOOOO GOOD! The sauce was amazing and so happy it is mayo and oil free. I made it as is and after sitting in the fridge, it thickened up perfectly. The burgers were great and so happy to have them not crumble everywhere. Just amazing and had to be the best vegan burgers we have ever had! Definitely will be making these again!
Marlena Luna
Awesome Jenn!! I'm so thrilled you loved them as much as we do! They have become a weekly must in our house! :)
Dianette
Thank you so much for the recipe, I cannot wait to try it. I have an In and Out Burger near my house but stopped eating meat 3 years ago, so now I just order a In and Out Burger with only cheese and no meat and add all the extras (tomatoes, pickles, special sauce, lettuce, grilled onions) and it fulfills that craving. Your recipe adds more protein, which I like, and just sounds delicious!
Andrea
Made this tonight, it was really good. I added in more relish and some mustard as well, I may omit or at least reduce the almond milk next time so that it is thicker. Thanks for the great mayo free recipe.