By As a California native and high-protein recipe expert, this high protein special sauce is just like that sweet and punchy In-N-Out sauce! You'll just need 6 simple ingredients and 5 minutes to whip it up. Enjoy it on a burger, with fries, or any other tasty way you can think of!
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the sauce of my childhood
I probably ate In-N-Out burgers at least once a week in middle school and high school. Between soccer games hours away and grocery shopping on the weekends, it was by far our favorite, affordable fast food option.
Now that I don't live on the West Coast, I needed my own special sauce copycat recipe to enjoy at home. This high protein version swaps most of the mayo for cottage cheese to keep that ultra creamy consistency but overall a healthier option.
And no, it's not just Thousand Island dressing, Dad. Thousand Island uses other stuff like onions and Worcestershire sauce. Burger special sauce is simple and perfect.
you don't need much
- Mayo & Cottage Cheese: We need both for this sauce because cottage cheese can have a very cheesy flavor. A little bit of mayo helps to mask that.
- Sweet Relish: This is key to the special sauce. I tore apart many, many spoonfuls of sauce straight from the source to figure this one out (I originally thought just pickles).
- Everything Else: Using a handy dandy food scale and working backward, I determined the exact quantities of ketchup, white vinegar, and sugar to use.
don't sugar swap
I tested this sauce with both honey and maple syrup, and neither was right. I don't recommend swapping the sugar for another sweetener but honey was the better option if looking to swap.
time to whip it up
- Blend everything except the relish together.
- Keep blending until the cottage cheese curds are gone and the sauce is totally smooth.
- Stir in the relish, let it chill for an hour then and enjoy! I love it on a California burger or with fries.
you have to make a large batch
If you're struggling with the blender just flinging the ingredients up on the walls of the blender and not blending, then you need to double the recipe. If there isn't enough in the blender, then the blades can't catch properly.
mix it up (variations)
- Spicy: Add a deseeded jalapeno for a bit of a kick.
- Smokey: Use 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke to really double down on the grill flavors.
- Mustardy: Try adding mustard for more depth of flavor. This is more like Big Mac sauce, though.
- Garlicky: Add chopped garlic or onions because they are tasty!
time to use the sauce
This sauce is delicious on a burger and with fries. But my favorite is to serve it on:
- Smash burger tacos are like a burger but easier and more delicious thanks to more burger surface area to get crispy.
- Animal-style nachos are super easy to make, and everyone loves being able to grab their perfect chip!
- Frozen burger patty cooked in the oven and ready in just 20 minutes. Simple and delicious
And if you love sauces, you have to try our high-protein flamethrower sauce copycat, too!
Recipe
High Protein Special Sauce (In-N-Out Copycat)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ¾ cup cottage cheese
- 5 tablespoon sweet relish
- 6 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sugar
Before you start!
If you make this recipe, please take a moment to leave us a review. We love to hear from you!
Instructions
- Blend together the 4 tablespoon mayonnaise, ¾ cup cottage cheese, 6 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 2 teaspoon sugar until smooth and no cottage cheese curds remain. You'll likely have to stop and scrape down the sides.
- Stir in the 5 tablespoon sweet relish and enjoy! It is best if you can let it chill for an hour before eating. This gives the flavors time to mix.
Video
Notes
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
I moved out of state & don’t have an IN-N-OUT near me.
This is a very good recipe. Easy to follow, cheap ingredients (things you might already have around the house), and overall taste was really good. I mixed the sauce with shredded chicken & grated mozzarella cheese then put it in between a hamburger bun. So good. I didn’t have relish (which I didn’t realize until I go home). It was fine without it. I would make this again.
Fantastic!
I love this recipe, we use this sauce almost weekly for burger bowls(I usually thin it out just a touch w some milk so I can drizzle it over). It tastes SO much like in-n-out sauce but you feel so much better putting tons on your meal!
That’s so amazing to hear!