🌴 In-N-Out-Inspired Spread
Two details set this apart from every other pink sauce here. There is no mustard in it at all, which is why it reads sweet and clean rather than sharp, and the pickle is finely chopped rather than relish, so you get little bursts of texture instead of one uniform paste. The result is the pale-coral, lightly sweet drive-thru spread from the California coast — closer to a dressing for lettuce and tomato than a heavy special sauce.
🧾 In-N-Out-Inspired Spread — Recipe Card
From I Love Hamburger — ilovehamburger.com
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise (115 g)
- 2 tbsp ketchup (30 ml)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped sweet pickle (12 g)
- 1½ tsp sweet pickle brine (from the jar) (7 ml)
- ½ tsp white vinegar (2.5 ml)
- ½ tsp granulated sugar (2 g)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Whisk the mayonnaise and ketchup together until the color is even and pale coral.
- Stir in the chopped sweet pickle, pickle brine, vinegar, and sugar.
- Taste and add a pinch of salt. It should read creamy first, then tangy, then just a little sweet.
- Chill at least 30 minutes so the pickle flavor spreads through the sauce before serving.
🫙 Storage
Keep airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. Do not freeze — the mayo base will break when thawed.
🔁 Substitutions
- No sweet pickle? Use sweet relish and skip the extra sugar.
- Swap in dairy-free mayo to make it dairy-free.
🍔 What to put it on
Pair it with hand-leaf lettuce, thin tomato, and raw or grilled onion. It especially shines on these burgers:
Burger HQ Picks Handy for sauce-making
Squeeze Bottles & Mixing Bowl Set
Mix a sauce in the bowl, decant into a squeeze bottle, and you get an even stripe on every bun instead of a spoon-blob. Also what keeps a topping bar tidy.
Check price →Small Silicone Whisk & Spatula Set
A small whisk emulsifies a mayo-based sauce properly in seconds; the spatula gets every last bit out of the bowl.
Check price →As an affiliate site, I Love Hamburger may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. This does not affect our recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
What is In-N-Out spread made of?
The chain does not publish its formula, but the recognizable flavor is a mayonnaise-and-ketchup base with chopped sweet pickle and a little vinegar and sugar. This inspired-by version builds that same creamy-tangy-sweet profile from scratch.
Is this the official In-N-Out recipe?
No. This is an independent, inspired-by recipe. It is not the official product formula and is not endorsed by, affiliated with, or sponsored by In-N-Out. If you want the real thing, visit the restaurant.
What burger should I put it on?
It shines on a griddled double smash burger or a classic cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion.