Low calorie animal style fries (in ‘n’ out copycat)

Every once in a while I will try my hand at a savoury recipe and these low calorie animal style fries have not only exceeded my expectations but they may be even better than anything you’ll get from any restaurant! These fries are loaded with American cheese, fried onions and topped with a delicious tangy sauce!

Finding low calorie dinner recipes that taste good, don’t cost an arm and a leg to make and that leave you feeling satiated is like finding a needle in a haystack. Being in a calorie deficit and loving foods that are generally high in fat and carbs feels like a curse but it really doesn’t have to. Finding ways to enjoy your fave meals whilst still being in a deficit is very much possible but you have to get a little creative. These low calorie animal style fries are so tasty and satisfying without being too high in calories!

These loaded fries have just 460 calories for a very generous serving! That’s 290 calories less than a serving of in ‘n’ out’s animal style fries. That means you can add a protein source to have a very balanced and delicious meal for the same amount of calories! Not only is this recipe much lower in calories than the in ‘n’ out recipe, it is also a lot lower in fat (15g in this recipe vs 54g in in ‘n’ out’s recipe!) and a larger serving.

You can enjoy this recipe on its own or add a protein source like tuna or chicken breast for 100-200 calories! I love to pair this with some air-fried chicken breast which makes the total calories 660 calories and nearly 50g of protein! Tuna chunks in spring water or brine would add just 100 calories and 24g of protein for a total of 560 calories and 37g of protein!

Low calorie animal style fries

This recipe is one of my all time favorite low calorie dinner recipes. Not only does it taste insanely good, it feels like I’m having takeout which leaves me feeling satisfied and not like I’m restricting whilst losing weight. It is the perfect quick and easy meal for when you’re craving something like in ‘n’ out animal style fries.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Only 460 calories for the entire serving!
• Comes together in under 30 minutes!
• Uses all the same ingredients used in in ‘n’ out animal style fries!
• This recipe is gluten-free and can easily be made vegan.
• The perfect quick and easy dinner recipe for when you’re craving takeout.
• The BEST low calorie animal style fries ever!

Ingredients

Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.

To make these low calorie animal style fries you will need:

Potatoes – For this recipe, I made my own fries using an air-fryer but an oven will work just fine as well. You can also use store bought fries but the calories are typically higher as they contain oils and other ingredients that increase the calories. I recommend using real potatoes as they contain surprisingly few calories with much more nutritional value than store bought fries!

Olive oil – A little olive oil to fry the onions and cook the fries. You can use any oil that you have as most oils have the same amount of calories.

American cheese – I used reduced fat American cheese as it is the closest to what they use at in ‘n’ out. But, you can use any type of low-fat cheese you have. The calories differ between cheese’s so make sure you double check and tweak according to what you end up using!

Onions – You can use red or white onions here but my preference is always red onions. White onions are what they use in in ‘n’ out animal style fries so it may taste more like the real deal with white onions.

Light mayonnaise – To make the sauce to top the fries. I would recommend using light mayonnaise as it is dramatically lower in calories than full fat mayo.

Ketchup – A little ketchup for the sauce.

Mustard – For the sauce.

Pickles and pickle juice – I like to add pickles and pickle juice to the sauce but you can leave this out if you don’t like pickles. I would recommend substituting the pickle juice with white vinegar.

How to make low calorie animal style fries

1. If you’re using an oven, pre-heat oven to 220ºC (425ºF).
2. To make the fries, start by cutting the potatoes into thin fries. Toss in the oil and seasonings of your choice. Transfer the fries to the air-fryer lined with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. If you’re using an oven, transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Once the fries are done, turn the oven/air-fryer off, add a slice of cheese to the fries and place back in the air-fryer or oven until the cheese has melted.
3. Whilst the fries bake, make the fried onions by adding the oil to a frying pan and then adding in the diced onions. Cook on medium heat until the onions are soft and begin to brown. This should take about 10 minutes.
4. Make the sauce by mixing together the mayo, ketchup, mustard, chopped pickles and pickle juice.
5. To assemble the animal style fires, transfer the fries to your serving dish, top with the sauce and then sprinkle on the onions.
6. Serve and enjoy hot!

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