In-N-Out Burger Releases Ingredient Lists — A Closer Look

What’s New?

In‑N‑Out Burger has made ingredient lists publicly available for the first time. Until now, they hadn’t published detailed ingredient info—even other fast food chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s had done so earlier Reddit+10Food Babe+10Food Babe+10.

What’s Inside — And What Isn’t

The restaurant’s website now breaks down ingredients for buns, spread, beef, fries, and more In-N-Out.com:

• Buns: Made from enriched wheat flour, water, sugar, yeast, soybean oil, salt, and several dough conditioners and preservatives like calcium propionate and enzymes In-N-Out.com+10In-N-Out.com+10Food Babe+10.

• Spread: Contains soybean or canola oil, eggs, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, xanthan gum, natural and artificial flavors, sodium benzoate, polysorbate 80, and other ingredients In-N-Out.com+1.

• Beef Patties: 100% ground beef with seasoning made from salt, black pepper, and canola oil In-N-Out.com+2Gluten Free Traveller+2.

• Fries: Fresh potatoes fried in 100% sunflower oil Reddit+3Wikipedia+3Gluten Free Traveller+3.

Concerns Raised in FoodBabe’s Coverage

The FoodBabe article highlights several ingredients that may be concerning for people seeking cleaner or less processed foods:

• Refined Seed Oils (soybean, canola): Described as ultra-processed; FoodBabe notes potential links to inflammation, obesity, and other health issues Food Babe+11Food Babe+11Food Babe+11.

• Artificial Flavors and Polysorbate 80: Cited as lab-made, possibly triggering weight gain, digestive issues, and inflammation Food Babe+1.

• Soy Lecithin: Raised concerns over GMO sourcing and extraction with solvents like hexane Food Babe+15Food Babe+15Food Babe+15.

• Phosphate Preservatives and Xanthan Gum: Potential health risks include kidney disease, disrupted gut bacteria, and aging effects Food Babe.

• Dimethylpolysiloxane in fries (an anti-foaming agent, also known as the main ingredient in Silly Putty) Food Babe.

• Pesticide Residues: A 2023 test found glyphosate and other pesticide traces in cheeseburgers and fries Food Babe.

What In-N-Out Says (and What’s Changing)

While In‑N‑Out confirms using fresh, additive-free beef and controlling quality through its own production facilities Food Babe+15In-N-Out.com+15Allrecipes+15, updates include:

• Healthier Ingredient Moves: In 2025, In‑N‑Out announced replacing artificial colors (Yellow 5 with turmeric, Red 40 with beta carotene/vegetable juice), switching to real vanilla and natural sugar, removing cottonseed oil, and replacing certain preservatives with natural enzymes. They also introduced oat milk creamer and are researching better oil options for fries SFGATE+1.

• Myth Dispelled: A rumor claiming they switched to beef tallow for fries was debunked — they still use sunflower oil San Francisco Chronicle.