Cheeseburger
One beef patty, one slice of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, spread and onion on a toasted bun.
The cheeseburger is the Double-Double's quieter sibling — same fresh patty, same melted American cheese, same vegetables and spread, in a size that leaves room for fries and a shake. It is the best-value burger on the board for anyone who finds the Double-Double too much, and ordered Animal Style it picks up the mustard-cooked patty, pickles and grilled onions that make the secret menu famous.
What's on it
Beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, spread, onion, sponge-dough bun
Allergens: Milk, wheat, soy, egg (spread), sesame (bun). Full details on the allergen page.
Typical price
$4.35
Calories
480
How to order
Say: "A cheeseburger with onion." Onions come raw unless you ask for them grilled.
Nutrition (approximate)
- Calories
- 480
- Total fat
- 27g
- Carbohydrates
- 40g
- Protein
- 27g
- Sodium
- 1000mg
Full menu nutrition: nutrition & allergen page.
Good to know
- Prices vary by state — the Cheeseburger can differ by up to 70¢ between the cheapest and priciest states. Check your state.
- Every burger can be ordered Animal Style or Protein Style at no extra structure change — see the secret menu.
- Onions are free, your way: raw, grilled, chopped, or a whole grilled onion.
The Case for the Cheeseburger
The Double-Double gets the glory, but the cheeseburger might be the best-engineered item on the board. One patty keeps the meat-to-bun ratio in the zone where you taste everything — beef, cheese, spread, onion, tomato — in every bite, instead of the patty dominating. It is cooked on the same grill from the same fresh beef, with the same melted American cheese and the same 1948 spread. Nothing about it is a compromise except the size.
At about $4.35 it also sits in a pricing dead zone for rivals: most national chains charge more than this for a smaller, frozen-patty cheeseburger. Add fries and you have the full In-N-Out experience for under seven dollars in most states.
Making It Bigger Without Going Double
If a cheeseburger is almost enough, the regulars' fixes are free: extra cheese is the only paid direction, but extra lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and spread cost nothing, and Animal Style rebuilds the whole flavour profile — mustard-cooked patty, grilled onions, extra spread — around the single patty. A cheeseburger Animal Style with chopped chilies is, bite for bite, one of the most intense $4.35 orders in fast food.
Cheeseburger, By the Numbers
480 calories, 27g protein, about $4.35. Set that line against the industry: a comparable single cheeseburger at most national chains costs more, carries similar calories and starts from a frozen patty. The cheeseburger is where In-N-Out's model — few ingredients, all fresh, cooked to order — converts most directly into value you can measure.
Make It Yours
In-N-Out builds everything to order, so the Cheeseburger is a starting point, not a fixed recipe. The variations regulars actually use:
| Variation | What changes | Cost / calories |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Style | Mustard-cooked patty, pickles, extra spread, grilled onions | Same price · +~40 Cal |
| Protein Style | Wrapped in lettuce instead of the bun | Same price · −~150 Cal |
| Mustard-fried | Mustard grilled into the patty | Free |
| Onion your way | Raw, grilled, chopped or whole grilled | Free |
| Chopped chilies | Spicy yellow chilies diced in | Free |
| Cut in half | Split for sharing | Free |
Cheeseburger Questions
How many calories are in an In-N-Out cheeseburger?
About 480 calories as it comes — 27g fat, 40g carbs and 27g protein. Protein Style (lettuce instead of the bun) brings it down to roughly 330.
Can I get a cheeseburger Animal Style?
Yes — Animal Style can be applied to any burger. It adds a mustard-cooked patty, pickles, extra spread and grilled onions at no change to the base price structure.