🍔 In-N-Out Copycat · High-Protein · No Bun

Flying Dutchman Burger Recipe (In-N-Out Copycat with Sauce)

Name: Flying Dutchman Burger Recipe (In-N-Out Copycat with Sauce)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup mayonnaise; 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish; 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; 1 tablespoon ketchup; 1 teaspoon white vinegar; 1/2 teaspoon each onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika; 4 very large onions (for 8 thick rounds); 2 tablespoons butter (or oil); 1 1/2 pounds (680g) ground beef, 80/20; 8 slices American cheese; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon paprika

The In-N-Out secret-menu burger, made at home: two crispy smash patties and two slices of melty cheese, stacked between caramelized onion “buns” with a homemade special sauce. No bread, all burger.

⏱ 30 minutes 💪 ~39g protein 🧅 Onion “buns” 🥫 Two sauce options

Why It Works

Why make a homemade Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman burger is In-N-Out’s most famous secret-menu order: two beef patties and two slices of melted cheese, with no bun at all. This Flying Dutchman burger recipe keeps that idea and makes it something you can actually pick up. The patties and cheese go between thick caramelized onion “buns,” with a five-minute special sauce on top.

The onion “buns” are the magic. Thick rounds of onion, cooked low and slow until they’re deeply golden, sweet and jammy, do everything a bun should. They hold the stack, add flavor and look amazing, and you get a juicy, high-protein burger with no bread at all.

Flying Dutchman burger: double smash beef patties with melty cheese and special sauce between two caramelized onion buns — Double smash patties, melty cheese and special sauce stacked between caramelized onion “buns.”

Here’s why it’s worth making at home:

💪 High-protein, no bread. Two smash patties and double cheese give each burger around 39g of protein. With no bun, the only carbs come from the onion and the sauce.

🧅 The onion “buns” are unreal. Slow-cooked until sweet and golden, they add so much flavor that you don’t miss the bread. They’re the whole personality of this burger.

🥫 Pick your sauce. The recipe card uses a tangy Big Mac-style sauce. Prefer the In-N-Out flavor? The In-N-Out-style spread is below, and it takes the same five minutes.

The Original

What is the Flying Dutchman at In-N-Out?

At In-N-Out, the Flying Dutchman is two beef patties with two slices of American cheese melted between them, and that’s all. No bun, no spread, and no lettuce, tomato or onion unless you ask for them.

A bunless stack of griddled beef patties with melted American cheese and grilled onions on parchment on a red diner tray, with small cups of burger spread — No bun at all: just patties and melted cheese. Spread and grilled onions are add-ons you ask for.

It isn’t printed on the menu board, but it’s one of the chain’s best-known “not-so-secret” orders, and staff know it by name. The full list of Flying Dutchman burger In-N-Out ingredients is just beef, salt and cheese. That’s why low-carb eaters love it, and also why it’s a little messy to eat with your hands.

How to order a Flying Dutchman

Ask for it by name at the counter or the drive-thru: “One Flying Dutchman.”
Want sauce? It comes plain, so ask for spread on it or on the side.
Want onions? Ask for grilled or raw onions. Or ask for it wrapped in onion, which puts the patties and cheese between whole onion slices. That’s the idea behind this recipe.
Go animal-style: mustard-grilled patties, grilled onions, pickles and extra spread.
Size it up: you can ask for extra patties and cheese, like a 3×3.

In-N-Out original vs. this homemade Flying Dutchman

	In-N-Out Flying Dutchman	This homemade version
Patties	2 beef patties	2 smash patties, 3 oz each
Cheese	2 slices American	2 slices American
“Bun”	None	2 caramelized onion rounds
Sauce	None, unless you ask	Big Mac-style or In-N-Out-style spread
Calories	About 380	About 800
Protein	About 30g	About 39g
Fat	About 28g	About 60g
Carbs	0 to 2g	About 20g

In-N-Out doesn’t publish nutrition for secret-menu orders, so the original’s numbers are typical figures from nutrition-tracking apps. The homemade burger is bigger, with more beef plus the onion buns and sauce.

Where to get something like a Flying Dutchman

No In-N-Out near you? Most burger places will make the same thing if you order a double cheeseburger with no bun, or ask for it lettuce-wrapped. Or make this Flying Dutchman burger In-N-Out recipe at home in 30 minutes. It’s the closest thing to the original, with a crispier crust.

📌 Save this high-protein burger

The Seasoning

The perfect seasoning blend for a Flying Dutchman burger

In-N-Out keeps it simple and seasons its patties with salt. At home, a little more goes a long way, because a smash patty is thin and the crust is where all the flavor lives.

Mix this blend for 1½ lb of beef (4 burgers). It makes about 2¾ teaspoons:

Kosher salt1 tsp

Coarse black pepper½ tsp

Garlic powder½ tsp

Onion powder½ tsp

Smoked or sweet paprika¼ tsp

Cayenne (optional)a pinch

Sprinkle it on right after you smash, not mixed into the beef. Seasoning the surface builds the crust. Salt mixed into raw ground beef makes the patty dense and springy.

Want the animal-style flavor? Squeeze a thin layer of yellow mustard over each patty right after you smash it, then flip. The mustard fries into the crust and gives you the tangy, toasty taste of a mustard-grilled patty.

The Sauce

Flying Dutchman burger recipe with sauce: pick your spread

The original comes plain, and a lot of people want to know which sauce from In-N-Out to add to a Flying Dutchman. So this Flying Dutchman In-N-Out recipe with sauce gives you three options, each enough for 4 burgers.

Big Mac-style sauce (on the card)

Tangy and a little sweet, with mustard: ½ cup mayo, 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish, 1 tbsp each yellow mustard and ketchup, 1 tsp white vinegar, and ½ tsp each onion powder, garlic powder and paprika.

In-N-Out-style spread

The Thousand Island-style one: ½ cup mayo, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish, 1 tsp white vinegar and ½ tsp sugar. No mustard. Chill for 15 minutes before using.

Flying Dutchman high-protein burger sauce

Swap half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt: ¼ cup each of Greek yogurt and mayo, plus the relish, mustard, ketchup and spices from the card. It’s lighter and tangier, with a little extra protein.

Want the full sauce breakdown, with ratios and make-ahead tips? See our Flying Dutchman burger sauce recipe.

The Macros

Flying Dutchman macros: homemade vs. In-N-Out

For one homemade burger as written, with two 3-oz smash patties, two slices of cheese, two onion rounds and about 2 tablespoons of sauce:

~39gProtein

~800Calories

~60gFat

~20gCarbs

📊 A note on the numbers: These are estimates and shift with your beef, cheese and how much sauce you use. Most of the carbs come from the onion buns. The In-N-Out original is smaller, at about 380 calories, 30g protein and 28g fat, because it has no onion buns or sauce. To lighten this one up: use 90/10 beef, the Greek-yogurt sauce and one slice of cheese per burger. That brings it to roughly 560 calories and 38g protein.

This is general food information, not medical or nutrition advice. For guidance tailored to your goals, check with a registered dietitian or your doctor.

Scale It

Making Flying Dutchman burgers for a crowd?

Tap how many burgers you’re making. The amounts update instantly.

2 burgers 4 burgers ★ 6 burgers

2 burgers

Ground beef (80/20)¾ lb

American cheese4 slices

Large onions2

Mayo (sauce base)¼ cup

4 burgers ★

Ground beef (80/20)1½ lb

American cheese8 slices

Large onions4

Mayo (sauce base)½ cup

6 burgers · party batch

Ground beef (80/20)2¼ lb

American cheese12 slices

Large onions6

Mayo (sauce base)¾ cup

🍳 Batch tip: Don’t crowd the pan. Smash the patties in batches so they sear instead of steam. Caramelize the onions first and keep them warm while you cook the beef.

Switch It Up

5 ways to make it yours

Same core burger, different spin. Tap a tab.

🍔 Classic 🧅 Animal-Style 🌶️ Spicy 🥬 Lettuce-Wrap 🍞 Bunned

🍔 Classic Flying Dutchman

The version above: double smash patties, double cheese, caramelized onion buns and special sauce. High-protein, bread-free and completely satisfying.

💡 Let the cheese melt over both patties before you stack them for the meltiest bite.

🧅 Animal-Style

Go all in: spread a little mustard on the patties as they sear (it crisps into the crust), then add extra caramelized onions, chopped pickles and a double hit of the In-N-Out-style spread. Messy, tangy and iconic.

💡 Mustard-searing is the classic trick that gives that unmistakable flavor.

🌶️ Spicy

Stir sriracha or a spoonful of chipotle into the sauce, and add sliced jalapeños or pepper jack cheese. The heat cuts right through the rich beef and cheese.

💡 Add the pinch of cayenne to the seasoning blend to build heat from the crust in.

🥬 Lettuce-Wrap

Want something lighter and even quicker? Swap the onion buns for crisp iceberg or butter lettuce cups. This is the lowest-carb version, and there are no onions to cook.

💡 Double up the lettuce leaves so the wrap holds all that sauce.

🍞 Bunned

Not counting carbs? Serve the same patties, cheese and sauce on a toasted brioche bun or a low-carb bun. All the flavor of the copycat in a more classic handheld form.

💡 Toast the bun in the beef fat left in the pan for extra flavor.

Smash Tips

How to make the best Flying Dutchman burger: smash tips

Thick caramelized onion rounds held with toothpicks cooking in a cast iron skillet next to smash burger patties with crispy lacy edges — Onion “buns” go in first, low and slow. The patties get a screaming-hot pan and two minutes, no more.

🔥 Get the pan screaming hot

Cast iron or a griddle, preheated until it’s just smoking. A hot surface is what gives you that deep, crispy crust the instant the beef hits it.

💪 Smash hard & fast

Press the ball thin within the first 30 seconds. After that the crust sets and it won’t flatten. Use parchment so the press doesn’t stick.

🚫 Don’t move it

Leave the patty alone until you flip. Fighting the urge to nudge it is what lets that lacy, browned crust form properly.

🧂 Season after smashing

Season the patty after you smash it, not before. Salting raw beef too early draws out moisture and firms up the texture.

🧀 Melt the cheese with steam

Add cheese right after the flip and cover the pan for a few seconds. A little trapped steam melts it perfectly over the edges.

🌡️ Cook it through

Smash patties are thin and cook fast. For food safety, take ground beef to 160°F (71°C).

The Gear

Tools that make it easy

You don’t need much for great smash burgers, but these three make it foolproof.

🍳 Cast-iron skillet

Holds fierce, even heat, which is the single most important thing for a deep, crispy smash-burger crust.

Shop cast-iron skillets

🍔 Burger press

Gets each patty evenly thin in one press, so they cook at the same rate and build maximum crust.

Shop burger presses

🥄 Stiff metal spatula

A sharp, sturdy edge scrapes up every bit of that crispy crust without leaving it stuck to the pan.

Shop metal spatulas

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FAQ

Flying Dutchman burger FAQs

What is a Flying Dutchman burger?+

The Flying Dutchman is an In-N-Out secret-menu order: two beef patties with two slices of melted American cheese and nothing else. There’s no bun and no vegetables. This homemade version keeps that high-protein, no-bread idea but stacks the patties and cheese between thick caramelized onion “buns” and adds a homemade special sauce.

What comes on a Flying Dutchman at In-N-Out?+

Just two beef patties and two slices of American cheese. There’s no bun, no spread and no lettuce, tomato or onion. You can ask to add spread, grilled or raw onions, pickles or chopped chilies, or ask for it wrapped in whole onion slices.

Does the Flying Dutchman come with sauce?+

No, it comes plain. Ask for spread on it or on the side when you order. At home, use the Big Mac-style sauce on the recipe card, or make the In-N-Out-style spread with mayo, ketchup, sweet pickle relish, a splash of white vinegar and a pinch of sugar.

How many calories and how much protein are in a Flying Dutchman?+

The In-N-Out original is about 380 calories, with around 30g protein, 28g fat and almost no carbs. In-N-Out doesn’t publish these numbers, so they come from nutrition-tracking apps. This homemade version is bigger, at about 800 calories, 39g protein, 60g fat and 20g carbs, because it adds onion buns, sauce and slightly larger patties.

What is the best seasoning for a Flying Dutchman burger?+

For 1½ lb of beef, mix 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp coarse black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder and ¼ tsp paprika, plus a pinch of cayenne if you like heat. Sprinkle it on the patties right after you smash them. For an animal-style taste, add a thin layer of yellow mustard before you flip.

How do you order a Flying Dutchman?+

Ask for it by name at the counter or the drive-thru. It isn’t on the menu board, but staff know it. Say if you want spread, onions or pickles, since it comes plain. You can also ask for it wrapped in onion slices, or for extra patties and cheese.

Where can I get something like a Flying Dutchman?+

If there’s no In-N-Out nearby, order a double cheeseburger with no bun, or lettuce-wrapped, at almost any burger place. Or make this recipe at home in about 30 minutes. It’s the closest copycat, and the smash patties give it a crispier crust.

Is the Flying Dutchman keto and low-carb?+

The In-N-Out original has almost no carbs, so it fits most keto plans. This homemade version has about 20g of carbs per burger, almost all from the onion buns. For keto, use lettuce wraps instead of onion buns and a no-sugar-added ketchup and relish in the sauce, which brings it down to about 5g.

What is in Big Mac-style special sauce?+

This copycat special sauce is a simple mix of mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, a little ketchup, white vinegar, and onion, garlic and paprika powders. Whisk it together and chill it for a few minutes so the flavors come together. It’s tangy, creamy and slightly sweet, just like the drive-thru version.

How do you make caramelized onion buns that hold together?+

Slice very large onions into thick rounds, about three-quarters of an inch, keeping the rings together, and push a toothpick through each round to hold it. Cook them low and slow in butter, or roast them, until they’re deeply golden and tender but not falling apart. The toothpick keeps the rings intact while cooking and while you build and eat the burger.

How do I get crispy smash burger edges?+

Start with a screaming-hot cast-iron pan and loosely formed beef balls. Smash each ball thin within the first 30 seconds, before the crust sets, and then leave it alone until you flip. Season after smashing, not before, and use a stiff metal spatula to scrape up the browned crust cleanly. High heat plus firm pressure is the whole secret.

Can I make it with regular buns?+

Yes. If you aren’t watching carbs, serve the same patties, cheese and special sauce on a toasted brioche bun or a low-carb bun. Toasting the bun in the beef fat left in the pan adds even more flavor. You lose the no-bread benefit but keep all the copycat taste.

Keep Reading

More smash burgers and sauces to try

The Sauce

🍔 Save it and fire up the pan

Pin this Flying Dutchman burger recipe so it’s ready next time you want a high-protein dinner that tastes like a treat. Then grab the recipe card and get smashing.

Flying Dutchman Burger with Big Mac-Style Sauce

Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Total 30 min · Makes 4 burgers · High-protein, no bun

Big Mac-style sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, paprika

Onion “buns” & patties

4 very large onions (8 thick rounds) + 2 tbsp butter, salt & pepper
1 1/2 lb (680g) ground beef, 80/20
8 slices American cheese
Seasoning: 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp each black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/4 tsp paprika
8 toothpicks/skewers

Method

Whisk all sauce ingredients; chill.
Slice onions into thick 3/4-inch rounds, pin with toothpicks, and cook in butter over medium-low 15–20 min (or roast at 400°F ~25 min) until golden and tender; season.
Shape beef into 8 loose 3-oz balls.
On a screaming-hot cast-iron/griddle, smash the balls thin, sprinkle with seasoning, cook 2 min for a deep crust, flip, add cheese, 1 min more.
Stack 2 cheesy patties per burger.
Build: onion round, sauce, double patty, sauce, onion round. Pin with a skewer and serve hot.

Tip: hot pan + firm smash = crispy lacy edges. Cook ground beef to 160°F (71°C).

Recipe: Kitchen Guide 101

Flying Dutchman Burger Recipe (In-N-Out Copycat with Sauce)

Flying Dutchman Burger Recipe (In-N-Out Copycat with Sauce)

Why make a homemade Flying Dutchman