Among many fast food places across the US, In-N-Out Burger offers healthier menu items that are closer to the 1950s-style burgers. But are In-N-Out fried gluten free? Among the top questions also asked you’ll often hear are In-N-Out fries vegan friendly or are In-N-Out fries good for keto diet nutrition? It’s not always an issue why are In-N-Out fries so good, but really why are In-N-Out fries healthy for you? We discuss all these issues to find the truth.
Are In-N-Out fries gluten free?
If you’ve never tried In-N-Out burgers before, they embody an approach that is healthier than most burger joints like to admit. They set their standards standard very high for delivering menu items that are nutritional and include all-natural flavor that you wish wasn’t added to all of the other fast food you’ve had in the past. In reality, they haven’t changed their menu since they opened their first restaurant in L.A. in 1948, and still retain that feel.
The good news is that all of the menu items at In-N-Out are gluten free including their fries. They even use a deep fryer that is set up to be 100% gluten-free, so no seasoned items are put into this fryer oil at all. The secret comes from the select type of potato that’s used. This potato is called the Kennebec variety of potato. It’s a potato that is not commercially available in grocery stores. It was chosen since it contains less sugar than Russet potatoes.
It’s also a potato that has much higher starch content than others making it better for frying. It’s only when French fries have added seasonings that could contain wheat products. Beer battered onion rings for example are made with wheat which isn’t gluten-free.
Are In-N-Out Fries vegan?
According to PETA, (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), they have been protesting In-N-Out for years screaming for vegan food to be served. Talk about ineffective activism on eating meat products. They ask for a 100% vegan burger which is supposed to look and taste like meat, but isn’t that the whole reason that vegans don’t eat meat? Actively eating food that looks and tastes like meat products endorses the idea of eating cooked animal flesh.
But when it comes to potatoes, you can bet that these are truly vegetarian and vegan-friendly products. Since their fryer is dedicated to only potatoes and nothing else, the oil isn’t tainted with deep-fried curly fries or onion rings. They also use sunflower oil which isn’t using any kind of GMOs. But there are the Animal-Style Fries that do have a spread that includes egg-based ingredients that you’ll need to skip.
The issue with potatoes being a vegan product may be coming to an abrupt end very soon. The science behind growing potatoes might sound incredibly simple, yet the fears of climate change and growing populations are forcing scientists to push for newer and stronger variants of potatoes. This obviously will include heavy usage of GMOs to grow potatoes faster and more resistant to temperatures and increase protein content.
These newly designed potatoes are now being called Potato 2.0 and are expected to emerge in the next 2-3 years. Yet, it’s not the altering of potato genome editing, but it’s the direct involvement of bees used by growers that will help pollinate growing potatoes.
In-N-Out fries nutritional facts
| Nutrition facts | In-N-Out Burger French Fries |
|---|---|
| Units | 1 Serving (125g) |
| Calories | 370 |
| Total Fat | 15g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 250mg |
| Carbohydrates | 52g |
| Protein | 6g |
| Vitamin D | 0mcg |
| Sugars | 0g |
| Fiber | 6g |
Are In-N-Out fries good for keto diet?
This is one item that you’ll want to avoid when going to an In-N-Out burger. Some great items are reasonably Keto-friendly, the French fries, and more specifically the Animal-Style fries are off the table. The nutrition breakdown for their fries is not keto because it goes way beyond the limits of what a keto diet is following. This means that 125 grams of fries provide 395 calories and 54 grams of carbohydrates.
This makes their regular fries an immediate problem for those who are sticking to the ketosis method. Unless you are reducing something else in your daily diet, then these fries might be a nice treat once and a while. Ethically, it just doesn’t follow the rules that making a Keto diet idea by eating these fries.
Are In-N-Out fries healthy for you?
This is a matter of opinion for some but if you order a small portion of fries from In-N-Out, this is considered healthier than many other fried items at this fast-food chain. It’s not until you start adding sauces and customized toppings onto your fries that make them unhealthy. Just imagine adding all of those cheesy sauces and watching the calories, fat, and cholesterol go off the chart.
When you fry potato in oil, the oil is frying this vegetable to the point that it becomes saturated with that oil inside and out. After your fries are finished, there is a significant amount of oil still inside. This is what makes French fries unhealthy unless steps are taken to reduce the amount of oil that is left inside the fires. You can lay these fries onto napkins to soak up excess oil, yet this might leave you with fries that aren’t as hot as they were.
Why are In-N-Out fries so good?
This is one item at In-N-Out burger that people either love or hate. This is all because of how their French fries are made which will be the real deal-breaker. Now, if you like crunchy and crisp fries that aren’t too dry and too mushy inside. This is what In-N-Out fires are all about. Most people are used to the limp mushy, semi-crisp fries around the ends burnt and brown ends. Just look at what happens to Mcdonald’s fries after 10 minutes and think about it.
The method that’s used at In-N-Out is very simple and fries their potatoes right away after they are cut into French fry shapes. They go through a first fry (which is essentially being blanched), and then are laid out to wait for the next frying session. This is what makes their fries so crispy and crunchy. Because they are so crispy, they are much drier than regular fries and aren’t salted like most fries will be.
This is why you see toppings added to make these fries more appealing to customers such as the Animal-Style fries that have a flavors sauce added on top. If you love crispy fries, this kind of frying is much healthier than other fast food brand names. Let alone the number of hidden ingredients like sugar and salt for taste. McDonald’s adds sugar to make their fries taste great but it’s really just sugar and salt.
They even add an artificial Beef tallow scent to fool you into thinking that the smell of French fries is authentic. It was common to fry potatoes in Beef tallow back in the old days but this was replaced by sunflower oil.