3 Big Menu Changes Coming To In-N-Out In 2026

At a lot of fast food chains, you'll usually see an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" attitude, meaning if its current recipes and formulas sell well, the company will just leave them alone. With that in mind, it's significant that In-N-Out recently announced three major changes to its food which aim to make it a touch more appealing.

Two of the changes are simple in that they involve a minor tweak to some basic ingredients. One of these will replace its current iodized salt packets with sea salt. Sea salt (which really does come from the sea) doesn't seem like a big thing, but it does make the salt packets more of a natural ingredient. Iodized table salt also tends to have a slight metallic taste to it, so this change will have an affect on the packet salt's flavor. The ketchup the company uses will also be swapped out for a version that uses real sugar instead of the high fructose corn syrup-sweetened variety it currently uses. That should please people who aren't a fan of the grain-derived ingredient which has become controversial in recent years.

The last change saw In-N-Out declare it'll cease using sesame flour in its buns, but only in 10 states. Some commenters have speculated the change may be a result of the current version not being safe for people with a sesame allergy, but the company hasn't come out and confirmed this speculation. Intentional or not, this will make its food more accessible to people who are allergic to sesame. While the overall changes are indeed subtle (for the most part), they're in line with the company's commitment to fresh and simple food.

In-N-Out has been making some quiet moves as of late. Though In-N-Out CEO Lynsi Snyder once declared the chain wouldn't expand east of Texas, it's already passed through that way with an office established in Tennessee along with some stores. But other than these changes, the menu itself hasn't been touched; it's just a few ingredients that will be different to match current dietary and accessibility preferences. Now if they'd only come up to Chicago (where I'm conveniently located, ahem), you might see a lot of happy new customers, menu tweak notwithstanding.