Ranking McDonald's Breakfast Items From Worst To Best

If you've ever been hungry and on the go, or perhaps just experienced a ridiculous hash browns craving, surely you can admit you've tried something from the McDonald's breakfast menu. 

McDonald's first launched breakfast in 1971 with the introduction of the Egg McMuffin, and it's only continued to grow in popularity since then. According to Time, items on the breakfast menu accounted for 18 percent of the chain's sales by 1981, proving how popular breakfast was becoming. By 2015, McDonald's announced they would start offering breakfast all day, allowing breakfast fans to enjoy an Egg McMuffin and french fries for dinner. Sales numbers experienced an uptick, showing that all-day breakfast was actually bringing in a new customer base, and the world was forever changed. Today you can grab a hash brown with your McFlurry or a Sausage Biscuit to pair with your salad. It's all up to you! 

But just how delicious are some of these menu items? We decided to take a hard look. From the Egg McMuffin that started it all, to one of the newest breakfast additions, the Chicken McGriddles, we've compiled a list of McDonald's breakfast items and ranked them worst to best for you.

Breakfast burritos are maybe the most perfect little bundles of breakfast any establishment can serve, but compared to the many other options on the McDonald's breakfast menu, this is worth skipping. McDonald's introduced the sausage burrito in 1991, and you'd think they'd have it perfected by now, but apparently not. 

The tortilla is fine, but as you bite into the burrito, you get the strangest mix of flavors. You get egg, sausage, chiles, and then you're basically smacked in the face with black pepper. A lot of black pepper. While at the same time, you're munching on soft, runny eggs, truly creating a lackluster experience. 

Perhaps part of the reason for that overwhelming flavor combo is all of the ingredients in these things? There are actually more than 40 ingredients on this list, making you wonder why in the world they need so many. If only all of those ingredients made a delicious tasting burrito.

You'll notice a trend here in the products named the worst. Too much black pepper. And the new Chicken McGriddles sandwich is certainly in that same wheelhouse. McDonald's debuted this concept for testing in certain franchises in August, 2019, and so far, so bad. 

The concept is pretty simple. It's basically like McDonald's said, hey, what can we make with things we already have in-house — enter, the Chicken McGriddles.

It's two McGriddles with a McChicken patty in the middle, and that's it. And while the theory of that soft, maple syrup flavored pancake-like piece of bread sandwiched with a piece of the chicken we eat in our McChicken all the time seems amazing, try again. It's the strangest pairing of flavors McDonald's could have come up with. 

Sure, the chicken and waffles pairing is all the rage, but this totally missed the mark. At first bite, it's delicious with the syrup and the chicken, but then the black pepper from the patty hits, and all of your taste buds are wildly confused. Definitely a great example of a genius idea but with poor execution. 

McDonald's doesn't offer a Sausage, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, but it does serve up this version with bacon. It really makes you wonder why they would move forward with that decision. Does the biscuit with sausage and egg have enough delicious flavor that it didn't need cheese, but the bacon version is too lackluster that it needed it? Probably. 

When it comes to this breakfast sandwich, the best way to describe it is very dry. Sure, the biscuit is buttered and it's fluffy, but the boring folded egg is giant and overpowers the sandwich, and paired with just two thin slices of bacon, it doesn't really add up to much. Luckily, this sandwich is made better with the addition of melted American cheese, but it still doesn't completely fix the problem of how dry it tastes. The ratio of other ingredients to the thick biscuit just doesn't make for the ideal composition. Perhaps more bacon? More egg? More cheese? This sandwiches just needs something a little more to make it higher on this list.

In true McDonald's fashion, modeling after the giant multi-layer Big Mac, comes the new triple stack series, with the option of a biscuit, English muffin, or McGriddles base. And this thing truly is a monster. The sandwich is stacked with two sausage patties, two slices of bacon, two slices of cheese, and an egg, all layered between a biscuit — another one of those McDonald's ideas to utilize items they already have in stores to make a new item.

This behemoth of a sandwich serves up 890 calories and 65 grams of fat. Oh, and don't forget the 2,080 milligrams of sodium. But if the nutrition facts don't scare you away, the flavor probably will. First of all, if you can even get a bite in of this giant sandwich, you'll be lucky. Fitting the multiple layers, along with two thick biscuits, into your mouth may be a bit of a challenge, making the experience frustrating from the get-go. After that first, far-too-difficult bite, you find the mixture of sausage and bacon, which is a strange combo. Sure, on a plate for breakfast, sausage patties and bacon are great, but all of it on a sandwich is totally breakfast meat overboard. And with the combination of the two, you get a giant salt bomb, really making you realize why that sodium count is over 2000 milligrams. Definitely not worth it.

Bagels were definitely not invented to be eaten for breakfast, but they sure have become one of the quintessential breakfast foods we all know and love. Seriously, everything about bagels for breakfast is ideal. Using a bagel as a vessel for cream cheese, as a boat for butter, and the list goes on. And when you go even further to use a soft, delicious bagel as the base for a breakfast sandwich, well, things are about to get delicious. 

This McDonald's breakfast menu option is a great concept, but the execution misses the mark just slightly. The toasted bagel comes topped with butter, bacon, a folded egg, and American cheese. Luckily, there are two slices of cheese to make this breakfast sandwich a bit more flavorful, but overall it's lacking. The bagel is pretty large, and not really the best bagel we've ever tasted, but where it really lacks is the toppings. There just isn't enough bacon or egg to make this sandwich the complete package.

First of all, it's probably safe to say you're only ordering oatmeal at McDonald's because you absolutely have to. Perhaps you're normally a ridiculously healthy eater and your friend demanded you swing by Mickey D's. Or, you forgot breakfast and need something relatively okay for you in a pinch? There can't possibly be anyone who actually goes to McDonald's for their oatmeal, right? 

The Fruit & Maple Oatmeal debuted in 2011 with a mixture of oats, light cream, diced apples, and a little bag of cranberries and raisins. All of these items together sound delicious, but overall it's just terribly boring.

First of all, there is no actual maple in this oatmeal. It's in the name, but certainly not on the ingredients list, and truthfully if there actually was it would make it so much better. The oatmeal is wildly bland, and the toppings don't make it any better. The diced apples are a nice touch, but the cranberries and raisins certainly add nothing special. It'll work in a pinch but definitely not something McDonald's is known for. 

This may rock a few die hard McDonald's lovers' world here, but McGriddles are not the best thing to ever come to the McDonald's breakfast menu. Sorry. 

McGriddles debuted in 2003, and truthfully, they're just okay. It's a mushy, soft griddle cake, and McDonald's says it features the sweet taste of maple, which truthfully would make it the perfect pairing with the sausage, folded egg, and American cheese on this sandwich. But there isn't actually any true maple flavor to be found in McGriddles. There's sugar, brown sugar, and caramel color, which all give the illusion of maple, but really it all just adds up to super sugary and sweet. 

With the addition of the sugary, fake maple, there are too many flavors going on in this sandwich for it to have its own identity and to truly be delicious. Plus, the texture is a bit squishy with the grease from the sausage and the super-soft textures of the McGriddles cakes. Definitely not the best sandwich on the menu.

Here we are, back in McGriddles town again. But this time, it's with bacon! And, just as everyone says that bacon makes everything better, it may actually be true in this case. Kind of. 

This McDonald's McGriddles sandwich comes stacked with griddle cakes, applewood smoked bacon, a folded egg, and a slice of American cheese. Sounds amazing, right? Well, the sweet flavor of the McGriddles overpowers the smoked bacon a bit too much, but at least the texture is spot on. It's a soft sandwich with a bit of crunch from the bacon, all paired together with beautiful, melty cheese. 

Often, it seems like the folded egg texture can throw off a breakfast sandwich, and this is one of those options that could be made so much better if it used the same freshly cracked egg method as the Egg McMuffin, instead of the liquid egg mixture used for the folded eggs.

This may be one of the most confusing items on the McDonald's breakfast menu. With just a sausage patty and a folded egg sandwiched between a biscuit, its simplicity is definitely its downfall. Truthfully, if you're going to get breakfast at McDonald's, you might as well go all in, right? 

Honestly, this sandwich isn't truly awful, but why in the world would you choose to eat this without cheese? If McDonald's was trying to keep the calorie count low, they didn't really do that great of a job, since this sandwich still packs 530 calories. 

The biscuit is brushed with butter, topped with a sausage patty and a folded egg, and really, the flavors pair very well together. The sausage gives this sandwich enough overall flavor for it to hold its own, pairing well with the buttery flavor of the biscuit. But truly, it really just would be much, much better with cheese, especially if the calorie count is going to be that high. Isn't everything better with cheese?

The Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait is definitely one of the best options on the McDonald's menu, especially for those looking for a decent breakfast or a quick, sweet snack. Registered Dietitians have even agreed that it's an okay choice. 

The parfait is made up of low-fat vanilla yogurt, blueberries, and strawberries, and it's served with a little packet of crunchy granola to go on top. The strawberries are pretty sweet, with the addition of Konjac Flour listed in the ingredients label, which acts a little bit like cornstarch to create a sweet syrup, but their texture isn't too far off to make it disappointing. 

Overall, this is a delicious option, but the addition of the granola throws it off a bit. It has an overpowering cinnamon flavor, which doesn't pair too well with the rest of the flavors, but it definitely will do in a pinch. And with only 210 calories and 6 grams of protein it's definitely worth grabbing on the run. 

Ordering something like a cinnamon roll at McDonald's seems like it might possibly be the worst idea ever. There's no way these have the same flavor and texture even remotely close to a bakery style cinnamon roll, right? Actually, pleasantly wrong.

This is one of the most shockingly delicious things McDonald's has to offer on the sweet side of their breakfast menu. No, it's not exactly like a gourmet bakery, but it's pretty darn good. The cinnamon flavor of the soft, fluffy roll is spot on, and the texture is perfect. It's the same comforting feeling you get eating a cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven.

The Cinnamon Melts are topped with a light cream cheese icing, which pairs nicely with this treat, but it would be so much better if it had more topping. Upon warming, it seems like the icing melts a bit too much, leaving you with a thin, cream cheese flavored drizzled, but overall a decent option. This is definitely a great choice if you need to tackle that breakfast pastry craving on the run. 

Ah, McDonald's Hotcakes. For most people, they go way way back with these hotcakes, whether it was for a Sunday morning breakfast at home or trying to eat them without spilling in the car on a road trip. Hotcakes launched in 1977 with the original full breakfast menu and have continued as a staple ever since. And rightfully so. 

For pancakes made in a fast food restaurant, Hotcakes are delicious, and their texture is spot on. They're not overly fluffy but have the right consistency to make for the perfect on-the-go pancake. 

They're served up with salted butter, which is a little strange, but it works. But what could really make these ten times better is an upgrade in syrup. Hotcakes are served with something called Hotcake Syrup, which is nothing even remotely close to maple syrup. It's a mixture of corn syrup, sugar, and water with the addition of caramel color to trick you. It definitely works in a pinch, but honestly, the Hotcakes are delicious enough on their own without even needing to add fake syrup.

If you really want to go all in on a McDonald's breakfast experience, the Big Breakfast is the answer for you. But is it worth it? Oh yes. 

The Big Breakfast comes with every piece of McDonald's breakfast heaven you could want. There's soft, fluffy Hotcakes, with butter and syrup. And then there's a biscuit, a sausage patty, scrambled eggs, and those little happy pillows of hash browns we all know and love. Seriously, it's all of the best components of McDonald's breakfast piled high on one plate, just for you. Each of these items are delicious on their own, but pairing them in one order offers the ideal sweet and savory combo. 

This item does definitely come with one drawback though. Hello, calories! This breakfast packs on 1340 calories and 64 grams of fat. So, while it's delicious, it may be best to go to the gym regularly in preparation for this feast, or literally run at least three miles to get to McDonald's.

The first McDonald's breakfast item must be good right? It sure is. And it lives up to its storied fame. The Egg McMuffin has been around since 1971, when a franchisee named Herb Peterson invented this eggs Benedict on-the-go concept in California. It's a simple concept really — English muffin, slice of ham, eggs, and cheese. Wrap it all up and you have the perfect warm breakfast on-the-go. 

Little did Peterson know it would catch like wild fire, and the Egg McMuffin went nationwide in 1975, ultimately sparking what we know as McDonald's breakfast. 

The McMuffin is the only item on the breakfast menu that uses a freshly cracked egg, and it sure would be nice if other items used it. The freshly cracked egg, paired with Canadian bacon and cheese is the most magical combination, especially if you let it sit just another minute after it's served to let that cheese get a little meltier. It's basically heaven wrapped up in one cute portable package. 

If it were a responsible adult decision to eat nothing but hash browns for brunch, and maybe other meals of the day, this would totally be at the top of this list. Unfortunately, we probably shouldn't eat McDonald's hash browns all day, every day, but we can sure dream about it.

Just as McDonald's is known for their french fries, their hash browns are just as close to being their claim to fame. McDonald's and their hash browns go back to 1977 when McDonald's launched breakfast at all of their restaurants. 

These little potato pillows are the quintessential comfort food from McDonald's, and they seriously will never get old. Once you bite into that crispy, golden shell you know you're in for a real treat, and then it moves into the fluffy shredded potatoes on the inside. Piping hot, a little greasy, and ridiculously delicious. No wonder they've been holding strong for more than 40 years.

Well, here it is. You've made it to the last stop on the McDonald's breakfast train, and it's a doozy. This is not to be confused with the Sausage McMuffin, because without the egg, this sandwich doesn't even compare.

Maybe it's the freshly cracked egg, or maybe it's the delicious, slightly greasy sausage patty on top. Or, maybe it's all about the cheese, which, according to McDonald's head chef, Jessica Foust, is the company's own recipe that makes it melt immediately on that hot English muffin. Truthfully though, it's all of these components, all wrapped up in one. 

This savory sandwich is the ideal balance of breakfast flavors, with the slight sweetness from the sausage, pairing perfectly with its delicious, round egg. And there's just something so incredible about that soft, warm, buttery English muffin that rounds out all of the flavors into the perfect little bundle of breakfast magic. It may not have been the first McMuffin on the menu, but it sure is the most delicious.