We Tried Everything On The McDonald's McValue Menu. Here's What To Order (And Skip)

McDonald's, as a leader of the global fast food scene, relies in part on affordability to maintain its appeal. Not only must its food deliver in the taste and texture departments (or at least claim to), but in order to attract the highest number of potential customers, it must also keep prices relatively low. Amid rising inflation, however, McDonald's must find a way to tow the line between operation costs, profitability, and customers' buying power. That's why we're testing out the chain's aptly named McValue menu to see how valuable its deals really are.

The McValue menu was one of the big changes that came to McDonald's in 2025, seemingly replacing — or, more generously, rebranding — its $1, $2, $3 Dollar Menu. The major difference is that items on the McValue menu don't cap out at just a couple of dollars. Some of them are $4 or higher depending on your location, and the best bargains on offer are its two $5 Meal Deals. Most of the items, as you'll see in our review, sneak their way onto Mickey D's value menu not necessarily because they're already the cheapest items sold, but because the chain deemed them worthy of a bespoke mix-and-match BOGO deal: Buy one, add one (of equal or lesser value) for $1. But before you can buy a second Sausage McMuffin or Double Cheeseburger for $1, you have to pay full price for the first, and this raises an important question we aim to answer with our taste test: Which breakfast and lunch items off the McValue menu are worth ordering, and which ones should you skip?

The Sausage McMuffin is a tried-and-true staple of the McDonald's menu — we've even got a five-ingredient copycat recipe for the item (complete with an egg disc) in case you want to recreate the tasty breakfast experience at home. The Sausage McMuffin on the McValue menu, unfortunately, doesn't come with an egg (hardly surprising considering the current cost of eggs), but it does come with a ground sausage patty and a slice of American cheese on a toasted English muffin. We purchased this item for $3.99, though according to the McValue menu policy, you can get it for $1 if you buy another McValue item of equal or lesser value.

With this item (as with most McDonald's fare), what you see is what you get. This sandwich may not come with sauce, seasoning, or any kind of crunch factor, but it does deliver in the sausage and English muffin departments, and the combination, while simple, is quite tasty. The savory meat patty paired well with the rich cheese flavor, and the English muffin provided a sturdy base. Texture-wise, though, the sandwich was a bit dry, despite the smoothness that came courtesy of the cheese. Still, for $3.99, this is a decent fast food breakfast sandwich, and if you buy another for just $1 more, we think it's a pretty good deal.

McDonald's may not be known for its biscuits like Popeyes or Chick-fil-A — the Golden Arches placed fourth when we ranked six fast food biscuits from worst to best — but our hopes were still high for its humble Sausage Biscuit sandwich. Unfortunately, where the Sausage McMuffin succeeded, the Sausage Biscuit failed, though not miserably. This straightforward meat-and-bread offering, which we purchased for just $1 in tandem with the Sausage McMuffin, would usually cost $3.99 at the location we visited. This item was definitely more moist than its predecessor (likely thanks to the butter on the biscuit), and the sausage still carried a hardy, meaty flavor, but that's about where our accolades end.

The main issue impacting this sandwich's value is its unimpressive size. The biscuit itself was only 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter, and the sausage patty, in addition to being on the thin side, barely extended past the biscuit's outer edge. Flavor-wise, this item also left quite a bit to be desired. All three components — biscuit, sausage, and butter — were serviceable in the taste department, but a lack of sauce (or even a slice of cheese, as was included on the Sausage McMuffin) left it bland and one-note. While the McDonald's Sausage Biscuit is a welcome enough (but hardly necessary) $1 addition when paired with another McValue menu item, we don't think it's worth the full price.

Out of all the items on the McDonald's breakfast menu, its small, oval-shaped hash brown patties, each served in a convenient paper sleeve, are something of a fan favorite. If you happen to be a DIY type, we have a copycat recipe to help you recreate this tasty breakfast addition (though you might have a harder time replicating the effects of sodium acid pyrophosphate and dextrose, which are what make McDonald's Hash Browns so delicious). Value-wise, however, these crispy potato discs unfortunately failed to impress.

We only paid $1 for this item as an add-on for the Sausage Burrito, but if we purchased these Hash Browns alone, they would have cost us $2.69. That may not sound like a big difference in the grand scheme of things, but when you're looking for a deal, every dollar counts. The Hash Browns we received were still crispy and perfectly salted, but they were a touch greasy, and their diminutive size hardly warranted a price tag exceeding, say, $1.50 (if that). As was the case with the Sausage Biscuit, this item is a perfectly suitable $1 addition to an existing McValue order, but at full price, we would definitely give it a skip.

Reminiscent of McDonald's beloved Snack Wraps (which may be returning in 2025), if only because both items come folded in teeny-tiny tortillas, the chain's Sausage Burrito was, much to our chagrin, a real low point in our taste test. The ingredients inside the tortilla include scrambled eggs, pork sausage (of course), green chiles, onions, and cheese. Perhaps due to the sausage's grease, the dryness of the eggs, or the unsatisfying ratio of ingredients, this item, in our opinion, was downright unpalatable. The tortilla was dense and chewy, and it overwhelmed the other ingredients, which were practically flavorless as a result. The burrito's size was also a disappointment, measuring just 6 inches in length and barely 5 inches in circumference.

As part of the McValue menu's buy one, add one for $1 deal, you can secure this burrito for $1 if purchased in tandem with another item from the menu of equal or lesser value. We, however, paid $3.39 for the product, which we hardly consider a good bargain. Even as a $1 addition, we find it difficult to recommend this selection, unless you're a fan of small, chewy tortillas with barely any filling.

McDonald's is, first and foremost, a purveyor of hamburgers, and while the Double Cheeseburger gave a pretty middling performance in our ranking of every McDonald's burger offering, it is, in our opinion, one of the more satisfying options on the chain's McValue menu. This sandwich comes with two beef patties seasoned with salt and pepper, as well as pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and two slices of American cheese. As the item's description on McDonald's website notes, the burger is nearly identical to the chain's McDouble (which doesn't appear on the McValue menu), with the sole difference being the Double Cheeseburger's second slice of cheese.

While this sandwich is hardly a full meal on its own considering its fairly thin patties and airy buns, it does have more heft than many of the other items on the McValue menu, plus it offers some textural variety thanks to the onions, pickles, and condiments. We paid just $1 for this sandwich, as it was an add-on for a six-piece order of McNuggets, but at our location, its regular price was listed as $4.19. Don't get us wrong — this item would ideally only cost $2 or $3 based on size alone, but in our estimation, its layered flavor components and double meat patties give its overall value a decent boost.

If you're a fan of fried potatoes, then you've no doubt tried McDonald's World Famous Fries before (and yes, that is the item's official, trademarked title). Opinions on this item vary. Some believe McDonald's fries are delicious, especially when the chain used beef fat in the frying oil, but others argue they don't taste as good as they used to after this ingredient was removed. One thing, however, is certain: The number of fries in the small serving included on the McValue menu is disappointingly low.

For once, the price differential between the item's standard cost and the buy one, add one discount is negligible — we secured these fries for just $1 as an add-on, but on the menu, they were listed at just $1.89. That sounds like a pretty good deal, but for the number of fries you actually receive, even $1 seems a bit steep. As usual, the McDonald's fries we tried were hot, crispy, salty, and all other adjectives fries should be, but the tiny, half-full bag left us wanting more. We would consider purchasing these again as an add-on, especially because, as the lowest-priced McValue offering, you're guaranteed to get them for $1 if you buy anything else from the menu's limited selection. Still, if you're looking for a worthwhile side to pair with your burger, the serving size is too small and the standard price is just a bit too high to make it a solid option.

American fast food has always been a means to an end for those who want a quick, convenient meal at an affordable price. Now that labor costs are on the rise, however, many quick-service chains have started offloading those costs onto customers, meaning fast food is no longer as affordable as it used to be. Fortunately for McDonald's patrons, the chain's $5 Meal Deal may change that. This McValue offering comes with either a McDouble or a McChicken, as well as four McNuggets, a small order of fries, and a small drink. Based on value alone, we think the McDouble variation of this deal is definitely worth a buy.

There is a small catch, however: As noted in the fine print of the McValue menu's introductory press release, the McDouble $5 Meal Deal "may be priced at $6 in select restaurants" — and that's exactly what we paid for it. We still think this was a worthwhile purchase, as the small collection of items is more filling than it appears at first glance, but the $1 increase (which is 20% of the original advertised price, if you're curious) does feel like a bit of a bait-and-switch.

Flavor-wise, however, every element of this McValue selection was serviceable, if not downright tasty. The fries were crispy and well-salted, the McNuggets featured a delightful outer crunch that contrasted nicely with the steamy chicken inside, the Sprite we ordered was characteristically fizzy, and the McDouble tasted exactly like the Double Cheeseburger — just a bit less cheesy, as it only contained one slice of American cheese.

McDonald's wasn't necessarily a front-runner in the storied chicken sandwich wars (which Popeyes started in 2019 and tried to end in 2021), and many fans complain about the low quality of the Golden Arches' chicken-based offerings. Unfortunately, their concerns do hold water where the chain's McChicken sandwich is concerned. This McValue menu item, which comes with a chicken patty, shredded lettuce, and mayo on a toasted bun, frankly wasn't palatable enough to recommend at any price.

The contrast between McDonald's description of the sandwich and the actual product is so stark that it's almost comical: "Savor the satisfying crunch of our juicy chicken patty, topped with shredded lettuce and just the right amount of creamy mayonnaise, all served on a perfectly toasted bun." The only component of this sandwich that pulled its weight was the bun, which was pleasantly steamed and light, but we found the chicken patty dry, the shredded lettuce wilted and damp, and the mayo excessive. This created a chewy yet slimy bite that was overall unpleasant on the palate.

We paid $4.29 for this sandwich, and while that would be a pretty decent deal if each ingredient was perfectly executed, the lackluster quality kept us from going in for seconds. While this sandwich might be suitable for chicken fans as a $1 add-on, we would recommend asking for light mayo.

You might find this recommendation surprising considering our less-than-favorable assessment of the McChicken sandwich, but considering the price of each à-la-carte item on the McValue menu, it's hard to beat a $5 combo deal. If you purchased each of this Meal Deal's items separately (at least from the location we visited), you'd pay just over $10, so this McValue offering is essentially a half-price discount. Like the McDouble Meal Deal, this version comes with four McNuggets, a small order of fries, and a small fountain drink (we went with Dr Pepper this time). The only difference is the sandwich itself, so if you don't eat beef, this option might be for you.

As was the case with the other $5 Meal Deal we tried, the taste and texture of the fries and nuggets were pleasant overall, and the small drink provided just the right amount of liquid to offset the salty components. This McChicken, while an improvement on the individual sandwich we purchased, still suffered from limp lettuce and subpar chicken, texture-wise. Fortunately, this one went lighter on the mayo, which mitigated the slimy element, and the chicken patty was more heavily peppered, providing a nice bite. While we still preferred the McDouble Meal Deal overall, this is a decent option if chicken is usually your meat of choice.

If you're a chicken fan and you don't want to commit to a full $5 Meal Deal, each of which comes with four McNuggets, you could instead spring for a six-piece order of McNuggets, which is part of the McValue menu's buy one, add one for $1 promotion. Note the operative word "could" — while you may be perfectly satisfied with these nuggets, we didn't find them filling or tasty enough to warrant the $4.89 price tag (after all, that's nearly $0.82 per nugget). Save for the two $5 Meal Deals we purchased, these nuggets were the most expensive item we got off the McValue menu. This means that, depending on the pricing of your nearest location, it's unlikely that you can add these onto another, more expensive item for $1.

So, what was our problem with these nuggets? Actually, nothing groundbreaking — they were just okay. The exterior of each nugget was fairly crunchy, but they were slightly soggier than the nuggets that came with the Meal Deals, and the chicken interior was a bit chewy rather than moist and steamy. Neither of these factors is necessarily a deal-breaker (depending on who you ask), but once again, we paid nearly $0.82 per nugget, which strikes us as pretty steep for a relatively low-quality product that we could have bought in bulk from a grocery store for much cheaper and heated in an oven or air fryer.

While we conducted a taste test to determine what's worth buying off of McDonald's breakfast and lunch McValue menus, taste and texture were not our first points of consideration. That title goes to price, as our aim was to parse out the good deals from the bad. Worth noting, however, is that the original cost of these individual items varies by location, and as such, their value may differ based on where you are (if you'll recall, the McDouble Meal Deal we bought was $6, not $5 as advertised). Additionally, we determined each item's value based on its original price regardless of whether or not it was a worthy $1 add-on.

With those price factors in mind, we then weighed each menu item based on the aforementioned metrics: taste and texture. These determinations were subjective, of course, but we like to think we know our way around a Mickey D's menu — we've tried and ranked every McDonald's burger, and we've ranked 16 of its popular menu items from worst to best, just to name two examples. For those with a sweet tooth, we've even ranked McDonald's ice cream from worst to best. Whether you spring for something off the McValue menu or opt for the chain's full-sized offerings, keep in mind that each dollar only goes so far at the Golden Arches.