Copycat McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles Recipe

Leave it to those brilliant minds in the McDonald's test kitchen to come up with a breakfast sandwich line like the McGriddle. You combine classic breakfast sandwich ingredients, but instead of using a muffin, biscuit, or croissant as the bread, you essentially use a pair of pancakes. Instead of leaving it to the folks at McDonald's, let's make this one ourselves at home because with this copycat recipe, you can enjoy your own DIY McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle. Who knows? You may even enjoy it more than the store-bought original.

"In a blind taste test, I'd say they are just as flavorful and yummy without all of the additives of a regular McGriddle," says chef and recipe developer Autumn LeAnn. And you can whip up a batch of these copycat sandwiches using everyday ingredients — in fact, you may well have everything on hand already, so let's get cooking. And once the (quick and easy) cooking is done, LeAnn has a few pairing ideas for you. "Hash browns would be great with these," she says, "or fruit, or yogurt. Of course, coffee pairs well too!"

Then again, coffee pairs pretty well with just about everything...

For this McGriddle copycat recipe, you'll need four eggs, four slices of American cheese, two and a half ounces of quick/instant pancake mix, a third of a cup of water, four six-ounce breakfast sausage patties, and a quarter of a cup of maple syrup. See? Mostly stuff you have in your kitchen already, right?

You are also going to need a bit of special hardware, though. In this case, a large griddle is really helpful, as using pans will mean cooking in smaller batches and potentially with less heat stability, so if you have an electric griddle, use it. Also, you'll need the tops to eight mason jars, meaning the kinds that are rings with the flat disc center removed.

First off, preheat your electric griddle to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Next, using a square of parchment or wax paper, flatten your four breakfast sausage patties so they will cook faster and will be the right shape for the sandwiches, then set them aside.

Now, crack the four eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk until they become fluffy, which may take as long as five minutes. You can then set those aside too. Next, mix the pancake mix with the water, and set it aside (but close at hand!).

Place the eight metal mason jar lids upside-down on the electric griddle, and spray their insides and the griddle under each with non-stick spray, then evenly distribute the pancake batter into the eight mason jar lids.

Immediately drizzle the maple syrup onto the pancake batter in each ring. Once you can see bubbles on the pancake batter, flip them over and remove the mason jar lid. Cook for the pancakes for about 30 more seconds, then remove them from the heat and set aside.

Now it's time to cook the four sausage patties. Place them on the hot griddle, and let them cook on one side for two to three minutes, then flip and cook them on the other side. Now, use a meat thermometer or cut into one to check for doneness, and if they're done, set them aside.

Next, pour the beaten egg mixture onto the griddle, and once it stops spreading, form it into a large square shape. ("I cooked mine right in the grease from the sausages for added flavor," says LeAnn.)

Once the underside of the egg becomes firm enough, fold the large square into itself twice to create a tri-folded rectangle. Cut that into four even pieces, and once they are cooked thoroughly, remove from heat.

Time to assemble your McGriddles! Start with one McGriddle "bun" (mini pancake) on the bottom and top it with one piece of the folded egg, then one piece of the cooked breakfast sausage, and then one slice of American cheese. Then add the top McGriddle bun and enjoy!

Note that if you want your cheese more melted, you can pop a piece on in the last few seconds as the sausage cooks, and you can always change the order in which you cook the eggs and sausages, or pop the sausages back on the griddle for a moment before assembling the sandwiches.