8 McDonald's Breakfast Sandwich Upgrades Worth Ordering

There's nothing wrong with ordering a McDonald's breakfast sandwich exactly as it comes. Whether you're loyal to the classic Egg McMuffin, prefer a fluffy biscuit sandwich, or, like me, think a McGriddle is the perfect combination of sweet and savory, the breakfast menu already has plenty of winners. But when you crave something a little extra special, a few small tweaks can make your order even better.

I've compiled a list of the best ways to upgrade your morning meal, such as adding additional ingredients, swapping one ingredient for another, or borrowing something from a different breakfast menu item. You can even turn a relatively simple sandwich into a much more substantial meal by adding a crispy hash brown or an extra serving of meat. I gathered information from my personal experience as a McDonald's breakfast fan, as well as from the advice of other breakfast sandwich lovers on social media platforms like Reddit.

The best part about these hacks is that they don't require you to come up with a complicated "secret-menu" order. They're mostly straightforward customizations or easy additions that can be made when ordering through the app or by asking employees at the restaurant counter. Keep in mind that the availability of specific customizations can vary by location, so not every option will necessarily appear on your local menu — it never hurts to ask!

Whether you want a sandwich that is more filling, extra rich, or a condiment that changes the flavor profile, these McDonald's breakfast sandwich upgrades are worth trying the next time you find yourself at the drive-thru in the mornings.

Sometimes the easiest way to improve a breakfast sandwich is simply to get more of the ingredients that you already love. For example, if you think a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit would be better with more sausage, you can customize the sandwich to add another serving. The same idea works for other ingredients available as customizations, including eggs, cheese, and sauces, depending on the sandwich and your location.

This upgrade is particularly useful if you find McDonald's breakfast sandwiches a little skimpy on your favorite ingredient. Extra cheese can make a sandwich noticeably richer and creamier, while another egg can make the whole thing feel heartier and more substantial. And if meat is your favorite part, doubling up on sausage or bacon can turn a standard breakfast sandwich into something that's extra protein-packed to get you through your day.

To get more ingredients, the easiest way to order is to customize using the McDonald's app. Simply open the app, select your favorite breakfast sandwich, and hit "customize" to look through the available options for your preferred menu item. The exact ingredients and choices can vary between menus and locations, but it's worth checking before you place your order. While adding extra ingredients will cost a little extra, this upgrade won't break the bank and is worth it for the additional filling and flavor.

The egg is arguably the most important part of a breakfast sandwich. But did you know that McDonald's has more than one style of egg available? Although many of the fast food chains' breakfast sandwiches use the familiar folded egg, McDonald's also offers scrambled eggs, typically served with the Hotcakes meal.

Once you try scrambled eggs on a breakfast sandwich, you'll notice a distinct textural difference from the folded egg you're used to. The folded egg is compact and neatly fits the shape of a breakfast sandwich, giving you a consistent egg layer in every bite. It is firmer, which holds up inside the sandwich well. McDonald's scrambled eggs, though, are softer and less uniform. This egg type may be a bit messier, but the upgrade can make a biscuit or McMuffin feel more homemade, like something you might put together in your own kitchen on a lazy weekend morning. Pair scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese on a biscuit for a softer, more substantial breakfast sandwich, or customize a sausage and cheese McGriddle for a pancakes-and-scrambled-eggs experience.

This swap can be especially appealing if you're already a fan of McDonald's scrambled eggs from the Hotcakes meal or don't like the denser texture of the folded egg. When ordering, request scrambled eggs instead of the folded egg, or simply customize the sandwich within the app. It's an easy way to make a familiar McDonald's breakfast sandwich taste considerably different without changing the rest of your order.

McDonald's hash browns are already a breakfast staple, but they become even more satisfying when you stop treating them as a side dish and begin treating them as a game-changing ingredient by putting one directly inside your sandwich. The crispy layer of potato adds so much flavor and a wonderful crunch to any menu item.

The contrast of textures in every bite is a lot more interesting. A breakfast sandwich usually has a soft biscuit, English muffin, or McGriddle bun surrounding relatively tender fillings. A freshly fried hash brown brings a combination of a crunchy, golden-brown exterior and a soft potato center, vastly improving the sandwich's texture. This upgrade requires no special customizations. Simply order the hash brown alongside your sandwich, then slide it between the top and bottom halves before taking your first bite.

This works with practically any breakfast sandwich, but the different combinations can be especially fun. Try it with a sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin for a savory, crispy upgrade or place a hash brown inside a McGriddle to create an interesting sweet-and-savory combination between the salty potato and the maple-flavored griddle cakes. I recommend adding the hash brown as soon as you get your food and while it's still hot and crispy. It may soften slightly inside the sandwich, but you'll still get plenty of that satisfying potato crunch.

If you believe the Egg McMuffin gets most of its appeal from its trademark, perfectly round, fresh-cracked egg, there's no reason to limit that experience to the McMuffin. When available as a customization, swapping the standard folded egg for a round egg can give any other McDonald's breakfast sandwich a completely different taste and texture.

The round egg has historically been one of the defining features of the Egg McMuffin. It is popular for its firmer egg texture and fits neatly within the circular English muffin. By comparison, the McDonald's folded egg is designed to be convenient and uniform, making it easy to layer inside different breakfast sandwiches. The texture and flavor difference comes from the way the eggs are prepared. Egg connoisseurs may prefer the quality and flavor difference of the fresh-cracked version.

I recommend trying it for yourself, especially if you always order the Egg McMuffin specifically because of its special egg. This is one of the easiest ways to branch out for McDonald's breakfast, because you can keep the sandwich you love and just experiment with the egg style.

For anyone who considers breakfast incomplete without a serious serving of meat, McDonald's offers customization options to up the protein on some of its breakfast sandwiches. Depending on the sandwich and what your location offers, you can customize your order with additional meat.

To make your breakfast sandwich more protein-focused, you have a couple of options. The obvious place to start is to up the amount of whichever meat is already included on the sandwich. For example, if you're ordering a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, add another serving of bacon to make the sandwich significantly more bacon-forward. Another option is to experiment with combining different meats when customization options allow. Adding sausage to a bacon sandwich gives you the best of both worlds and creates a double-meat breakfast that is much more substantial than the standard version. Some McDonald's fanatics even use the customization options to recreate the since-discontinued Triple Stack breakfast sandwich from 2018.

This hack is particularly useful if you find McDonald's breakfast sandwiches tasty but not especially filling. In my experience, I don't always want or need to add extra carbohydrates by getting a hash brown on the side, so adding more meat to my sandwich lets me up the protein. No matter which meat upgrade you choose to make, it will surely help every bite of your breakfast count and be well worth the charge McDonald's adds.

Butter might seem like a small detail, but it can make a surprisingly noticeable difference to a breakfast sandwich. If your breakfast go-to order is one of McDonald's classic egg McMuffins, check the customization options in the McDonald's app to add extra butter.

Why does such a simple upgrade change the experience in such a big way? It's because of the English muffin's distinctive texture. The exterior of the muffin is lightly toasted, while the interior combines crispy edges with soft nooks and crannies. All of this texture provides a great contrast to the soft egg, melted cheese, and savory meat inside. 

This upgrade is especially appealing if you tend to find English muffins a little dry, like me. The additional butter can add moisture and richness without requiring you to change any of the sandwich's main ingredients. It also pairs particularly well with the salty flavors of sausage, bacon, and cheese.

You don't necessarily need to stop at the classic Egg McMuffin, either. If your location offers the customization, try extra butter on another breakfast sandwich and see how it changes the overall balance. The added richness can make a relatively simple sandwich taste more indulgent.

McDonald's syrup is primarily associated with its Hotcakes meal, but there's no rule saying you have to reserve that sweet maple flavor for pancakes. Ordering a side of syrup and using it as a dip for your breakfast sandwich can create an entirely new sweet-and-savory combination.

A McGriddle is an obvious place to start because the sandwich already has a sweet element built into the griddle cakes. Adding syrup takes that maple flavor even further and makes the sandwich taste like an extra-indulgent breakfast treat. But a more unexpected combination might be a chicken biscuit with syrup. Crispy or breaded chicken and maple syrup are a classic pairing for a reason, and adding a little syrup to a McDonald's chicken biscuit gives it a fast-food version of that chicken-and-waffles experience.

You can experiment with other breakfast sandwiches, too. A sausage biscuit with a touch of maple syrup can mimic the sweet-and-savory flavor combination of sausage and pancakes, while bacon and syrup is another classic pairing that needs very little explanation.

The key is moderation. While a little syrup can complement savory ingredients, too much can make the sandwich overly sweet and messy. Utilize the syrup on the side for dipping rather than adding it directly to the sandwich so you can control each bite as you go. It's a simple trick, but it can make a familiar McDonald's breakfast taste like something completely different.

If you appreciate classic breakfast flavor combinations, honey is a perfect way to upgrade a McDonald's chicken biscuit. McDonald's generally offers honey as a condiment, and adding it to the chicken biscuit breakfast sandwich creates a combination that is as delicious as it is nostalgic: savory chicken, buttery biscuit, and sweet honey all in the same bite.

The appeal comes from the contrast of flavors, which are classic for a reason. The fried chicken brings saltiness and savory flavor, while the biscuit has a rich, buttery quality. Honey adds a nice floral sweetness that balances both. One of my favorite fast food breakfast items is the honey butter chicken biscuit from Whataburger. While not a dupe, adding honey to my McDonald's order helps give the chicken biscuit a similar flavor profile when I'm not near a Whataburger.

Rather than covering the entire biscuit in honey, try opening the sandwich and drizzling a small amount over the chicken. That lets you control the sweetness and helps keep the biscuit from becoming overly sticky. You can also add the honey bite by bite if you prefer a stronger sweet-and-savory contrast in some bites and a more traditional chicken biscuit flavor in others.