5 Hardee's Breakfast Sandwich Upgrades Worth Ordering

Depending on your location, Hardee's may offer over 30 different breakfast combos, leaving most other fast food breakfasts in the dust. The chain offers standard options, such as egg and sausage biscuits, alongside more unconventional choices like a Fried Bologna Biscuit or Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit. Beyond just some unusual menu options, Hardee's famously makes its biscuits from scratch every day in-store, baking fresh batches every 15 minutes. The biscuits are so good that they're even trademarked.

Enjoying the breakfast sandwiches as they come will probably satisfy most cravings, but if you want to change up your usual order, a few simple upgrades can give a familiar breakfast sandwich a new flavor. We searched social media for Hardee's fans' favorite menu hacks and found five upgrades that can work with many of the chain's breakfast sandwiches. Now, you may not want hot sauce on a Cinnamon 'N' Raisin Biscuit, but that's a rare case where the flavor profiles don't match. Our tips are for the savory breakfast options. 

All of these upgrades stand on their own, but you could combine a few if you want to really take your breakfast sandwich to the next level. Keep in mind that there could be extra costs associated with some of these, but you'll also end up with a heartier and more filling sandwich.

Hardee's offers sausage gravy in its Biscuit 'N' Gravy Combo as a topping on sandwiches like the Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit, but you can also pay $0.30 to add it to any breakfast sandwich you order. For around $1, you can get a side of gravy to use for dipping or to pour on the sandwich yourself. The chain's biscuits and gravy made our list of the best in North Carolina, and while the former is great, the latter is a real standout. "I dip EVERYTHING on my plate in that gravy! Scrambled egg, sausage, biscuit and hash brown, Every bite? DIIIIIP!" said one gravy fan on Facebook. "I swear Hardees has the best biscuits and gravy!!" said another.

Whether you add the gravy to your sandwich or use it for dipping on the side, it'll provide a thick and creamy taste with a savory, peppery flavor. It adds richness and moisture to any sandwich and complements the buttery, flaky texture of the biscuits. If you're having a plain sausage biscuit, Country Fried Steak Biscuit, or Hand-Breaded Chicken Biscuit, you might find those sandwiches a little dry on their own. You could add ketchup, but sausage gravy is a better match for a biscuit's savory flavor. The small sausage pieces also add a meaty texture that you won't get from other sauces or condiments.

Sometimes you want to start your day with a kick, and that means adding some heat. Hardee's offers a Nashville Hot Spicy Hand-Breaded Chicken Biscuit for breakfast. Its Nashville Hot Hand-Breaded Chicken sandwich also made our list of the best fast food items for spicy food fans. But what if you don't want chicken? In that case, you could just add some hot sauce. Hardee's offers Texas Pete hot sauce packets that you can add to any breakfast sandwich to give it some zing. "Its balance between the fresh chili pepper flavor and vinegar tang is about as well-balanced as you can get," said Pepperscale in a review of the sauce. On Facebook, one reviewer who ordered a breakfast burrito said, "the Texas Pete Hot sauce made it taste even better."

The hot sauce comes by default with the Homestyle Loaded Breakfast Burrito, but you can get extra sauce packets and use them on anything. Hot sauce on a traditional egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage breakfast sandwich is already pretty popular. The large selection at Hardee's means you have many unique options you won't find on most other fast food breakfast menus. A squirt of hot sauce could add a tangy kick to the Country Fried Steak Biscuit, Fried Bologna Biscuit, Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit, or Country Ham Biscuit.

We've written about upgrading a Dunkin' breakfast sandwich and a McDonald's breakfast sandwich by adding a hash brown. This trick works anywhere that serves breakfast sandwiches and crispy potatoes. Hash Rounds from Hardee's do the same job and add a salty, crispy element that bulks up any sandwich. You get more texture, more flavor, and a bigger, more satisfying bite. Since most breakfast combos already include Hash Rounds, you can simply lift the top of your sandwich or open your wrap and tuck them inside.

Unlike the larger hash brown patties served at many fast-food chains, Hardee's Hash Rounds let you control how much potato you add to your sandwich. Thanks to their small size, you can add just a few Rounds to enjoy a little crispy potato goodness or pile on a whole lot, depending on your preferences. If you've never tried hash browns on a breakfast sandwich before, you can find plenty of posts on social media from people who tried it and fell in love with the hack. Even on a bulky sandwich, you can squish them slightly so they stay put. Because a salty, crispy potato goes with almost anything, they won't be out of place with eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, chicken, steak, or bologna.

Many of Hardee's breakfast sandwiches don't already include eggs. Others have either a fried egg or a folded egg, but both options are available. It's a very simple way to improve your breakfast, but ordering an extra egg on your sandwich goes a long way toward making it a more filling and hearty meal. If it's fried, you get the added richness of the yolk as you bite into it, which elevates any sandwich even further. Just like with the sausage gravy we mentioned previously, an extra egg can also add moisture to a sandwich, while its mild flavor complements the salty, savory ingredients without overpowering them. That can be especially welcome when the other fillings are on the drier side.

If your sandwich is already a meat-heavy option — and Hardee's certainly leans into some heavier, salty proteins — the egg can add a softer element that balances the flavor out. It adds another layer of texture, making each bite feel a little more substantial without needing to pile on extra bacon or sausage. The extra protein will also make the meal more filling, so you're less likely to get hungry again as quickly. For sandwiches that don't normally include egg, this adds a new dimension to your meal. As one Facebook user said after adding egg and cheese to a smoked sausage biscuit, "It is bussin'."

Every breakfast sandwich from Hardee's gives you the option of adding a sausage patty, bacon, or sliced ham. These are three standard breakfast meats you'll find at many fast-food restaurants. Whether your sandwich already includes one or all three, or you've ordered something like the Country Fried Steak Biscuit or Pork Chop 'N' Gravy Biscuit, you can pile on some more breakfast meat. Each addition costs extra, so this can end up being a pricey sandwich, but it certainly won't be lacking in protein if that's what you're craving.

If the sandwich you order already has sausage on it, you can add bacon for a more smoky, salty flavor. Sliced ham adds saltiness with a touch of sweetness. If you've chosen one of Hardee's more unique offerings, like bologna or a pork chop, adding any of these meats can create interesting contrasts in flavor and texture. Hardee's asked customers to build their dream sandwich on its Facebook page, and multiple replies chose all three meats. If you really want to go all-in, Hardee's Monster Biscuit already combines bacon, sausage, and ham, so why not double down and add even more of each?  It may be an over-the-top breakfast, but that's the whole point of a protein bomb.