This Aldi Egg McMuffin Copycat Is Not Worth Your Morning

Once upon a time, McDonald's shifted its nationwide menu to include all-day breakfast items. Although it was highly requested by customers, it was a short-lived stunt that ended up causing the company more issues than it was seemingly worth. In 2020, after only five years, the fast food chain nixed the practice in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. So, yet again, if you're hoping to pick up a McD's Egg McMuffin, you'll have to rise, shine, and get to your nearest drive-thru before they're cut off for the day. 

One alternative is to make your own copycat Egg McMuffin at home, but there are also a bunch of premade dupes found in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store. You might, however, want to avoid Aldi's version. When it comes to the bargain grocer, many of its off-brand items can be hit or miss. In the case of its Breakfast Best Muffin Sandwiches, it's a miss.

In Mashed's ranking of the best and worst breakfast buys at Aldi, our reviewer was left less than impressed with this McMuffin imitation. The evaluation criteria included taste, texture, ingredients, and the overall eating experience. While in theory this Aldi offering has all the makings of a delicious dupe — from the eggy disc to the yellow American cheese to the thick cut of Canadian bacon — the sandwich's flavors seem faded. The verdict: "I've had better."

Our official stance is that Aldi's version of this classic breakfast bite is best left on the shelf, but other shoppers have mixed opinions. In a Reddit thread about the Breakfast Best brand's egg sandwiches — which also include a sausage and croissant option — one user declared that you're "better off making your own." Another said, "I don't care for any of them. I've tried them all." Some prefer Jimmy Dean's frozen breakfasts, while others are more "meh" on the matter. "My Aldi only carries the sausage ones," wrote a Redditor. "They are adequate, but not that great. Feels like a lead weight in my stomach after I eat one."

Although one person remarked, "Nothing is going to replace going to McDonald's on a Saturday morning for a sausage McMuffin," they did appreciate Aldi's offerings as decent (and cheap) substitutes. As one fan of the sandwich explained in the thread, "The key is actually following the instructions on the back. I've seen plenty of people dismiss the whole defrost step and think they can just microwave it regularly and they don't turn out [right]. They turn out perfectly if you follow the instructions."

Whether or not you actually want to bother meticulously preparing this — in our opinion — disappointing dupe is up to you. Then again, you may not have a choice in the matter; per some recent Reddit posts, shoppers have been having a hard time finding the sandwich in Aldi freezers lately. Here's hoping that if it does return, it's new and, most importantly, improved.