10 Store-Bought Breakfast Sandwiches That Use High Quality Ingredients

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Store-bought breakfast sandwiches reign supreme thanks to their portable, filling, fast, and affordable nature. But not all of these sandwiches are created equal. Though they may look similar and have a lot of the same ingredients, the quality of the ingredients, the nutritional content, and the overall quality can vary significantly from brand to brand.

Whole-food ingredients, quality proteins, real cheese, and better bread can easily set a prepackaged breakfast sandwich apart in a saturated market. But with so many options available in stores and online, it can be difficult to distinguish which products are worth your time, money, and taste buds. 

To distinguish which sandwiches are best, it's important to look beyond the convenience factor and pay closer attention to the ingredients. The sandwiches with simple ingredient lists, high-quality meats and eggs, and minimal processing stand out from the crowd. Read on to discover which store-bought breakfast sandwiches use the best quality ingredients.

Applegate has built its brand on cleaner ingredients. The brand's first product, the Cleaner Weiner hot dog, was the start of a long history of avoiding more than 700 ingredients like sodium phosphate, corn syrup, and hydrogenated fats and oils. But avoiding additives hasn't stopped it from having some fan-favorite products, like the breakfast sausage.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the brand's breakfast sandwiches maintain this same high standards. With eggs, cheese, and turkey sausage sandwiched between a pillowy English muffin, this breakfast sandwich isn't just delicious — but it is one you can feel good about eating. The eggs are certified humane and the turkey used in the sausage upholds the long list of Applegate Naturals' commitments: no antibiotics, humanely raised, vegetarian diets, more space, and better air quality. The sandwich is also free of chemical nitrates and nitrites, artificial ingredients or preservatives, and GMO ingredients.

But if turkey sausage isn't your thing, don't worry. There is also a chicken and maple breakfast sausage alternative served on a biscuit or frittata egg bites for when you want to switch it up from a sandwich — and all are made with the same high-quality ingredients.

Frankie's Free Range Meat has its commitment to quality right in the name. From New York to Pennsylvania to Australia, Frankie's works with farmers around the globe to ensure it's sourcing only the best meat. The brand also raises all egg-laying chickens with a proprietary high omega-3 formula — in addition to grass the chickens forage themselves — to help ensure they have all of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients they need.

The breakfast sandwiches are a product of all of these components. They're made with free-range eggs, raw provolone cheese, grass-fed butter, and pure organic sourdough English muffins for quality you can taste.

These sandwiches, however, can be hard to get your hands on; you'll have to order directly from Frankie's website to try them yourself. They also run at a bit of a premium; they're $6.50 per sandwich, but the quality and taste make the effort and cost worthwhile for many.

Kodiak's brand is founded on "real food for real adventures." Everything is made with 100% whole grains, no GMOs, and free of artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. And while the brand may be best known for its whole-grain, high-protein pancakes, don't overlook the other offerings.

Alongside the pancake mix, oatmeal, and other baking mixes, Kodiak also offers a range of frozen breakfast items — including several breakfast sandwiches. The turkey sausage, egg, and cheddar sandwich is made with real eggs and cheddar cheese and finished with a fluffy, whole-grain English muffin. The sausage is free of nitrates and nitrites, and the entire sandwich also has 20 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber (all for only 270 calories) to start your morning off right.

If you prefer a sweeter sandwich, you can also try Kodiak's bacon, egg, and cheese, or sausage egg, and cheese that uses the signature Kodiak cakes instead of an English muffin for added maple flavor and the same high-quality ingredients.

Thanks to Field Roast, vegetarians and vegans don't have to miss out on convenient, high-quality breakfast sandwiches. The brand began in 1997 with the goal of bringing bold flavors to plant-based food. Over the years, the offering has expanded from the original three products to include burgers, puff pastries, sausages, and even queso dip.

Among some of the newer offerings are Field Roast's breakfast sandwich, a classic style sausage, egg, and cheese served on an English muffin. In lieu of animal-based products, however, this sandwich uses Field Roast's plant-based breakfast sausage, Chao Creamy Original Cheese, and the egg substitute Just Egg.

Avoiding meat and eggs, however, doesn't do anything to decrease the sandwich's quality. Just Egg is an egg alternative that is non-GMO and free of artificial flavors — with the added benefit of also being free of cholesterol — and offers 5 grams of protein per serving. Chao Creamery cheese is a coconut-based cheese made from just a few simple ingredients like water, coconut oil, potato and corn starch, and tofu. These high quality, flavorful ingredients come together to create a delicious breakfast sandwich.

Red's is newer to the breakfast sandwich scene — but that doesn't make the offerings any less delicious. Founded in 2009 by a husband-and-wife pair, Red's began with a single thing: burritos. From there, the brand has expanded to breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and what it's dubbed "snackers," or smaller-sized burritos and biscuit sandwiches designed to hold you over between meals.

All of Red's breakfast sandwiches are made with cage-free eggs laid by chickens raised without antibiotics. All ingredients are non-GMO and the sandwiches also use rBST-free cheese (cheese made from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones). Our favorite — the Egg'Wich with turkey sausage, egg, and cheese — is also gluten-free, keto-friendly, and packs 17 grams of protein thanks to the egg patties used as buns (instead of the typical carb base like an English muffin or bagel). But if a carb-heavy breakfast is more your thing, Red's also has a chicken sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich available on a bagel or English muffin, and a few croissant sandwiches, too.

Costco's Kirkland signature breakfast sandwich features applewood smoked bacon, egg, and cheese, all atop a spiral buttery croissant. The convenience is unmatched; just microwave it or air fry it and you've got a tasty breakfast ready in just a few minutes. And an added bonus? Cooking it in the air fryer minimizes the addition of any extra butter, oil, or other fats that could up the calorie count and knock down the nutrition. Considering it's a frozen, prepackaged sandwich, the flavor impresses many.

The sandwich is made using cage-free eggs laid by chickens never confined to cages. Reviewers note that each ingredient tastes fresh and high-quality, like the individual crispy strips of bacon and the fluffy, croissant with plentiful laminated layers. Though the microwave can bring out some oiliness in the croissant (thanks to melted butter), it's all-in-all a decent option when you're on the go.

Private Selection — Kroger's brand of convenient, ready-made meals — offers a breakfast sandwich that's equal parts delicious and convenient. Made on an everything bagel, the sandwich features a fried egg, Black Forest ham, and slice of creamy cheddar cheese. With 21 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber, it's a relatively healthy and tasty way to start the day.

Though the sandwich is frozen and prepackaged, fans rave about the taste and quality. "These are absolutely the best frozen breakfast sandwiches I've ever eaten," boldly claimed one reviewer. The accolade is attributed to the taste and quality of the individual ingredients. The bagel features a garlic, onion, sesame, and poppy seed topping that has plenty of flavor — especially compared to an English muffin or plain bagel. The thinly sliced Black Forest ham adds a slightly smoky, savory taste, and the cage-free egg is fresh and flavorful.

Mason Dixie is bringing high quality ingredients to Southern comfort flavors. The biscuit sandwich is topped with an egg and pork sausage, and the cheese itself is baked into the biscuit dough giving it a savory, cheesy, and delicious flavor.

The biscuit is made with just a few expected ingredients like flour, buttermilk, shredded cheddar, and other common baking ingredients like baking powder, salt, and sugar. The egg is just that — a whole egg — while the sausage patty has pork, water, and spices; there's no long list of ingredients that you don't recognize and can't pronounce.

But don't worry — if sausage or biscuits aren't your thing, Mason Dixie has a variety of other breakfast offerings to choose from, including breakfast burritos and bagel or croissant sandwiches. No matter which you choose, all sandwiches are held to the same high standards: they're all free of preservatives, corn syrup, artificial flavor and oil, substitutes, and gums.

Unlike many sandwiches on this list, the Sandwich Bros. products stand out because of the soft, pillowy pita pocket used to contain the other ingredients. While many brands use English muffins or bagels for breakfast sandwiches, this pita is delicious — and stays tender and soft (and not soggy) after microwaving. The pita is filled with whole eggs (not artificial egg substitutes), and the real cheddar cheese melts well in the microwave.

The combination of these ingredients plus the classic breakfast sausage delivers a delicious, familiar bite. Though the ingredient list does contain some stabilizers and additives, Sandwich Bros. has focused on high-quality where it counts. The quality of the ingredients and combination of fluffy eggs, melty cheese, savory sausage, and the pita pocket makes this sandwich feel and taste almost homemade — especially compared to many other store-bought, frozen breakfast options that end up leaving you disappointed.

Rudi's prides itself on its quality products that are "made with ingredients you can trust and flavors worth showing off," as the brand puts it. It strives to source sustainable, clean-label ingredients and many of the products are made with non-GMO ingredients and are gluten-free – including the egg and cheese frittata with bacon breakfast sandwich.

This particular sandwich is made with cage-free eggs from free-roaming hens, real cheddar cheese, and uncured bacon with a short, recognizable ingredient list: pork, water, sugar, salt, spices and natural flavors. It's also free of nitrates and nitrites, a fact that makes it stand out from many other store-bought breakfast sandwiches.

The gluten-free brioche bun is made with whole grains like millet, quinoa, and sorghum, a natural alternative to many other ultra-refined gluten-free ingredients. Overall, this sandwich has ingredients that are clean, simple, tasty, and safe for those with gluten allergies or sensitivities.

To identify the highest quality store-bought breakfast sandwiches, we evaluated each product across three main categories: ingredient quality and sourcing, brand philosophy and commitment to quality, and overall nutritional information.

We assessed each sandwich for whole-food ingredients, ethically raised protein sources, and bread quality. We also identified the use (if any) of preservatives, added flavors and colors, and common food additives. After reviewing all of these factors, we selected the sandwiches for this list that best maintained an overall commitment to quality and taste.