9 McDonald's Breakfast Sandwich Upgrades To Know Before Your Next Visit

When you think fast food, you may leap right to burgers and fries. However, the majority of fast food chains have entered the breakfast market over the years. One of the originals in the quick-service breakfast market, though, is McDonald's. The chain's breakfast is a guilty pleasure in our family. An early morning breakfast stop raises everyone's morale during a long road trip — especially at locations with play places.

McDonald's breakfast haters may say that the options are too limited on the menu, too boring, or they're just too tired of the same options. However, there are many upgrades you can make to the traditional breakfast sandwiches — you just may not know it yet! It should be noted that some customers say personalization is difficult via the McDonald's app, so these may be ones to ask for in person. From swapping out proteins to adding fun condiments or totally creating a new sandwich, diners have really gotten creative with ways to branch out on breakfast. Read on to find your new Mickey D's breakfast go-to.

Unless you have fully sampled each breakfast item at McDonald's, you may not realize that there are multiple egg preparations that differ by the sandwich. McDonald's says they are all real eggs, but are just prepared a little differently. The round egg served on the Egg McMuffin is an egg cracked into an egg ring, while the folded eggs on the Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuits are precooked and frozen at suppliers before being grilled with butter on location. The scrambled eggs in the sausage burrito are liquid eggs precooked at the supplier stage with sausage and veggies.

So now that you've gotten the egg rundown, you can make an educated choice next time you are ordering your sandwich. Many customers (myself included) say the fresh-cracked egg of the McMuffins is king, so they swap out the folded egg on other sandwiches. Some say they can do this in the customize section, while others report having to make this request in person. But if you are looking for quantity in your breakfast sandwich, some customers say that substituting scrambled eggs on a sandwich actually ends up being more than enough and more than what you would get with a round egg or a folded egg.

While we're on the topic of eggs, there is another way to make your breakfast sandwich better. If you are an egg fanatic, consider asking for double eggs on your next sandwich. The Egg McMuffin was ranked the most popular breakfast item by a Mashed poll. But imagine if your McMuffin had two round eggs instead of just one? Double the protein and double the deliciousness next time by adding an extra egg to your breakfast sandwich. The bagel sandwiches are also made even better, with customers saying they opt for the extra egg on the Steak Egg and Cheese Bagel.

This suggestion is so popular that even McDonald's itself is on board with it, encouraging customers to add an egg to their meal. According to a February 2026 post on McDonald's Facebook, you can add an extra round egg to your sandwich for $1.50. This upgrade seems to be available to add in the McDonald's app, making it an easy change.

It's no secret that the Golden Arches boast numerous combinations of meat, cheese, and bread options in its breakfast sandwiches. But who's to say that you have to stick with the predetermined menu options? With many selections comes many opportunities to create the breakfast sammie of your dreams. Many customers rave about the steak (which can be limited in availability depending on your location), substituting it in any sandwich they can. Instead of the traditional Canadian bacon on a McMuffin, have a steak, egg, and cheese McMuffin. Or add regular bacon to the Canadian bacon to make it a double bacon McMuffin.

And if you love a meaty sandwich, add all the meats you can onto one sandwich. Sausage, ham, and bacon make for a filling McMuffin. The same could be said for the biscuit and bagel sandwiches — why choose only sausage or bacon when you can have both?

Typically, McDonald's breakfast combos include a coffee or juice and a hash brown on the side. But what if instead of enjoying separately, you add the hash brown to your sandwich? A little salty crunch can be the perfect complement to the egg, cheese, and meat of choice. This is reminiscent of the potato chip sandwich lunch delicacy, but brings it to breakfast. Diners rave about the added crunch to a Sausage McMuffin. Others have opted to add the hash brown into a McGriddle sandwich for a salty and sweet combination.

If you really love the hash browns, skip the typical sandwich entirely and make your McMuffin a spud-heavy sandwich between two hash browns. This is a popular menu hack, so it makes one wonder why it's not on the menu in the first place. A former McDonald's corporate chef divulged he pitched this sandwich idea to executives, but it was shot down over operational challenges. For now, you'll have to make your own hash brown creation.

This is an upgrade that seems simple but can make a delicious difference on your sandwich. Diners report that adding extra American cheese to your sandwich is a pro tip. Who doesn't want more melty cheese? Diners say the extra savory boost of more cheese is especially enjoyed on the sausage egg and cheese McGriddle.

Asking for some butter is another condiment customization, especially if you find the biscuit sandwiches to be a bit on the dry side. According to the chain itself, real butter is on English muffins, biscuits, and bagels — which explains why it makes such a delicious difference. More butter means a creamier, richer taste along with more moistness. And don't worry about adding extra butter or cheese being an odd request — apparently, workers say they have definitely received the request before. There is even an option to add extra butter and cheese on the McDonalds app, making it an easy change to make on-the-go.

More easy additions are possible with the plethora of condiments Mickey D's offers. You could go with the controversial ketchup on eggs combination, but there is more creativity to be had. My kids love adding honey and maple syrup to everything — so why not add it to your breakfast sandwich of choice for a savory and sweet combination? In the same line of thought is adding jelly to a Sausage McMuffin.

There is also a certain creamy breakfast sauce used on the bagel sandwiches that receives rave reviews. Customers report you can add it to any breakfast sandwich, but biscuit sandwiches shine with this sauce, as they soak up the extra moisture with ease. Also, who's to say you can't take one of the other many condiment options traditionally offered during lunch or dinner, like barbecue sauce or honey mustard, and make it breakfast? This tip is even loved by McDonald's workers, as they say you can amp up the flavor with a little spice by using the salsa picante typically reserved for the breakfast burritos and make a Southwestern egg sandwich.

If you are bored with the typical breakfast sandwich option and need some variety, this one is for you. Some diners report that they use their favorite McDonald's sandwich ingredients as inspiration for your own breakfast creation. One popular tip for McDonald's breakfast is to deconstruct your sandwich completely to make breakfast tacos. To do this, take your eggs and protein of choice and nestle them into some pancakes. Not only do you get the beloved sweet and savory combination, but the pancakes hold up as a soft taco shell pretty well!

On the other side of the breakfast spectrum are diners trying to limit carbs (we're looking at you keto diet fans). In this case, TikTok gives us an "egg bun McMuffin," where you substitute your English muffin, biscuit, or bagel for two round eggs. In between your egg bun, you can have sausage and melted cheese, or even bacon. Low-carb, but still the tasty breakfast that we love.

Another tip we have thanks to TikTok is a simple one that will make your breakfast sammie even more flavorful. Former McDonald's corporate chef Mike Haracz suggests adding the grill seasoning to your breakfast sandwich of choice in his TikTok video of his top three McDonald's menu hacks. He says the round eggs featured on the McMuffins are not seasoned (a missed opportunity of flavor). So, instead of asking for salt and pepper, ask for the McDonald's grill seasoning that is used on the chain's iconic burgers. Haracz says that although you could just ask for salt and pepper, the grill seasoning contains a specific ratio of salt to pepper (86% salt, 14% pepper.) Why mess with measuring out the ratio, when the grill seasoning does it for you?

However, some customers reported that they were turned down after requesting the grill seasoning on their McMuffins. In this case, you can create the appropriate proportions on your own with salt and pepper packets.

If you love chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, McDonald's has got you covered. The McChicken Biscuit features a crispy chicken patty in a biscuit. That sounds pretty good, but make it even better by adding some honey or maple syrup for an homage to chicken and waffles. There are even spicy chicken biscuits for those who love a kick to their morning breakfast. Some McDonald's locations even have a Chicken McGriddle sandwich, which takes that chicken patty and puts it between two McGriddle cake buns.

But you may be disappointed to find out that your Mickey D's doesn't offer the Chicken McGriddle. You can create your own by asking to substitute the biscuit for McGriddle buns. Pancakes are also a viable vessel, though you will likely have to just order a side of pancakes and make your sandwich on your own. There is also a chance that your local McDonald's doesn't carry any of the McChicken breakfast items, as it is offered only in some regions. In this case, try asking to substitute a sausage patty or bacon for a chicken patty. One worker said this tip could be successful on a case-by-case basis depending on the franchise owner.