11 Fast Food Breakfast Sandwiches, Ranked

What would mornings be without ooey, gooey breakfast sandwiches? What started as an on-the-move breakfast has morphed into a cherished morning routine. It's been said for eons that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but with that comes waking up early and a whole lot of planning. Luckily, breakfast doesn't always have to mean stacks of pancakes and platters of sausage links. Sometimes you just want to unwrap a salty sandwich without taking a seat. When there's no time for lounging, fast-food joints step in and whip up breakfast sandwiches of all shapes and sizes, some limited to early hours and some available whenever the doors are open.

It might have been McDonald's that popularized American breakfast sandwich culture with its beloved McMuffin in 1971, but that's not the only fast food chain serving up breakfast. Even if they sell widely different cuisines, fast-food corporations are forced to compete with each other, which means nearly every chain has some AM options. We've dabbled in the best fast-food breakfast menus, but what about specific sandwiches? Variety is key to a solid menu, but if the goal is the perfect affordable breakfast sandwich in under 10 minutes, we have to dive deep into the mechanics behind each establishment's breakfast sandwiches. I gave 11 different fast-food breakfast sandwiches a chance to determine the best of the ... fast.

Starbucks has essentially become the Kleenex of coffee, with over 38,000 locations around the globe and something of a cult following. Given the extensive list of sweet caffeinated beverages at Starbucks, I expected the breakfast eats to measure up but was sorely mistaken. I went with a popular sandwich: Bacon, gouda, and egg on a ciabatta. Unlike all the other tasty sandwiches I tried, this one was a disappointment. For $6 and change, I was expecting a sandwich bigger than the palm of my hand, but this bacon, egg, and cheese comes on what I'd call a mini ciabatta roll. The scrambled egg patty had a nice bouncy bite but just about everything else in the sandwich was lacking. Bacon is the first ingredient listed, and yet I needed a microscope to find it. The sandwich only contained one thin strip of bacon that hardly offered any flavor.

Ciabatta is known to be fluffy with a hearty crust, but this one was a bit dry and gummy. If the roll wasn't baby-sized, it probably would have made a better impression. The flavor was good, but with the chewiness, it would be best lightly toasted (or better yet grilled) with butter. Considering the pathetic amount of bacon, the bread is a huge portion of each bite, and the ratio is off. If you've poked your head behind the coffee shop counter in search of a kitchen, you won't find one. Starbucks breakfast sandwiches arrive pre-made, so the only step left is a few minutes in the microwave, which could explain the subpar flavor and presentation.

While ranked down at number 10, this asiago, sausage, and egg breakfast sandwich was still delicious, just not as delicious. I usually only head to Panera for the broccoli cheddar soup, but it turns out the menu is far more diverse than that one perfect soup. For my entry into Panera breakfast, I kept it classic with a sausage, egg, and cheese on an everything bagel. Unlike Starbucks, Panera bakes its bread in-house daily, which is just one of the many superiorities on its breakfast menu.

This Panera sandwich only costs $0.50 more than Starbucks' measly two-bite snack and it actually has a shot at keeping you full until lunch. It's easily triple the size and double the height. A hearty bagel is always a good choice for an egg sandwich, as it's durable and holds everything together. In this case, it hugged a juicy sausage patty, sharp asiago cheese, and a thin layer of light, fluffy, scrambled eggs. The bagel was decent with the right amount of chew, but it was a bit dry. Despite being perfectly toasted, it never congealed with the goodness inside, likely due to a lack of cheese.

There's a reason Harold and Kumar were so desperate to get to White Castle — there's nothing else like it. The old-school burger chain specializes in all things mini: Sliders, fish nibblers, and even waffles. The sausage, egg, and cheese slider is sandwiched between two mini Belgian waffles to create a savory sweet breakfast. White Castle's all-day breakfast menu has basic egg and cheese sliders, but I couldn't resist trying this novelty item at least once. It's typically served with syrup, but one bite told me the waffles were already the ideal sweetness, as if pre-syruped. The salty-sweet bite offers the best of both worlds, but they don't mesh together as well as I hoped. As soft as the sweetened waffles were, the bottom was too dry to meld with the sausage patty and the sandwich didn't hold together too well once out of its cardboard sleeve.

After comparing all of these breakfast sandwiches side-by-side, I realized that if White Castle serves sliders, so do half of these other fast-food chains. The "shrinkflation" speculation seems pretty evident elsewhere, but White Castle has always advertised mini meals and with a price to match. For under $3, this White Castle slider isn't a bad morning boost, especially next to the alternatives at $5 to $7 a pop.

Unlike the other fast food spots on this list, Subway rocks an "open kitchen" so to speak. The buffet-style lineup allows for ultimate customization and the breakfast menu is no different. If you like variety, this hoagie chain is a surprisingly good spot to stop for breakfast. For $5, the ham, egg, and cheese is super substantial. Subway has advertised its breakfast sandwiches on flatbread, but the sandwich artists will toss your egg and cheese on any bread of your choice. 

I ordered a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich and went with my favorite, Italian herb and cheese, which really lifted the sandwich from boring to memorable. Subway uses Black Forest ham, which has a bold smokey flavor, perfectly paired with a cheesy egg. It's not watery like some processed brands, so it cooks to a perfect crisp. The sandwich also features real fried eggs — yolk and all — which seems to be a rarity in the fast-food world.

I didn't have Sonic growing up, as the nearest location was states away, but for some evil reason, I was still regularly bombarded with the commercials. I was always so envious of anyone who could have a burger delivered to their car window by a roller-skater. Between the topping-stacked burgers and wacky drink mixtures, Sonic is now one of my favorite fast-food joints, but probably not where I'd stop for breakfast. In theory, Sonic's bacon breakfast toaster is the perfect sandwich. It's everything I adore: Salty meat and egg practically squashed into a gooey grilled cheese, all for under $6. The problem is, it's not gooey. Cheese is often the glue keeping a breakfast sandwich together and Sonic's breakfast toaster was lacking with only one side cheesed-up.

The flavor was A+, but it kept falling apart before I could even snag a bite. I imagined thick-cut, buttery bread a la Texas Toast, but it was closer to standard white sandwich bread which wasn't all that special. The bacon was plentiful with just the right amount of crunch, stacked atop layers of bouncy scrambled eggs. The sandwich's fillings were superb, but its outer layer missed the mark. Sonic is definitely worth a trip, but more so for lunch or a pickle juice slushie.

I don't frequent Burger King all that often, but with no expectations, I was impressed with the ham, egg, and cheese on a biscuit. Priced at $5, I was anticipating something on the smaller side but the buttery biscuit had some height to it and looked pretty filling at first glance. Unlike Sonic, the lack of cheese was not a problem with Burger King's breakfast sandwich. The crispy ham and scrambled egg patties were smothered in melted cheese to create one cohesive gooey breakfast sandwich. 

Biscuits and butter go hand in hand, but in this case, there might be too much of a good thing. The biscuit is practically weighted down with butter, resulting in a rather dense texture that teeters on the line between buttery and greasy. While it certainly delivers on flavor, the richness can be a bit much for the first meal of the day. It's a tasty option but might be best for those who crave comfort food in the morning.

I make it a mission to try McDonald's everywhere I go, new countries and all. It can be such an interesting peek into a region's comforts and trends. The menu may differ in other countries, but the company has consistency down. The fried egg is cracked into an English muffin-sized mold to guarantee perfect proportions. Wherever you go, an egg McMuffin is an egg McMuffin: Crispy bacon, a fluffy egg patty, and melty cheese, all being hugged by a warm English muffin. Rather than ordinary bacon strips, the McMuffin is famously stuffed with Canadian bacon.

As a consistent McDonald's girl, I was shocked to see the McMuffin land at number five on my list. It's always been my go-to, and for good reason, but a few sandwiches managed to just slightly outdo the famous McMuffin. For one, the price has jumped to nearly $5 after tax, hardly making it the value meal Ronald McDonald once advertised. Aside from being on the petite side, the breakfast sandwich doesn't have any significant flaws. Burger King's similarly sized sandwich was close in ranking, but the greasy biscuit knocked it behind Mickey D's.

People might travel to Wendy's for its trademark Frosty, but the burger and shake spot is open for customers at sunrise. The menu has all the standard breakfast sandwich pickings but sausage seemed like the most logical choice, considering Wendy's is known for its square burger patties. I opted for another biscuit and it knocked Burger King's right out of the park, even at the same price. Wendy's biscuit was noticeably lighter in both color and texture, with a rich golden crust. It was much fluffier than its rival's and buttery enough to crumble into each bite. Wendy's slid past McDonald's all thanks to that perfect biscuit. I'm usually a huge English muffin cheerleader, but it's possible Wendy's biscuit could have redeemed the McMuffin.

The sausage sandwich was complete with a crispy fried egg, which at least tasted like the real deal, and layers of rich American cheese. A common breakfast sandwich flaw seems to be dry bread, but that's all over with Wendy's. Something magical happens between the peppery sausage and the soft, melt-in-your-mouth biscuit to create a perfect little breakfast for a relatively low price of $4.

Aside from Baja Blast, the Crunchwrap is Taco Bell's specialty, but the breakfast version might give the original a run for its money. This may have been my first daylight trip to Taco Bell, but after devouring the bacon Crunchwrap, everything has changed. This is the kind of breakfast that makes you want to crawl back into bed and hit snooze until the afternoon, and there's always a time and place for that itinerary.

The breakfast Crunchwrap is stuffed with scrambled eggs, tons of melty cheese, bacon bits, and the star — a crispy hash brown. Rather than chopping up fried potatoes, Taco Bell lays the foundation with a hash brown patty that puts the crunch in Crunchwrap. This Southwestern breakfast feels like it may fall more under the breakfast burrito umbrella, but the rounded handheld shape is not unlike a bagel or English muffin, so who's to say? All of the deliciousness is tightly sealed into a pan-fried flour tortilla like a Tex-Mex Hot Pocket with way more personality, so each bite can be more surprising than the last. Taco Bell may have tried, and failed, to open a Mexican location twice now, but Americans will never give up on the Tex-Mex restaurant chain, especially with Crunchwraps for under $5.

We've ranked Chick-fil-A as number one in the chicken sandwich game, so there's no surprise that its breakfast version ranked runner-up here. Alongside Taco Bell, I'd say that Chick-fil-A has the most unique breakfast menu. Rather than re-create the same basic sandwiches we see on fast-food menus everywhere, Chick-fil-A plays into its strengths: Fried chicken. Some people may feel uneasy about a meal containing both chicken and egg, but if you don't get stuck on the concept, the sandwich is incredible.

The fried chicken patty was incredibly juicy with crunchy breading that added a satisfying crunch to the soft, flaky biscuit. Next were the eggs, scrambled into thick fluffy layers and topped with melty American cheese. After trying this sandwich, it's hard to imagine starting my day without it, and at $6 I might not be able to resist. It might be a tad smaller than some other sandwiches on the list, but the contents make all the difference. Just be sure to double-check the calendar before getting your Chick-fil-A breakfast fix — they're closed on Sundays.

As a New England girl, what can I say, I run on Dunkin'. But in all honesty, Dunkin' Donuts breakfast sandwiches aren't just delicious, they're the most filling option for under $6. The sausage, egg, and cheese, specifically on a croissant, has always been my favorite quick breakfast sandwich and it continues to hold its place at number one.

Dunkin's flakey croissant is the perfect size to cradle the sausage patty and cheesy fried egg, which melt together in perfect harmony. Sometimes it feels like a hack to order a breakfast sandwich on a croissant, as it's such a special, buttery pastry. It's a savory treat in itself, but when paired with a salty egg and seasoned sausage, it's even better. The peppery sausage patty stands out for its flavor, texture, and for being double the size of most others. It's similar to the sausage patty that Panera stacks on its bagel sandwiches, but Dunkin' got it right in terms of execution.

To put this list together, I started by selecting the most popular fast-food restaurants with breakfast options available in NYC. I included chains that focus primarily on breakfast and coffee, like Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, along with places more known for lunch and dinner like Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A. I ordered a different style of sandwich at each location to present a variety of tastes, often opting for the location's most popular option. Each sandwich had egg and cheese, but I switched up the meat and bun combinations as much as possible. I alternated the breakfast meat between sausage, bacon, and ham, with a bonus piece of fried chicken. When selecting bread, I varied between biscuits, English muffins, croissants, rolls, toast, and even a tortilla.

To determine the ranking, I started with taste by taking a bite of each freshly made sandwich. Along with taste, I considered size and price. Aside from Starbucks, I found all the sandwiches satisfying but the top-ranked ones were filling, held together well, and had distinctive flavors. The lowest-ranking breakfast sandwiches were too small, dry, or just plain and boring.