Eggo Frozen Breakfast Items, Ranked Worst To Best

Breakfast may or may not be the most important meal of the day, but either way, it's still my favorite. Bacon and eggs, yogurt and fresh fruit, nostalgic childhood breakfast cereals — it's all good. But breakfast is also often a hurried affair, and homemade pancakes or waffles are off the table when you're just too hungry or late for work to take the time to make them. This is where frozen breakfast items come in clutch, and one brand that has become legendary in this space is Eggo.

Eggo has, in addition to a great marketing team (L'Eggo my Eggo!), a large selection of frozen breakfast items, including waffles, French toast, and pancakes. There are so many flavors and products that I decided to try to find out which items are really worth buying. I sampled each one and ranked them based on factors like taste and consistency. So before you get overwhelmed by having to choose between the fully loaded chocolate chip brownie protein waffles versus chocolate chip pancakes, consult this list of Eggo's frozen breakfast products, ranked from worst to best. 

I had pretty high hopes for these waffles — for no reason in particular. I like waffles and I like berries, so it seemed to be a pretty safe bet. Eggo's strawberry waffles certainly weren't bad, per se, but they were completely unmemorable. I admit the strawberries did not taste at all artificial — but that's because they didn't taste like anything. I couldn't find strawberry, nor fruit, flavor in these waffles. I'd been hoping for something playful and nostalgic, but these just tasted like regular buttermilk Eggo waffles with something else going on that detracted from their classic, waffle-y flavor.

Maybe, if I'm stretching my imagination, I'd use these waffles as the bread in an unconventional peanut butter sandwich with strawberry jam. That could be interesting, and any excuse to enjoy a nice, quality peanut butter is a good excuse. But truthfully, I wouldn't buy these again.

I don't have anything against products that try to incorporate a nutritional boost, be it protein, fiber, electrolytes, or something else. If food can have added nutritional benefits without compromising on its basic taste, have at it. I love the concept of my frozen toaster waffle having 10 grams of protein in theory, I suppose. Because in practice, this was awful. Still, Eggo tried, and I can respect that. 

These Fully Loaded Strawberry Delight protein waffles were not a delight. They had a weird, astringent flavor, sort of like what I'd imagine wood chips taste like. This flavor stayed from the very first bite through to the aftertaste. One waffle has 5 grams of protein, as opposed to the 2 grams in the original Eggo waffle, but I'd say it's not worth it. Overall, these waffles lack flavor, which, in a perfect world, could have disguised the protein powder flavor.

Along with trying the Fully Loaded Strawberry Delight protein waffles, I also tried its sister product: the Fully Loaded Chocolate Chip Brownie protein waffles. Considering I disliked the strawberry ones so much, I wasn't surprised that I would rank the chocolate version just one slot above it. The texture isn't great — it's still crumbly and chalky. It also has that same, weird protein flavor that makes it all too apparent that you're eating something engineered to be healthier than tastier. 

At least a double dose of chocolate helped camouflage the unpleasant flavor, as chocolate tends to overpower anything else it touches. If you really, really want Eggo waffles but really, really want to keep up with your protein goals, at least choose these over the strawberry flavor. But if it were me, I'd just eat a double serving of high-protein Greek yogurt and enjoy it alongside a regular waffle.

Frozen pancakes seem, to me, like a crime against nature. The whole allure of pancakes is the way they bubble on the pan, how you have to time the flip perfectly, and the pleasure of eating them fresh and hot with melted butter. Clearly, I love making pancakes. But even the easiest pancakes still require some effort, which makes frozen ones all the more appealing.

These chocolate chip pancakes are not great. They are, at least, incredibly convenient; just pop them in the microwave for less than a minute and you've got pancakes — and surprisingly fluffy ones, too, which is a compliment I didn't see coming. The basic flavor is practically nonexistent, though, and the chocolate chips don't have much of an impact on it. Overall, these are as lifeless as pancakes get. And, in my opinion, pancakes are all about liveliness and fun.

The product I had the highest hopes for were the cinnamon churro waffles. Cinnamon is a common addition to breakfast food; you can dust some on your yogurt or add or a teaspoon or two to your homemade waffle batter. Cinnamon is slightly sweet, which goes great with foods designed to be eaten with maple syrup. And who doesn't love churros? Unfortunately, these waffles didn't live up to my unrealistic expectations.

These waffles tasted like nothing. They didn't taste like churros and they lacked the sweet, cinnamon sugar flavor I was looking for. They didn't even really taste like waffles, either; the flavors that make waffles great were diluted because the brand tried to capture that churro essence. I'd so much rather eat either a churro or a waffle than eat this muddled mixture of the two. It's a great idea and a nice try — but it didn't really pan out. 

I have an unpopular opinion about chocolate and breakfast foods: The two don't mix. I know, I know, isn't everything better with chocolate? Yes and no, and it depends on the time of day. Like I mentioned earlier, chocolate tends to take over, and I like my breakfast food to still feel like breakfast food and not dessert. But, this isn't the case with this waffle.

Eggo seems to hesitate to go big on flavor. Like with its strawberry and churro products, the chocolate chips here weren't exactly chocolatey enough. I would say they were more like chocolate flecks than chocolate chips — and they sure didn't make the waffles taste like cocoa. I never thought I would say that I wish there was more chocolate in a breakfast product, but if I'm spending my money on chocolate chip waffles, I want to taste that chocolate.

After not thinking much of the chocolatey chip pancakes, I was prepared to think even less of these. In my opinion, the mini version of products are often worse versions of the regular-sized ones; they just use their cuteness to distract from their deficiencies. Mini muffins are not better than regular muffins. Sliders are not better than hamburgers. But I digress, especially considering that these mini pancakes are actually better than the regular-sized chocolatey chip ones.

When frozen, they look like dull hockey pucks — flat and dense. But after a quick stint in the microwave, they puff up nicely into soft little bites. Although they're flavorless, they are thick and fluffy. If you want pancakes and you want them fast, it doesn't get faster and easier than warming up a batch of these. Though, they're no substitute for the real thing, even when that "real thing" is made with boxed pancake mix.

The Eggo blueberry waffles have the exact opposite problem of the strawberry ones. The strawberry waffles were bland and flavorless, but at least they didn't have an artificial flavor. These blueberry waffles are speckled generously with extremely blue berries. Moreover, the blueberry waffles have a ton of flavor, but the question is whether or not it's an enjoyable one.

The blueberries in these waffles taste like a cartoon version of the classic fruit; they're super sweet and neon "fruity" without any of that fresh, tart, or subtle flavor that real fruit brings to the table. Granted, these waffles offer a stronger flavor than the strawberry or chocolatey chip products. You will like these blueberry waffles if you enjoy the taste of slightly-fake, in-your-face fruit. But, if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, you'll best avoid these.

Here we have the first of three Thick & Fluffy Belgian-style Eggo waffles. These are as Belgian-style as a frozen Eggo waffle can hope to be. The blueberry waffles are indeed thick and fluffy, but they toast nicely and develop crisp edges and a light interior. Personally, I think the texture is fantastic; it's a real win for anyone who wants their frozen waffles to taste more like those waffle iron-cooked ones served for hotel continental breakfasts.

Although the texture isn't an issue with these waffles, the flavor is. It has the same problem that the regular blueberry waffles do in that the fruit flavor tastes artificial and too in-your-face. At least the thick texture means that the berries taste a little more demure and less brash because they're hidden by a fluffier waffle. But, other Thick & Fluffy waffles fared better than this one. 

Frozen French toast sticks seem like an incredibly dull idea. French toast is already the dark horse of the pancakes-versus-waffles-versus-French-toast debate, especially considering that it's literally a piece of bread all dolled up and fried in butter. In my mind, there was no way French toast (or French Toaster Sticks) could be more interesting than some of Eggo's pancakes and waffles. And yet, they were.

These bread slices are divided by small divots, along which you can tear the toasted product into "sticks" and consume them as such. Or, you can just toast them and eat them with a fork like you would a regular slice of French toast. Either way, the flavor is eggy, buttery, and honestly quite delicious. The simplicity in flavor helps, and the chewy texture has a fun mouthfeel. Though, I still prefer Eggo's waffles to its French toasts. 

In this ranking, there are two seemingly identical waffles: the buttermilk and the homestyle. Both are original-sized and devoid of any toppings or special additions. I had to make sure to try them back-to-back in order to give myself the best chance of determining any difference at all. 

Buttermilk, with its rich, thick consistency and pungent tang, might have lended this waffle an almost savory quality. In reality, would these waffles have tasted any different if they were made with regular milk? Who knows. All I really know is that this buttermilk waffle tasted very similar to the homestyle one, but since the buttermilk flavor was absent in this product, I had to place it lower. 

These waffles are not too sweet (or savory). They're mild, basic, and are a perfect canvas for anything you might want to put on top. Nutella and jam? Sure. Ice cream? Why not? Eggs and bacon? These waffles are good to go.

Coming in right on the heels of the original French toaster sticks are these Cinnamon French Toaster Sticks. They have all of the qualities of the original, plus cinnamon — which can sometimes, but not always, improve the flavor of a food. In this case, the cinnamon makes the French toast taste slightly better. It adds a subtle sweetness that the original does not have. While the original French Toaster Sticks taste more like toast, the cinnamon version tastes more like true French toast, thanks to the spice and slight brown sugar-like flavor. 

All these need is a little butter to be enjoyable. And if you add cinnamon to the butter, you'll find that the flavor is even better.

These waffles offer a convergence of the Thick & Fluffy waffle and the all-too-popular cinnamon flavor. But these waffles factor in actual brown sugar, too. These are good, and I enjoyed them, but there is an issue afoot: You'll get a bit of a burnt flavor that has nothing to do with whether or not you burn your waffle while toasting it.

Like all the Thick & Fluffy waffles, these have a luxurious, indulgent texture that I really appreciate. It's certainly a boost to the original, flatter waffle shape. But the cinnamon flavor is a little heavy-handed, and it comes off slightly bitter. Unfortunately, even underneath the brown sugar flavor, the burnt cinnamon made an otherwise excellent toaster waffle not as good. I much prefer the plain, original Thick & Fluffy waffle.

If the churro waffles made you hungry, you might want to try these Mini Cinnamon Toast waffles instead. I found they tasted more like churros than the cinnamon churro waffles did. 

I really like this amalgamation of waffles and French toast, as well as the extra cinnamon sugar. The spice does not taste even a bit burnt or bitter. Rather, it's very sweet, like cinnamon buns or the aforementioned churros. You can, as you could with the French toast sticks, break the waffle apart into four tiny toasts. The edges get crisp and crunchy, like the crust on cinnamon toast. The box claims that these don't need syrup ... and somehow, they're right; the waffles aren't dry in the least. 

Essentially, they're the best example of Eggo doubling down on all the gimmicks at once — and it was worthwhile. They come in fourth place, just shy of the top three, because they really don't taste much like waffles. They're in the right format, but the flavor is more cinnamon toast than waffle.

We're in the top three! The buttermilk waffles I ranked lower on this list are very similar to the homestyle waffles. Both are solid, classic, reliable frozen toaster waffles with all those necessary little pockets for butter or syrup to pool inside. Both can be floppy and pale if you barely toast them, or nearly charred if that's how you prefer your waffle. I, as I assume is the case with most eaters, fall somewhere in between this spectrum. 

The homestyle waffle pulls ahead thanks to its toastier and more maple-forward flavor. If I had to select which one tasted more homemade, it would be, as its name suggests, the homestyle waffle. The added layer of golden flavor is why I love Eggo's frozen waffles. These are almost the perfect everyday Eggo waffle — but two others perfect the texture just a little bit more.

After trying a lot of Eggo waffles, which range from slightly-wacky to slightly-boring, these plain mini waffles appeared entirely uninteresting. Original waffles sized down to small size? Whatever, right? Wrong. I'd neglected to read the fine print that promised maple syrup flavor baked right into the waffles themselves, but I definitely didn't neglect to taste it.

I love all things maple, but I hadn't expected Eggo waffles to capture that sticky sweetness in a mini waffle. But, these really did. These waffles incorporate most of the best qualities of the homestyle waffles, plus the syrup you would normally have to add to them. Don't write them off as just another gimmick or something meant to encourage kids to play with their food. Or, if you do, I guess I'm more childish than I thought, because I think these are good. They receive second place because the mini size of the waffle prevents the sublime experience of eating a normal-sized waffle. Everything's on a smaller scale, so you don't get that nice, pooled center of butter and syrup as you would with a full-sized waffle. 

Despite my loyalty to the original homestyle or my newfound appreciation for mini waffles, the truth is that if I had to choose to get only one Eggo waffle the rest of my life, it would be this one. The Thick & Fluffy Original is the perfect convergence of taste and texture. It's got everything a waffle needs to be great; it's fluffy, but not cakey; crisp, but not dry; buttery, with a vanilla-scented crumb that's not too sweet nor too greasy. Nope, this is simply the best waffle, and one that you can toast to your liking and adorn with your favorite toppings.

I'm still pretty impressed by these waffles. They taste almost as good as homemade, or the closest you could expect to find in a frozen waffle, which earns them the title as the best on this list. A good waffle deserves a really great maple syrup, and the natural sweetness of it will help bring out that hint of vanilla in these Eggo waffles. They're everything I was looking for and more. 

As always with all product reviews and rankings, I try to keep the process as fair as possible by leveling the playing field. I cooked every item according to its package directions — in the toaster for waffles and French toast and in the microwave for pancakes. Once I warmed each item, I tried it with butter.

I considered a number of factors when ranking the products. First of all, I looked at the texture. Were the pancakes and French toast fluffy, and did the waffles crisp up on the edges? I also considered whether or not the flavor was fresh, authentic and fun, rather than stale, artificial and boring. The additions, like chocolate, fruit, or cinnamon, should add to the quality of the waffle, too, rather than detract from it. Most importantly was the final question: Would I buy the product again?