These Are The Only Fast Food Breakfasts Worth Buying
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As much as some of us wish we could be the sorts of people who wake up early enough to prepare a lavish at-home breakfast on the regular, life usually gets in the way. Sometimes even cracking an egg is just too much. Thankfully, for those especially busy mornings, fast food breakfast comes to the rescue. It's quick, it's easy, and most of all, it's delicious. But not all chain breakfasts are created equal.
In sussing out the best breakfast spots around, we took a two-pronged approach: First, we asked our very opinionated team of Delish editors for their thoughts on the best fast food breakfast. Then we scoured the Internet for fast food breakfast superfans for their go-to menu items. Turns out, people have feelings about fast food breakfast.
Getting hungry? These A.M. goodies are so good you might even stop pressing the snooze button. Emphasis on might.
Carl’s Jr
The menu at Carl’s Jr is filled with great breakfast sandwich options, from the gooey grilled cheese to the hearty Bacon Beast Biscuit. But none compare the next-level breakfast burger. Yes, a burger for breakfast. This baby packs a charbroiled all-beef patty, crispy bacon, fluffy egg, melted American Cheese, crispy hash rounds, and savory ketchup into a soft seeded bun.
“That burger will always be my favorite. Can't beat the hash brown rounds inside of the burger,” one Reddit user raved. “Now that's innovation!”
Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box has a surprisingly generously sized and varied breakfast menu, but the internet is particularly obsessed with its breakfast Jacks. They're all twists on the following: A soft bun piled high with a fried eggy scramble with melted American cheese. Get it with either smoked ham, sausage, or bacon strips.
“Breakfast Jacks are great,” one Reddit user said. “I think it’s about the actual fried egg.”
Sonic
One supremely good thing about Sonic breakfast? It's served 24/7 at most locations. “[Its] breakfast is actually the star of the menu,” one Reddit user professed. “The Ultimate Meat and Cheese breakfast burrito"—crispy bacon, sausage, tater tots, fluffy scrambled eggs, and zesty cheese sauce tightly wrapped in a warm flour tortilla—"is probably my favorite fast food breakfast.”
Five Guys
Don't sleep on Five Guys's breakfast game. Yes, we know the chain slings incredible burgers, but have you ever tried its Bacon, Egg & Cheese Sandwich? It’s a simple but effective combo, and you can dress it up with add-ons like fiery jalapeños and savory steak sauce. Sign us up!
Del Taco
At Del Taco, breakfast time means quesadillas, toasted wraps, and hash browns—but the burritos are where it's really at. Go for Epic Scrambler burrito, which stuffs soft scrambled eggs, hash brown sticks, freshly grated Cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, zesty red sauce, and either crispy bacon or freshly grilled carne asada inside a warm, oversized flour tortilla. Alternatively, dig into a stack of Breakfast Rollers, a tortilla-wrapped blend of scrambled eggs, Cheddar cheese, and red sauce. To that, you can either add bacon or even more eggs and cheese.
And if those rollers aren't quite hefty enough? One Redditor has a helpful hack: "Buy the breakfast rollers, and then a $1.00 order of five-piece hash browns," shared the user. "Open the Breakfast Rollers up and throw some hash browns in them." Uh, genius?!
Whataburger
Is Whataburger coming for Chick-fil-A's chicken biscuit crown? According to one Redditor, the answer is YES.
“The Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits [are a] little slice of heaven [that] definitely rivals the glorious Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit,” the user declared. “This has always been my go-to fast food breakfast.”
Another Whataburger favorite? The Breakfast Platter meal, which comes piled high with scrambled eggs, sizzling bacon or a sausage patty, hash browns, a flaky biscuit, and a coffee or soda.
6. Dunkin'
Dunkin's blueberry muffins have a special place in the heart of June Xie, Delish's senior food producer. “Something about that muffin top adding just the right amount of sugar to my step," she said. "The mind games the blueberries play making me think they’re good for me, and the smell of coffee that cuddles me when I’m barely awake in the morning when I walk in.”
Burger King
This may be shocking to hear, but Burger King has a breakfast burrito (yes, really) and people are obsessed with it. “The burrito is pretty fire,” one TikTok creator divulged. “Hash browns, bacon, cheese, eggs, a good ratio of everything," she said. "It’s pretty good, not gonna lie.”
But if Burger King's standard burrito just isn't cutting it? Another fan on TikTok has a brilliant suggestion: Dip that burrito in maple syrup. "If you love sweet and savory, I highly recommend," she advises.
Taco Bell
We're not shocked that Taco Bell, a chain with scores of diehard fans who swoon for its affordable Mexican-inspired fare, also has a devoted breakfast following.
"My love of Taco Bell breakfast is an unhealthy addiction,” one Redditor confessed. “Get the [Cheesy Fiesta Potato] bowl"—that's a spiced bowl of potatoes smothered in nacho cheese—"and a [Breakfast] Crunchwrap meal,” which marries bacon, egg, and cheese with a generous hash brown and a creamy jalapeño sauce.
“I’m addicted to the Grande Scrambler," another Redditor wrote. referring to the brand's tortilla-ful of bacon, cheesy scrambled eggs, spiced potatoes, nacho cheese sauce, and sour cream. It's “by far the king of breakfast burritos.”
Chick-fil-A
“I’ve recently discovered the greatness of Chick-fil-A Chicken Minis,” one Reddit user revealed. The offering tucks the brand's famous chicken nuggets inside a doughy yeast roll. “And my goodness, are they amazing.”
People are also super into the brand's chicken biscuit sandwich. (Whataburger fans excluded, naturally.) “That chicken biscuit, though," another Redditor cooed. "Out of this world!"
To kick the flavor up a notch, drizzle that chicken biscuit with honey. It makes it “10 times better,” swears a Redditor.
Wendy’s
Looks like we have another contender for best chicken biscuit. “Last year, I had Wendy's new-ish breakfast and it's amazing,” said Philip Swift, Delish's director of post-production. “The maple bacon chicken croissant and the honey butter chicken biscuit are seriously worth it." Another one of Swift's go-tos? The Frosty-ccino, which is basically cold brew swirled over Wendy's Frosty milkshake and served over ice. "What a hangover cure!” he declared.
McDonald’s
The Golden Arches have long reigned supreme over the fast food breakfast landscape, and it's no secret why. Several Twitter polls have the beloved brand crushing the competition in the best breakfast category—see here, here, and here for proof. Delish editors have to agree.
“McDonalds hash browns!” said Izabela Campos, our assistant social media editor. “Hot, greasy, crunchy, and perfect with a little packet of ketchup or ‘hot’ sauce.”
Delish's director of motion graphics, Vineet Sawant, is likewise obsessed with the sausage McMuffin, a served-hot toasted English muffin topped with a piquant sausage patty and a sliver of melted American cheese. He's eaten one every January 1 for the last eight years. "Don't ask why, don't know why,” he offered by way of non-explanation. Hey, if you're going to start a food tradition, why not center it around ever-reliable McDonald's?
Expert hack: Squirt a packet of jam between a sausage McMuffin's layers before chowing down. “Sounds weird but it's the perfect blend of buttery salty and sweet,” one Redditor shared.
Our final thoughts? There's no shame in the fast food breakfast game. Hats off to all you brave fast food breakfast aficionados and hackers out there. You've inspired us!
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