Recreate the iconic McDonald’s breakfast sandwich at home with this delicious copycat recipe. Meal prep it for busy mornings!
Who doesn’t love a sausage mcmuffin?! When I started meal prepping over 10 years ago, these are exactly what I’d make every week to put a little pep in my step at work. You just can’t go wrong with these delicious breakfast sandwiches!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthier takeout: It tastes just like the drive-thru fave, but it’s way healthier with fewer calories.
- Make ahead: Make your McMuffins ahead of time for easy mornings. You can freeze them, too!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
- Ground turkey – make it with ground chicken or use frozen sausage patties or bacon instead.
- Fennel seeds – anise is the best substitute here.
- Paprika – you can use cayenne, but it’ll have more of a kick.
- Garlic powder – onion powder is the best substitute here.
- Eggs – feel free to use egg whites for a healthier option.
- Cheddar cheese slices – to cut down on calories, use a lower fat cheese like provolone.
- English muffins – whole wheat English muffins or lettuce wraps can also be used.
How to make egg McMuffins
Step 1: Assemble your ingredients.
Pre-slice the English muffins and cheese.
Step 2: Make the sausage patties.
Mix together the ground turkey and spices. Form the sausage patties and cook.
Step 3: Crack the eggs into the egg rings.
Crack the eggs, then break the yolk.
Step 4: Cook the eggs.
Cook the eggs until ready.
Step 5: Toast the English muffins.
Lightly toast the English muffins.
Step 6: Assemble your McMuffin.
Add the cheese, sausage and egg to your English muffins, then serve.
Egg McMuffin tips & variations
Here are some of my top tips for making these delicious egg McMuffins:
- Ingredient prep: Freeze the cooked sausage patties and fried eggs ahead of time – yes, you can freeze cooked eggs!
- Cut down on calories: To make these McMuffins even healthier, use egg whites, low-fat cheese and whole wheat English muffins.
- Use a different protein: While sausage is delicious, you could also make these McMuffins with bacon or turkey bacon.
- Swap out the cheese: McDonald’s uses American cheese slices. I prefer cheddar cheese because it’s healthier, but feel free to use any cheese of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
How can I add more fibre to my McMuffin?
Try adding a layer of greens like spinach, kale or fresh lettuce.
Can I use a different cooking method for the eggs?
Yes, you can poach, scramble, or bake the eggs instead of frying them.
How many calories are in an egg McMuffin?
The McDonald’s sausage egg McMuffin has 480 calories, according to the McDonald’s website. My recipe has 408 calories, so you’re saving about 70 calories by making your McMuffin at home.
What kind of meat is in the sausage?
The McDonald’s sausage patty is made with pork, salt, sugar (Dextrose), spices and rosemary extract. My recipe uses homemade sausage patties made with either lean ground turkey or chicken. There also isn’t any added sugar in the homemade sausage patties, so they’re a lot healthier.
How to store and reheat
Store: Refrigerate the assembled sandwiches or individual components in airtight containers for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat the sandwiches in a microwave or oven until warmed through.
Freeze and reheat from frozen: Wrap the fully assembled sandwiches tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave or oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
More meal prep breakfast ideas
Meal prep tools
- These non-stick egg rings are perfect for making these Sausage Egg McMuffins.
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing these Egg McMuffins up for grab & go breakfasts.
- And of course, I get all my free-range ground chicken from Butcher Box!
Sausage Egg McMuffin Copycat Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb Ground turkey or chicken
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 6 eggs
- 6 cheddar cheese slices
- 6 English muffins
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together ground turkey, fennel, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Form 6 patties.
- Preheat 1 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat and then add patties to skillet, cooking for 5 minutes per side until sausage patties are cooked all the way through. Remove sausages from heat.
- Wipe frying pan clean with a paper towel, then spray with cooking spray and turn heat to med-low. Crack eggs into egg rings, ensuring that the rings are firmly touching bottom of skillet so eggs maintain a round shape (see link above for egg rings), then break yolk.
- Cover skillet with lid and cook eggs for about 4-5 minutes or until eggs are firm.
- Lightly toast English muffins in a toaster, then add cheese slices to bottom of muffins. Add sausages and eggs on top of cheese slices and and top with remaining English muffin buns. Serve and enjoy!
Video
Comments & Reviews
Tara says
So easy to prep & I feel better about what I know what goes into this. My pork patties were so tasty! Thank you so much for this recipe. I originally made these for breakfast prep, but it turned into brunch with leftovers. My 10yo really enjoyed his ( without egg). I used yolks only, & saved whites for the Starbucks wraps I’ll make tomorrow.
Watermelon Spice says
I have a question rather than a comment. Would adding just a bit of maple syrup to the raw sausage mixture work? I’m planning on using this recipe for my s.o and I, and we both love maple syrup, it usually goes pretty well with almost anything. I hope to see your response, thank you in advance!
Taylor Stinson says
I’ve never tried it before but I’d imagine it would work!
Steve says
Actually, switching to a whole wheat English muffin (say, by Thomas’s) from white will save you 50 calories…
Daphne says
Is it 406cal for all 6 or only for 1
Taylor Stinson says
It is for each sandwich.
Borg Kimberly says
Hi, thanks for sharing this great recipe!! May I ask if everything can be freezed all together or all the items should be freezed separately please? And also can you advise in what these are best freezed? Thanks again 🙂
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Borg! You can freeze the Mcmuffins in one freezer bag together – hope that helps!
Whitney says
Can you heat these up in the oven? I live in a small apartment and we don’t have room for a microwave. If I heated it up in an oven how long would it take?
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Whitney! You can reheat them in a 350 F oven for about 10-15 minutes, that should do the trick.
Reena Bansal says
I often have to eat lunch in my car between appointments. This sounds like a great grab and go option for me. What would happen if the muffins were toasted before freezing? I love the toasted part of the muffin and don’t want to miss that
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Reena – you could definitely do a light toast on the muffins before freezing if you’d like 🙂
Debriana Brazzanovich says
This sounds awesome! Just wandering how you heat it up in the morn if it’s refrigerated or frozen? I’ve bought the store made version of these can I microwave these the same or should I leave the muffin out? Or can I freeze the whole sandwich then reheat?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Debriana thank you so much! I’m not familiar with the store bought version so would be unable to advise there, but my version can be microwaved for 2 minutes or so. Frozen, you should be able to microwave for 5-6 minutes. You may lose some crunch but the flavour will be there 🙂
Wendy says
I used fresh minced garlic and fresh minced sage leaves and thyme from my garden, sent the sausage OVER the top. I grow a ridiculous amount of every fresh herbs imaginable, and use them in literally everything! Thank you Taylor for your time and efforts here!
Taylor Stinson says
Ooooooh sage is such a great addition! So happy you are loving all the recipes Wendy, it really makes my day! 🙂