13 Genius McDonald's Breakfast Ordering Tricks Everyone Should Know

One of the beautiful things about waking up early is the ability to stop by your favorite fast food joint for a quick breakfast. McDonald's serves its breakfast menu until 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m. depending on the location, meaning you have plenty of time to chow down on the menu full of McMuffins, McGriddles, biscuits, pancakes, oatmeal, breakfast burritos, hash browns, and more. There's nothing wrong with ordering something straight off the menu, but part of what makes eating so special is being able to customize your food to your comfort and taste. Not to mention it can be a way to stretch your dollar, ending up with a more filling meal in the process.

While there are hacks that we've covered to upgrade your McMuffin, make the best use of your side of hash browns, and even general tips for ordering any time of day, there are plenty of breakfast ordering tricks you should know for nearly every item on the menu. The next time that you go to McDonald's for breakfast, before you automatically order your go-to, give yourself a chance to try one of these ordering tricks. One of them may actually be a way to enhance something you already love.

The first thing you need to know about McDonald's breakfast is that there are three different types of eggs that it serves. There are the basic yellow square eggs that come on McGriddles. Then there are scrambled eggs that generally come with the Big Breakfast. And lastly, there's the white round egg that comes on the McMuffin. What type of egg you prefer can completely change your breakfast experience. For those who prefer the round egg, you can add it to any sandwich you like. All you have to do is ask at the register (or customize your item in the app or on the kiosk) for the round egg on sandwiches like biscuits or McGriddles.

One Reddit user notes that the round eggs come from real cracked eggs, so if you're looking for freshness, this is the route to go. That's why you can see the yolk in the middle, unlike the other two egg options. Plus, it's still cooked through so there's no runny yolk, and it's closer to a scrambled egg than an over-easy egg.

McDonald's Big Breakfast platter, Big Breakfast with Pancakes, and Sausage Burrito all feature scrambled eggs that one Reddit user discloses come from a carton. These eggs are fluffy since employees cook them on the griddle with butter. The best part is that they are not exclusive to the Big Breakfast platter.

One way to take advantage of the scrambled eggs is to order them on a bagel sandwich. The product significantly bulks up the filling and is often warmer too since it's right off the griddle. But even if a bagel isn't your go-to, you can try these eggs on biscuits, McGriddles, and McMuffins to upgrade the flavor and value for your money. And nowadays, you can even customize the substitute in the app or on the kiosk.

The crunchy, salty allure of McDonald's oval hash brown has customers coming back for breakfast again and again. Usually ordered as a side to sandwich and burrito combos or Big Breakfasts, the hash brown adds a bit of texture to the menu's softer fare. Though if you really want to embrace that crunch, then try adding a hash brown to your breakfast sandwich. Rather than asking the employees to make this one for you, just order your sandwich and the hash brown separately and build it yourself. You could even order a hash brown to go with your Sausage Burrito and crumble it into the mix of eggs, meat, green chile, and onion. Or, go the extra mile here and completely swap your toppings onto two hash browns instead for a hash brown sandwich.

To try something more on the unique side, you can try a hash brown on one of McDonald's burgers, but we'll be honest, this ordering trick can take a bit of planning. In order to get both of these items hot and ready, you'll have to come to the restaurant towards the end of breakfast hours. During breakfast, order your hash brown. Then, wait till the lunch shift happens and head back through to order your favorite burger. Simply stack your hash brown onto the burger and enjoy.

The Big Breakfast with Pancakes at McDonald's comes with three pancakes, a sausage patty, hash brown, scrambled eggs, and a biscuit. While you could eat the hotcakes on their own and build the sausage, egg, and hash brown into a biscuit sandwich, you could also make the whole thing into tacos, making another handheld breakfast for the car.

You're going to fold a pancake like a taco shell and place the egg, sausage, and hash brown in between the layers. Then, simply drizzle your maple syrup on top and bite into the creation like a taco. You can always sub out the sausage too for bacon instead and build them the same way. And even after three tacos, you still have a biscuit left that you can spread butter and honey on. In fact, this might be more of a brunch item for its combination of savory and sweet.

We completely understand being nervous to ask for more of something, especially if there's an upcharge, but in McDonald's case, it's worth it. One of the benefits of ordering with specifications is that you know your food will be made fresh. A sandwich with extra sauce or extra cheese is going to be made on the line at the time you order it rather than just be pulled from existing stock.

There are a lot of "extras" to run down at this restaurant, from add-on ingredients to drink upgrades, sauces, and much more. But YouTuber Number Six With Cheese tells us to focus on adding to the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel specifically.

The ordering trick here is to ask for extra breakfast sauce, onions, and butter on your Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel. The extra butter along with the extra sauce adds a bit of moisture and softness to the usually bready sandwich. Plus, you can always use the scrambled eggs ordering trick above to fill up your sandwich with the fluffier eggs. These modifications may seem small but if you're used to ordering this sandwich, it can make your order feel brand new again.

There are a lot of different sandwich options at McDonald's. You have biscuits, McMuffins, McGriddles, and bagels, all with different proteins and fillings. Some use bacon, others use sausage, and one even uses steak. But just because these sandwiches are set up this way doesn't mean you have to keep the meat stuck to its bread.

For instance, if you don't feel like having a bagel, you can get the Steak, Egg, and Cheese on a McMuffin or biscuit base instead. Or, sub in a McGriddle for a hint of maple syrupy sweetness to your sandwich. You can use this ordering trick with any of McDonald's menu items, so feel free to get that bacon on a hefty bagel next time around.

While we've covered plenty of ways to sub eggs into your order, why not just order eggs on their own? For those following a Weight Watchers program, you can order two round fried eggs and a hash brown, and it equates to just five points. It's even an option on the app now to order just the round eggs.

One thing to note is that there are four different ways to order eggs at McDonald's. Former corporate chef for McDonald's and TikTok user @chefmikeharacz explains that there are round eggs that employees crack fresh into a round mold, the folded yellow egg that comes frozen, scrambled eggs that come from a quality liquid egg product, and the frozen scrambled egg mixture that includes peppers, onions, and sausage for the burritos. You can get any of these eggs on their own; just ask or order in the app.

If you're ordering eggs, you can even mix and match them with other items to create a balanced meal, such as adding a slice of bacon or ordering the eggs alongside McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal.

You can't go wrong with a honey butter chicken biscuit, especially as honey butter and hot honey take the world by storm. While McDonald's does have a new Honey Brown Butter Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit on its menu for a limited time, it won't stay forever. But when it eventually comes off the menu or if your McDonald's is not participating in this item (don't worry, you're not missing out on much; our review notes the flavor is ... mellow), you can create your own with two simple steps.

You're going to order your biscuit as you like it and then ask for plenty of butter and honey on the side. Next, take your time to butter the biscuit; really saturate it in the butter. Then, do the same with the honey. You can have just the biscuit with these two additions or try the combination on a sandwich instead since the sweet is a nice contrast to savory bacon or sausage.

Back in 2018, McDonald's had a Triple Breakfast Stacks McMuffin on the menu. This sandwich was for those who have an insatiable hunger in the morning since it was piled high with two sausage patties, two slices of American cheese, crispy bacon, and a round cracked egg. The good news is you can still make a similar creation just by ordering two of your favorite breakfast sandwiches.

You're going to essentially turn these two items into one, Big Mac-style. Separate the top bread of the first sandwich and put it to the side. Then, simply put your other sandwich on top, and you have a Big Mac-style breakfast featuring a slice of bread in the center, double the meat, double the eggs, and double the cheese.

You won't find this next ordering trick in the app, but we promise it's worth the extra effort to go to the counter or to the drive-thru. Have you ever received a McDonald's hash brown only for it to be a little on the limp side? Make sure that never happens again by ordering your hash brown well done. It's going to make the hash brown a bit darker and crispier. For those planning to pick up their breakfast and take it home to eat, getting the hash brown well done also keeps it from getting too soggy after a long amount of time in the bag.

It is important to note, though, that this trick is up to the employee's discretion. If the restaurant is in rush hour mode, it may not be able to accommodate a longer time in the fryer. But, more often than not they're happy to comply.

If you've ever had the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel from McDonald's, you know about the creamy, tangy breakfast sauce that goes on this order. It's sort of like a dressing or hollandaise, and has a slight smokiness to it as well that really works with the steak. While you may think this condiment is exclusive to this sandwich, you can actually get it on anything that you'd like or even as a side to dip your hash brown or breakfast burrito in.

Think about diving into a bowl of McDonald's fresh round eggs with a drizzle of the breakfast sauce on top. Or, double up your breakfast sauce for a sandwich that explodes with flavor in every bite. The sauce basically serves the same role as mayonnaise, ranch, or even a breakfast gravy by adding that extra touch to simpler menu items.

The McGriddle at McDonald's builds a breakfast sandwich with warm griddle cakes that have maple syrup throughout the cakes. People will order the sandwich without meat, egg, or cheese in order to just get the cakes, but there's actually an easier way. 

The next time you head out for breakfast, ask for just McGriddle cakes. You can get as many as you'd like and even add on a side of maple syrup to dip them in for some extra sweetness. Usually whenever you ask for an order at the restaurant, you'll receive two cakes for one price. It's a great alternative to the pancakes if you're looking for something smaller and more portable to eat on-the-go.

Did you know that McDonald's carries both grape and strawberry jam during breakfast hours? Each comes in a packet that you can squeeze out in a drizzle or spread with a knife. While not all locations carry both of these flavors, most have at least one. To add a touch of fruity sweetness to your morning, you can spread either of these packs onto a sandwich of your choice. These would be especially delicious on any sandwich that uses sausage or bacon since fruit sauces and meat historically go well together thanks to that salty-sugary contrast.

Don't feel up to trying the experimental flavors of meat and jelly? Then, you could even use either of the jams on the McGriddle cakes or plain biscuits to make yourself a bit of a sweet treat for breakfast.