We Tasted 12 Frozen Breakfast Sandwiches To Find Out Which Is The Best
In a fast-paced world, who has time for breakfast? Most people grab that morning cup of coffee and let caffeine act as a suitable replacement, but did you know there's a world of options in the freezer aisles waiting to be your early-morning companion? Enter the frozen breakfast sandwich. But with an abundance of choices, how does one discern the best among them?
I took on the arduous challenge of taste-testing 12 different frozen breakfast sandwiches from various brands. Sausage, bacon, plant-based, some without bread — you really can find anything to suit your tastes and dietary needs. This endeavor was not just about personal preferences, though. Instead, it was a mission to decipher the nuances of taste, texture, and overall breakfast satisfaction.
From delicious croissants with sausage to fluffy English muffins with bacon, the contenders varied in style and substance, promising a diverse range of breakfast experiences. Brace yourselves — the quest for the best frozen breakfast sandwich is about to commence!
Read more: The 11 Best Frozen Burger Brands Available
12. Great Value Croissant Sandwich
I'm at a point in my food journey where I never know what I'm going to get with grocery store brands, especially Walmart's Great Value products. For this taste test, I chose the sausage, egg, and American cheese croissant. I have to say, this one looked pretty good, even though it had lots of unpronounceable words on the ingredient list — but when it comes to most freezer food, that's to be expected. I followed the box directions to a T, and let the microwave gods take over.
The croissant wasn't too bad. A little soggy on the bottom, but it was better than expected for a frozen option. The real disappointment was the taste, as the bread was pretty bland. When you take a full bite, you can only taste the sausage. The pork was spice-heavy, which wasn't necessarily bad, but it definitely overpowered the overall flavor profile. Between the missing taste in the pastry and too much spice in the sausage, I wouldn't reach for this again. The lack of balance wasn't worth it.
11. Morning Star Veggie Breakfast
In the world of frozen breakfast sandwiches, I was surprised at how many plant-based, vegan, and gluten-free options I found. We've really come a long way in the culinary scene, haven't we? One brand I'm familiar with and do enjoy is Morning Star, so I grabbed their veggie sausage, egg, and cheese on an "English muffin" thin.
I personally like the taste of Morning Star's sausage because it has this fried food flavor with depth you just can't seem to find anywhere else, so I was eager to try it. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed with this breakfast sandwich. The "thin" was overcooked and tasted of wheat — that healthy bread vibe with no moisture or flavor. The sausage was fine though, and tasted just like the brand's other sausage options. While the flavor is good, don't expect a meat texture or taste; you won't find it here. Regarding the cheese, my favorite part of any breakfast sandwich, it was simply meh.
Overall, there was something about this combination of flavors I just didn't like. I'd rather make my own or reach for another "healthy" or vegetarian option. This one wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't a top contender.
10. Field Roast Classic Style Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwich
Up next is a plant-based brand I'd never heard of called Field Roast Meat & Cheese Co. I tried the classic-style sausage, egg, and cheese. The ingredient list featured lots of mung bean and pea protein, which is always nice to see over soy, but what I liked right off the bat was that the sandwich itself was huge. This one is the size of a real breakfast sandwich you'd order out at a cafe or fast-food joint.
While first impressions were good, the bread did not cook well. It was hard in some spots and pretty chewy. Chewy bread is the top reason I struggle with most frozen breakfast sandwich options. I felt the disappointment creeping in. Regarding taste, it was fine. It wasn't gross or bland, but it's one of those vegetarian sandwiches you know has fake everything. Thanks to that coconut base, the cheese was nice and creamy, but the "sausage" was mediocre. I did taste spices on the back end, but there wasn't much flavor to report. Honestly, the bread was what really ruined it for me. And with lackluster "meat," this one goes on my food-tasting list of hard nos.
9. Breakfast Best Croissant Sandwich
As a new member of the Aldi cult, I was interested to see how the grocery chain stood up to the rest of the pack. I tried the Breakfast Best brand's pork and chicken sausage option with egg and American cheese on a croissant. As with all of these sandwiches, I followed the directions on the box to the letter, but this one needed a little more time to cook.
Looking at the sandwich, it had an aesthetic appeal, but the taste was a different story altogether. The croissant was a little tough to chew in some places, and there was no real flavor profile to be found. The sausage was bland, even when eaten alone. I won't say Aldi's option was bad, per se, but there weren't any bold flavors, and it didn't cook up perfectly as I'd hoped. In my opinion, there are way better options in the freezer aisle, so my suggestion is to keep looking.
8. Trader Joe's Eggwich
While Trader Joe's makes some killer snacks, I was a little hesitant to try the chain's Eggwich Breadless Breakfast Sandwich, featuring turkey sausage and American cheese between two egg patties. Overall, I'm surprised to report this one wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
The Eggwich has a decent ingredient list — short with only a few additives. But as someone with sensory issues, the texture and the noise it makes when you bite into the egg patties were too much for me. If you don't care about stuff like this, keep reading. When it comes to flavor, there wasn't much to report outside of "egg". Even though you do get a lot of the cheese flavor, there isn't much else in the profile. The sausage tastes watered down, too, with no bold spices to report.
In the grand scheme of breakfast sandwiches, this one doesn't taste bad. I can absolutely see the appeal here when it comes to health and wellness, but if I'm eating a breakfast sammy, I want a good one with bread and more pops of flavor. If you have a gluten intolerance, or you're trying to watch your carbs and/or eat healthy, have at it.
7. Swaggerty's Sausage Egg & Cheese Muffin
Next up is Swaggerty's sausage, egg, and cheese muffin with fresh pork and no fillers. I have to say, I love the name on this one. While the size of this sandwich was on the larger side, the English muffin was a little soggy with hard spots in some areas. However, this sammy made it further up the list because of its taste.
This breakfast sandwich tasted great with a stellar balance of sausage flavor and cheese. You get the spice from the pork sausage, with the cheese shining through the other flavors in the profile. It tasted homemade in a lot of ways, and I am always here for that, especially with frozen foods.
However, the texture of the muffin keeps this one lower on the list, but maybe that's just because of my lack of microwaving skill. While I probably wouldn't buy this brand again, because there are so many more options out there, I think this brand could work if you're in a pinch.
6. Signature Select Biscuit Sandwich
Coming in 6th is the Signature Select brand's biscuit, egg, American cheese, and bacon sandwich. This one was a lot smaller than expected, and honestly, it didn't look great right out of the package. But you know what they say: Never judge a book by its cover. Or biscuit?
The biscuit itself was delicious and had a great texture. With that said, that bread is definitely the most prominent flavor you'll taste here. The next flavor you'll find is the bacon, which features a little bit of smokey goodness, but the texture was too chewy for me. It screamed microwaveable bacon. Lastly, you'll notice the egg, which was very thin, and unfortunately, you don't really taste the cheese either. A strong start with a mediocre finish.
As a whole, this option was a lot better than I originally expected. I really liked the biscuit, and if you like that traditional dough flavor from a homemade biscuit, I think you'll like this option, too. Overall though, this one lacked balance, which is a no-go for me.
5. Cloud'wich
I didn't know what I was getting myself into with this brand called Cloud'wich. I was deeply curious about it, as the bread is an egg-based "bread". I tried the original version, which is also keto-friendly and is made with real eggs, pork sausage, and cheddar cheese on Cloudies gluten-free Cloudbread.
This breakfast sandwich had a decent ingredient list compared to most. It cooked up quickly but had a lot of egg flavor, as you'd expect. It almost overpowers the rest of the sandwich, but it finds a better balance over the Trader Joe's option. While the sausage is pretty bland comparatively, it's still good, and the overall taste doesn't scream healthy, which is always a plus.
I guess health and wellness do come with taste when it's made by Cloud'wich. If you want a quick and easy breakfast option that has health in mind and tastes good, give this one a try!
4. Alpha Breakfast Sandwich
Next up is the Alpha brand with its meatless spicy chorizo, plant-based egg, and cheese. I have to tell you, I was just as surprised as you are that a meatless option made it this far up on the list. While this sandwich contains lots of coconut and soy, you won't find it in the taste. Color me intrigued.
The packaging claims the sandwich is spicy with two peppers denoting heat, and you can smell the peppers and chilies right when you open the package. The bread was good — no negative notes there — but the "Tabasco" flavor overpowers everything. And boy, does that spice creep up on ya!
My verdict: You have to love spicy to love this one, but for a plant-based option, this was killer. The texture of the "meat" was on point, and the flavors were bold and delicious. While I'm not a huge heat person, I highly recommend this one for both spice lovers and plant-based eaters.
3. Jack & Annie's Sandwich
I can't believe how many plant-based options are in my top 5, but my mouth has spoken — literally. Coming in 4th is Jack & Annie's offering a plant-based sausage made with jackfruit, real egg, and cheese. While the entire sandwich was great, I loved the soft baked bread that kind of has the look/feel/taste of focaccia. It made this one stand out next to all the English muffins and croissants. However, this one got a little messy in the microwave, as the bread wasn't fully capable of holding in all that flavor.
The sausage was whatever, regarding taste. It's nothing to write home about, but I have no negative notes. The texture was great though, especially for a meatless option. You can pick up some spices in the profile, but it's pretty bland overall. Between the cheese and the herbs in the bread, there was enough flavor to go around.
Overall, I'd pick this as my favorite non-meat option any day. I'm telling you ± give it a try!
2. Mason Dixie Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich
Mason Dixie claims the second-place spot with its Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich. This one features no nitrates or nitrites and offers real ingredients with the 'eat what you know' label. Right off the bat, it was a great start.
The breakdown for this one is a cheddar cheese biscuit with egg and pork sausage. The biscuit tastes and feels fresh, and so do the eggs. They don't taste processed whatsoever, as if someone cooked them up right here and now. There wasn't a lot of sausage flavoring, but again, this entire sandwich felt and tasted like homemade.
My summary of the second-place winner is that this is a solid choice for those not wanting a lot of additives or chemicals. The flavor is there, too, and in such a unique way compared to the rest. The only reason I wouldn't put this first is because I love melted cheese and that cheese is in the biscuit.
1. Jimmy Dean English Muffin Sandwich
When I think of breakfast sandwiches, my head definitely goes to Jimmy Dean, and there's a reason this brand is the king of the frozen food aisles. Its English muffin pork & chicken sausage, egg, and American cheese sammy was my top choice, with taste and texture aligning to near perfection.
While the ingredient list is long and painful, this is a solid breakfast sandwich. The English muffin was perfect, especially for being frozen. The bread was soft and not chewy at all. Color me impressed! Also, this sandwich cooked all the way through with the boxed directions. The most prominent flavor was the sausage with that typical taste of spice, and I had a feeling it would be good since the brand offers an array of meats, both frozen and non. The cheese and egg were solid, too. No notes here.
This brand is popular for a reason, and after eating way too many breakfast sandwiches, I can safely say it's a winner. Sometimes the tried and true names are known as such for a reason. When it comes to frozen sammys, I'm sticking with old reliable.
Methodology
For this taste test, I bought and sampled each product, following the microwave cooking directions exactly. I focused mainly on taste, but the texture was also a major driving force. No one wants soggy or hard bread in their breakfast sandwich. I did look at the ingredients, but at the end of the day, if it didn't taste good, it was out.
Read the original article on Daily Meal.