I tried making a McDonald's sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin at home, and it was almost identical to the real thing

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Erin McDowellMay 27, 2020, 01:54 IST
I tried making a McDonald's sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin at home, and it was almost identical to the real thing

Business Insider

  • McDonald's recently released a recipe card for its sausage and egg McMuffin so that people can recreate it at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
  • To see how the McDonald's-approved recipe compared to the real deal, I decided to taste test both of them.
  • I preferred the egg and English muffin in my homemade version.
  • However, the sausage patty in the McDonald's sandwich was well-seasoned and held its own against the homemade version.

As people continue to stay home amid the coronavirus pandemic, it may come as no surprise that fast-food fans everywhere are attempting to recreate their favorite orders at home.

To make the process a little easier, McDonald's recently released its recipe for its famous sausage McMuffin with egg.

As a fan of both home cooking and fast food, I decided to try out the recipe and see how it stacked up against the original McDonald's breakfast sandwich.

Here's how my homemade version compared to the real deal.

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I started by pulling together the ingredients listed on the recipe card released by McDonald's.

I started by pulling together the ingredients listed on the recipe card released by McDonald's.
My breakfast sandwich ingredients. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The recipe card called for an English muffin, 75 grams of sausage meat, eggs, a slice of American cheese, and a potato.

I don't own a kitchen scale, so I planned to eyeball my sausage patty meat. The recipe also gives instructions to make a hash brown, but I decided to stick to just the sandwich for this experiment in fast-food-inspired cooking.

While I didn't have a kitchen scale, there was one tool I absolutely needed to pick up for this recipe — an egg ring.

While I didn't have a kitchen scale, there was one tool I absolutely needed to pick up for this recipe — an egg ring.
A fry pan egg ring. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The recipe card called for a metal one, but I chose this rubber version instead. It ended up working just as well and helped to create the iconic circular egg that McMuffins are known for.

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After popping my English muffin in the toaster, I set about making my egg first.

After popping my English muffin in the toaster, I set about making my egg first.
The egg cooking in the ring. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The recipe card tells you to pour a small amount of water — "just enough water to cover the base" — into the ring and bring it to a boil.

I then cracked my egg directly into the ring.

I then cracked my egg directly into the ring.
The egg cooking in the ring. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

After a few minutes of steaming it, my egg was fully cooked — and looked pretty similar to what I remembered of the one from McDonald's. I then used a spatula to put the egg aside on another plate and removed the ring.

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I then cooked my sausage meat.

I then cooked my sausage meat.
Sausage meat cooking in a frying pan. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I used my hands to mold a small circle of meat, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and placed it in the same pan I used to make my egg.

After about six minutes on each side, my patty was fully cooked.

After about six minutes on each side, my patty was fully cooked.
My cooked sausage patty. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I placed my cooked sausage patty on top of my English muffin and American cheese slice, per the recipe's instructions.

The egg went on last, along with the top of the English muffin.

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To make my homemade version even more similar to the fast-food sandwich, I wrapped it in some parchment paper.

To make my homemade version even more similar to the fast-food sandwich, I wrapped it in some parchment paper.
My finished homemade sausage McMuffin. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

I couldn't wait to dive in and see how it tasted.

To compare how my homemade sandwich stacked up against the original, I swung by my local McDonald's and ordered a sausage McMuffin with egg.

To compare how my homemade sandwich stacked up against the original, I swung by my local McDonald's and ordered a sausage McMuffin with egg.
Sausage McMuffin with egg. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

It came to $3.99. I think this is a relatively good deal, considering all of my ingredients cost me $15.86.

However, your $3.99 will only get you one serving, compared to multiple sandwiches with the store-bought ingredients.

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My version was almost exactly the same size as the original fast-food sandwich.

My version was almost exactly the same size as the original fast-food sandwich.
Sausage McMuffin with egg and the homemade version. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

McDonald's uses yellow paper rather than my plain white parchment paper. Both managed to hold in the heat, however, so this is a great at-home fast-food hack.

The English muffin in the McDonald's version was slightly more toasted than mine.

The English muffin in the McDonald's version was slightly more toasted than mine.
Sausage McMuffin with egg. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Its top muffin also had a slight sprinkling of flour, while mine didn't.

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However, since my muffin was slightly less toasted, it was fluffier.

However, since my muffin was slightly less toasted, it was fluffier.
My finished homemade sausage McMuffin with egg. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

Looking at the two muffins, I noticed that while the cheese in the McDonald's breakfast sandwich was bright orange, mine was a light yellow.

I used Land O'Lakes white American cheese, so that explained the color difference.

Biting into the original McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg, I was surprised by how much flavor it had.

Biting into the original McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg, I was surprised by how much flavor it had.
Sausage McMuffin with egg. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

The cheese was tangy, slightly melted, and the sausage was slightly salty and well-seasoned.

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Biting into my sandwich, I immediately noticed that mine had a lot more egg flavor.

Biting into my sandwich, I immediately noticed that mine had a lot more egg flavor.
My finished homemade sausage McMuffin with egg. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

In the McDonald's version, I barely tasted the egg. However, my egg was gooey and really flavorful, without overpowering the other elements of the sandwich.

The yolk was bright orange and real-looking, unlike the white-and-yellow, perfectly circular egg disk that McDonald's serves.

My cheese was slightly less flavorful than the bright orange kind McDonald's uses.

My cheese was slightly less flavorful than the bright orange kind McDonald's uses.
McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg (left) and the homemade version. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

When it came down to the cheese, McDonald's came out on top.

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My sausage patty was noticeably thicker than the McDonald's version, but this didn't necessarily add flavor.

My sausage patty was noticeably thicker than the McDonald's version, but this didn't necessarily add flavor.
McDonald's sausage McMuffin with egg (left) and the homemade version. Erin McDowell/Business Insider

My patty undeniably tasted more "real," although it was less seasoned or salty. However, I would likely take the original McDonald's patty over mine.

In the end, it truly was a neck-and-neck race between the two almost identical sandwiches. The homemade version trumped the original with its fluffy English muffin, gooey egg, and noticeably meatier patty.

However, the actual seasoning of the McDonald's sausage was superior, and I preferred the slightly-melted orange American cheese in the original.

All in all, they each had their redeeming qualities, and I'd go for either when it comes to a quick breakfast.

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