This McDonald’s breakfast sauce recipe is a spot on copycat of the now discontinued restaurant favorite. This creamy sauce is quick and easy to make ahead of time, and it goes great with all of your favorite breakfast foods.
My son and I loved McDonald’s steak, egg, and cheese breakfast bagels when we had to rush through the drive thru in the morning.
They were taken off the menu for a couple years, but have since been brought back.
This McDonald’s breakfast sauce recipe tastes just like the original, and is super easy to whip up.
Make it the night before and eat it with your favorite breakfast sandwich for a tasty treat you can take with you!
It only makes a cup’s worth of creamy sauce so you can use a small mixing bowl.
Use a matching lid or cling plastic wrap to tightly cover the mixing bowl, and then put it in the fridge.
Allow the sauce to chill for at least 2 hours, but it can sit overnight if that’s easier.
It will still taste good, but the flavors need time to blend and marry before they can really be what they’re meant to be.
If you have extra McDonald’s breakfast sauce, you can keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
But you can make a big batch on Sunday night and eat it all week!
The bacon, egg and cheese bagel was a popular breakfast sandwich at McDonald’s for years. This toasted bagel sandwich featured a creamy, tangy sauce that perfectly complemented the bacon, egg and melted cheese. But when the bacon, egg and cheese bagel was removed from the McDonald’s menu during the pandemic, fans were disappointed to lose this iconic breakfast item, especially the delicious McDonald’s bagel sauce. So what exactly is the creamy sauce on a McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese bagel?
Introducing McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce
The sauce on a McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese bagel is officially known as McDonald’s breakfast sauce. It’s sometimes referred to as McDonald’s bagel sauce since it was originally served exclusively on their breakfast bagel sandwiches. This smooth, creamy sauce has a tangy, sweet and savory flavor profile It acts as a flavor enhancer that brings together all the components of a bacon, egg and cheese bagel – the bacon, egg, melted cheese and toasted bagel The McDonald’s breakfast sauce adds a rich, creamy element that perfectly ties everything together.
Key Ingredients in McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce
While the exact recipe for McDonald’s breakfast sauce is proprietary information some of the key ingredients in the special sauce have been reported. Based on ingredients listings and copycat recipes, the McDonald’s bagel sauce consists of
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Mayonnaise – Likely provides the base and creamy texture.
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Mustard – Adds tangy flavor. McDonald’s likely uses a yellow mustard.
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Lemon juice – Provides brightness.
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Dill – Fresh dill gives the sauce an herbal note.
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Steak sauce – Boosts umami and savory flavors.
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Garlic and onion powders – Rounds out flavor profile.
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Salt and pepper – Seasons the sauce.
When combined, these ingredients create the perfect savory, tangy and creamy sauce that compliments a bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich.
Flavor Profile of McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce
The overall flavor profile of the McDonald’s breakfast sauce can best be described as:
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Creamy – The smooth, creamy base comes from the mayonnaise.
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Tangy – Mustard and lemon juice give it acidity.
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Savory – Umami notes from steak sauce.
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Herbal – Fresh dill offers light anise flavor.
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Sweet – Hints of sweetness balance out the tang.
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Salty – Saltiness from seasonings.
When you add bacon, egg, cheese and toasted bagel, the sauce pulls all the flavors together into one cohesive breakfast sandwich.
Why the Sauce Was So Popular
There are a few key reasons why the McDonald’s breakfast sauce garnered such a cult following:
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Unique flavor – The blend of ingredients like mustard, lemon and dill created a sauce not found elsewhere.
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Complementary taste – It went perfectly with classic breakfast flavors like bacon, egg and cheese.
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Creamy texture – Its creamy consistency contrasted the crunchy bagel.
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Ties it together – The sauce unified all components into one harmonious bite.
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Addictive taste – Its tangy, savory and sweet flavors were highly craveable.
For many loyal fans, the breakfast sauce was the staple ingredient that made the bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich so memorable and delicious.
Recreating the Sauce at Home
Since the removal of the breakfast bagels, fans have been trying to recreate the famous McDonald’s sauce at home. Luckily, copycat recipes can come quite close to mimicking the original sauce. Homemade versions combine the key ingredients like mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and dill. Allowing the sauce to rest and chill for a few hours lets the flavors mingle. The resulting sauce can be used on breakfast sandwiches, dipping sauces, spreads and more. While not exactly identical, these copycat recipes satisfy the craving for that distinctive McDonald’s breakfast sauce flavor.
The Return of the McDonald’s Breakfast Bagel
In early 2023, McDonald’s began testing the return of the bacon, egg and cheese bagel at select locations. Customers were thrilled to once again enjoy the breakfast bagel sandwich complete with its signature McDonald’s breakfast sauce. While not confirmed for a systemwide rollout yet, the breakfast bagel test run gives hope that this iconic menu item along with its famous sauce may return to participating McDonald’s in the future nationwide.
McDonald’s Breakfast Sauce Legacy
The McDonald’s breakfast sauce undoubtedly left its mark by showcasing how a unique signature sauce can elevate a sandwich. Its popularity exemplified how customers crave one-of-a-kind proprietary flavors. For many, this sauce was the quintessential ingredient that made the bacon, egg and cheese bagel sandwich truly special. While the future of the breakfast bagel remains unknown, the legacy of its delicious McDonald’s breakfast sauce lives on in the fond memories of loyal fans.
What To Use Breakfast Sauce On?
I highly recommend making and using this on our copycat McDonald’s Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagels.
It also pairs really well with our sausage breakfast burritos recipe.
You can also dip almost any breakfast sandwich in it or use it on breakfast pizza, nachos, or both.
If you have leftovers, this sauce goes great with both grilled chicken or steak.
- If watching your sodium intake, you can omit the salt.
- You can use Dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard if you don’t have any on hand.
- Don’t have steak sauce? Use Worcestershire sauce instead.
- Don’t skip the chill time! It may not seem important, but this step gives all the ingredients time to mix and develop their full flavors.
- Recipe can be doubled if serving a larger crowd.
How Many Servings In This Recipe?
As written this recipe will make a little less than a cup of McDonald’s breakfast sauce.
An actual serving size would be 1-2 tablespoons of sauce.