The Best McDonald's Breakfast Sandwich Is A Classic For A Reason

We'll bet you can guess which sandwich is the best on the McDonald's breakfast menu. It's the symbol of the morning commute, a cultural "a.m." icon, the counterpart to a slower-paced Denny's Endless Breakfast. We're talking about the one and only McDonald's Egg McMuffin, built on two buttery English muffin halves and stuffed with melty American cheese, salty Canadian bacon, and a fresh-cracked egg. The Egg McMuffin isn't just the best breakfast sandwich at McDonald's, the whole world knows its name. And there are plenty of reasons why it's so popular.

When Chowhound ranked every McDonald's breakfast sandwich, the Egg McMuffin came in first place with its excellent balance of taste, texture, and transportability. That thick slab of grilled Canadian bacon (noted by our reviewer as being pleasingly exclusive to this classic sandwich) is captivating between two halves of a buttery English muffin. The egg adds a fresh element to the breakfast sandwich, and the American cheese ties it all together. Even better, everything is the same shape, a round stack of delicious breakfast that's ready to go in just a few minutes. But there's another reason why we ranked the Egg McMuffin as the No. 1 McDonald's breakfast sandwich: It's an icon, with consistency and longevity on its side.

McDonald's Egg McMuffin has been around for 50 years — long enough that some adults have never known life without an Egg McMuffin at McDonald's. The ingredients haven't changed that much over time, either. We've grown to rely on this tried-and-true breakfast sandwich because it's always been there for us, steady and predictable.

The McMuffin has been on the McDonald's menu since 1975, two years before the restaurant chain even offered a set breakfast menu. The first iteration was made with an English muffin served open-faced, topped with a circular egg, grilled Canadian bacon, and a slice of American cheese — nearly identical to the recipe for the Egg McMuffin of today. 

Since its launch, the McMuffin has taken center-stage at McDonald's and in breakfast culture. It was the inspiration for a tongue-twisting jingle in the late 1970's, had a young Megan Mullally and John Goodman raving about it in a Mickey D's commercial in the 1980s, and developed a whole, googly-eyed personality for a "breakfast talk show"-themed McDonald's commercial in the 1990's. Through the first few decades of the 2000's, the Egg McMuffin has stayed culturally relevant, hailed in ads as an "every morning" breakfast and an iconic classic.

Americans love McMuffins so much that in 2016, media headlines claimed the McMuffin saved McDonalds when the chain's launch of the all-day breakfast menu turned sales trends around for the better. And in March 2025, McDonalds celebrated the McMuffin's 50th birthday by showering customers with deals throughout the month, including BOGO events and $1 McMuffin Day for all the varieties of McMuffins with sausage or bacon, and for the OG Egg McMuffin — the same as it's been since 1975.