We Tried Burger King's Candied Bacon Whopper And It's Just Not Our Jam
Candied bacon is a sweet edition of a beloved meat treat that's been around for over a century, and yet it's not one often found on the menus of fast food chains. That has changed a bit over the past few years, as Wendy's spiced things up with its Canadian version of the Baconator in 2022, and a year later, Hardee's teased strips of candied bacon for its breakfast items. In 2024, Burger King has quietly unleashed a new take on the classic Whopper it's hoping will prove that candy is truly dandy — the Candied Bacon Whopper.
The Candied Bacon Whopper isn't just a usual Whopper with sugared bacon on top. Burger King is upping the ante by including even more bacon in the form of a jam, added crunch with crispy onions, and some garlic aioli for good measure. This indeed sounds like quite a Whopper. But the question is — will this totally be our jam or is this Whopper more of a whimper? I headed over to my local Burger King to find out. This chew and review is based on taste, texture, presentation, cohesiveness of ingredients, and overall lovability.
What does Burger King's Candied Bacon Whopper taste like?
Before me lies a humble pile of brown seeded buns that don't seem to have much going on between them. Splitting the buns open-faced, the top portion has shards of not-too-crispy iceberg lettuce, laced in a substance that resembles the remnants of a French onion soup. The bottom half has even more lettuce shards strewn about, topping a pair of large tomato slices, concealing the rest of the contents of the burger. Below the tomatoes lies a healthy smattering of crispy onion bits, and a couple of strips of overly crisp, darkened bacon.
The candied bacon is a tad too charred and smells sweet like a cured ham. Despite being covered in all kinds of toppings, it remains crisp and is sticky to the touch. I'm not sure if the teeny onion crisps contain any actual onions, but they're good, and at least pitch in another layer of crunch to this Whopper. The sweet bacon jam that lines the top bun has a nice gentle tang to it, and contains flakes of soggy bacon. I couldn't tell if the garlic aioli was at all present physically, with inspections by both the eyes and mouth.
Overall, the Candied Bacon Whopper tastes like a sweetened Whopper, with various crunchy textures vying for your attention. While there's a lot going on with this one, it's not too much of a mess, and the fluffy bun keeps it all together.
Burger King's Candied Bacon Whopper nutritional info
The Candied Bacon Whopper is a ¼-pound flame-grilled beef patty, topped with slices of tomatoes, lettuce, crispy onions, creamy garlic aioli, bacon jam, and brown sugar candied bacon, all sandwiched between a sesame seed bun.
The single-serving burger is good for 850 calories, 49 grams of fat, 13 grams of saturated fat, 1.4 grams of trans fat, 103.1 milligrams of sodium, 71.8 grams of carbohydrates, with 3.1 grams of dietary fiber, 72.3 grams of sugar, and 41.2 grams of protein.
How to order it and what does it cost?
The Candied Bacon Whopper is available now at participating nationwide Burger Kings, for a limited time only, and while supplies last. The price of this Whopper varies by location, but the one I ordered from a Manhattan Burger King cost $10.89. While Burger King does offer "Burgers for Breakfast," this Whopper did not appear on that rise and shined roster, and therefore is available to order when the day menu begins at 10:30 a.m., until close.
Orders can be placed in-store at the counter, kiosks, and drive-thru, where available. Like all other items at Burger King, the Candied Bacon Whopper can be ordered in advance on its website or through its app. Delivery may also be available in your area, sometimes at a higher cost.
The Whopper can be customized to "have it your way." Any of the main ingredients can be removed, lightly added, or have extra portions added at an additional cost, including a second hamburger patty. Other topping options include American cheese, onions, pickles, ketchup, mayo, mustard, and BBQ sauce. It can also be turned into a combo, with a choice of side and drink. Exclusive promotions and offers are available through the app and website, like the buy-one-get-one-for-$3 deal.
The final verdict
Taken as a whole, the Candied Bacon Whopper is billed as having a lot under its hood, but ultimately it's a more simplistic burger to digest. The double crunch of the bacon and onion crisps was a nice touch, although the wetness of the tomatoes seemed to mask them. That's why I discarded the tomatoes after my first bite.
The bacon jam, which played more like a sweet BBQ sauce, left me a bit conflicted. It definitely made for a uniquely sweet condiment to top a Whopper, but I'm not sure it ultimately was my jam. Maybe the garlic aioli sauce would have balanced it out more, but again, I'm not sure there was any on my burger to begin with, or perhaps it was just drowned out by the other toppings.
The candied bacon was a nice idea for Burger King to try, but I think I'd rather just stick to regular old bacon bacon. Perhaps the home of the Whopper can repurpose these candied strips and stuff them into their AM breakfast sandwich offerings instead. Anyone for a Candied Bacon, Egg & Cheese Croissan'wich? Sounds like a pretty sweet idea to me!