How To Make 10 Iconic McDonald's Menu Items At Home Slideshow
McDonald's Egg McMuffin
Who knew that McDonald's made such progressive movements in one decade? In the 1970s, not only was the Egg McMuffin introduced to the menu, but you could also order it at their brand-new drive-thru. As the first meal McDonald's used to break into the breakfast world, the McMuffin consisted of an egg, Canadian bacon, and cheese on an English muffin. This breakfast sandwich rings in at 300 calories with 12 grams of fat on average, and even with the climbing calorie count, the McMuffin has since evolved over the years, and sometimes you can even order it with the meat of your choice (like SPAM).
McDonald's Egg McMuffin: How To Make It
This breakfast sandwich centers entirely around an egg mold. By cooking an egg inside the mold, the folks at McDonald's ensure the egg cooks fast and evenly. A slice of Canadian bacon and cheese and an English muffin is all that's left needed to complete the popular menu item.
McDonald's McGriddle
What's better than a McDonald's Egg McMuffin? A McDonald's Egg McMuffin served in between two pancakes. When McDonald's introduced the McGriddle to menus of various countries in 2003, people were more than excited to try this new take on the breakfast sandwich, and the company made the smart decision to introduce it to all of their menus. Though this sandwich receives flack for its health content — a pancake-wrapped breakfast is a bit decadent — it still remains one of McDonald's most loved menu items. On the McDonald's menu, the sandwich is about 460 calories and 21 grams of fat, our recipe has a little less overall intake so you can enjoy this treat without as much guilt.
McDonald's Bacon, Egg, and Cheese McGriddle: How To Make It
A sandwich between two pancakes sounds exciting and perfectly filling. And that's exactly what the McGriddle is. The sandwich is definitely not a light breakfast, but if you love all of your favorite breakfast treats in one wrapper, than we say go for it. What's unique about both McDonald's McGriddle and our rendition of the sandwich, is that the pancakes are not pancakes, their unique ingredient gives the cake both flavor and color which a normal pancake would lack.
McDonald's Big Mac
The Big Mac — where to begin? This sandwich has always been there for us at one time or another. During a burger craving on a random weeknight evening, after a long sporting event, after a stressful flight, or even at midnight, drunkenly enjoying one in the back seat of a friend's car. A pile of three pieces of bread, two all-beef patties, crisp pickles, multiple pieces of cheese, and crunchy lettuce, the burger makes us thankful for the city of Pittsburgh, which introduced this it in 1967. What sets this apart from all of the other burgers that McDonald's serves is the sauce. Though the recipe has unofficially been leaked to the general public, it never tastes quite right. Well, we're here to fix that. The first clue to success is to keep the proportions of burger to sauce the same every time. McDonald's uses a machine designed like a caulking gun in order to do this precisely every time, but we're ok with a tablespoon measure. At 550 calories and 29 grams of fat, we understand why this can only be an occasional meal, but if you make it in your own kitchen, you've already burned off the calories, right?
McDonald's Big Mac: How To Make It
It could be argued that the Big Mac is responsible for most of McDonald's fame, with its unmatchable special sauce and double patty combo. This recipe is more about the assembly of the sandwich and getting the sauce to patty ratio right than any challenging ingredient preparation. We all know that this sandwich isn't an everyday kind of serving, but it's definitely okay for when the craving strikes, and this recipe makes it possible for you to enjoy it any time, homemade.
McDonald's Classic Cheeseburger
Did you know that McDonald's was once called McDonald's Bar-B-Q? Dick and Mac McDonald had no idea that at the time, but their extensive barbecue menu wouldn't be how they made their profit. The McDonald's Cheeseburger was there from the get-go, but the sales took off during the '60s and McDonald's began to focus on the reliable, profitable burgers and fries. At just at 250 calories per burger with 9 grams of fat, dont be surprised if you catch yourself eating more than one.
McDonald's Classic Cheeseburger: How To Make It
This recipe is so easy to make, for no reason other than its simplicity. While ground beef and chese are the two focal points of this recipe, the onions accent the burger, btu it doesn't get more complicated than that. McDonald's classic cheeseburger is one of their staple menu items, it's a small burger, so its understandably not too difficult to get the recipe just right, but if you follow ours you're sure to get the authentic taste of the burger.
McDonald's Filet-o-Fish
Ray Kroc introduced this still wildly popular item in 1963 to give Catholics a reason to visit McDonald's on Fridays during Lent. The sandwich had a lot to live up to — it was the first item that McDonald's released that wasn't a part of their original menu (hamburgers, fries, milkshakes). While it outdid it's fellow menu items in both calories and fat content (at 390 calories and 19 grams of fat per serving) we think that the tartar sauce is worth it. The Filet-O-Fish is made with a simple white fish patty that's lightly coated and fried and placed on top of a buttery and sweet warm bun. But without the McDonald's tartar sauce, this recipe would just be another run-of-the-mill fish patty sandwich. At 390 calories per sandwich with 19 grams of fat, this fish sandwich
McDonald's Filet-o-Fish: How To Make It
Though this was originally invented to give more options on Friday's during Lent, this sandwich has become a favorite over the years. Most people would agree that it's not the fish that sets this sandwich apart, but the sauce that's on the bun. And the best part is that because you're making it at home, you're in charge of how much of that tangy sauce goes on your patty.
McDonald's McNuggets
Originally known as Onion McNuggets, this iconic menu item was introduced to the McDonald's menu in 1979 after a discussion between Rene Arend, McDonald's executive chef, and Fred Turner, McDonald's CEO at the time, about changing the item. When Turner suggested chicken, Arend immediately began making the recipe, and then decided that the Chicken McNuggets were infinitely better than their onion counterparts. At first the company couldn't provide enough chickens to supply all of the franchises at the time, however by 1983 that was no longer a problem. With only 190 calories calories and 12 grams fat per four McNuggets, its no surprise that these started to be offered in 20-piece orders.
McDonald's McNuggets: How To Make It
It's hard to believe that chicken breast cut and coated in batter a few times could taste as good as a four piece McNugget, but from what we learned, it can. While the calorie content on these McNuggets is fairly low compared to the rest of the menu, you can make this recipe even healthier by making them at home.
McDonald's McRib
The McRib, one of the most anticipated and sought-after menu items from McDonald's. If you don't believe us, then just take a look at their app that shows which locations exclusively offer this sandwich. Though it was introduced to the menu in 1982, it failed to make sales, and was removed in 1985. It was reintroduced in 1989 but then taken off the menu again in 2005, and is now only sold periodically. Perhaps the disappearing act adds to its allure, or perhaps it's just its delicious taste. So many people love it that Rosie O'Donnell even posed as Betty Rubble in a commercial to advertise the McRib, which looks remarkably similar to the pork patties they eat in the 1994 Flintstones film. With a whopping 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, this sandwich is one of the highest fat concentrations on the menu. But what sets our McRib apart from the other recipes, is that ours is pimped out!
McDonald's 'Pimped Out' McRib Recipe
Because this "promotional" menu item is only available on McDonald's menus for limited amounts of time, it's quite sought after. Our recipe uses fresh pork ribs, sliced onion, and pickles on fresh bread, letting this recipe give McDoanld's some competition. This recipe makes it possible for you to enjoy a McRib without the McRib Tracking App, and with the restaurant version being 500 calories, it might be worth trying to make this sandwich at home.
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
At 520 calories and 26 grams of fat, for a standard Quarter Pounder with cheese, the McDonald's menu item is among the most beloved, most caloric permanent menu items. The McDonald's Quarter Pounder was first introduced into the United States in 1973. Outside of the United States, the 'QP' also goes by the names of the McRoyal, or the McRoyal with cheese. Although varieties exist, most people in the United States enjoy a delicious quarter pound of beef with cheese, kisses of mustard and ketchup, raw onion, and pickles. This burger is so simple and delicious it's almost too good to be true.
Click here to see the McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Recipe
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese: How To Make It
The McDonald's Quarter Pounder looks a lot larger than their standard patties, but it actually becomes smaller as you cook it. Don't worry about drying it out while cooking, because the freezing process should help with keeping moisture in the burger. This burger is famous for its ability to have the taste of a classic cheeseburger, but fill you with only one burger.
Click here to see the McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese Recipe
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich
A fried breast of chicken, topped with two dill pickles, and placed on top of a warm, buttery bun? It sounds eerily like a Chick-fil-A sandwich, but the McDonald's rendition has something unique about it. You not only can enjoy this Southern specialty for lunch or dinner at McDonald's, but you can have the same chicken recipe for breakfast, too (a biscuit makes a huge difference). With the sandwich ringing in at 420 calories and 19 grams of fat, its an easy calorie-splurge to make for such a delicious sandwich. McDonald's customers have loved the simple, tangy, flavors of the sandwich ever since it came out.
Click here to see the McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Recipe
McDonald's Southern Style Chicken: How To Make It
This sandwich proves that there's nothing better than a simple crispy chicken cutlet topped with fresh pickles and placed on a buttery bun. The best part is, its even simpler to make.
Click here to see the McDonald's Southern Style Chicken Sandwich Recipe
McDonald's Apple Pie
Ah, McDonald's apple pie — we liked you better when you were fried, but we also understand why that can't be anymore. Ever since McDonald's started transitioning their menu to target a nutritionally conscious crowd, we've had to settle for our dessert pies un-fried, which are technically turnovers, baked but still delicious. Introduced in the late 1960s, these small dessert treats were immediately hits. There's nothing more American than hamburgers, fries, milkshakes, and pies — and you can find them all under the golden arches. At 250 calories and 13 grams of fat per pie, it's no wonder when we're craving these we always stock up on more than one.
McDonald's Apple Pie: How To Make It
When McDonald's stopped frying their pies, we think they lost a lot of their texture. Making them at home, however, lets you dictate just how crispy you want your pie to be. Don't forget to spray water on the pie before it goes into the oven, though, so that the inside can stay moist and doughy. Making your own ingredients also lets you be in control of how full the pie is, how gooey the apples are, and even how warm it is when you consume the pie.