When is an egg not an egg? Customers are much more picky these days about the ingredients in fast-food meals, not just because those menu items are expensive, but because we have better access to information about whole foods vs ultraprocessed food products. Restaurant chains now go out of their way to explicitly state when an egg in a menu item is “freshly cracked” vs an egg-based premixed scrambled product: Here are five fast food chains that don’t serve just 100% real eggs.
Taco Bell
Taco Bell uses premixed cage-free eggs for menu items such as the Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito, Breakfast Quesadilla Sausage, and Breakfast California Crunchwrap. So what exactly is in that egg mix? According to Taco Bell it includes cage-free whole eggs, soybean oil, salt, citric acid, pepper, flavor (sunflower oil, flavors), xanthan gum, and guar gum. The breakfast menu has a devoted fan following who say the price point cannot be beat. “Hot take: I prefer it to their regular menu,” one Redditor raved.
Jack In the Box
Jack In the Box uses a freshly cracked egg for menu items like the Extreme Sausage Sandwich (easily in the top three for best fast-food breakfast sandwiches in the U.S.), and a scrambled egg mix for items like the Meat Lovers Burrito. According to Jack in the Box, the ingredients for the scrambled eggs include whole eggs with 19.0% added water, egg whites, butter flavor, and more.
Burger King
Burger King uses a liquid egg mix for breakfast items like the Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissan’wich. If you don’t mind the not-real-egg issue, the chain has decent offers through the app. “The Crossanwich is hands down the best fast food breakfast item,” one fan said.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s used a beautiful freshly cracked egg on its Egg McMuffins and a precooked mixture on others. “Our folded eggs, like the ones on a Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit, are made with liquid eggs that are pre-cooked and folded before being flash frozen by our suppliers. Once in our kitchens, they’re prepared on the grill with real butter,” the chain says.
Dunkin’ Donuts
Dunkin’ Donuts uses a premade egg mix for items like the Egg and Cheese on English Muffin. Ingredients include egg whites, egg yolks, soybean oil, water, corn starch, xanthan gum, and more. Other menu items that use a premix egg product are the Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a Bagel with Chipotle Aioli, and the Biscuit, Bacon, Egg and Cheese.
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