The Spicy McMuffin: The Breakfast That Wakes Up Your Taste Buds
This homemade Spicy McMuffin Breakfast Sandwich is a delicious and easy-to-make copycat recipe that brings the bold flavors of your favorite fast-food breakfast right to your kitchen. Featuring juicy, seasoned sausage patties, perfectly cooked eggs, melted cheese, and a zesty spicy sauce, it's the perfect way to kickstart your day with a satisfying and flavorful meal. Customize the spice level to your liking and enjoy a fresh, hot breakfast in minutes.
Ingredients
For The Spicy Sausage Patties:
- 450 g 1 lb ground pork (or chicken/turkey for a lighter option)
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp ice-cold water
For The Eggs And Cheese:
- 4 large eggs
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 4 slices sharp cheddar or pepper-jack
For Assembly:
- 4 English muffins split
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- Hot-honey mayo or homemade spicy sauce
Instructions
Season & Shape The Patties:
- In a mixing bowl, combine all sausage-patty ingredients. Work the spices through the meat gently—over-mixing makes tough patties.
- Divide into 4 equal balls and flatten into 9 cm/3½-inch rounds (slightly larger than your muffins; they’ll shrink as they cook). Chill while you prep the rest.
Cook the muffins and patties:
- Toast the muffins: Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet over medium. Lightly butter the cut sides of each muffin and toast them, butter-side down, until golden. Set aside, toasted halves facing up to keep the edges crisp.
- Cook the patties: In the same skillet (medium-high now), cook the sausage patties 3–4 minutes per side until deeply browned and the internal temp hits 70 °C/160 °F. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
The Perfect Circle Eggs:
- Reduce heat to medium-low. If you have greased mason-jar rings or an egg ring, place them in the pan; otherwise, make free-form fried eggs.
- Crack an egg into each ring, season lightly, pierce the yolk with a toothpick (so it spreads for that classic McMuffin texture), and add 1 Tbsp water to the pan. Cover with a lid; steam-cook 2–3 minutes until the tops look just set.
- Melt the cheese: Lay a cheddar slice over each egg for the final 30 seconds so it fuses while the steam is still trapped.
Assemble:
- Spread hot-honey mayo (or your homemade spicy sauce) on both muffin halves.
- Bottom half → sausage patty → cheesy egg → (optional extras) → crown with the top half. Press gently so those layers mingle.
Notes
For the spicy sauce, you can make your own by mixing mayonnaise, white vinegar, pickled jalapeño juice, finely chopped pickled jalapeños, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt, and sugar. Adjust to taste.
•For a lighter option, use ground chicken or turkey for the patties.
•For vegetarian options, replace the sausage patty with a suitable vegetarian patty.
•To store, refrigerate assembled McMuffins for 2-3 days, or freeze cooked patties and eggs separately.
•Reheat in microwave (30-60 seconds) or toaster oven for crispier muffins.