How Does McDonald's Really Make Its Eggs? The Answer Isn't So Simple

McDonald's uses real, cage-free eggs in all of its egg-based breakfast options, but the way each one is prepared isn't as straightforward. Depending on the menu item, McDonald's actually cooks its eggs in four different ways. These egg variations are: the round egg, scrambled eggs, folded eggs, and Sausage Burrito eggs. And while some of these methods are fresher than others, none of them are necessarily anything to raise an eyebrow at (not really, anyway).

The round egg is the variation used in the classic Egg McMuffin, which is arguably McDonald's best breakfast sandwich, and is prepared by a McDonald's employee cracking eggs into molded egg rings on a grill. The scrambled eggs are also prepared onsite, but use liquid eggs and butter rather than a freshly cracked egg. Butter is poured onto the grill, followed by the liquid eggs. Then, an employee scrambles them up, before dividing them into equal sizes, and placing them in a tray.

From here, the options get slightly less fresh. The folded egg is cooked and flash-frozen by McDonald's suppliers before being delivered in bulk to stores, where each one is then heated up on the grill. The same goes for the Sausage Burrito eggs, with the only difference being that other ingredients are added in (sausage, tomato, chiles). Both of these options use liquid eggs, like the scrambled eggs.

To get deeper into how these eggs are prepared, an insider's perspective is necessary. In a YouTube video, a McDonald's employee showcases the exact differences between the preparations of the two egg variations used in McDonald's breakfast sandwiches: the folded egg and the round egg. After the folded eggs arrive precooked in a clear packaging, they are then lined up on the grill, heated and steamed with some water, and plopped into a tray once cooked, ready to be loaded onto sandwiches, simple as that. The round egg at McDonald's, however, is freshly cracked, on location, into a ring mold; the yolk is broken and a little water is added to steam them.

Obviously one method is much fresher than the other, despite both eggs being used in sandwiches. To order a fresh egg with your McDonald's breakfast (like the Bacon, Egg & Cheese Biscuit or Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles), you're going to have to ask for a round egg, rather than a folded one. You won't have to worry if you're ordering a McMuffin, since all of those sandwich options already come with a round egg. Otherwise, this request will ensure that your egg was made fresh that day, at that McDonald's location. And to make matters easier, this is even an option in the mobile app. Just remember to be polite (and never ask them for a "real" egg).