Do You Want McDonald's Food To Taste Better? Make It At Home
We all have fond memories of going through the McDonald’s drive-thru and scarfing down Quarter Pounders and fries in the back of the mini van. But it’s time we realized that the best McDonald’s food can actually be made at home with our copycat recipes. Here are five reasons you should make McDonald’s for yourself, plus our favorite recipes.
You Have Ultimate Quality Assurance
If you’ve ever unwrapped a Big Mac and wondered how it could possibly be the same thing as the gorgeous triple-stacked burger in the photo, you know what I’m talking about. No fast food employee is going to care as much about the construction of your food as you. On the other hand, assembling the sandwich yourself ensures it will be layered as perfectly—or not—as you want it to be. The choice is yours.
You Can Truly Have It Your Way
Wish they didn’t put quite so much tartar sauce on the Filet-o-Fish? If you make your own, you can put on as little or as much as you want, and you don’t have to waste time and energy (and paper napkins) scraping it off. Oh, and you can add a slice of cheese to the Big Mac’s top burger patty, because why isn’t there one there to begin with?
You Can Use Fresher Ingredients For Better Flavor
We were never under the impression that McDonald’s was supposed to be “good for us,” but that doesn’t mean it can't be made with high-quality ingredients. Making it yourself means that you can use higher quality ingredients that aren’t as processed which—spoiler alert—will result in food that tastes better. Don’t worry: I’m not asking you to ditch the squishy sesame hamburger buns or American cheese, but at least you’ll know for sure there are real eggs in your McMuffin.
It’s Cheaper
It’s no secret: McDonald’s has gotten more expensive. In the last decade, the dollar menu at McDonald’s has shifted from items costing exactly $1 to items costing between $1 and $3. These days it might actually be cheaper to make those baked apple pies rather than buying them, especially if you make a big batch and freeze them. And then—bonus!—you can pull one out and heat it up whenever the craving hits.
You Can Eat It Hot From The Comfort Of Home
Hunching over a wrapper in the back seat might have been fun when we were 9, but as adults, most of us crave the comfort of an actual chair at dinner. Making McDonald’s at home means we can eat it when it’s hot, fresh, and at peak enjoyability...and from the comfort of our favorite couch corner.
Ready to try it for yourself? Here are our favorite McDonald’s copycat recipes to try that will have you truly lovin’ it.
Big Mac
Fewer culinary accomplishments top making your own Big Mac from scratch—and it’s truly not that hard! Featuring three layers of buns, two beef patties, and the famous Big Mac sauce, our(unsquashed, perfectly stacked copycat version is simply perfect.
Hash Browns
I was skeptical about this one, but Franki’s brilliant recipe for copycat McDonald’s hash browns is so convincing you’d never know it didn’t come in a little bag marked with golden arches. The best part? You can freeze the formed, unfried hash brown patties, and then you’ll have hash browns ready to fry on demand!
Make-Ahead McMuffins
Need to eat ASAP every morning? Our make-ahead Egg McMuffin copycat means you can have breakfast just moments after climbing out of bed. Our version uses crispy strip bacon, but you can mix up and do Canadian bacon if that’s your preference.
McGriddle
Most copycat recipes for this maple-infused pancake BEC call for painstakingly freezing droplets of syrup and then folding the frozen maple bits into the pancake batter, but not Franki’s. Her no-fuss approach promises you magical maple-filled pancakes in just 10 minutes and a dreamy breakfast sandwich in an hour or less.
Shamrock Shake
Want to sip a Shamrock Shake in July? Now you can. Featuring just four ingredients, this recipe is the easiest of all the copycats, and it’s honestly better than the OG.
Filet-o-Fish
Some copycat recipes not only replicate but also improve on the original, and this filet-0-fish does just that. Real fish filets are coated in crispy golden-brown panko and sandwiched between perfectly toasted potato buns for an upgraded sandwich that will hit every nostalgic note.
Baked Apple Pie
Cravings for baked apple pies can hit at all times of the day or night! Whip up a batch of these make-ahead beauties and keep them in the freezer ready so you have a readymade snack on demand.
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