What Ever Happened To McDonald's Breakfast Sauce?

When McDonald's Canada tweeted that breakfast sauce had been discontinued half a decade ago, it sparked global chaos and mayhem. How could the fast food chain get rid of such a beloved condiment? Would breakfast in Canada ever be the same? Would this tragic development spread to the States? And, oh, yeah — what is breakfast sauce, again?

If you've never heard of McDonald's breakfast sauce, you're not alone. Despite its generic name, it only goes on one type of menu item: Bagel sandwiches. As of June 2023, McDonald's bagel sandwiches were only available in three U.S. cities. But customers in other markets — including Florida, New Jersey, and Ohio — have reported their local Mickey D's offering them.

So breakfast sauce is endangered, not extinct. But unless you plan on going on a breakfast sauce safari, you probably can't order a bagel to try it out. Apparently, it tastes like (drumroll please) Hollandaise sauce. It's creamy, eggy, tangy, and cheesy.

The rarity of McDonald's breakfast sauce has inspired dozens of online copycats. But the truth is, it's not that complicated. McDonald's published the ingredients list on its website.

The main ingredients of breakfast sauce are oil, eggs, and vinegar — so, basically, mayonnaise. It's the little extras that give it its distinct flavor. Dehydrated cheddar cheese, buttermilk, and whey all contribute cheesiness. It's hard to say what "natural flavors" and "spices" refer to, but former McDonald's corporate chef Mike Haracz gave a hint on TikTok. "I do like a little dill in there," he said.

Haracz cosigned fellow TikToker Breanna Stark's take on the recipe, which combines mayo, mustard, lemon juice, A1 steak sauce, dill, salt, and pepper. If you live nowhere near a McDonald's location that offers bagel sandwiches, you can try whipping up a DIY version at home.

Note: McDonald's breakfast sauce is not to be confused with McDonald's other various breakfast sauces. Depending on where you live, you can get ketchup, brown sauce, or Sweet & Spicy Jam with your breakfast sandwich.

You can try the McDonald's breakfast sauce at any American location that serves bagel sandwiches. The U.S. McDonald's corporate website still lists breakfast sauce as a component of its sausage, steak, and bacon bagels. (Sorry, Canadians — breakfast sauce really was discontinued for you. All you get with your BLT bagel is mayonnaise-style sauce.)

Finding a location that serves bagels is the problem. McDonald's discontinued breakfast bagels during the pandemic. It has slowly and sporadically reintroduced them in select markets. But where? A McDonald's representative told The Takeout that you can find them in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, DC. According to Chewboom, McBagels have also been spotted in Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New England. And internet commenters in Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin have reported seeing them, too.

If you live nowhere near a bagel-serving location, you can always try to make your own breakfast sauce. It's mostly mayonnaise, after all. Alternatively, you could try making something better: Real Hollandaise sauce.