Healthy Homemade McGriddle (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Keto-Friendly)
You’re going to love this healthy twist on your favorite fast food breakfast sandwich! This healthy McGriddle breakfast sandwich is low-carb, gluten-free, and has no added sugar, making it paleo- and keto-friendly.
What is a McGriddle?
The McGriddle is a popular breakfast sandwich at the major fast-food chain McDonald’s. The standard sandwich consists of fried bacon or a sausage patty, a scrambled egg patty, and American cheese between two maple-flavored griddle pancakes.
Why do people LOVE McGriddles? They’re the perfect combo of sweet (thanks to the pancake “buns”) and savory.
How many calories are in a McGriddle?
Great question! To be honest, I was a little surprised when I saw the nutrition info for a bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle. According to the McDonald’s website, it has 420 calories, 18 grams fat, 45 grams carbs, 15 grams sugar, and 18 grams protein. These numbers seem low (I’m pretty convinced they’re too low), but they’re still a little high for what you’re getting (in my opinion).
That’s why I set out to create a healthier, dietitian-approved McGriddle that won’t leave you feeling sluggish, and that you can make in the comfort of you’re own kitchen – no drive-thru necessary! It’s lower in calories, total carbs, and sugar, yet higher in protein and fiber. It’ll help fill you up, and keep you full and satisfied all morning long.
What’s in a healthy McGriddle?
The original McGriddle gets a lot of its carbs and sugar from the pancake “buns”, so I whipped out my secret ingredient to make a better-for-you version. Enter: Birch Bender’s Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix. This mix is made from grain-free ingredients like cassava, coconut, and almond flours. It’s lower in total carbs than most pancake mixes, has no added sugar, and provides a whopping 7 grams protein and 5 grams fiber per serving (2 small pancakes per serving).
The original McGriddle adds maple syrup crystals to the pancake batter. Although this adds a nice sweetness to the sandwich, it also adds unnecessary sugar and calories. Birch Bender’s mixes are already lightly sweetened monk fruit, so there’s no additional sweetener necessary. However, if you’re looking to add a bit of that maple flavor to the sandwich, you can buy maple breakfast sausage patties, or add a touch of pure maple syrup on top of one of the pancake buns when assembling the sandwich.
*For a keto-friendly version, use Birch Bender’s Keto Pancake & Waffle Mix.
How to Make a Healthy McGriddle
Making this breakfast sandwich is easier than you think – I promise! To make the pancakes, simply combine the Birch Benders mix with the suggested water amount (see package directions) and mix! You’ll need two pancakes per sandwich, so be sure to measure out enough mix.
I used the help of silicone egg rings to make perfectly round pancakes. Although they aren’t necessary, they do make for perfectly shaped “buns”.
Next, you’ll want to cook your eggs and breakfast meat. I replicated the folded scrambled egg patty you see in many of McDonalds’ breakfast sandwiches, and you can watch how I made it in this video tutorial on Instagram. You can also cook an egg in your egg ring mold (if you have one), scramble an egg, or fry an egg sunny-side-up. For the breakfast meat, simply cook according to package directions.
If you’re looking to lower calorie and fat content even more, use one or two egg whites instead of a full egg. You can also choose turkey bacon or turkey/chicken breakfast sausage instead of the pork versions.
What You’ll Need to make this Healthy McGriddle Breakfast Sandwich
Here’s what you’ll need to whip up these healthy McGriddles:
- Birch Bender’s Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix: You can find this mix in many grocery store chains, like Target, or purchase it from Amazon here.
- Breakfast Meat: I used bacon and turkey breakfast sausage in my McGriddles, but feel free to use whatever kind of breakfast meat you like!
- Cheese: The original McGriddle uses American cheese slices (which I’m not a fan of). I opted for thin-sliced cheddar cheese slices instead.
- Eggs: You’ll add one egg per breakfast sandwich. You can cook the eggs however you like – I prefer scrambled here.
Recipe Substitutions
- Vegetarian/Plant-Based: If you follow a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet, you can replace the breakfast meat with a vegetarian breakfast sausage patty, like these Gardein ones.
- Keto Diet: Instead of using the Paleo Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix, use their Keto one.
- Paleo Diet: Omit cheese (or use grass-fed cheese if part of your paleo diet approach).
- Gluten-Free: You’re in luck, this recipe is already gluten-free!
- Dairy-Free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you can use plant-based cheese slice alternative like these Whole Food Plant-Based “Cheddar” slices.
Healthy McGriddle (Paleo, Gluten-Free, Keto-Friendly)
You're going to love this healthy twist on your favorite fast food breakfast sandwich! This healthy McGriddle breakfast sandwich is low-carb, gluten-free, and has no added sugar, making it paleo- and keto-friendly.
Ingredients
- 2 servings Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix (Paleo or Keto version)
- 4 eggs
- Breakfast meat of choice: 4 slices regular bacon or turkey bacon, or 4 turkey or chicken breakfast sausage patties
- 4 slices ultra-thin cheddar cheese
- Optional: pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Mix enough Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mix with water to make two servings (four pancakes total, see package directions). Cook in a large, lightly-greased skillet over medium-high heat until golden on both sides. *Use egg ring molds if desired (see below).
- Cook eggs to your liking: scrambled egg patty (see tutorial video here), plain scrambled, sunny-side-up, or in the egg ring molds.
- Cook breakfast meat according to package directions.
- Assemble sandwiches: place one slice of cheese onto one pancake. Top with egg, breakfast meat, and a second pancake, and serve! Optional: spread a touch of pure maple syrup on one of the pancake "buns" before assembling (maple syrup side should be on the inside of the sandwich).
Notes
See blog post section titled "Recipe Substitutions" for instructions on how to make the McGriddles vegetarian-friendly and/or dairy-free.
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