Skip The McGriddle: Costco Has A High-Protein Breakfast Alternative

When it comes to a quick breakfast on-the-go, McDonald's is sort of a no-brainer — it has a rich and storied history, after all. There are some old-school McDonald's breakfast favorites, but heck, the classic Egg McMuffin can even get an upgrade via some requested customizations. On the corporate end of things, McDonald's made an interesting breakfast menu upgrade when it introduced the McGriddle in 2003: sweet and savory all mixed together. However, when you don't want to hit the drive-thru, you can plan ahead and swing by the Costco freezer for a perfect McGriddle alternative. Try a box of Mason Dixie Sweet Maple Pancake Sandwiches. They're frozen, pancake-covered breakfast sandwiches with real maple, sausage, egg, and cheese, and they're packed with protein and flavor.

The Mason Dixie sandwiches come in with a solid 17 grams of protein, which is slightly lower than a McDonald's Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddle at 19 grams. However, the Mason Dixie Sweet Maple sandos only have 880 milligrams of sodium each, compared to the McGriddle's 1290, so they're a good choice for a quick hit of protein power in the morning if you don't want too much salt in one go. Plus, sure, Mason Dixie sandwiches are frozen, but so are the eggs on the McGriddle. Egg McMuffin eggs are cooked fresh, but not the folded eggs on the biscuit and griddle sandwiches, so even if you stop by Mickey D's, you aren't getting a truly "fresh" product.

The Mason Dixie sandwiches are enrobed in pancakes, rather than the signature McGriddles with, well, the McDonald's signature on them — an embossed golden arches M logo on what the company calls "griddle cakes." Even so, it seems like the flavor of the two sandwiches is pretty similar. On a Reddit post, one user wrote that they were "essentially the same," although the pancakes in the Mason Dixies didn't have syrup pockets in them (the maple is baked into the pancake itself). And they don't come with cheese, so the user recommended using a slice of American cheese to make it a full-on McGriddle dupe. Plus, adding a slice will give you another 3 or so grams of protein. Want some hash browns with that? They suggested tossing some tater tots into the air fryer. On another Reddit thread, one commenter noted, "[The] pancakes are light and fluffy. The maple flavor could have been stronger. [The] sausage is terrific." But, again, the only complaint came back to the lack of syrup pockets in the pancake itself, but you can pour a little under the top pancake to get you there.

The prep on the box is clearly designed for resale. The times to cook in a Turbo Chef Bullet Oven may not be fully relevant to your household — after all, these are the devices that cafes like Starbucks use to reheat food. But because they come pre-cooked, you can toss them in the microwave until they're good and hot (just watch your hands as you take them out). The brand's website states to microwave them for a minute and 45 seconds. Or follow the Reddit reco and start them in the microwave and finish them in the air fryer at 330 degrees Fahrenheit. If you need a little extra flavor beyond the syrup, a bit of Frank's RedHot might just do the trick.