Grab This Boxed Pantry Staple To Make Easy McGriddle Muffins At Home

McDonald's McGriddle breakfast sandwiches were first introduced all the way back in 2003, and they became a customer favorite in no time at all. What's not to love — it's basically a full breakfast in sandwich form. Pancakes and syrup are represented with maple-flavored griddle cakes as the bread, which enclose a folded egg patty, bacon or sausage, and a piece of melty cheese (you can also swap out the protein for Chick-fil-A breakfast chicken patty, if you don't mind making two stops). If you're feeling McGriddle-y when it's not breakfast hours at McDonald's, though, it's definitely a combination that you can recreate at home. And to make things easier and a lot more convenient, you might consider using a boxed pancake mix, which you likely already have in your pantry, and turning them into muffins.

By using a boxed pancake mix, you'll avoid the hassle of measuring out all the extra little ingredients needed to make the actual muffin batter for these goodies, and make McGriddles a much more accessible option for a weekday dinner or breakfast meal prep. And by turning a breakfast sandwich into muffins, it's a lot quicker and easier to create the same flavors; there's no standing over a stove, laboriously creating perfect sandwich-sized pancakes, then having to assemble all the separate ingredients. You also end up with a great grab-and-go option for busy mornings.

Since you made McGriddle muffins with pancake mix for the ease and convenience of it all, you likely don't want to fuss with storing and reheating the leftovers. Lucky for you, that part is just as simple as the making was. Because they contain perishable elements, they will need to be refrigerated (however, if you were to just make pancake muffins with no mix-ins, they could be kept on your countertop at room temperature, but that defeats the all-in-one breakfast), and they'll keep for three to four days. Just be sure they're in an airtight container like a plastic zip-top bag or a plastic or glass bin with a sturdy lid. To reheat them from cold, pop them in the microwave for a few seconds on high, and if they seem a little stale, you can try the paper bag hack to revive them instead.

Now, if you've made a double-batch, or just more than your household can conceivably consume before four days is up, these also freeze super well. Just a little bit more prep is involved so that they don't stick together; place them so that they're not touching on a tray and stick them in the freezer for about half an hour. Then remove them and put them in a plastic bag or other airtight container, where they'll keep for a few months. If you can remember, take them from the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw overnight before reheating; if you can't, no worries — they'll just need around 25 to 30 extra seconds in the microwave.