Give Your Egg McMuffin Twice The Protein With A Simple Ordering Request

In our world of protein-maxxing diets, many are on the watch for ways to increase the protein in their meals. When you're grabbing fast food, it's easy to up that macronutrient with some simple ordering hacks. At McDonald's, for instance, you can power up your breakfast with some quick customization. If the Egg McMuffin is your go-to, one way to boost its protein pack is doubling up on the egg.

Mickey D's took the Egg McMuffin from good to great when the chain began toasting the English muffins in butter. You can take the sandwich from good protein content to great protein content with this eggy ordering tip. The Egg McMuffin already has 17 grams as-is, and doubling the egg can take that all the way up to 31 grams, depending on how you do it.

There are a few options. You can request the addition of a second round egg patty, which is a customization choice in the app (or ask your server if ordering in person). This incurs an upcharge but adds 7 grams of protein. You can also order the extra patty as a breakfast side item and do a little tableside DIY, stacking it onto the sandwich yourself.

For even more protein, you can order a side of scrambled eggs and manually add that onto your McMuffin. This increases the protein by 13 grams. For just a touch more, harvest the scrambled eggs from a Big Breakfast instead, which ups the protein by 14 grams. The bonus with this approach is you have the other yummy Big Breakfast elements to enjoy if you're extra hungry, and you can add the included sausage patty to your McMuffin for even more protein — another 6 grams.

In addition to amping up the egg inclusion, your Egg McMuffin can get a protein upgrade by doubling the Canadian bacon. Requesting an extra round of the meat (in the ordering app or in person) adds another 3 grams, for an upcharge. A second slice of American cheese (also available for an added charge) brings 3 additional grams to the protein party.

Sausage patties can be added, as well, either by snagging them from other breakfast items, as previously mentioned, or by ordering them as standalone side items. Each sausage round you add contributes that extra 6 grams of protein. Two half-strips of bacon are similarly available as a side order, or you could extract them from a bacon-including item, adding 4 grams of protein however you obtain the applewood smoked strips. Even those iconic crispy McDonald's hash browns can do their part if you add an order of them to your McMuffin, contributing an extra 2 grams of protein as well as some added crunch.

A heartier, higher-protein McMuffin can also be achieved by robbing the chicken patty from a McChicken Biscuit and adding that into the mix, which gives you a cordon bleu-style Egg McMuffin. The McChicken Biscuit is only offered at participating McDonald's, though — it's not an option nationwide. So, this hack only works if your local restaurant is one of the participating sites.