Muffin Face-Off: McDonald’s Vs Hungry Jack’s

Fast Food Face-Off is an occasional Lifehacker feature where we compare two seemingly identical takeaway products from rival stores to determine which offers the best value. Today: McDonald’s Bacon & Egg McMuffin versus Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin!

For better or worse, the bacon and egg muffin has become a regular breakfast staple for thousands of Australians on their daily commute to work. It’s relatively affordable, big enough to fill a hole without making you feel bloated and can be eaten with one hand while driving. (This is stupid and dangerous, but then, so is most fast food.)

The majority of fast food chains that open for breakfast offer a variant of this snack, but the most popular choices remain McDonald’s Bacon & Egg McMuffin and, to a lesser extent, Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin. On first glance, both products seem pretty indistinguishable: each is comprised of a toasted English muffin, a single rasher of bacon, cheese and a disc-shaped egg.


Left: Hungry Jack’s. Right: McDonald’s.

However, there are some significant differences in price, appearance, nutritional value and taste that become readily apparent in a side-by-side comparison. Let’s take a look at each in turn.

Price

McDonald’s Bacon & Egg McMuffin commands an asking price of $4. Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin, meanwhile, costs a slightly more reasonable $3.35. Even if you only buy one McDonald’s McMuffin per week, that’s still a not inconsiderable markup of $33.80 each year. As we have demonstrated in the past, Hungry Jack’s also lets you add tomato, onion, lettuce and beetroot to any muffin free of charge, thus upping the value even higher.

When it comes to value for money, Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin is the clear winner.

Appearance

As you can see from the below photo, neither muffin looks particularly mouth-watering: this is breakfast fuel churned off the production line, plain and simple.


Left: Hungry Jack’s. Right: McDonald’s.

With that said, the McDonald’s McMuffin (right) does look slightly more palatable thanks to its darker cheese and well-cooked bacon — there’s even a trace of frying pan charcoal on the meat. By contrast, the Hungry Jack’s bacon looks soft and pale, almost as if it’s been steamed.

When judged on looks alone, the McDonald’s McMuffin comes out on top.

Nutritional breakdown

Energy Fat Sugars Sodium
McDonald’s
Bacon & Egg
McMuffin
1240kJ 13.2g 1.9g 698mg
Hungry Jack’s
Bacon & Egg
Muffin
1255kJ 12.7g 3.1g 790mg

 

As you can see, the Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin is a slightly naughtier choice. On the other hand, it gives you more energy for a smaller asking price, which could be a plus in some circumstances. We’ll let you make the call on this round depending on your lifestyle.

Taste

They say you get what you pay for, and that’s certainly true of egg and bacon muffins. The McDonald’s version simply tasted better. We especially preferred the texture of the bread which was both crisper and fluffier. The bacon was pleasantly firm and there was a lot more flavour in the cheese.


Left: McDonald’s. Right: Hungry Jack’s.

The only things the Hungry Jack’s Bacon & Egg Muffin had going for it was its slightly bigger size. Otherwise, it was trumped by the McMuffin in almost every area. The bread barely felt toasted which is bound to be disappointing if you don’t have a sandwich press handy. (The egg, meanwhile, was equally bland on both muffins.)

Winner: McDonald’s Bacon & Egg McMuffin (just)

It was a close thing, but in the end we had to crown McDonald’s the winner due to the McMuffin’s superior flavour and texture. It also wins points for being available 24/7 – not just during breakfast hours.

With that said, if you’re a stickler for value though, go for the Hungry Jack’s version!

What would you like to see in the next face-off? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.


The Cheapest NBN 1000 Plans

Looking to bump up your internet connection and save a few bucks? Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Kotaku, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


14 responses to “Muffin Face-Off: McDonald’s Vs Hungry Jack’s”