Review: Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit from McDonald’s

Bottom Line: The Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit from McDonald’s delivers a nice twist on a drive thru classic, but it could use more heat.

Swicy—sweet and spicy—continues to be a hot trend (pun intended), and now McDonald’s is jumping onboard with their new Hot Honey Sauce. That “combines the sweetness of honey with the spicy, peppery heat of red bell and cayenne peppers with a hint of tangy vinegar,” and they are offering it as a dipping sauce along with putting it on several of their menu items. I stopped by just recently and got their kicked-up Sausage Egg Biscuit to see how much heat the new condiment is bringing.

That breakfast item includes a sausage patty and a folded egg (which is made from liquid eggs that are cooked and frozen, then reheated with butter for service) stuffed inside one of their hot and fluffy biscuits. The new swicy version has a drizzle of the Hot Honey included.

This breakfast sandwich is a classic for the Golden Arches, not quite as popular as the Egg McMuffin (a favorite of mine), but still a big seller. As with many fast food places, McDonald’s has figured out how to make tasty biscuits that are golden and fluffy with a nice, buttery taste, and those are practically a meal on their own. The sausage has that breakfasty taste you expect, with a touch of fennel and a good savoriness. The folded egg is not as good as the fresh-cracked one you get with a McMuffin (and you can sub that if you want), but it still works out okay with good egg taste and the consistency of an omelet. This version of the sandwich did not include the slice of American cheese, and I did not really miss it.

As for the new sauce, it adds a nice sweetness and has some richness as well. This is not just a kicked-up honey, as they add red bell peppers, cayenne, and vinegar into the mix to give it more depth of flavor. It works well in the breakfast sandwich, giving it that sweet lift and a bit of a zing.

As for the heat, well, this is McDonald’s, which caters to the average consumer, and they tend to come up short on the burn with their spicy items. There is a little bit of a tingle from the “hot” honey, but the sweet definitely beats out the heat. The sandwich does not even get to Mild on my scale, and I tasted a little of the honey on its own, not detecting too much of a kick there either. It is a tasty sandwich with a touch of bite, and I am not looking for too much heat with my morning coffee in the first place, but it could use a little more burn.

Nutrition-wise, the Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit packs in the calories, totaling up to 550 (and 35 grams of fat). If you add hash browns, that’s another 150 cals, and you had better not be including any creamer in your coffee (20 cals). The Egg McMuffin only runs 290 calories, and you can add the hot honey to that for a small surcharge of 39 cents (which I plan on doing next time I go). That might be the better option if you are watching your calories, like many of us are early in the year.

The Hot Honey Sausage Egg Biscuit is on the pricey side at $5.19 for the sandwich, and they charge a couple of extra bucks to make it a combo with hash browns and a drink (fast food is not cheap food these days). McDonald’s is also putting the Hot Honey Sauce on their Chicken Biscuit, as well as their Chicken Sandwiches and Snack Wraps. Plus, it is available in a dipping cup to go with their Chicken Tenders and Nuggets, or you can get it added to any of their menu items for a small charge (though a Hot Honey Big Mac just doesn’t sound appealing to me). I like the sauce well enough and will get it again if they still have it available next time I go to the drive-thru, but it would be nice if it had a bit more heat.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 550
Fat: 35g (15g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 17g
Carbs: 41g
Sodium: 1250mg