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If you have time to make a nice, healthy breakfast every morning with a fresh cup of coffee while reading the morning news, well, quite honestly you shouldn’t be reading this website. For the rest of us, getting some morning nutrition can be quite a struggle. If there isn’t leftover cold pizza or Chinese in my fridge, the chances of me eating a breakfast at home are slim-to-none. Therefore, I’m often left living the drive-thru life.
Now that we’re well into the 21st century, drive-thrus are a lot better than they used to be and offer many more options than just an Egg McMuffin – in fact, sometimes I even look forward to my fast food breakfast. For your benefit, I’ve scoured America’s drive-thrus for the best and tastiest options to determine what truly is the breakfast of champions. As an added bonus, I’ve also included nutritional information (when available) to help you determine which of these options will set you back the least on your quest to finally have a beach body by the start of the summer.
6. Taco Bell
Order: Sausage Grilled Breakfast Quesadilla and OJ
Taco Bell revolutionized the drive-thru game a few years ago with the introduction of their breakfast menu. What was most shocking about their menu wasn’t the offerings themselves, but the fact that they actually didn’t suck. Get a bite of Mexican-inspired breakfast dishes without the fear of the Taco Bell entrees with a sausage grilled breakfast quesadilla with some OJ on the side, and get a solid start to your day. While some of the breakfast options (ahem, Cruchwraps) contain nearly a day’s worth of calories, a breakfast quesadilla will give you just the energy boost you need to make it to lunchtime. Additionally, sticking with one quesadilla and an OJ is a relatively low-cal breakfast option, so your calorie tracker app will actually be happy with you (for once).
Nutritional Information: 370 Calories; 14g Fat; 420mg Sodium; 47g Carbs; 28g Sugar; 9g Protein
5. McDonald’s
Order: Bacon, Egg, & Cheese McGriddle and OJ
McDonald’s has come a long way with their drive-thru offerings and surprisingly isn’t the worst pick you can make for breakfast. While they may never return to the golden days of offering mini Beanie Babies with their meals, you can still stop by for a quick breakfast that actually tastes pretty good. While I still wouldn’t recommend this stop for coffee lovers, a breakfast sandwich and OJ here will be substantially better than whatever you managed to find in your fridge this morning.
Nutritional information: 610 Calories; 21g Fat; 1250mg Sodium; 82g Carbs; 45g Sugar; 21g Protein
4. Dunkin’ Donuts
Order: Blueberry Cobbler Croissant Donut, Hash Browns, and Iced Coffee
While it’s no secret that Dunkin’ is far from my favorite donut shop, the introduction of their croissant donuts completely revolutionized their breakfast offerings. I’m not promising that they won’t grant you instant diabetes, but the minute you consume one of their blueberry croissant donuts, you’ll at least know that it was worth it. With the taste of a grown-up Toaster Strudel with lots of added sugar, you might actually be in a good mood when you arrive at the office on Monday morning. Add on a side of those hash browns that I’m pretty sure have some sort of illegal addictive substance in them and an iced coffee, and you won’t even care that you spent your entire paycheck at the bar Saturday night.
Nutritional Information: 535 Calories; 25g Fat; 780mg Sodium; 69g Carbs; 23g Sugar; 8g Protein
3. Starbucks
Order: Spicy Chorizo, Monterey Jack, and Egg Breakfast Sandwich and Cold-Brew Coffee
With the expansion of their food menu from cake pops to sandwiches and wraps, Starbs is a major player in the breakfast game. Not only can you get your coffee snob order and make everyone sipping break-room brew feel inferior to you, but you’ll be able to get a decent amount of protein with a sandwich that isn’t dripping wet from the deep fryer. On top of that, with the Starbs rewards program, you’ll be racking up free drinks in no time with a food and coffee order every day. Win-win.
Nutritional Information: 505 Calories; 30g Fat; 875mg Sodium; 35g Carbs; 3g Sugar; 26g Protein
2. Whataburger
Order: Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit with Coffee
While some of the above options are good and tasty, nothing gives you the brain power to get through your morning like a healthy dose of protein and carbs. This is exactly what you’ll get with Whataburger’s HBCB, aka the breakfast sandwich that put Whataburger on the map. Not only does this sandwich have the winning combination of fried chicken on a homemade biscuit, but it’s dripping with sweet, delicious honey butter. Probably not the best item to pick up on a day you have a meeting with the CEO (read: messy), but if you have a Whataburger in your area, the HBCB will be your new go-to breakfast item, if it isn’t already.
Nutritional Information: 530 Calories; 33g Fat; 990mg Sodium; 51g Carbs; 9g Sugar; 13g Protein
1. Chick-Fil-A
Order: Chicken Biscuit and Small Frosted Coffee/Sunrise
The king of fast food has also secured its spot as the ultimate king of breakfast with the addition of frosted coffee and OJ to their menu. Not only is their signature fried chicken on a biscuit one of the most delicious things you’ll ever consume, but when you add on a coffee or orange juide mixed with soft-serve vanilla ice cream, you honestly can’t go wrong. If you want to have the best day ever, start it off at Chick-Fil-A. Trust me, the wait in the drive-thru is worth it.
Nutritional Information: 680 Calories; 26g Fat; 1370mg Sodium; 89g Carbs; 44g Sugar; 23g Protein.
Image via Instagram
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Steph W.
Steph W. is a new Master's degree graduate with an intern's salary and six-figure taste. She realizes her expectations far exceed reality, so she spends her days pinning away Loubs she pretends are in her physical closet instead of her virtual one. Her hobbies include attempting to trapping her boyfriend into marriage before he finds out how insane she is and pretending that Black Box wine tastes as good as the kind she could afford when she was gainfully employed. Send her tips for getting out of student debt at recruitchairtsm@gmail.com
@therecruitchair
starbucks food is terrible and should not be included on this list.
I’m with you. Any place where they microwave or food is traaaaaash.
The bacon egg bites have been a game changer for me
More often than not, I would choose a 3 am whataburger “breakfast” over sex if given the choice.
bojangles. that is all.
Logged in to add Bo’s. The best breakfast in fast food and it’s not close.
Biscuitville is better.
Biscuitville never gets the respect it deserves.
Now I really want Chick-fil-A…. Crap.
Love chick fil a breakfast, but their coffee is absolute garbage
The frosted coffee is basically a milkshake in the morning let’s not kid ourselves.
This take is absolute garbage
If I got any of these for breakfast, I’d spend more time in the bathroom at work than actually working.
I was so ready to fight after seeing the title, but I can’t really argue about too much here. Nice work.
The Taco Bell breakfast crunchwrap is pure genius. You’ll shit your pants all day but hey, extra breaks.
I lived in Houston for about a year after undergrad. One of my buddies introduced me to the honey butter chicken biscuit. It was an absolute game changer!
Given our rabid passion for HBCB, I’m surprised you went that long.
RIP Chick fil a’s spicy chicken biscuit
If you find yourself in VA/NC, do your soul a favor and stop by a Biscuitville. Swear to god you will thank me.
or a bojangles
Biscuitville is the truth