Sheet Pan Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles (Copycat)
Sheet Pan McGriddles are the ultimate breakfast meal prep hack! These easy, freezer-friendly sandwiches give you all the sweet and savory goodness of the fast-food favorite—made in bulk and perfect for busy mornings.
There’s something about the combination of sweet and savory in the McGriddles breakfast sandwich from the golden arches that calls out to the morning taste buds, like a siren call beckoning you to come, come hand over your money, morning after morning.
Sweet, maple-flavored pancakes surrounding layers of savory sausage, egg, and cheese – all kinds of yummy goodness!
While delicious and filling, the hit to the pocketbook when one makes this a regular morning stop can be, um, less than sweet.
But fear not! You can make your own version of a McGriddle breakfast sandwich at home!
Too much work, you say?
Not if you can make them in bulk.
And then freeze then for later use.
Have I peaked your interest yet?
Making Your Own Maple Griddle Breakfast Sandwiches at Home
My family loves breakfast sandwiches! I make a lot of them.
But sometimes we like to change things up a bit, flavor-wise. And McGriddles are a great way to do that!
To be honest, there are a couple of different, and fairly easy, ways to make your own McGriddles sandwiches at home.
Today, I’m combining the flavors and components of the classic you know and love, just like normal, but using a less-traditional method for their preparation, shall we say?
I’m all about saving time (and money) – and this is a great way to be able to make McGriddles in bulk!
The Ease of Bulk Baking with Sheet Pans
This recipe calls for your maple griddle breakfast sandwiches to be made in bulk using sheet pans!
This way you can make an entire layer all at once, in the oven. It saves prepping and cooking time since you aren’t working with individual egg rounds or sausage patties and aren’t making individual pancakes.
You’ll make your various layers in the sheet pans, and then assemble them into once gigantic “sandwich”, which you will then cut into individual portions.
This way, you can make the portions whatever size you’d like.
Tools You’ll Need
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In order to make these sheet pan maple griddle sandwiches, you’ll need a few items which you hopefully already have around the kitchen.
- (1-3) 18×13 inch aluminum sheet pans (half sheet size)
- (1) 21×15 inch aluminum sheet pan (2/3 size)
- silicone mats for the sheet pans, or parchment paper
- non-stick cooking spray
Please note that the two different sizes of sheet pans is NOT a typo. You WILL need both.
(Because the sausage layer shrinks significantly when cooked, using a larger sheet pan allows the sausage layer to better match the size of the other ingredient layers once everything is cooked.)
However, if you don’t have three separate 17×12 inch sheet pans, you can get by with one – you’ll just need to wash and dry between cooking each layer, and have room for the cooked layer(s) to sit on your counter until its time to assemble the final “sandwich”.
Ingredients
There’s nothing too out of the ordinary here, with one exception (be sure to see the note below).
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- milk
- eggs
- butter
- loose ground breakfast sausage
- shredded cheese
- salt & pepper
- Mapleine (or imitation maple flavoring)*
A Note About Mapleine
Mapleine is a handy, dandy imitation maple flavoring made by Crescent and used primarily to make maple syrup, but also great for flavoring baked goods. It works wonderfully in this recipe to add the maple flavor without adding extra sugar. However, it can be hit or miss trying to find it in stores. I usually order mine from Walmart, as I keep it in my food storage (it takes up MUCH less space than large bottles of syrup). You can find it on Amazon as well.
I have NOT tested this recipe with other brands of imitation maple flavoring (putting it on my to-do list right now and will report back), but I do know that McCormick makes a version as does the Kroger brand, so there are potential alternatives available.
The Basic Process
To make your sheet pan maple griddle breakfast sandwiches, you’ll prepare and bake each layer separately and then combine them at the end.
For the Pancake Layer
You can do either one or two trays at a time.
I prefer to make up the batter in two separate batches so that I know each sheet pan has the same amount. But you could also combine the batter and then portion out using a scale to make sure each pan has an identical amount.
Prepare your sheet pan(s) by putting down a silicone mat (Silpat) or lining the sheet with parchment paper.
Then pour your pancake batter in and bake.
You can cook both sheet pans of pancakes at the same time, but you’ll need to swap them at the halfway mark (bottom pan goes to top, and top pan goes to bottom). You may need to add a few additional minutes due to baking the two trays at once.
For the Sausage Layer
You’ll follow a similar process as with the pancakes, but just one sheet pan this time.
Prepare your sheet pan by putting down a silicone mat or lining with parchment paper.
Spread your ground sausage into your sheet pan, making sure to get it all the way to the sides and corners, and making the layer as even in depth as possible.
Bake as directed, and be SURE to handle with care as you pull it out of the oven since there will be hot liquid grease in the pan.
Carefully pour off the grease into a glass jar, metal can, or other safe option. You can sop it up with paper towels as well.
NEVER pour hot grease down a sink drain, as this can clog your pipes once the grease cools and solidifies.
For the Egg Layer
You guessed it, pretty much the same as the sausage layer!
Prepare you sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper. In EITHER case, spray a layer of non-stick spray over the mat or paper, being sure to cover the SIDES of the sheet pan.
Once you have scrambled and seasoned your eggs, pour them into your prepared sheet pan.
Then sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over your eggs.
Bake as directly.
Assembling Your Sheet Pan McGriddles
This part can be a little tricky, but it helps if you use the silicone mats or parchment paper as you transfer layers.
You’re basically just going to build one big sandwich.
Start with a pancake layer. Then add on the sausage layer, then the egg layer, and then top with the remaining pancake layer.
Once completed, go ahead and cut your large sheet pan McGriddle sandwich into smaller, individual sandwiches. I usually cut into 4×5 rows, to get 20 individual McGriddles sandwiches.
Storing & Freezing
You can now wrap your individual maple griddle breakfast sandwiches in plastic wrap or freezer paper.
To freeze, add them carefully to a freeze-safe container. I put mine in gallon freezer zip-top bags.
Be sure to label your bag or container with the contents and date.
Your sheetpan McGriddles sandwiches will stay good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
If you freeze these, just pull them out of the freezer the night before you plan to eat them, and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
To reheat, place in the microwave and cook for 30 second intervals. Be sure to not overcook the eggs, to prevent them from becoming hard and rubbery.
Or you can heat them in an oven or air fryer.
Handy tip: Thaw completely!
I do not recommend reheating your copycat McGriddles breakfast sandwiches straight from frozen in the microwave, as this tends to lead to rubbery and/or hard eggs (the amount of time needed will overcook the eggs).
Whenever possible, allow the sandwiches to thaw completely in the refrigerator before attempting to heat in the microwave. (This isn’t as much of an issue if you heat in the oven or air fryer, so those you can do straight from frozen.)
Sheet Pan Sausage, Egg & Cheese McGriddles (Copycat)
EQUIPMENT
- 1-3 18×13 baking sheet pan(s) Can use 1 if that's all you've got; helpful to have 3 if possible.
- non-stick cooking spray
INGREDIENTS
For the pancake layers (divide all pancake ingredients in half):
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 cups milk skim, 2%, or whole
- 4 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 tablespoons Mapleine or other imitation maple flavoring
For the egg layer:
- 18 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk skim, 2%, or whole
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
For the sausage layer:
- 3 pounds loose ground breakfast sausage
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Pancake Layers (repeat TWO times):
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Divide all ingredients in half.
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- In a separate medium bowl, which together eggs, milk, melted butter, and Mapleine (or maple flavoring).
- Pour wet ingredients into bowl with dry ingredients, stirring gently to combine.
- Prepare 1 or 2 18×13 inch sheet pan (depending on what you have available) with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Spray sheet pan(s) liberally with non-stick cooking spray, especially the sides and corners.
- Pour pancake batter into sheet pan(s).
- Bake tray at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until fully cooked in center. Remove sheet pan pancake layer from oven and allow to cool. Repeat with second batch.
For the Egg Layer:
- Prepare 1 18×13 inch sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper lining. Spray sheet pan (and mat or parchment paper) liberally with non-stick cooking spray, especially the sides and corners.
- In large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture into prepared pan.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of eggs in sheet pan.
- Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 16 minutes or until egg layer is fully cooked in the center of the pan.
- Remove sheet pan from oven and allow to cool.
For the Sausage Layer:
- Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare (1) 21×15 inch sheet pan with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Remove ground sausage from package and place in sheet pan. Carefully press sausage into a single layer, evenly distributed to cover the entire sheet pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.
- Carefully remove from oven and drain off excess grease. Allow to cool.
To Assemble Your Sheet Pan McGriddles:
- Carefully place cooled pancake layer on a clean, flat counter or cutting board.
- Place sausage layer onto pancake layer.
- Place egg layer onto sausage layer.
- Place remaining pancake layer on top of egg layer.
- Carefully cut into individual portions. I find that 4×5 works well for good portions, resulting in 20 individual McGriddles sandwiches.
- Wrap each portion in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
To Freeze:
- Place individually wrapper McGriddles sandwiches in a gallon freezer zip-top bag or other freezer-safe container and place in freezer. Will keep for 3-4 months in freezer.
To Reheat:
- Remove individual maple griddle sandwiches from freezer and place in refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- Remove plastic wrap if used, and microwave in 30-second intervals until reheated throughout.
- Alternatively, you can reheat multiple sandwiches in the oven or in an air fryer.
So yummy!