I tried 8 of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and ranked them from worst to best

I tried eight McDonald's breakfast sandwiches.

Ever since McDonald's first released the iconic egg McMuffin in the 1970s, the chain's gone on to become the king of fast-food breakfasts.

Its morning menu features a vast selection, from hotcakes and hash browns to granola parfaits to, most notably, classic breakfast sandwiches. 

As part of an ongoing series to find out which fast-food breakfast sandwiches are the best, I sampled eight of McDonald's options and ranked them from worst to best, based on a combination of taste and value.

Here's how each sandwich stacked up:

EIGHTH PLACE: The sausage, egg, and cheese McGriddle was too sweet for my liking.

The McGriddle is essentially breakfast meat, American cheese, and a scrambled-egg patty sandwiched between two "griddle cakes," which are thicker, maple-infused versions of the chain's hotcakes.

This was my first time trying any of the McGriddles, and I don't understand why this sandwich gets so much hype.

I get what McDonald's was trying to achieve. Like many others, I enjoy the combination of sweet, savory, and salty foods, but this McGriddle was overpoweringly sweet.

The griddle cakes had a strong, artificial maple flavor that was magnified by the actual pockets of syrup. Even though the sausage boasted a decently savory bite, it got overwhelmed by all of the sugar.

Plus the flavors of the American cheese and egg patty were too mild to even compete — they may as well have not been there at all.

I'd rather just buy an individual sausage patty and pancakes so I can control how much syrup goes onto the meal.

The reason this sandwich ultimately earned the lowest spot on my ranking was its texture, which was unpleasantly chewy and reminded me of microwaved leftovers.

SEVENTH PLACE: The bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle was inconsistent.

When I unwrapped this sandwich, I found two pieces of bacon stuck haphazardly out of the sides, a pale-yellow egg patty that was already breaking apart, and a layer of barely melted American cheese.

None of the McGriddles were exactly my cup of tea, but I thought the bacon did a better job than the sausage at counteracting the sweetness. Plus it was noticeably less greasy.

Unfortunately, it was inconsistently crunchy in some bites and flimsy in others, and the egg was once again a sad, flavorless mass.

SIXTH PLACE: The sausage McGriddle was a better value.

I wonder if the love for McGriddles is partly due to nostalgia. If you grew up eating these, you'll probably love them the same way you might always enjoy the sugary cereals you ate as a kid.

Even though I wasn't a fan of these sandwiches, this simple combination of the sausage and griddle cakes was the most tolerable.

It seemed the most reasonable — plenty of people dip their sausage in syrup.

I still didn't love how sugary the griddle cakes were, but at least the savory sausage was detectable. I found shedding one of the buns and eating it open-faced made it tastier.

This is definitely a better value since it's cheaper and the egg on the other option was pretty bland. 

FIFTH PLACE: The sausage biscuit was the cheapest, but for good reason.

Although I was skeptical why this sandwich was an option — it was so simple it seemed like a custom order for a picky eater — the combo wasn't bad.

The components are tasty as individual sides, but it seemed a bit silly to make them into a sandwich without any egg, cheese, or sauce.

Without any other additions, this sandwich was very dry. Even the sausage seemed grittier than usual. I don't know if that was from the biscuit absorbing all of the grease or if the lack of cheese made this texture more apparent.

A sauce would've tied everything together quite well. I ended up dipping my sandwich in ketchup, which improved it a lot. If McDonald's started serving these with gravy, they would be top tier. 

At just over a dollar, this sandwich is the cheapest option. Considering the version of it with egg and cheese cost me several dollars more, I can see why some people may prefer this one.

 

FOURTH PLACE: The bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit needed ketchup to taste good.

Interestingly, there's no bacon McMuffin advertised on McDonald's menu. So unless you want to sink your teeth into a sugary McGriddle, this biscuit is your one option for enjoying the classic flavors of a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich.

I'd previously tried this sandwich for another ranking, and again for this one, and McDonald's take on the breakfast staple has been consistently passable.

There was a good amount of bacon on the sandwich, even though it stuck haphazardly out of the sides, and the blanket of American cheese was evenly melted.

It looked and smelled pretty delicious, but this sandwich didn't quite deliver on taste.

It was way too dry — the biscuit was crumbly like coffee cake, even with butter brushed on top — and it was much too thick for a sandwich base.

Plus the awkwardly shaped egg patty had the flavor and texture of microwaved food.

The melted cheese was a redeemable component, but this sandwich still needed ketchup to taste good. 

THIRD PLACE: The sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit was the stronger option.

Of the two biscuit-and-egg sandwiches, the sausage one was the stronger option. 

Unlike the bacon, which awkwardly stuck out of the sides, the sausage actually fit on the sandwich. Plus the meat's bold, savory taste was a better match for the dense, bready biscuit, bringing out the rich, buttery flavors.

The egg was once again a forgettable, flavorless addition, but the union of flavors between the sausage, melted cheese, and buttermilk biscuit was pleasant enough to make me overlook it.

The cheese and pork both added a much-needed element of moisture and creaminess that was lacking in the other biscuit sandwiches. Since the bun was dense, it soaked up all of the oiliness pretty well.

I wish McDonald's would have opted for cheddar cheese instead of American, but I'll still take it.

I'm not sure it's worth buying, especially when the sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin tasted much fresher, but if you're a fan of biscuits, this is a decent option.

SECOND PLACE: The egg McMuffin was simple, yet flavorful.

Before there were McGriddles and biscuit sandwiches, there was the egg McMuffin. 

Perhaps its longevity is a testament to how you don't need a bunch of strong flavors to make a tasty meal. The McMuffin is another standard American cheese, egg, and meat combo served between a toasted, buttered English muffin.

What makes it a true standout is that the egg — the star of the show — is cooked through a unique process of poaching and frying.

This extra step proved worth it since the egg tasted super fresh, fluffy, and flavorful. It was definitely an upgrade from the dull, rubbery scrambled squares that brought down several of the other sandwiches in this ranking.

Combined with the slight crunch of the English muffin and melty cheese, it was absolutely scrumptious. You can add a few dashes of hot sauce to the egg or dip the meal in ketchup to take it to the next level.

But I really could've done it without the Canadian bacon. It tasted like a bland piece of microwaved ham. I tossed it out after the second bite and ate my McMuffin with just the egg and cheese.

Consider this my plea for all US-based McDonald's to introduce a proper vegetarian breakfast sandwich, or at least give us a slightly cheaper, meatless McMuffin.

WINNER: The sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin was delicious.

The sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich is arguably considered the ultimate breakfast classic, and I can see why it's a fan favorite at McDonald's, in particular.

It was simply delicious. Between the savory sausage, soft egg, blanket of gooey American cheese, and toasted English muffin tying everything together, it absolutely hit the spot. 

I'm normally not a fan of English muffins, but it worked well as the base of this particular sandwich. The outside had a nice crunch that gave way to a perfectly soft center. Plus it soaked up the yummy, savory flavors of the sausage and cheese like a sponge.

The muffin didn't overpower the sandwich with bread like the biscuit and wasn't distracting like the griddle cake. Overall, it provided a nice balance of chewy, fluffy, and soft textures in each bite.

This small change made the entire sandwich taste the closest to something I'd order from a café rather than a drive-thru window.