The Vegetarian McDonald's Breakfast Sandwich Hack You'll Order On Repeat

Let's face it, finding great meatless options at fast food restaurants can sometimes be a difficult task. In the case of McDonald's, while the Filet-O-Fish is one of the most enduring menu items, the chain offers few vegetarian options on its standard menu. However, if you find yourself wanting to find a new favorite vegetarian treat from McDonald's, the best course of action is to look towards the chain's breakfast menu, where several popular items can be made meat-free with one simple substitution: replacing either the sausage or the bacon on your breakfast sandwich with a hash brown patty.

This trick has sporadically popped up online over the years, with both non-meat eaters and lovers of McDonald's hash browns swearing by the combination wholeheartedly. As many McDonald's fans know, the chain offers three different styles of sandwiches — McGriddles, McMuffins, and Biscuits — until 10:30 a.m. each morning when McDonald's stops serving breakfast and switches to lunch. With this in mind, the hash brown patty swap grants you three new, unique vegetarian sandwich options from the juggernaut fast food chain each morning.

The hash brown breakfast sandwich works so well because, instead of settling for less substance, like getting the equally possible yet less filling egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, you get a proper replacement for the meat that would typically be included. However, beyond using hash browns to bulk up your meatless breakfast sandwiches, the ability to order vegetarian menu items (even of your own creation) is pretty non-existent. This is especially the case as a result of salads being removed from the menu in 2020 when McDonald's downsized its menu in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, McDonald's is unlikely to expand its list of vegetarian offerings in the United States anytime soon. After experimenting with a plant-based burger known as the McPlant starting in 2022, the venture was deemed a failure and discontinued in the United States by 2024. Thus, once the lunch hour starts and the delightful hash brown breakfast sandwiches are no longer available, your best bet might be to visit a different restaurant to satisfy your meatless desires.