These Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches are perfect for batching and throwing in the freezer for busy school mornings. Breakfast sandwiches are even better when you make them at home and you can top the English muffins and baked eggs with your favorite cheese (pepper jack for me, cheddar for the kids), sausage, bacon, or ham! I’m always glad when I have these on hand!
Looking for more easy, delicious breakfast ideas? Be sure to also try our Favorite Breakfast Burritos, Easy Streusel-Topped Raspberry Muffins, and German Pancakes.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
When I was growing up, my mom ALWAYS made us a hot breakfast before school every day. I seriously cannot remember a time when we were allowed to eat cereal for breakfast unless it was on the weekend.
I’m not quite that good, but for the most part I try to make sure my Kindergartner and 3rd Grader get something hot most days. The easiest way I have found to do that is to keep a freezer drawer stocked with make-ahead breakfast foods that just need to be reheated. That way, even if we are running late, I know they will still get something substantial to start off their day right.
Sure, I prefer to make baking powder biscuits and macaroni & eggs fresh if I have the time, or even make breakfast sandwiches with over-easy fried eggs instead of baked eggs. But since one of my kids is a night owl who struggles with getting up and moving, I find that often I need to be helping her along to make sure we all get ready on time rather than spending time in the kitchen getting breakfast ready.
And truthfully, these reheat so well that it just makes sense to buy a big package of English muffins from Costco and then make up a whole bunch of freezer breakfast sandwiches at once so we have them any time we need them.
They are easy, delicious, and you can make a variety of meat and cheese combinations to mix things up, or just a whole bunch of your favorites. My personal choice is bacon and pepper jack, but the kids really like sausage and cheddar.
Also, you can switch out the English muffins for croissants (cut the giant ones from Costco in half or look for mini croissants), bagels, buttermilk biscuits, or even pancakes!
And if you’ve got the time to make these breakfast sandwiches fresh, try swapping out the baked “scrambled” eggs for a fried egg over easy. It’s wonderful and one of our favorite camping breakfasts. Just be sure to wrap the sandwiches in foil immediately after assembly so they have time for the residual heat of the eggs to melt the cheese, or stick them in a warm oven for a few minutes.
We don’t usually get enough “farm fresh eggs” from our backyard chickens (we only have two hens that are laying right now), so we supplement with eggs from the store. But the brown ones our chickens lay are just so beautiful!
Incidentally, if you have ever wondered if chickens make good pets, our elementary school aged girls absolutely adore them. They take care of checking their food and water and looking for eggs each morning.
Our current brood is made up of two older chickens (Rey and Olivia), and five three-month old chickens who aren’t laying yet (Maude, Cordon Bleu, Starburst, Lena, and Mae West). We had one other, very much beloved, chicken named Dorcas who died earlier this year, which prompted us to get the next generation of chicks. Our girls carry them around and look forward to visiting the chickens after school every day in their chicken run in the backyard.
How to Make Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
- Bake the eggs: These baked “scrambled” eggs are simple to make and can be cut into squares for easy assembly. Just whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl with a fork, then pour into a 9×13″ pan and bake for 18-22 minutes until just barely set, or even every-so-slightly underdone. The eggs will cook a bit more when reheating the breakfast sandwiches and you are trying to avoid overcooked, rubbery eggs. Slice the baked eggs into 12 equal-sized squares.
- Cook breakfast meat of your choice: Sausage patties and bacon can be cooked in the oven so that you don’t have to stand by the stove watching them. Breakfast ham is another good option.
- Assemble sandwiches: Split the English muffins (or whatever bread you decide to use) and place one egg square on the bottom half. Top it with a slice of cheese, then breakfast meat, then top it with the other half of the muffin or bread. Wrap individually in wax paper, parchment paper, or aluminum foil, then freeze in a large ziploc bag for up to 1 month.
- Reheat & eat!
How to Reheat Make-Ahead Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
You might wonder how good these sandwiches really are after being frozen and reheated. Okay, so maybe not quite as good as when you eat them right after they are first made, but it’s really close. The only difference for me is that when I’m making these to eat immediately, I toast and butter the English muffins. I’ve tried that step for freezing too, and I don’t think it makes a difference so I skip it. But honestly, make-ahead breakfast sandwiches are still pretty darn fantastic for something that lets you have a savory, hot, protein-packed breakfast in under 2 minutes. I’ll take it over oatmeal any day.
I find that the best way to reheat these freezer breakfast sandwiches is by first unwrapping them and rewrapping in paper towel. Defrost in the microwave for 1 minute on the defrost setting or 50% power. Then flip over and heat on full power for 30-60 seconds until hot all the way through and the cheese has melted. This results in the most even reheating, in my experience, although you could just nuke them full-throttle for 1-2 minutes if you want. Just don’t skip wrapping them in paper towel.
The eggs hold up pretty well (as long as you don’t overcook them in the first place), and melted cheese and salty bacon can make up for most shortcomings. Serve these with a glass of orange juice and your morning just got a whole lot better.
How long do make-ahead breakfast sandwiches last in the fridge?
If you don’t want to freeze your breakfast sandwiches (maybe because you are making these for a crowd) but still want to make the components in advance, you could bake the eggs and cook the breakfast meat up to 5 days in advance.
If you assemble everything, they don’t last quite as long because the eggs will start to affect the texture of the English muffins.
More Make-Ahead Breakfast Ideas for School Days
- My Favorite Breakfast Burritos
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Green Chili Egg Casserole
- Crepes (they freeze really well!)
- Cinnamon French Toast Sticks (another good freezer option)
- Homemade Granola
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Make Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 english muffins
- 4 Tablespoons butter melted
- 12 slices cooked bacon sausage patties, breakfast ham, or canadian bacon
- 12 slices pepperjack or cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with cooking spray.
- Beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl using a fork, whisk, or hand mixer. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 18-22 minutes, just until set in the center. Do not overcook. Cool before cutting into 12 squares.
- Separate the muffin halves and arrange cut side up on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, then toast in the oven for 5-8 minutes, just until lightly toasted and crisp around the edges.
- Top 12 of the english muffin halves with the eggs, cheese, and meat of your choice, then top with the other muffin halves to make 12 sandwiches.
- Heat for 5 minutes in a 350 degree F oven for immediate consumption.
To Freeze
- Individually wrap each sandwich with waxed paper, aluminum foil, or parchment paper and freeze, sealed in a large ziploc bag, for up to 1 month.
To Reheat
- To reheat frozen breakfast sandwiches in the microwave, unwrap a sandwich and rewrap it in a paper towel. Microwave on defrost or 50% power for 1 minute, then flip the sandwich over and microwave on full power for 10-30 seconds until heated all the way through.
- To reheat frozen breakfast sandwiches in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap a sandwich in aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes until hot all the way through. Or if you let the sandwich thaw in the fridge the night before or defrost it in the microwave first to speed up the process, it will only take about 10-15 minutes to heat all the way through in the oven.
Did anyone else’s eggs turn like a greenish color after freezing them? Is this normal?
I’ve never heard of that happening!
Eggs turn green when cooked at a high temperature… maybe your oven or microwave runs hotter?
Thank you so much for this recipe. I have spent the last 3 weeks away from home taking care of my daughter and her husband after their twins were born at 28 weeks. Every morning I make them breakfast sandwiches before they head off to spend most of the day in the NICU. I cook the bacon or sausage ahead of time and the eggs according to your recipe. In the morning I assemble and heat through. It has been a huge time saver. The only thing I do differently is to put the 9X13 in a rimmed sheet pan with about an inch of water while baking, for a bit of a Bain-Marie effect. The eggs are never overcooked, even on the edges. Thanks again
I’ve been loving your updates on the twins on FB, Amber! So glad this recipe has been a help for you guys!
Congratulations on the twins, grandchildren. My triplets where born in Sept 2020. Meal prepping has become a big part of my family. I’m definitely gonna have to try the water technique you use.
Hello, my husband leaves for work at 4am every day (a time I will not get up at haha). He buys breakfast sandwiches and I want to replace the purchased ones with these. Do I cook the sandwiches and then freeze them or do I skip that step, wrap, freeze, and then have him cook them at work (he only has a microwave at work).
Thank you for any help in making sure I don’t waste food trying this out.
What are the best heating instructions from fridge rather than freezer? Microwave just made them soggy.
You could try wrapping them in foil and warming in the oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes at about 300°F instead.
Love this recipe! It looked so good I needed to try it. I thought it was going to be harder than it was, but it turned out good! Success!
Thank you!
Like most of Amy’s ideas, this is a true winner! Don’t forget her step of pre-toasting the muffins….it makes a huge difference. I like cutting my eggs with a 3″ cookie cutter to fit the muffin…yes, I know it leaves scraps, but they’re perfect wrapped in breakfast burritos, so they’re not wasted!
Great picture! It looks beautiful!
Easy to make!!
Thank you!