12 Sonic Breakfast Items, Ranked Worst To Best

How do you Sonic? I don’t know about you, but every time I think of a Sonic drive-in, I still picture carhops on skates, poodle skirts, and Googie architecture. I love that the chain is keeping some of that magic of the ’50s alive, and part of its old-school charm is that it continues to march by the beat of its own drum. Case in point, it’s still serving all-day breakfast, even while the majority of the fast-food world has taken to flipping its menus come 10 a.m.

The pure fact that Sonic’s breakfast items are always available earns them brownie points in my book. But what’s the tastiest item on the lineup? And conversely, are there any items that are better left to just the morning hours — or no hour at all? I recently sampled nearly the entire breakfast menu to find out.

My nearest Sonic location offers a total of four coffees and 10 breakfast food items. I picked up every single one — with the exception of a Jr. Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Burrito and a Jr. Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Burrito, which are just smaller versions of their full-sized counterparts. Since comparing a seasonally flavored cold brew to a meaty breakfast sandwich is not an exact science, I ranked each item predominantly on taste alone. I looked for something I would actually want to wake up to, but also snag in the afternoon or at night as well. With these criteria in mind, these are the best Sonic breakfast items, in order from my least to most favorite.

It came as no surprise to me — and I doubt it comes as much of a shock to any of you — that Sonic’s standard black coffee came in last place. Even the drink’s description on Sonic’s website is boring. It reads, “Hot brewed Coffee. Enjoy it alone or add vanilla flavor.” Riveting.

I opted to enjoy it alone, and let me tell you, I was yearning for that vanilla flavor. It tastes like the same kind of standard drip coffee I would make in my 10-year-old coffee maker. Sonic has shared that it sources its java from Green Mountain Coffee (and you can see our full ranking of Green Mountain’s K-Cup flavors), though I would liken the flavor to something basic like Folgers or Maxwell House. It’s fairly weak, almost like decaf (and who would want that?), and has a bitter aftertaste. In this cup’s defense, that is something I would typically expect from black coffee, though.

This is one menu item that kids definitely can’t enjoy, and even for adults, I would categorize it as less of a want and more of a need just to get through the day. There are far better fast food coffees out there. So here it lies as the least exciting and least inviting item on Sonic’s breakfast menu.

The Sonic Toaster is a unique fast-food breakfast sandwich. I can’t say I’ve seen other chains throwing their eggs and breakfast meats between two thick slices of Texas toast. Most stick to overdone but reliable English muffins, bagels, or biscuits. I like the changeup, and although the bread isn’t quite as weighty as I was picturing, it’s pleasantly buttery and chewy all the same.

What hurts this particular sandwich is the sausage patty. While it’s decently juicy, it seems undercooked. Beyond a small spice, it lacks flavor all around. And it didn’t stand up well to the toast, so it became buried under a pile of bread. Beyond the meat issue, the egg is fine. If you’re a fan of extra fluffy, lightly cooked scrambled eggs, these aren’t for you. They’re more browned and flat, but I personally didn’t mind. The slice of American cheese was also perfectly decent, albeit more gummy than gooey. It seems like it just never had a chance to melt fully on the patty.

For this one, I would definitely recommend picking up one of Sonic’s condiment packets to liven it up. Perhaps some mayonnaise or even the chain’s Groovy sauce would do the trick. Without a saucy garnish, it’s one of my least favorite things on the menu — after the coffee, of course.

There’s just something about Sonic’s sausage patties I don’t like. Even chopped into bits and encased inside this burrito, it just doesn’t hit the spot. Here, it trades savory, peppery notes for a very dull flavor, some chew, and a lot of grease. You’re then rewarded with the faintest bit of spice as you finish off the bite. It’s a shame, too, since the rest of the rolled handheld has potential.

The burrito keeps things simple with just the sausage, scrambled eggs, and shredded cheddar cheese, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. There’s a good amount of eggs, even if they aren’t very fluffy, and a warm cheesiness accompanies every bite. I was also surprised by the tortilla itself. It tastes fresh with a pleasant chewiness. It’s better than an average store-bought flour tortilla from a brand like Mission.

The sausage, egg, and cheese burrito certainly works better than the sausage Toaster, with more balance and cheese that’s actually melted. It also got me excited for the chain’s other burritos — there are three more still to come!

Aside from what feels like an obligatory black coffee, Sonic offers a few other Java drinks that are more cafe-style. One is its original cold brew iced coffee. It’s a simple mix of the chain’s iced coffee poured over sweet cream and ice — specifically, Sonic’s special pellet ice, which rivals Chick-fil-A’s and really boosts this beverage.

For a simple cold brew, it has some decent flavor to it. It’s milky and the teensiest bit sweet. It drinks smoothly and, like I said, that ice is a game-changer. I think Sonic is one of the only places I would ask for more ice rather than less in my iced coffee. That said, the coffee definitely not as strong or as rich as other competing cold brews. Don’t expect the same level of quality or complexity you’d get at Starbucks or, better yet, a local coffee shop where the beans are freshly roasted and baristas are trained in the art of cold brew.

Sonic instead sticks to its comfort zone of convenience and value. It is honestly refreshing to pay just $2.49 for a small cold brew. The same order at Starbucks costs nearly twice that much. This is what drives Sonic’s cold brew above a few disappointing food items. But it needed more taste and oomph to make it farther in the rankings.

Sonic’s dessert flavor of the season for fall 2025 is salted caramel toffee. It pops up in a sippable iced coffee form (which we’ll get to soon) and in these pocket-sized croissant bites. What I expected when I heard this name was that a gooey caramel sauce was going to come spilling out of the center when I bit into it, like a sweet molten lava. So I tried one, but I found nothing at its core. I bit into the next pillow-shaped pocket, and again, nothing.

I guess the salted caramel toffee part of the equation is simply a light dusting of caramel and toffee-flavored sugar around the exterior. Underwhelming, to say the least. That doesn’t take away from the fact that the croissant portion is craveably tasty. Each little square is flaky on the outside with doughy and web-like insides. Thanks to this strong base, I still consider this seasonal item better than Sonic’s basic coffees and so-so sausage sandwiches. Now, pump a bit of real caramel sauce into each bite, and this would be a completely different story.

It looks like a dream and tastes like a sweet dessert. Salted caramel toffee comes back once again in this Sonic iced coffee, and this time, I can really taste the caramel and toffee flavors. I think I may be able to taste them too much.

Please remember to stir this beverage before taking a big swig. I failed to do so, and holy sugar overload. I ended up with a saccharine gush of syrupy liquid caramel. After a quick mix, it does mellow out, at least to some degree. Coffee notes are complemented by caramel and buttery toffee (though caramel is more dominant). The blend is poured over that good Sonic ice, and I think the toppings may just be my favorite part. Crunchy bits of salted caramel toffee sit atop a luxurious dollop of cold foam. Altogether, it’s sneakily similar to this season’s new dessert from Dairy Queen: the Salted Caramel Cookie Blizzard. Throw in some cookie bits, and it’s essentially the same treat just in drinkable form.

I do like this one, and I think coffee drinkers who opt for Frappuccinos or pumpkin spice lattes over americanos would too. But for the simple fact that it is a touch cloying and certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, I can’t promote it above more widely palate-friendly picks.

Yes, this iced coffee looks exactly like the original cold brew. However, the drive-thru employee assured me that vanilla flavoring was pumped into this one — the drink’s only identifying ingredient. It still includes sweet cream as well (hence the light brown rather than dark coloring) and is still poured over a generous portion of nugget ice.

As was the case with the caramel toffee coffee, this one needs a stir to coax the flavoring out from the bottom of the cup. It then transforms into a lightly sweet, creamy concoction. After the last sugary sip, it’s quite refreshing. The taste of cold brew is still there, even elevated by the gentle notes of French vanilla.

This was the experience I was hoping for from the original cold brew but didn’t quite get. The vanilla version is the most approachable coffee on Sonic’s menu. Not to mention, my personal favorite for a quick morning or afternoon caffeine fix. The only drawback is that it does get watery fairly fast, thanks to all that chewable ice. So drink it quickly if you want the stronger coffee flavor to last.

I’ve found fast food French toast sticks to be highly hit or miss. If chains aren’t careful, they can end up with chewy and flavorless cardboard slabs. Luckily, Sonic’s recipe lands on the positive end of the spectrum. A certified hit (certified by me, of course).

They were served warm as promised. Not all fast food restaurants hold true to their promises, so I respect that. And do you know how I immediately knew they were good? I wasn’t even tempted to peel open my syrup pouch as I munched on that first stick. With the appearance of a true-to-form cut of bread, it was crispy all the way around and gooey in the middle. The pieces aren’t rolled around in a heavy coating of cinnamon sugar, but they do have a natural cinnamon flavor, as though the spice was incorporated directly into the batter. The fact that the chain happened to pair them with my go-to syrup brand was the icing on the cake. One dip into that thick pool of Mrs. Butterworth’s and it was game over.

The French toast sticks easily beat out any of Sonic’s breakfast beverages, not to mention the only other sweet treat on the menu, the Caramel Toffee Bites. However, there were some savory choices that managed to top them.

Every breakfast joint (fast food or not) needs a solid BEC on its books. Sonic even presents us with two in the form of another Breakfast Toaster and this bacon burrito. It follows the same build as the earlier sausage burrito with scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, and a flour tortilla. But instead of the Sonic sausage kiss of death, it has the Sonic bacon kiss of life. These two really are like night and day.

I’m convinced everything this bacon touches turns to fast food breakfast gold. You may notice that almost every other top item I’ve selected includes the strips in some capacity. This stuff is seriously good. Most fast food restaurants serve up limp slices with no flavor and a chewy texture. Not Sonic. Its bacon tastes like it was made in the family kitchen on Sunday morning. It’s extra crispy and perfectly fatty to the point that it disintegrates in your mouth on contact. Plus, there’s plenty of it nestled in between the eggs and gooey cheese.

Wrapped in a warm tortilla, it’s a classic breakfast you can’t go wrong with. I definitely wouldn’t turn down one of the chain’s Picante salsa packets to pair it with, though it’s also just fine on its own. This is definitely a solid Sonic pick, but a few other items on the menu elevate the bacon even further.

It’s astounding what a simple change in breakfast meat can do. With the Sausage Breakfast Toaster, I couldn’t get past the sub-par sausage patty. It plagued the entire sandwich and dragged it down significantly in the rankings. With the bacon subbed in, though, it’s an entirely different experience.

Let’s start with the fact that the handheld came topped with seven total half-strips of bacon. My local Sonic was not messing around. They piled it on, and what’s equally impressive is that it also tastes amazing, just as it did on the breakfast burrito. The slices are lightly crisp, salty, and fatty, just how I like them. They hardly taste like they came through a drive-thru window. The buttery endcaps of Texas toast remain supple rather than toasty, and the scrambled egg square is cooked well-done again. On this Toaster, though, the cheese reached a better melting point, filling the cracks between the bacon with creamy goodness.

If you’re getting a Toaster at Sonic, it has to be bacon. This is one of the best things you can order during your a.m. Sonic run, second only to a pair of heavy-hitting burritos.

With a name like “Ultimate,” you have to go big. Sonic delivers by combining bacon, sausage, eggs, tater tots, shredded cheddar cheese, and a zesty cheese sauce inside this flour tortilla. There was just one problem. My local drive-thru somehow forgot the sausage. I dug around in the burrito for a while, and nada. Honestly, though, I didn’t miss it. If anything, this oversight just proves that Sonic’s burritos are, in fact, made fresh to order, and judging by the sausage found in the earlier burrito and the Toaster, I don’t think it was a real loss.

Four strips of tasty bacon (per side!) more than made up for the missing sausage. A hearty helping of cheese-covered scrambled eggs makes it even more filling, and I love the addition of golden tots. They somehow stayed crisp even after being tucked up alongside the sauce and other ingredients. Plus, who doesn’t love an oily, savory spud?

Even the tortilla is quality — similar to a flour tortilla you would find at an authentic Mexican restaurant. And for these reasons, it reaches my second-place spot, topped only by a burrito with a similar build but a touch more spice.

I’m not usually a big fan of just stuffing everything you can find into a sandwich or burrito and calling it breakfast. But in the SuperSONIC, it just works. Let’s break down everything we have going on here. Inside another flour tortilla, you have scrambled eggs, sausage, tater tots, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, tomato, and jalapeños. An A+ medley if you ask me.

Yes, the sausage bits made it in this time. However, I could hardly notice them underneath everything else, and I was perfectly fine with more of a veggie frittata-style handheld. It’s bright and fresh with the tomatoes and onions complementing the eggs. Cheese blankets everything, and the tots once again add some body, not to mention a crispy texture and welcome spuddy flavor. The jalapeños were another great addition. They’re closer to store-bought pickled jalapeños than fresh ones, so they’re not overly spicy (coming from someone who is a bit more sensitive to spice), but you still get that earthy, tangy pepper flavor.

I didn’t think anything would top the ultimate burrito. This was a very pleasant surprise. Now, imagine if you swapped out the sausage for bacon (which you can do, possibly for a small upcharge). That burrito would be fast food perfection.

As I mentioned at the start, it’s tough to pit all of Sonic’s breakfast items against one another — especially with such a broad spectrum of coffees, burritos, sandwiches, and sweet treats. To keep things fair, I tried all 12 options within one morning, for freshness purposes, to eliminate deviation from one restaurant to the next, and to keep each taste top of mind. I looked for the basics, prioritizing good all-around flavor and cohesive ingredients.

For something simple like a black coffee, that’s pretty easy to gauge, and it was not memorable compared to Sonic’s other items, but also compared to other fast food coffees I’ve had. With the other coffee beverages, I judged based on coffee strength, richness, and how well the add-ins mixed with the java.

With the food items, things got a bit more complicated. Texture is obviously important when we’re talking about breakfast sandwiches and burritos. I wanted fluffy eggs, crispy bacon, melty cheese, juicy sausage, and soft yet chewy French toast sticks. Everything needed to taste good on its own, but more importantly, all together. Plus, I looked for something that not only met but exceeded my expectations. The seasonal salted caramel bites, for example, sadly fell short of their potential. The loaded-up SuperSONIC burrito, on the other hand, couldn’t have impressed me more.