While we love the convenience of ordering in, many popular fast food dishes can easily be made at home – and you can customize them to your heart’s content. From McDonald’s Sausage and Egg McMuffin to a Domino’s-inspired pepperoni pizza and Chick-fil-A-style waffle fries, check out these copycat recipes before you hit the drive-thru or open an app.
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Cheeseburgers
Five Guys fans should try these cheeseburgers. Ground beef with 20% fat content makes juicy patties with the best flavor – nothing else is added except salt and pepper. Cook them on the barbecue or a hot griddle pan and only flip them once. Add a slice of American cheese and once melted, serve in a sesame seed bun with your favorite salad items and condiments.
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Spicy chicken sandwich
Want a homemade spicy chicken sandwich that rivals Chick-fil-A? In this recipe chicken breasts are soaked in buttermilk to tenderize the meat, coated in seasoned flour (with cayenne pepper and garlic powder) and baked in the oven. Mayo, hot sauce, shredded lettuce, sliced pickles and avocado join it in a sesame seed bun.
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Pepperoni pizza
Pepperoni Passion, a pepperoni and mozzarella pizza, is one of Domino’s most popular dishes and is somewhat of a masterpiece. However, that shouldn’t stop you from trying to improve on it at home. We love a crisp Neapolitan base, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, spicy honey and two different types of pepperoni for an at-home upgrade.
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Chicken chow mein
One of our all-time favorite menu items from Panda Express is chow mein. But there’s no excuse for ordering takeout when the stir-fried noodle dish can be prepared in 35 minutes at home – probably quicker than picking up a to-go order. Our recipe includes crunchy water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mangetout and peppers. You can leave out the chicken or swap it for another protein such as prawns or tofu.
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Meatball sub
You can really eat fresh when you make a Subway-inspired saucy meatball marinara sub at home. Think huge, juicy beef meatballs, fresh basil, grated Parmesan and crusty bread. Customize the basic recipe and top it with sliced mozzarella, provolone, Cheddar or American cheese, and put it under the grill for a few minutes.
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Chicken burritos
The best thing about Chipotle is customizing your chicken burrito to include your favorite toppings, which is possible at home too. Buy rotisserie chicken instead of grilling chicken breasts to save time, and swap white rice for quinoa for a nutty alternative. Make salsa extra spicy by adding chili or keep it cool and refreshing by leaving it out.
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Barbacoa tacos
These barbacoa tacos are just like the ones you get from Chipotle. They’re filled with beef brisket which is seasoned with smoky chili paste, garlic, lime and herbs, and slow-cooked for eight to 10 hours until it’s fall-apart tender. Pile into hard or soft tacos with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, chopped red onion, lettuce and cilantro.
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Shredded chicken tacos
It’s surprisingly easy to make Taco Bell-style shredded chicken tacos at home. Gently poach a whole chicken in a pot with herbs and veg until the meat is cooked and falls off the bone. Tease it apart with two forks and store it in portions in the refrigerator or freezer, ready to be added to a tortilla with salsa for a Tex-Mex meal in minutes.
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Chicken wings
Sticky, succulent chicken wings are the reason we love Wingstop, but what if you could make an even better version at home? This recipe uses a dry rub of Chinese five spice, turmeric and baking soda (the secret ingredient that makes them turn crisp in the oven). A sweet and spicy glaze, and a scattering of sesame seeds finishes the job.
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Waffle fries
The secret to Chick-fil-A-style waffle fries is a mandolin slicer with a corrugated blade. After washing and peeling the potatoes, slice the spuds, rotating a quarter of a turn each time to achieve a waffle shape. The technique of double-frying (cooking in hot oil twice) helps make them extra crispy without burning. Sprinkle with salt or your favorite seasoning.
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Popcorn chicken
Craving KFC Popcorn Nuggets? Check out this recipe for a spicy homemade version. The chicken pieces are marinated in cardamom, cilantro, cumin, peppercorns, jalapeños, curry leaves, garlic, cayenne, ginger and lime juice-infused buttermilk. Next they’re coated in a spicy flour mix and fried until golden.
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Nachos
The nachos at Qdoba Mexican Eats are known as some of the best. There’s such a wide choice of proteins, toppings, salsas and sauces you can have on top. Whether you love them with seasoned beef and jalapeños or guacamole and three-cheese queso, we’ve got you covered with ideas for how to get your chip fix just right at home.
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Baked cheesecake
There’s nothing like a big slice of Original Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, but this baked cheesecake with banana fritters is pretty irresistible. It has a rich but not too sweet filling that includes mashed banana for a slightly fruity flavor. The top is laden with whipped cream, berries and crisp, freshly-fried banana fritters.
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Buttermilk pancakes
Make this IHOP classic in your own kitchen with our recipe for golden, fluffy buttermilk pancakes. They go just as well with crisp bacon, sausages and fried eggs as they do with lemon curd, crème fraîche, fresh berries and a sprinkle of mint sugar.
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Whopper
The recipe for the world-famous burger was revealed by Burger King France in a short video tutorial on Twitter. If you want to make a Whopper at home, the ingredients, to be assembled in this order, are: a bottom bun, cooked beef patty, cornichons, ketchup, slices of raw onion, tomato slices, lettuce, mayonnaise and top bun.
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Mac ‘n’ cheese
Popeyes’ creamy mac ‘n’ cheese is simple comfort food. But, when you make the dish at home you have the advantage of being able to experiment and customize your version. Try adding grated blue cheese, goats’ cheese, Cheddar or Parmesan into the white sauce. Chili lovers will love chopped kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage) stirred in. A panko crust adds much-needed crunch.
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Chili
People say Wendy’s chili is hard to beat. And the fact it’s been on the chain’s menu since it opened in 1969 certainly says something. We suggest preparing a big batch in the slow cooker. This way you can freeze any leftovers and have portions on standby whenever you want it.
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Margherita pizza
Those in the UK will know how good a classic Margherita from Pizza Express is and now you can make the dish at home. The chain posted the recipe online – it requires plain flour, water, sugar, yeast and olive oil to make the dough. The topping is simply passata, mozzarella, oregano and basil. Best of all, the pizza is ready in under an hour.
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Curly fries
Ever wondered how Arby’s curly fries are made? Putting the spuds through a spiralizer (usually used for zucchini noodles) achieves the perfect coil shape. You can find the piece of kit online and in most good homeware stores. The fast food chain then blanches the potato spirals in hot water for 20 minutes, before covering them in spice batter (water, garlic, onion, salt) and double-frying for a soft center and crisp exterior.
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Ring donuts
Once you’ve learnt to make donuts, you can have Dunkin’ Donuts-style treats whenever you want – and enjoy them while they’re hot and fresh. This recipe doesn’t require yeast (the buttermilk, baking powder and baking soda makes them fluffy), but the dough needs to be left overnight. Once fried, frost them in chocolate or a sugar glaze to make the chain’s most popular menu items. Be sure to fry the donut holes too, to make your own Munchkins.
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Smoky bean quesadilla
At Moe’s Southwest Grill you can get a great bean quesadilla, but why head out when making one at home is quicker? Smoky butter beans and garlic mushrooms make for a rich vegetarian filling. However, you could add chopped peppers or sweetcorn for crunch. Grated cheese seals the tortillas together as they toast.
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Cinnamon roll pancakes
If you find yourself longing for Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from The Cheesecake Factory but don’t feel like leaving the house, you’re in luck. The chain released the recipe and it’s very similar to regular buttermilk pancakes. Once your normal batter is cooking in the pan, the cinnamon swirl (a mix of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and cream) is drizzled over in a spiral motion.
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Chicago dog
A beef hot dog topped with a pickle, relish, tomato, pickled green peppers, celery salt and mustard in a warm poppy seed bun – what’s not to love about Chicago dogs? However you don’t need to head out to Sonic Drive-In just to enjoy the Windy City treat. Make the meal at home by grilling frankfurters then assembling the ingredients.
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Peri peri chicken and wedges
The home of spicy Portuguese-South African-style chicken and famous PERi-PERi sauce (a spicy red chili sauce), Nando’s can be found all over the world and has a cult following in the UK. Have a go at chicken baked in rose harissa with wedges and homemade dipping sauce to find out what the hype is about. We guarantee you’ll want to make this again and again.
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Chicken katsu curry
Another dish with a particularly strong UK fanbase. Chicken katsu curry – panko-breadcrumbed chicken served with a fragrant curry sauce and rice – is synonymous with Japanese fast-casual chain Wagamama. You could swap the chicken with eggplant or sweet potato to make a vegetarian version.
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Crinkle-cut fries
Crunchy crinkle-cut fries reminiscent of White Castle are possible to achieve at home. What you need is a stainless steel crinkle cutter (which can be bought from kitchen stores) to achieve the corrugated shape. The best part? You can decide whether you want to parboil and fry them, use an air fryer or bake them in the oven.
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New York dog
Another Sonic Drive-In favorite, The New York Dog features a beef hot dog topped with spicy brown mustard, grilled onions and sauerkraut. To make proper grilled onions, slowly caramelize chopped onions in a little butter or oil for around 15 minutes, or longer if needed. Whatever you do, don’t let them burn. You can attempt to make sauerkraut, but store-bought works just fine.
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Fish and chips
A little different to your usual Friday fish order, our recipe for battered fish and chips has an Indian twist. The batter includes gram flour (ground chickpeas), turmeric and cumin which gives it a little kick. It’s great with a homemade tomato and chili chutney or your favorite condiments. Who needs the chippy?
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Breakfast burrito
You don’t need to go to Del Taco for a decent breakfast burrito. This recipe calls for chorizo, scrambled eggs, grated Cheddar, chipotle and avocado, but it’s really the kind of dish where you can add whatever you have in the refrigerator. Got sausages, bacon or black beans? Don’t hold back in including them.
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Sausage and Egg McMuffin
When you make this popular breakfast sandwich in the comfort of your own home, you can enjoy it any time of day. McDonald’s shared the recipe and it contains just four ingredients (sausage meat, two eggs, American cheese and an English muffin), and an equally small number of steps. Frying pans at the ready, everyone.
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Hash browns
To recreate a proper McDonald’s breakfast experience, the fast food giant also posted how to make its hash browns – and they’re easier to whip up than you’d think. You’ll need a potato, egg, seasoning and olive oil to get started. The potato is grated and the moisture is squeezed out. Then it’s combined with a beaten egg, shaped and fried.