The Starbucks Bacon Gouda Sandwich is hands down my favorite thing on the breakfast menu at Starbucks. But they’re $3.95 each and it’s hard to rationalize that multiple times a week, especially when they’re SUPER easy to replicate. For about $20 you can prepare 8 of these delicious sandwiches at home for enjoying all week long.
Simple DIY Starbucks Bacon Gouda Breakfast Sandwiches
- 1 lb Oscar Mayer bacon (we prefer low sodium)
- One package gouda cheese slices (not smoked, ensure there’s at least 8 slices)
- 8 ciabatta rolls
- 8 eggs
It’s surprisingly hard to find Gouda slides that aren’t smoked, so be careful you don’t grab smoked gouda instead because there’s definitely a difference, and Starbucks’ gouda isn’t smoked.
Making the Starbucks Bacon Gouda Breakfast Sandwiches
Tip: In between cooking the eggs and bacon setup the bottom halves of your ciabatta rolls on a large baking sheet and place one slice of gouda cheese on each. This can be done throughout cooking or ahead if you’re not big on multitasking.
Cooking the Eggs
The eggs always take the longest because I was cooking them one at a time in my single-egg pan for the perfect circular shape.
However, I recently bought these egg rings which I HIGHLY recommend because cooking them one at a time holds up the process. You can cook the eggs on a griddle or pan without a divider to speed it up but they may run together (looking out for my Insta foodies) and I recommend whisking the egg together within your ring so the yolk mixes nicely.
Once the egg is cooked on one side you should be able to remove it (the ring, if you have them) and flip the egg without destroying it since it’ll be mostly cooked at that point. This leaves it evenly cooked, in a circle shape like the real deals.
Next time I’m also going to fiddle with the idea of whisking all 8 eggs together with a little butter and milk and then cooking. Kev does this with our scrambled eggs and they always turn out UH-mazing. (stay tuned)
Cooking the Bacon
Cook it however you normally do! We use a large stovetop skillet inside or take our electric griddle on the patio when its nice outside to enjoy the fresh air (and avoid a bacon smelling kitchen all day).
Assembling the Starbucks Bacon Gouda Sandwiches
When your eggs and bacon are almost done preheat your oven to 400 degrees. You’re not really cooking anything but you want to give the sandwiches a nice toasted crisp while melting the cheese. Again, we’re aiming to replicate the real deal here.
Finish assembling your sandwiches on the large baking sheet by placing an egg on top of each slice of gouda and topping with a few (mini) strips of bacon before placing the other half of ciabatta on top. Cook on the top rack for about 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted to your preference.
Serve immediately and wrap the remainders in tinfoil or baggies for enjoying later.
Pro Tip: you will likely have extra bacon. (what an inconvenience!) Don’t feel like you have to use every last bit if it feels excessive.
Homemade Price Difference/Cost Savings
Prices can be regional, but they all likely vary in the same direction so it’s comparable. Here’s what I got when I did the math:
The Starbucks Bacon Gouda Sandwich
$3.95 x 8 sandwiches, Total = $31.60
The Homemade Version
Eggs, carton = $1.29
Bacon, 1 lb = $5.99
Gouda, package = $5.99 (oddly pricey for cheese, in my opinion)
Ciabatta rolls, 8 total = $7.92
Total = $21.19
That’s a difference of $10.41! But wait…. there’s more.
Plus, Tax Savings
Not only is making your own food cheaper generally, but you’re also being taxed on your spend exponentially less. For example, in Illinois, food (grocery store, non pre-made products) is only taxed at 1%. In my town specifically the Starbucks app is showing a whopping 9% tax rate on prepared food and drink. And it’s showing an even higher 11.5% at the downtown Chicago location!
So take those previous figures and adjust for taxes…
The Starbucks Sandwich Math
$31.60 x 9% = +$2.84 = $34.44
The Homemade Version Math
$21.19 x 1% = +$0.21 = $21.40
You’re actually saving about $13.04, using my local figures. This gives you an approximate idea of the difference (which is about 3 extra lattes!).
If you give this homemade Starbucks Bacon Gouda Sandwich a try you HAVE to comment below and let me know. Curious if others love these as much as we do!
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