We Sampled 16 Items from McDonald’s India Menu — Here’s What Stood Out and What Didn’t

We get it, you love your Big Macs — which are easy to recreate at home, so long as you know the secret ingredient in the sauce. Or perhaps the Quarter Pounder with cheese has been tattooed all over your brain ever since your first mouthful — after all, it is one of the best McDonald’s burgers ever made. While these fast food legends have yet to make their way over to Indian shores, there is no dearth of culinary creativity in the menu of McDonald’s India.

While there are meaty burgers on the menu, since this fast food chain caters to the country with the largest vegetarian population in the world, its meatless options stand toe-to-toe with its meat-based ones. You’ll find cottage cheese used as a popular stand-in for meat, such as in the Big Spicy Paneer McWrap. Then there is the McAloo Tikki, a humbling reminder of how a potato patty can become a gastronomical legend.

If a deeper immersion into Indian’s culinary scene has long been an item on your foodie bucket list, the localized menu at McDonald’s India makes for a good starting point. However, not all attempts to reinvent the wheel are successful. To spare you the trial and error, I personally tasted all the India-only items on the menu to report back on the taste, texture, and flavors you can expect. Armed with this guide of the highs and lows of the menu, you’ll know what to opt for.

At first glance, the Spicy Egg McMuffin looks like its stateside counterpart. It has the same toasted muffins with a thick slab of egg peeking through the edges. But it’s only when I pried apart the toasted buns that I discovered the moneymaker: the sauce.

The menu describes this concoction as a run-in between habanero sauce and spicy masala seasoning. But, it’s not borne by some chef idly tipping in a vat of red chili powder for heat. Instead, the egg is slathered with a generous helping of a creamy, tangy sauce that is best savored in slow, unhurried bites. While the sauce makes for a perfect pairing with the soft English muffins, it would be a shame to retire it to the back of the shelf once the breakfast rush is over  — not when it would make for an ideal dipping sauce with fries later on in the day.

If you peek through any Indian pantry, you’ll find one jar standing alert, ready to offer some umami flavor to otherwise flavorless marinades and curries: garlic paste. One bite into the Korean McEgg burger felt as though I had been fed a spoonful of the raw, putrid paste from a jar in my mother’s cupboard. 

Instead of tasting the signature spicy-yet-sweet notes of gochujang sauce, I found myself dashing toward the nearest pitcher of water. Visually, the vibrant red hue of the burger sauce seemed to concur with my previous experiences with gochujang. But the heavy-handedness of the garlic hijacks what should have been a flavorful, umami-laden ode to Korean food. 

The egg patty and lettuce feel impossibly disconnected from the proceedings — like that second cousin who is the first to blue-tick every message and yet never quite knows what’s going on with the family group chat. Without anything significant to contribute to the flavor profile, it earns the burger a one-way ticket to the “never again” league.

Despite making its way to American shores, the Chicken Big Mac has faced dismal reviews — and some taste-testers even found it akin to a larger, flatter McNugget. Meanwhile over in India, the so-called “Indian answer to the Big Mac” brings big main character energy to the table. The Hindi word “maharaja” translates into “king,” and this burger certainly had me imagining what it would be like to feast like royalty at a fast food chain — double chicken patties sandwiched between the signature three-tier buns sound like a good place to start. 

The chicken patties hold their ground admirably, but it is the fiery payoff of biting into sliced jalapeños and onions doused in habanero sauce that cements this maharaja’s claim to the throne. It’s just spicy enough to make my taste buds stand to attention and sing, “Long live the king.”

Touted as the “Indian Big Mac experience for vegetarians,” a tear-away strip seemingly holds this towering three-bun burger together. When pried apart, it’s easy to see a smattering of veggies, which lend an undeniable fresh undertone to the sandwich. All other elements come together cohesively to paint the picture of the whole sandwich: two lip-smacking corn-and-cheese patties packed with flavor, adorned with crunchy jalapeños, onions, and creamy cheese.

While the Veg Maharaja Mac offers up a comforting mix of veggies and patties, it is also best enjoyed alone — not because you’ll be hard-pressed to share a bite with someone, but rather because the smoky sauce oozing out of the sides makes for a messy eating experience. The jumbo size of the burger, however, makes for a satiating meal without any sides needed, and the sticky fingers at the end seem like a small price to pay for such a delicious sandwich. 

If your heart has yet to recover from the discontinuation of McDonald’s Snack Wraps, here’s a compelling reason to book the first flight to India: the Big Spicy Paneer McWrap. Whereas the Maharaja Macs come with a messy eating experience — it isn’t uncommon to find sauce remnants on your shirt hours later — I can usually polish off this paneer wrap in quick bites while waiting at a traffic light. 

The wrap arrives in my hand with a tear-away strip in the middle of the packaging. Indian cottage cheese, or paneer — as it is commonly known in India — is truly the star of the show here. It’s batter-coated and bathed in a lip-smacking tomato mayo sauce that is spicy but never mouth-numbingly fiery. 

However, the wrap isn’t folded securely enough to keep the filling in its place. Gravity forces the filling to the bottom of the wrap, leaving me with empty mouthfuls of doughy flatbread. When the cast does manage to come together, the ensemble sings effortlessly. But the uneven distribution of the filling detracts from the eating experience, which is a pity. 

Can a humble slab of paneer ever achieve Premium status? The McSpicy paneer burger likes to believe the answer is yes. You may love your beef burgers, but if you ever drop by any McDonald’s outpost in India, don’t be surprised if this paneer filet starts playing the starring role in your culinary daydreams. Under a breaded exterior, the milkiest slab of Indian cottage cheese awaits, pliant enough that I can bite through the patty as smoothly as a heated knife cleaving through butter.

The supporting cast pitches in with noteworthy performances as well. The paneer patty is slathered generously with a tandoori-style sauce that is spicy enough to justify its moniker but doesn’t imprison my palate in a fiery inferno. The shredded lettuce and onions hover delicately in the background, offering just enough flavor to make this burger worth revisiting.

While the classic burgers from McDonald’s have been reimagined for Indian audiences, it is reassuring to know that the sides are not just an afterthought. There is the usual roster of chicken nuggets and fries, but you’ll want to make room for one stellar addition to the cast: the Veg Pizza McPuff. It delivers an assortment of veggies and mozzarella cheese in a rectangular savory dough.

There’s a lot to love about the combination of veggies with tomato sauce and exotic spices. And the good news just continues from there. The ratio of filling to puff pastry holds up until the last bite, ensuring that I wasn’t chewing through bland pastry in a bid to finish the puff. But to make the most of the mozzarella cheese, it is best consumed scalding hot. Does it burn the tongue? Perhaps. Will I still keep reaching for greedy mouthfuls over and over again? Most definitely yes.

Despite having the shiny Premium moniker, there is little to this sandwich that feels luxe. The burger arrives in the moody packaging that the fast food chain reserves for its Premium offerings. Inside, a chicken patty is layered under the same egg patty as the Korean McEgg burger. Both the chicken and the egg are relatively inoffensive. 

While the original McSpicy Premium chicken burger comes with a toasted whole wheat bun and an assortment of veggies, the jalapeños and spicy cocktail sauce are a no-show here. Instead, the burger relies heavily on a gochujang sauce that unfailingly plays spoilsport. If you get really quiet, you can practically hear the chicken and egg patties screaming for help. The unwelcome garlicky aftertaste of the sauce refuses to disappear even hours later, making this item a major miss.

Oddly enough, the cheapest burger on the McDonald’s India’s menu is also the one that gained legendary status. Such is the story of the McAloo Tikki, a decades-long favorite on the McDonald’s India menu. The word “aloo” translates to “potato,” while “tikki” refers to a “small patty” — both of which should give you a sound idea of what to expect from a McAloo Tikki. 

First, there is the patty. Potatoes, peas, and spices come together with a crispy, breadcrumb-coated exterior. The veggies are a mixed bag; the onions offer up the perfect amount of crunch, but the word “tomatoes” on the menu is a bit of a misnomer. A quick peek under the bun revealed a single tomato slice all by its lonesome, looking like it could use some company. Although the solitary slice perhaps serves as a welcome sight, given that price surges had previously caused tomatoes to be axed from the McDonald’s India menu. The finishing flourish comes in the form of the sauce — a sweet tomato mayo that strikes the perfect match with the savory spiciness of the patty.

Despite having been able to handle the heat of a McSpicy paneer burger, I knew that I could only earn a seat at the grown-ups’ table if I could look a Korean McSpicy paneer burger in the eye. On paper, the bare bones of the burger seem conquerable. There is the breaded cottage cheese patty, which is always a delight. It’s fresh, smooth, and marshmallow soft — even when the leftovers are revisited after a few hours. The veggies ho-hum themselves into oblivion, and the limp lettuce hardly makes a lasting impression.

The tediously one-note spiciness of the gochujang sauce is where it falters. Perhaps determined to live up to its McSpicy destiny, the sauce struck a searing trail across my taste buds, leaving no prisoners in its wake. This is not sauce — this is pure bottled fury, slathered over a burger bun and served to unwilling patrons of Korean cuisine.

Fact: Sprite at McDonald’s tastes better, thanks to temperature-regulated steel tanks that ensure the soda syrups stay fresher. Could this good news carry on to the Yuzu-Pop Sprite, the newest kid on the beverage block? Wary after the culinary assault of the gochujang sauce, I treated myself to a cautious first sip and found myself confronted by the tartness of the yuzu. The signature sweetness of the Sprite is missing in action, making this fusion of flavors seem less like a merry meeting of the minds and more of a hostile takeover. 

However, when I revisited the drink after a particularly spicy run-in with the Korean burgers, I found the taste growing on me. The citrusy notes of the fruit still come barreling in like a runaway train, but it also serves as the perfect palate cleanser for washing away the heat of a fiery burger.

With my expectations cresting at an all-time low from the Korean offerings on the menu, I was pleasantly surprised when I dug into the Korean McSpicy chicken. The normally blisteringly spicy gochujang sauce is surprisingly muted here. It appears more willing to be a team player and let all elements of the burger shine.

Make no mistake, the gochujang sauce used here is still a far cry from the spicy, savory notes of its authentic version — if this was hawked on the streets of Seoul, it would be hard-pressed to find a single taker. But with the spiciness of the sauce dialed down, its tangy notes are able to come through. After a cautious first bite, I find myself plowing through the rest of the burger with more enthusiasm. The chicken patty tastes juicy, and its crispy coating pairs well with the sauce. The veggies could offer more of a crunch with every bite, but after a disappointing series of Korean outings, I’ll take the win.

Suffice it to say that the Korean version of the beloved McAloo Tikki has some big shoes to fill. I unwrapped the burger to find a smattering of lettuce looking back at me bleakly. The onions and tomatoes are noticeably absent, perhaps rioting against the sweltering touch of the gochujang sauce.

The potatoes and pea-based patty decided not to go down without a fight, but it is clear that this is a losing battle. Not only is the sauce atomically spicy, but it’s also slathered on heavy-handedly. As a result, the bun was dejectedly soggy. Perhaps this burger can be salvaged with more veggies, but for today, the Korean McAloo Tikki will be returning to the bench. 

After an overwhelming assault of spicy sauces on my palate, I felt myself craving a clean, honest representation of what a veggie burger should taste like. It was fortunate that I reached for the McVeggie. It doesn’t come with too many bells and whistles, yet manages to pack a mighty punch.

Although the name might suggest that it’s packed with vegetables, the McVeggie burger chooses not to complicate things and sticks to its guns with a vegetable patty layered under lettuce and creamy mayo. Any add-on vegetables that could have done the sandwich justice — like onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers — are noticeably absent. 

The patty is a joy to bite into — which is good news, seeing as how there aren’t many add-ons to disguise its flavor. If you are touring the country and aren’t feeling adventurous enough to play spice roulette, this burger will definitely earn a reorder before you fly back.

In an ideal world, the surprise in this Korean chicken surprise burger would have come through from a tender, juicy chicken patty — but the heavy saturation of the spicy gochujang sauce has other plans. However, if this burger were to be considered independently from the sauce, it would be salvageable. The bun is soft and fresh, even though it looks bare and lacking any toasted sesame seeds. 

The chicken patty battles to make its voice heard, but when it does manage to get the spotlight, it comes through with an assertive crispiness. The only letdown here is the spicy gochujang sauce and, more specifically, the alarming amount of it that’s used. When I nudged apart the top bun, I found the lettuce leaves drowning in a sauce bath. Did this burger transport me to Seoul? Perhaps not. But I would consider revisiting it just for the crispy chicken patty — and request less sauce. 

With millets steadily ascending to superfood status and India serving as the world’s largest producer of the cereals, this union was perhaps always written in the stars. As someone who is used to biting into burgers with pillowy soft buns, this one did make me pause after the first mouthful. Beyond the smattering of toasted millet grains on the bun, there is a firmer bite here — a departure from the tender texture that most burger buns are known for. But I did feel better about my choice once I considered that millets are a great source of protein and dietary fiber. The rest of the McAloo Tikki delivered on its standard goodness, complete with a satisfying vegetable patty tinged with the sweetness of tomato mayo.

That being said, the millet grains don’t necessarily transform this burger into a health food. But, the grains add a nutty taste and might even tempt me to make room in my pantry for other cereals, like jowar puffs.

As I taste-tested the menu items, the first thing I looked for was the ingredients and flavors I grew up eating. In other words, do they serve as worthy representatives of Indian cuisine, even when transformed into fast food fare?

Next, I considered the balance of taste and texture of the menu items. By isolating the individual components, like the patty, veggies, and sauce, as well as their flavor together as a cohesive bite, I was able to determine the highs and lows of the menu.