Guess what New Jersey’s favorite breakfast is. It’s not bagels or pork roll

They say it’s the most important meal of the day, yet so many people in this state just skip it. Or don’t put any thought into breakfast at all. But I wanted to find out, with all of the pork roll vs. Taylor ham debate, what is it that New Jersey actually eats for breakfast every day?

Scrambled eggs with cheese top the list

Back in 2022, Kylie Moore enlightened us to a Jersey fun fact you probably didn’t know: the No. 1 breakfast food in New Jersey is scrambled eggs with cheese.

That’s straight from the Denny’s Breakfast Index survey, which asked people across the state what they reach for first in the morning.

After speaking to our listeners, we’ve learned that after eggs, the rest of the top five read like a classic diner order: pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and sausage.

Bagels, Taylor ham, and the diner obsession

Of course, no Jersey breakfast story is complete without the carb of all carbs: the bagel.

About a third of our listeners said bagels are their most-craved breakfast carb. And don’t even think about toasting it. A real Jersey bagel doesn’t need it.

Then there’s the crown jewel of local breakfast culture: the Taylor ham (or pork roll) egg and cheese on a hard roll.

It might not have topped the official list, but let’s be honest. That sandwich is basically our state flag!

And with over 500 diners across New Jersey (more than any other state), it makes perfect sense we’re obsessed with breakfast. Here, you can get eggs, pancakes, or that bagel at 7 a.m. or 10 p.m., coffee in a heavy white mug included.

So yes, eggs may have taken the title, but in Jersey, breakfast as a whole is part of our DNA.