The best gluten-free bread should taste a lot like gluten-full bread. It should be good for toast and sandwiches. It should not feel like a compromise. Can a bunch of bread eaters find a gluten-free bread that satisfies their glutenous desires? Read on to find out.
As a lifelong bread eater, it is my understanding that gluten is paramount to baking good bread. It’s everything. It traps gas bubbles and helps dough rise. It provides necessary protein for structure. Gluten helps produce a soft, fluffy, chewy texture in the deeply chemical process that is baking. Bread is not bread without gluten. To me, saying gluten-free bread is like saying “pasta-less pasta.” It’s like telling your friends “Hey, I’m having a pig roast tonight,” and then only roasting a single apple over a fire. Which begs the question, can gluten-free bread actually be good? After this taste test, I’m convinced it can be, but rarely is.
We tasted a lot, and I mean a lot, of bad gluten-free bread. Tiny brown breads made from a witch’s brew of ancient grains. Brown rice bread that tasted like dirt. Sourdough that was so acrid it was inedible. Bread made from space junk and bread stitched together from body parts from the morgue. It takes a lot of dark magic and godless science to make gluten-free bread.
Here’s what we were looking for in the best gluten-free bread: It should have good structure. It should be good for sandwiches and toast. And, whether it’s white or multi-grain, it should have good flavor, too! Bottom line: Gluten-free bread should be like bread. So let’s jump in and see how these posers stack up against each other.
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- Schar Gluten Free Artisan White Bread
This is the best gluten-free bread. Simply put, it is the most convincing bread. Now, there are a ton of ingredients in Schar’s white bread, but you don’t make gluten-free bread without summoning a few demons and reading from The Book of the Dead. There are enzymes, oils, modified cellulose, gum, and flour. Still, the result of all of this unholy wizardry is some pretty satisfying slices. Schar’s is sweet, sizable, and well-made. It’s damn good all on its own, and it will make an excellent sandwich. This is white bread.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- 365 Gluten Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Whole Foods’ Gluten Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread has a really nice taste, especially if you’re a fan of wheat bread. It’s also soft and chewy, making it the best gluten-free bread for soft sandwich fillings like egg salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad. You know how an Egg McMuffin is kind of all the same texture? That’s the vibe of this bread. There’s something utterly delightful about how soft it is. This would make a great cold sandwich, which, in my opinion, is where wheat bread shines brightest.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Whole Foods
- Trader Joe’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread
This bread is soft and eggy, and the flavor is overall fairly sweet. It’s a little bit like dessert, and we love that. The only problem is that the bread is so damn tiny. Why do most gluten-free bread loaves look like they’re made for gnomes who live inside of a tree trunk? The answer here is that bread made with gluten-free flour has trouble rising. So, you’re usually left with these small, appetizer slices of bread. Still, Trader Joe’s white bread tastes very good, and that’s a huge achievement. Make little sandwiches out of it or toast it in a convection oven. The egginess of the bread tastes great when it’s heated up, almost like a pastry. Trader Joe’s white bread is also, get this, the cheapest one in our best gluten-free bread round-up.
Credit: Ryan Martin
- Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White
This bread is sweet and wide, making it the best gluten-free bread for a sandwich. The flavor here is almost like a dumpling, and so it would definitely benefit from a little balance. Maybe some hot mustard and turkey, or cheddar jack and ham, or a chipotle mayo BLT. Look, we’re not going to tell you how to make a sandwich; you know how to do that (hopefully). But, in a lineup of gluten-free breads that are far too small to make a substantial sandwich, Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White stands taller than the rest, making it our pick for best sandwich.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Kroger Gluten Free White Bread
Korger’s gluten-free white bread is made with eggs, and so it has a spongy, pound-cake like quality to it that’s actually quite delicious. Naturally, this would be the best gluten-free bread for french toast. This bread is nice and sturdy, and is less of a sandwich bread and more of a sweet bread. That means peanut butter, Nutella, and jelly will also really do well on this type of gluten-free bread. It also picks up some added texture once it sits in the fridge.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Kroger
- Sam’s Choice Gluten Free Classic White Bread
Sam’s Choice is also made with eggs, and, get this, extra virgin olive oil. So, the texture here is quite nice and is also cake-like. Naajia Shukri, Sporked’s editorial assistant, tasted the bread and said, “I like it and I’m ashamed.” No reason to be ashamed, Naajia! Let your freak flag fly and embrace this as the best gluten-free bread for you. This bread is soft, chewy, and is a lot like cake. We like that. Gluten-free bread tends to be more edible when eggs are in the ingredients.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Carbonaut Seeded Bread
Carbonaut’s seeded bread makes the best gluten-free bread list because it’s pretty good for you: It’s low in calories, high in fiber, and high in protein. This bread is still made with a hodgepodge of Frankenstein’s monster’s parts, but still, those monster parts are good for you. It’s made with rice bran, millet, flax seeds, and chicory root fiber. Mmmm, chicory root fiber! Look, it’s not the best tasting bread, but it’s slightly sweet and doughy and the seeded crust adds some intrigue and crunch. It’ll do the job if you’re looking for something to make a sandwich or toast and spread with butter (or avocado, since we’re talking about health-conscious decisions) for breakfast. Go Carbonaut if you’re a little more health conscious.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
Best of the Best
Best Multigrain
Best Flavor
Best Sandwich
Best French Toast
Best Guilty Pleasure
Best Healthy-ish Choice
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Schar is definitely the best but my second favorite has always been Three Brakers gluten free bread. Definitely holds up to the rest of these.
The problem with Scar is their regular GF bread is not good and their deli style is great, but you are paying full loaf price for 1/3 of a loaf with the deli style. 3 Bakers has the best “rye style” GF bread, but once again the bread is crumbly, but flavor good.
Agreed, Schar is the best I’ve found in 6 years so far.
Please try O’Dough’s! The bagel thins and the sandwich bread are the best I’ve ever had.
Definately our go to!
Here in Utah we have Franz and it’s amazing!! If you ever have a chance to try it please do!
Schar? Nope!
If you think that is good, you HAVE to try Little Northern Bakehouse, or even O’Doughs. Both are leagues better!
Had Little Northern Bakehouse and it is almost impossible to make a sandwich with it is so crumbly. Dense bread with dense flavor. I think people get so used to GF bread being crumbly and fall apart they just accept this.
Y’all are on crack! Udi’s is the absolute best gf bread. You don’t have to keep it in the fridge, you can use it with out toasting. It stays soft and actually acts like real bread. I highly recommend that y’all try it. The Scharr stuff is hard, dry, and crumbly.
Wonder white does a gluten free loaf. That isn’t healthy but is so bloody tasty.
7 Canyon is the best by a wide margin especially the wide pan type. Honey White is best. Closest texture to non GF bread. Remember with GF bread their is no nutritional advantage to darker breads and the whole grains can be a problem due to seeds. Canyon bread actually soaks up some sauce or butter which few GF breads do. #2 is Udi’s Millet Chia and you do not even have Udi’s listed.
You need to try O’Dough’s gluten free bread (and bagel thins and buns) – this is the CLOSEST to regular white bread in taste, aroma, and texture I’ve found anywhere
Funny I do not like O’Doughs at all and it falls apart. Similar to Katz bread if you like that flavor profile and fall apart texture.
nah bro aldi livegfree wide pan is the best. i have celiac disease, and my bf who doesn’t says that the texture is almost the same as regular bread
Aldi’s often shelfs it with regular bread creating an issue of cross contamination. Try 7 canyon vs Aldi’s texture wise it is not even close and both have wide pan.
I’m so glad you posted this! But could you please let us know what brands and types you tried for this that DIDN’T make the cut?? So many people below are like “no, you just haven’t tried such and such.” For those of us reading, it would help to know if you DID try such and such brand.
I can’t eat regular bread without consequences, although thankfully I’m not celiac. Very grateful for reviews like this overall!
Exactly I do not know how anyone does a GF bread ranking without Udi’s involved. Also no Katz )do not like their bread, but their pastries are amazing). guessing geography with Udi’s being Canadian and Katz Chicago.
as someone who is allergic to gluten, but also eggs, dairy, and soy, it is hard to find a good gf vegan bread. i think aldis brand is actually pretty good and isn’t crazy expensive like some other brands.
I love Schar products, but Trader Joe’s gluten free bread and bagels are really good too!
These are definitely some good choices. Also I felt very seen by the tiny bread comment. Personally, my favorite gluten free breads are La Brea White Bread and this one that I only ever found at Fresh Market in Texas
Thank you guys for helping and representing the gluten-free group. I have celiac and gluten free options are so expensive . Thanks to you I am able to save a bit of money not buying a $7 loaf for it to be horrible. Thank you thank you thank you.
I am FLOORED that you do not even have Food for Life Sprouted Grain Sesame Bread on here at all! It is COMPLETELY flourless, and way tastier than Schar for making sandwiches! You really need to try it and re-evaluate your list, and then maybe your life’s choices that kept you from learning about it for so long.
While the reasons might be partly to do with what brand are available to you, these results are just flat out wrong. Promise brioche bread is probably hands down the best, however, also the most expensive, in second place comes, Canyon Bakehouse can’t remember which Bakehouse bread but wild that you scored it so low. And in 3rd comes Presidents Choice Gluten Free White bread (not very good but passable as food). Schar is fine, but it’s nothing to write home about. I could easily consider it the third over Presidents Choice, but It’s high Psyllium fiber content is sure to cause stomach upset/constipation in high enough doses in my experience. Also people talking about Udi’s in the comments have had celiac way to early in life and forgot what flavor taste like however same goes for Carbonaut, those can’t even be considered food. At least Udi’s can be made into decent stuffing. Carbonaut has ZERO redeeming qualities.