The best gluten free bread should taste a lot like bread made with wheat and other glutinous grains. It should be good for toast and sandwiches. It should not feel like a compromise.
As lifelong bread eaters, it is our 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, and helps produce a soft, fluffy, chewy texture. That said, more and more brands are figuring out how to turn science on its head by making gluten free bread that actually tastes like bread—bread that’s soft and fluffy and has chew. In our two gluten free bread taste tests, we tasted a lot, and I mean a lot, of bad gluten-free bread. Tiny loaves of brown bread made from a witch’s brew of ancient grains. Rice bread that tastes like dirt. Sourdough so acrid it’s inedible. Yes, a lot of gluten free bread is bad, but some of it is pretty good—and that’s coming from real bread heads.
Here’s what we were looking for in the best GF bread: It should have good structure. It should be good for sandwiches and toast. And, whether it’s white or multi-grain, it should taste good. Bottom line: Gluten free bread should be like bread. Here’s the best gluten free bread we found.
- Little Northern Bakehouse Cinnamon & Raisin Gluten Free Bread
Little Northern Bakehouse Cinnamon & Raisin bread is much less dense than a lot of gluten free bread. It’s downright light, although that also means that it loses some of its structure as you chew. But cinnamon and raisin are heroes here—besides giving the bread a lovely, sweet flavor, the raisins impart a little bit of moisture, too. This is the best gluten free bread for French toast. Dredge this in egg and there’s no way it will come off as dry. Especially after you drench it in butter and syrup. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- Trader Joe’s Gluten Free White Sandwich Bread
This bread is soft and eggy, and, overall, the flavor is 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-sized slices of bread. Still, Trader Joe’s gluten free white bread tastes very good, and that’s a huge achievement. It’s the best gluten free bread for making tiny, toasted sandwiches, like tuna melts.. The egginess of the bread tastes great when it’s heated up, almost like a pastry. Not only is this one of the best tasting gluten free breads we tried, it’s cheap, too!. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Trader Joe’s
- Schar Deli Style Seeded Sourdough
Don’t be put off by this bread’s feel or smell when you first open the package. Yes, it’s a little wet. And, yes, it sort of smells like grains that were fermented to make beer. Once you take a bite, you’ll be glad for the moisture and the grainy nature. This is a flavorful gluten free bread from the best gluten free bread brand at the grocery store (see #1). It’s perfect for a Reuben, although I’m leaving it up to you to figure out whether corned beef, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing are GF. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Canyon Bakehouse Mountain White
This bread is sweet and wide, making it the best gluten-free bread for a sandwich. Pile this high with turkey and cheddar or ham and Dijon mustard or bacon and tomato for a GF 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 the best gluten free bread for sandwich-making. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- 365 Gluten Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Whole Foods’ Gluten Free Multigrain Sandwich Bread has a really nice flavor, 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 I get from 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. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Whole Foods
- Canyon Bakehouse Hawaiian Sweet
If you’re into Hawaiian sweet bread but you’re not into eating gluten, you should give this Canyon Bakehouse bread a shot. It’s soft and spongy, but not disturbingly spongy like some GF breads—it just has a nice chew. The sweetness is the star, though. It’s almost pineapple-y, but has a nice butteriness on the finish. The impulse might be to use this in sweet applications, like PB&J, but I think this is the best bread to heap with savory fixings, like salty ham and tangy mustard. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Pavilions
- Schar Gluten Free Artisan Baker White Bread
Schar appears to have updated its recipe since our first taste test (there’s a little badge on the bag that says “New Recipe”), but it’s still the best tasting gluten free bread out there. 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, and it’s the best gluten free bread we tasted. —Danny Palumbo & Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
Best for French Toast
Best Tiny
Best for a Reuben
Best for a Sandwich
Best Multigrain
Best Sweet
Best of the Best
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.
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.
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.
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
I love Schar products, but Trader Joe’s gluten free bread and bagels are really good too!
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
Wonder white does a gluten free loaf. That isn’t healthy but is so bloody tasty.
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.
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.
Here in Utah we have Franz and it’s amazing!! If you ever have a chance to try it please do!
Please try O’Dough’s! The bagel thins and the sandwich bread are the best I’ve ever had.
Definately our go to!
Agreed, Schar is the best I’ve found in 6 years so far.
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.