Danny Palumbo
Gwynedd Stuart
Ariana Losch
When it comes to finding the best bagels, we’re typically heading to a local bagel shop or bakery. We’re not really food snobs (and we think you know that), but there can be a stark difference between freshly baked bagels and bagels that come in a bag from the grocery store. However, the best store bought bagels we tried during our taste tests here at Sporked HQ are about as close as you can get at a mom-and-pop shop.
What we looked for in the best store bought bagels:
- Chewy, dense texture. Good bagels have some heft and bite. They aren’t fluffy like a sandwich bread.
- Good enough to eat plain (but also cream cheese friendly). If wet ingredients ruin the structural integrity of your bagel, is it really even a bagel?
- Clear flavors! Everything, blueberry, onion, if it is labeled, it should be obvious. (A personal pet peeve of mine is when an everything bagel smells way more flavorful and savory than it tastes.)
If you’re a true New York bagel snob, the best store bought bagels might not pass muster. But in a pinch, even a grocery store bagel can be filling and tasty. And, hell, a ton of cream cheese (or plant-based cream cheese!) makes pretty much any round piece of bread worth eating. So without further ado, here’s our running list of the best bagels to pick up at the grocery store.
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- Dave’s Killer Cinnamon Raisin Remix
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Dave’s Killer has a strong presence in this ranking; they really do make some of the best store bought bagels. Their cinnamon raisin bagels are soft, lightly sweet, flavorful, with a balanced amount of raisins and seeds that keeps it interesting without going too heavy on the crunchy, chewy bits. These taste good toasted and untoasted, thanks to how soft they are. I’d eat them with just plain or maybe a honey cream cheese. Also: They come pre-sliced. After slicing ten different bagel brands on my own for this ranking update, I have to come to terms with my limitations: I am bread-slicing challenged. Dave’s Killer Bread really looked out for me here. Thanks, Dave. —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Dave’s Killer Boomin’ Berry Bagels
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A lot of people think blueberry bagels are an abomination, but when it comes to Dave’s, I’m pro blueberry bagel. The blueberry flavor is subtle, and it tastes fresh. Plus, the blueberries are marbled into the bagels with a gentle swirl as opposed to sporadically mixed in. These are really tasty and downright pleasant. If you like your breakfast to be on the sweeter side of the sweet-savory spectrum, these are among the best bagels you can buy. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sprouts New York Style Fluffy
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Sprouts New York Style come pre-sliced and taste super fresh—but they admittedly don’t have a very long shelf life, so make sure to eat them fast. Which you’ll want to do, honestly. They’re fluffy without being too big, sporting that pretty, shiny bagel exterior that you can bounce a coin off of. The chew is doughy and satisfying but also soft; you aren’t breaking your jaw, but it’s definitely more of a bodega-style bagel that wouldn’t feel out of place wrapped in wax paper. Good job, Sprouts! —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
- Specially Selected Brioche Bagels
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These bagels from Aldi have a little badge on their bag that says they won a People food award in 2021, and I can see why! They’re very light and pleasant. They lack some of that signature bagel-y tang, but they’re slick on the outside and chewy on the inside. If you love an egg bagel, this is the best store bought bagel out there. The brioche has a distinct egg flavor that’s pleasant and breakfast-y, but not overwhelming. These are perfect for a not-too-heavy breakfast sandwich—I’m thinking turkey sausage, soft scrambled eggs, and smear of chipotle mayo. Yes. Yum. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Feel Good Food’s Everything Bagels
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Feel Good Food’s Everything Bagels are my wildcard pick for this ranking. These are frozen everything bagels stuffed with cream cheese (which we recommend toasting or throwing in the air fryer). The savory seasoning outperforms just about every store bought everything-bagel seasoning I’ve tried yet; it’s super umami-forward and instantly addictive. And oh yeah, did I mention these are gluten-free? I’m mentioning that last because, and I can’t stress this enough, you don’t need to be gluten free to enjoy these. I wish I’d had them growing up to pop in the toaster before school. They’re so simple and so perfect. (And, yes: The plain stuffed ones are good, too.) —Ariana Losch
Credit: Liv Averett / Thrive Market
- Original Bagel
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As we’ve already established, the best bagels have good chew. And these Original Bagel bagels really do have good chew. I passed one of these around the office so everyone could have a bite, and it was a pretty big hit. “It has actual bagel texture, which you don’t always find in store bought bagels,” said editor-in-chief Justine Sterling, an admitted NYC bagel snob. I really hate the name and the branding (they’re just so generic), but don’t pass these up just because they look off-brand. I’d also recommend under toasting them juuuuust a little bit to preserve the chew. I know an extra-toasty bagel tastes good, but over toasting can also dry them out. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / DoorDash
- Specially Selected Maple French Toast Bagels
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I am not a person who typically likes sweet bagels, but these bagels from Aldi really blew my mind. Seriously, if you like French toast but don’t have time for all that, these are the best bagels for you. They’re super cinnamony and raisins give them extra pops of sweetness (if you hate raisins, don’t worry—there aren’t many). They’re slick on the outside and super chewy on the inside. We ate all of these bagels dry so we could assess their taste, but now I’m dying to try these with lots and lots of butter (although they’d be good with cream cheese, too). And if you’re keeping track, two varieties of Aldi bagels made this list, which is to say, you should probably be buying bagels at Aldi! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Einstein Bros. Take & Toast Asiago Bagels
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When I first tasted one of these Einstein Bros. asiago bagels, it reminded me of a Detroit-style pizza. They’re salty, cheesy, and nutty. Einstein’s asiago bagels are the best store bought bagels for people who like a super savory breakfast, so you should think about making a baller breakfast sandwich out of these. If not, hey, just enjoy that salty, funky, toasty asiago cheese flavor with some cream cheese or all by itself. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Dave’s Killer Everything Bagels
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These Dave’s bagels kind of have it all. They’re really nice and chewy, and the everything seasoning—a mixture of sesame seed, poppy seed, flax seed, dehydrated onion, and sea salt—really shines, especially when toasted. We tasted these again during our follow-up taste test, and they were still the best store bought bagels we could find. Also, I love that the story around Dave’s bagels, which is printed on the bag, is basically, “Hey, this dude was in prison for 15 years.” It’s unexpected and honest, and I love that. A great backstory for a great bagel. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
Best Cinnamon Raisin
Best Blueberry
Best New York Style
Best Egg
Best Gluten Free
Best Chew
Best Sweet
Best Cheese
Best of the Best
Other products we tasted
H&H Everything, Thomas’ Plain, Thomas’ Everything, Dave’s Killer Plain, Great Value Plain, Great Value Cheese, Western Bagel Onion, Lender’s Plain, Lender’s Onion, Lender’s Blueberry, 365 Everything, Einstein Plain, Trader Joe’s Plain, Trader Joe’s Everything, Sara Lee Deluxe Everything, Sara Lee Deluxe Plain, L’oven Fresh Everything, L’oven Fresh Keto Friendly, Western Bagel Everything, Sam’s Choice Double Cheese, Original Bagel Asiago, Kirkland Signature Plain & Everything Bagels, ODoughs Bagels Vegan Everything Thins, Sprouts Everything New York Style Bagels, One Mighty Mill Organic Classic Plain Bagels, Western Bagel Plain Bagelettes, One Mighty Mill Whole Wheat Mighty Bagels Everything, Whole Foods Market Plain Bagels, Whole Foods Market Everything Bagels
Jessica Block
Jordan Myrick
