5 Store-Bought Everything Bagels, Ranked

Every morning, countless Americans slip a store-bought bagel into their toaster for breakfast. Bagels are a popular choice for the first meal of the day, and for good reason: They're versatile, quick to prepare, and fairly filling. Whether you use them to make delicious breakfast sandwiches or simply eat them toasted with a velvety spread of cream cheese, it's always a good idea to keep some bagels on hand. And when it comes to different types and flavors of bagels, everything bagels are a wise and classic choice.

Typically made with a mix of ingredients that includes poppy seeds, dried garlic, onion, sesame seeds, everything bagels are often heavily-seasoned and highly flavorful. That said, bagel brands can differ when it comes to quality of ingredients, amount of seasonings, and general texture. To figure out which store-bought bagels are worth it, I decided to pick up several brands at the grocery store and conduct a side-by-side taste test. Each bagel was prepared the same exact way: toasted for the same amount of time, and sampled with a smear of cream cheese. Read on to see how each brand ranked.

Marketside is a Walmart brand that makes a wide variety of prepared food products, including bagels. Prior to this article, I had never tasted any of Marketside's bagels, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Removing the bagel from its bag, I noticed that the bagels are left whole and uncut. The bagels also seemed overly dry and dense to the touch — not a good first impression. After being toasted and topped with some whipped cream cheese, I took a bite and let my tastebuds take over.

Much to my dismay (but as I suspected), these bagels are too dry. I understand that bagels are made with low-hydration dough, but Marketside's recipe for these could definitely use a little more moisture. Another issue here is that the garlic is a little too bitter, perhaps from being a bit overcooked during production. On the plus side, these bagels are the biggest of the bunch, so they could be a good vehicle for a breakfast sandwich.

Even though Thomas is the bagel brand that I'm most familiar with, I'd never tried the company's everything flavor. What first struck me about Thomas' Everything bagel is the sheer size of the seeds and seasonings sprinkled across the exterior, which appeared to be much heartier than some of the other bagel brands in this ranking. You'd think that visibly heartier seasonings like this would translate to bigger flavors, right? Strangely, that wasn't the case here. In fact, I found Thomas' Everything bagel to be quite bland.

The textural contrast between the toasted exterior and the bagel's interior was also practically nonexistent, resulting in bites that felt chewy and homogeneous. If these were on sale I might consider buying them again, but to be honest these everything bagels were nothing special and some of the other brands were much better. Because of how muted the flavor here is, I think a more vibrant and assertive topping like smoked salmon would be an easy way to rescue this bagel from mediocrity.

Western Bagel wasn't familiar to me before this ranking, but apparently the company makes tons of different flavors, including options like pumpernickel, sourdough, jalapeño, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, and strawberry. This is especially good news because my favorite thing about these bagels is the flavor, so I'm excited to try what else Western Bagel has in store.

Some of the ingredients used in these everything bagels include the usual suspects: toasted onions, poppy seeds, and garlic. The flavor of the garlic is much more pronounced in these bagels than the other ones in this ranking, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preferences. For a garlic lover like me, this is a good thing. I was also impressed with the airy interior of these bagels and the light crunch on the outside. The exterior seeds provide more than just texture — they also offer some well-balanced seasoning. All in all, this definitely put Western Bagel on my radar.

Sara Lee's everything bagels felt the fluffiest and freshest right out of the bag, which was a good sign. On the other hand, visibly, Sara Lee's Everything bagel doesn't appear to contain nearly as many seeds, onions, and garlic as the other brands, which I thought would hold it back in the flavor department. I'm happy to report that's not the case.

Though frugally sprinkled, the seeds and other toppings here manage to impart some striking flavors. What impressed me the most here, though, was the bagel's texture. Airy and fluffy on the inside, yet with some moderate chew and a light crisp on the outer edges, Sara Lee's Everything bagel was definitely one of the freshest-tasting bagels in the mix. Had the toppings been dished out a little more generously, Sara Lee's Everything bagel may have taken the crown. But there was another brand that tasted even better that stole the spotlight.

One thing that I appreciate about these bagels is how perfectly cut they are. Most bagels need to be cut a little bit to be fully split, but these are all ready to go. Sure, busting a knife out to finish cutting a bagel fully in half may not take much time or effort, but let's face it — convenience is the name of the game in the morning. Every second counts.

What really impressed me about Bettergoods' Everything bagels is just how well-balanced the flavors are. Dehydrated garlic and onions, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds are harmoniously scattered around the surface of the bagel. As you can see in the photo, the onions in this bagel are generously portioned, which also means that the flavor of onions in this bagel is more pronounced. This is a good thing, because these onions are surprisingly tasty and offer a sweeter (almost caramelized) element into the mix that helps counter the salty savoriness of the other ingredients. When it comes to the texture, the crispy-to-chewy ratio in this bagel is also nicely done. For a store-bought bagel, this is best option I've tasted so far.

All of the bagels in this article were toasted, spread with cream cheese, and tasted multiple times. Tasting notes were jotted down during the sampling sessions and referred to during the writing process. Each bagel was carefully evaluated for flavor and texture. Bagels with balanced flavors and noticeable textural contrast (soft on the inside, a little chewy and crispy on the outside) received higher placements in the ranking.