8 Store-Bought Hamburger Buns, Ranked Worst To Best

The best burger recipes may be delicious, but they'll never live up to their full potential unless they're paired with the best hamburger buns. A nasty bun can ruin your experience every time, and no amount of condiments can save it. But, which store-bought hamburger buns are worthy of sandwiching your mouth-watering burger, and which are best left on the shelf (or tossed in the trash)?

As an avid hamburger enthusiast, I needed an answer to this pressing question. So, I started out on a taste-testing journey of eight hamburger bun options available to me in my local area of Vineland, New Jersey. Each option was assigned a ranking based primarily on taste and texture using my food industry background, along with other relevant experiences. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article, so you understand how I came to my decisions, if you're interested.

Now, ready to discover which hamburger buns should be added to your next cookout shopping list and which should be avoided at all costs? Let's get into it.

Bowl and Basket is Shoprite's private label. As a brand, it can be very hit or miss. While there are several frozen Bowl and Basket snacks I highly recommend trying, there are just as many things I would recommend against. For example, the brand ranked last in my ranking of BBQ potato chip brands and came in nearly last in my ranking of store-bought dill pickles. Unfortunately, these hamburger buns seemed to follow the latter trend rather than pleasantly surprising me.

I'll start out by saying these Bowl and Basket Hamburger Rolls aren't completely disgusting like some of Shoprite's products, but rather just disappointing. The bun had an okay taste, which was mostly starchy but with no other notable tones to distinguish this from any other hamburger bun — except perhaps a mild stale taste, which obviously didn't improve the flavor. Texturally, this was a disaster. The bun got soggy quickly, and that led it to falling apart easily. It also wasn't as thick as some of the other options, which I think contributed to this usage problem.

While I did manage to finish my hamburger (with a bit of difficulty), I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase this again, nor would I eat it again if offered to me by someone else. Despite being a cheaper private label option, you'll want to skip this.

I may be the outlier here, but I haven't been a fan of most Sara Lee breads. Its desserts? Chef's kiss. I especially love the Classic Cherry Cheesecake and Dutch Apple Pie. But the breads always fall flat and don't live up to my typical expectations of the brand.

When looked at alone, the Sara Lee Artesano Bakery Bread Brioche Buns were texturally fine. Light and fluffy, with a nice squish that I look for in a hamburger bun. However, issues began to arise once I actually put the buns to use with a hamburger and some standard toppings, including cheese, tomato, onion, and lettuce. First, the bun absorbed the grease and juices quickly, leading to a soggy mess that began to fall apart. Then, the flavor profile was too sweet for me — to the point where it overwhelmed the burger and even overshadowed the natural starchy profile of the bread. On that note, I am well-versed in brioche bread and how it should be a little bit sweet, but I've never been a big fan of using it with standard burgers, either.

I'm not a fan of this bread, and wouldn't buy it again. I also don't think I could be tempted into eating it again if someone else offered it to me, so your best bet is to skip this in lieu of a better-ranking hamburger bun.

My first real experience with this brand was during my ultimate ranking of store-bought white bread, where Bimbo Soft White Bread came in ninth place overall, which isn't great, honestly. The Bimbo Hamburger Buns also fell somewhere on the lower end of the middle of this list, too, which doesn't give me a lot of faith in the brand overall.

The initial taste (on the day I purchased these) was actually quite fresh, but I immediately noticed that some of the buns were a little weirdly sliced. I think this weird slicing could end up being an issue because it makes the bottom too thin on a few of them. Anyways, despite a fresh initial taste, using the buns the next day showed they already tasted stale — which was quite disappointing. The flavor profile was overall very basic, but without any significant redeeming qualities to set it apart, either. Since this wasn't initially stale and didn't have any overwhelming sweetness, these Bimbo buns pulled ahead of Sara Lee, but that still doesn't make them great.

I wouldn't buy these again, but I might eat them if they were served to me on the same day they were opened. Otherwise? I would skip these and recommend you do, too.

I'm a big fan of King's Hawaiian Rolls. I use them to make sliders with either ham and cheese or pork and pineapple. But, I found I didn't enjoy these King's Hawaiian Hawaiian Sweet Hamburger Buns as much as I did the sliders.

I mentioned earlier that I'm not a huge fan of sweet hamburger buns for traditional burgers, and this product is even sweeter than the Sara Lee option. However, I enjoyed the texture of these significantly better because they didn't so readily absorb juices, meaning they didn't become soggy. Instead, they're firm yet pillowy, with a nice squish but appropriate hold. The taste is very sweet and starchy, with the faintest buttery notes and an almost citrusy aftertaste. Although I don't like these for standard burgers, I do think they're amazing for grilled pineapple burgers, and I have used these for those in the past. These burgers are a family favorite featuring a beef burger, thick grilled pineapple, and a bit of sweet-and-sour sauce.

Would I buy these again? Only if I were creating one of my special burgers. Would I eat these again? Probably. If you like a sweet burger, these may be fine, but if you're looking for a standard starchy and buttery option, opt for something else.

I know a lot of people who can't stop raving about Martin's Potato Rolls Hamburger Buns, and they'll swear these are the best your money can buy. But I find that I just can't agree with it. Are they good enough? Absolutely. Are they anything super special? No, not really.

One thing I do adore about these specific hamburger buns is that they have a great texture. Thanks to the potato flour used, these are dense enough to withstand larger burger setups without breaking. Yet, despite this density, they're also quite soft and squishy, making them pliable, as well as easy to chew. The taste is predominantly starchy, with moderate buttery tones and a very mild sweetness. This sweetness isn't enough to push it over into "too sweet for me" territory, but instead it's just a slight edge that helps bring the tomato in your burger to the forefront. Without tomato or another sweet topping, I find it's still too much, however.

I wouldn't buy these again because there are options I prefer more, but I could probably be tempted to eat them again by someone else. Even if you prefer potato buns, there is a slightly better ranking option you should choose instead.

If I wanted a potato hamburger bun instead of a flour-based one, these would be my top choice — and I don't think that's surprising, considering they come from such a reputable brand. While they're quite similar to Martin's Potato Rolls Hamburger Buns, the texture and taste are almost imperceptibly better, which pulled them ahead.

Texturally, these have the same dense, yet fluffy texture as the previous potato flour option, but they're just slightly fluffier without sacrificing sturdiness. The additional fluffiness also makes squishing these buns more satisfying. The flavor is a bit buttery and starchy, with a nearly imperceptible sweetness that doesn't feel like too much, even when eaten with a no-toppings burger. But I do find I enjoy them more when I make a cheeseburger with the standard toppings of lettuce, tomato, and onion. Honestly, this is everything I look for in a potato roll, and the only real reason it didn't rank higher is that I generally prefer flour-based rolls.

I would buy this again if I wanted a potato flour option specifically. And, if that's what you're looking for, this is your best option.

Here we have a second Pepperidge Farm option, and the fact that both options ranked in the top three best store-bought hamburger buns is a testament to the brand's consistent high quality. Further testaments to this fact include the brand's products ranking as the top store-bought white bread and as the best whole grain sandwich bread. And, if you're looking to learn more about this iconic brand as a whole, make sure you check out the ultimate guide to Pepperidge Farm.

With that raving introduction to one of my favorite baked goods brands out of the way, I really enjoyed how thick and soft these hamburger buns were. This combination helped them stay together, and I found the buns didn't get soggy either. A nice, predominantly starchy taste paired well with the hamburger patty, and I enjoyed that this option was seeded. Thanks to the seeds, these buns were aesthetically pretty — and I've always found I'm more likely to eat something I find visually pleasing, as are my kids.

I will definitely buy these again, although I'll purchase the top option more often. Not only would I eat these if offered to me, but I'd be thrilled to do so.

Maier's is the brand behind my family's favorite sandwich bread, which holds a permanent place on my weekly shopping list. But, before this, I had never tried its hamburger buns. Needless to say, these turned out to be just as fantastic — as you can probably guess based on their first-place ranking on this list.

This embodies everything I look for in the perfect burger bun. Texturally, it's thin enough to fit in your mouth without making you look silly, but thick enough to hold together under pressure. It's a bit fluffy and squishy, but also appropriately dense. A starchy taste is accented by moderate buttery tones and a mild sweetness that's so faint you'd almost miss it if you weren't paying attention. What I like best is that the flavor profile overall is quite light, which ensures these buns will pair well with nearly any burger combination. I'd even go so far as to use these for sandwiches, too.

This will be my family's new go-to store-bought hamburger buns, and I highly recommend you give them a shot. Once you do, I have no doubts you'll be as hooked on them as I am.

Since it had such a vast array of options, all of the store-bought hamburger buns included in this list came from my local ShopRite in Vineland, New Jersey. My judgment of each bun was based primarily on its taste and texture. Did it taste good? Was it soft? Did it hold together well when handled or used? Would I eat it again? Other aspects may have played a smaller role in determining rankings, and these are noted where appropriate in the sections above.

I relied primarily on my food industry background to determine these rankings. Of my 15 years spent working in this trade, many were spent in bakeries, where I made homemade hamburger buns along with other types of bread. Previous consumption of hamburger buns and prior work creating articles for Daily Meal also contributed. These include similar bread-based rankings like this one recommending Aldi Specially Selected breads. Although personal preference played a role in this ranking, I aimed to be as unbiased about product quality as possible.