6 Store-Bought Wheat Breads To Buy And 5 To Skip

Bread is a staple in most homes, and many of us have opted to buying wheat bread because it's a healthier option compared to white bread. Health aside, though, the real question is which one of these wheat breads taste good? Wheat bread used to have a reputation for being dry and tasting like cardboard — but bread makers have come a long way. Still, which wheat breads are worth spending money on? To answer this question, I set out to taste several wheat breads available at grocery stores. 

I mostly purchased breads that are made of 100% whole wheat flour so I could compare them fairly, except for one brand that doesn't make 100% whole wheat bread. I sampled each slice plain as well as toasted and dressed in butter to weigh in on texture and flavor. After tasting 11 wheat breads, here are the ones worth buying and the ones to skip.

Dave's Killer Bread's 100% whole wheat bread was my favorite one of the bunch. The main difference that makes Dave's Killer Bread stand out is that you can clearly see the whole wheat grains in the bread, which gave it a crunchy texture I enjoyed. It also had the most flavor compared to all the other wheat breads. 

If you're looking for soft bread, this one may not be for you since it's packed with whole wheat grains, and that can make it more dense. Still, I encourage you to give it a try. I found the flavor was good enough that I can eat this bread plain. When I tasted it side by side with the others, it made the other breads rather bland. 

This is the most expensive bread on this list as it usually retails around $8 although I found it at a Walmart near me for $5.98 and it's sometimes on sale elsewhere. 

Oroweat has been around since 1932 — and in October, 2026 it merged with Brownberry and Arnold. That means you can find the same bread under those brands depending on the market, although they will soon all be sold under the Oroweat brand.

Oroweat is a classic wheat bread, and that's a good thing. The texture was soft with some bulgur thrown in and oat flakes along the crust for a little extra crunch. The flavor was nutty with a slight sweetness. And the slices were thicker and wider compared to a lot of the other options on this list, which makes it perfect for sandwiches (although the slices barely fit in my standard toaster).

Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread price varies between stores, but it's sold at Ralphs for $5.49. This bread is on the pricier end of the list, but it's a good option that gives you what most people are looking for in a wheat bread — a hearty and nutty flavor with a texture that's soft yet doesn't fall apart easily. 

Western Hearth is a Ralphs private label brand associated with Van de Kamp's, a Dutch-style bakery that started in Los Angeles in 1915 (although the brand has gone through more than one corporate acquisitions). It's also now available at other Kroger chains.

I enjoyed this bread primarily because of the texture. Unlike most of the other ones that are mainly soft, this one is a bit chewy and spongy, which I liked. It has more structure that's good for making sandwiches, because the bread won't fall apart. Western Hearth also has a heartier flavor and a touch of sweetness due to the molasses ingredient. The crust is covered with small, crushed grains, which I also like as it gives contrast in texture. At $3.29 for a 24-ounce loaf at my nearby Ralphs, this is a good buy that I would definitely purchase again. 

Nature's Own is a brand with a long history but it was relaunched in the summer of 2026 with simpler recipes that removed artificial ingredients to align with today's more health-conscious shopper. After tasting it, I think it was a good move for the brand. 

This whole wheat bread was soft and fluffy, and it toasted nicely with a crispy crust. The slices were thick and sturdy enough to make sandwiches with. The bread also had a distinct sweetness because of the brown sugar as an ingredient.  

The Nature's Own 100% whole wheat bread is sold for $3.64 at my nearby Walmart. While it wasn't my favorite loaf, it's certainly a good option. And the price point is affordable for a whole wheat loaf that is soft and flavorful. Put it this way: Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread gets the job done. And I wouldn't mind making it a staple in my kitchen. 

The Kroger private-label brand is sold at Kroger-owned grocery stores like Ralphs. This Kroger 100% Whole Wheat Bread is a great bargain option. Sure, this bread isn't as tasty as some of the other wheat breads on this list, but overall it had a soft texture and good flavor that was pleasing to my palate. It also had just enough sweetness, which makes it enjoyable to eat on its own or toasted and spread with butter.

Retailing for $2.29 at my nearby Ralphs, if you're looking for wheat bread at this price point, this is the one I would choose. You're getting an affordable option instead of a premium product, but this Kroger' 100% Whole Wheat Bread bread delivers on taste and texture. It's a basic one that you can keep handy for a quick sandwich fix — especially if you're trying to save a little cash. So, while it didn't wow me with flavor, I'd buy this bread again if it was one of the only whole wheat options available at my store. 

Nature's Harvest is a California-based brand that is now also owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA. The brand was relaunched in 2022 with new recipes, but I never tried this bread prior to this taste test — so I can't compare it to what it used to be.

From a textural standpoint, Nature's Harvest 100% Whole Wheat Bread was on par with Nature's Own and hard to distinguish. This bread also tasted classic for whole wheat bread, although I think the Nature's Harvest whole wheat bread wasn't as sweet as Nature's Own — at least, this was my conclusion when I did a side by side tasting. 

The price for Nature's Harvest bread varies by store, but it usually retails for $4.99 at my nearby Ralphs — however, it was on sale for $2.99. This is a typical whole wheat bread in that it has earthy, nutty flavors — but it doesn't necessarily punch above the rest. Nature's Harvest is definitely worth buying, however, especially when it's on sale.

Signature Select is the private label brand of Albertsons Companies, so it's sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and more. This whole wheat bread sells for $4.49 for the 24-ounce size at my local Albertsons so it's certainly a higher end whole wheat bread as far as grocery store private labels go, especially when compared to Kroger or Walmart. 

The main problem with this bread is that it has a coarser texture, and it's not as soft as many of the other brands. I enjoyed the whole wheat flavor of the Signature Select 100% Whole Wheat Bread, particularly when it was toasted and served with butter. However, along with it being more hard and coarse than other breads on this list, it's also drier than the other options. Because I like the flavor, I wouldn't mind eating this bread again, but it would have to be on sale. At the higher price point, I simply expected more from it. Instead, I'd reach for the other options here — I like a softer and fluffier texture in my whole wheat breads and, if they're more affordable, all the better. 

Great Value is Walmart's private-label brand and it's super affordable. I found the 100% whole wheat bread for $2.02 for a 20-ounce loaf at the Walmart near me. This Walmart brand is made by Bimbo Bakeries, which produces quite a few other breads on this list. 

At a bargain price, the bread has relatively decent texture and flavor, although it's slightly bland and could use more of that delicious earthy and nutty flavor of wheat. It's soft enough to be enjoyable, but certainly not the fluffiest compared to the others. Overall, a rather unremarkable whole wheat bread — but nutritionally similar to many of the other options. When I compared it to the Kroger bread for a similar price point, the story changes. 

The Great Value 100% Whole Wheat Round Top Bread is drier and tastes more bland than Kroger's version. Sure, the Great Value bread is slightly cheaper and does its job if you're looking for an affordable option to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with, but I would skip this and opt for others. 

Bimbo is a bakery that started in Mexico City but has grown quite a presence in the United States. Apparently, Bimbo is the bakery that produces Aldi's breads, and it also makes a few of the other brands on this list. The bakery also has its own branded line of breads, including this wheat bread. 

Bimbo's 100% Whole Wheat Bread was soft, but flavor-wise it has a bitterness that I didn't like. It also burns faster under the same toaster settings. The Bimbo 100% Whole Wheat Bread retails at $4.79 at my nearby Ralphs, so it's on the pricier half of this list. When tasting the different bread side by side, I couldn't get over the bitterness — although less noticeable when the bread was toasted and buttered. Still, I enjoyed the flavor of the more affordable bread on this list a lot better, therefore I'll be skipping Bimbo's whole wheat option next time.

Sara Lee is an iconic brand with a long history for desserts, but the bakery portion of the business was sold to Grupo Bimbo (of Bimbo Bakeries), a few years ago. Unfortunately, despite the name brand recognition, I would skip purchasing this bread in the future. 

In terms of texture, this whole wheat bread stands somewhere in the middle, because it was on the dry side. More importantly, the Sara Lee 100% Whole Wheat Bread was quite bland. In fact, it had the least flavor out of the lineup. Sure, if you're slathering it with Nutella, you may not mind the bread has no flavor on its own, but in that case you might as well purchase a cheaper option. The price for Sara Lee's whole wheat bread varies by store, and I found it for $3.74 at Walmart but $5.29 at Albertsons. Given the price point, this is a skip. 

Since Home Pride doesn't make 100% whole wheat bread, this was the one exception I made to the 100% whole wheat bread rule. I purchased Home Pride's butter top wheat bread, which is made using a mix of enriched wheat flour and whole wheat flour. The packaging indicates that this bread has less than 10% whole wheat. Surprisingly, the bread contains about the same calories and sugar as the other breads on this list at 70 calories and 2 grams of sugar per slice. 

For a bread that's touted as "butter top" and only contains less than 10% whole wheat, the Home Pride bread was surprisingly dry. It was better when toasted and buttered, but it's still dry and not as fluffy as many of the others here. It's not a bad price at $3.56 per loaf at Walmart, but since it's made from enriched flour, it's not as healthy as the 100% whole wheat bread, and it actually tastes worse, so this one is a skip for me.

I only purchased wheat breads that are sold at major grocery store chains. For the purpose of this tasting, I tried to buy 100% whole wheat bread so I could compare each brand justly, with the exception of Home Pride which doesn't make 100% whole wheat bread. First, I did a blind tasting of each bread plain and noted their texture and flavor. Then, I tried each slice toasted and buttered. For this part of the tasting, I ate them one by one so I could enjoy each slice freshly toasted and buttered.

While I primarily based my verdict on taste and texture, I took value into account as well. That is, a decent whole wheat bread might be a skip if the more affordable options were better tasting.