I Tasted And Ranked 7 High-Fiber Breads, And This One Came Out On Top

Most of us aren't getting enough fiber. Sure, you don't want to start eating too much fiber too fast, but the USDA recommends 25 to 38 grams daily for adults under age 50, and the average American gets less than half of that on a regular day, according to Harvard Health. While veggies and fruits are a great source of the nutrient (and no, blending fruit into a smoothie does not "destroy" the fiber), consuming whole grains is another delicious and accessible way to get your daily dose in. One of the many ways to up your intake is by choosing high-fiber breads at the grocery store that contain 3 to 5 or more grams of it per slice.

I've been mildly obsessed with fiber for a number of years and am no stranger to raising a cynical brow at the breads in the grocery store. Even products featuring branding that suggests a loaf is high in fiber can be misleading. "Multi-grain" or "ancient grain" bread? Yeah, you could be looking at less than 1 gram of fiber per slice there. I've identified seven loaves that genuinely deserve the "high-fiber" label, and I've ranked them based on their flavor and texture so that you don't have to endure a potential dud yourself on your journey to better health.

Sola Deliciously Seeded Soft White Bread is a little different from the other high-fiber breads in this ranking. It's a keto-friendly option that contains only 1 gram of net carbs. Since keto breads are made with different ingredients than conventional bread, you'll immediately notice more of a chalky smell rather than a wheaty, nutty one. Sola was one of the top-ranking brands when I ranked nine popular keto breads; in that context, it's a winner. Compared to conventional breads, its 7 grams of fiber per slice are its only saving grace.

The texture was a little rubbery (it stretched when pulled apart), and the flavor was close to bland. It was a tad dry, too, pulling moisture out of my mouth when I chewed, but butter or a nice extra virgin olive oil would likely take care of both of those issues. I did enjoy the seeds in this bread. Not only were they the only actively delicious element, but there were also just enough to give a nice little crunch when chewing. There wasn't so much, though, that they spilled everywhere. 

All in all, let me end on a crystal-clear note here: For a keto bread, this is great. For a general high-fiber bread, you could do better, unless that 7 grams of fiber per slice is enough to encourage you to overlook these flaws.

Arnold's Oatnut used to be my favorite bread of all time, but at 2 grams of fiber per slice, it doesn't quite count as a high-fiber option. For this ranking, I chose the brand's Whole Grains Healthy Multi-Grain Bread, a seeds-and-grains-studded loaf containing 3 grams of fiber per slice. The first thing I noted about this bread was its fairly soft, springy texture and fluffy mouthfeel. The grains and seeds, which dot the bread itself and not just the crust, didn't overwhelm the bite. However, the texture did lean dry — not overwhelmingly, but compared to some of the other breads, this was a mark against it.

A hint of sweetness balanced out the typical earthy, nutty "multi-grain" taste of the bread. The label revealed that it contains 4 grams of sugar, with 3 of them added, meaning they come from the processing of the bread and aren't naturally present in its ingredients. (Added sugars are what the Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage us to keep an eye on.) My personal preference is for less sugar in my bread, but if that doesn't bother you, Arnold's Multi-Grain bread could be a good one to try out. It's flavorful and robust enough to effectively support a sandwich.

I had to do some serious thinking about where L'Oven Fresh Whole Grains 100% Whole Wheat Bread should land in this ranking. On one hand, you've got a sizable slice with only 100 calories and 4 grams of fiber, while most of the other contenders contain 3 grams of fiber per slice. There are 2 grams of total sugars, both added. In the world of bread, 2 grams is quite standard. So its numbers look average to pretty darn good; it just happens to be one of the most boring whole wheat breads I tried.

When I recall being fed wheat bread as a child, L'Oven's is the taste I remember: plain-Jane, no-nonsense, old-fashioned wheat bread, with nary a nut or seed to zhuzh things up. Unpleasant? No, not to my adult palate. Utilitarian bread that gives "Hunger Games" District 12 vibes? Yes, which is, in itself, kind of cool. 

Though not dry or tough, this slice was dense and very sturdy, tightly packed without any deep air holes (no such silliness on this bread's watch!). When poked, it felt like a really good mattress, one that's comfortable yet not too soft for your lumbar spine. Make a sandwich with it, and you've got 8 grams of fiber and a foundation that no meat or sauce could crumble.

Dave's Killer Bread Thin-Sliced Good Seed is my standard purchase. I've eaten this more times than I can count and was curious how it would fare in comparison to six other high-fiber breads. Something interesting about this bread is that there are 3 grams of fiber in one of these thin slices. Guess how much fiber is in a standard-sized slice of Dave's Killer Good Seed: also 3 grams. So, for consumers seeking fewer net carbs and calories with their fiber, this is a great option.

Being a regular to this loaf, I anticipated a great spillage, as Good Seed drips seeds everywhere; its crust is generously peppered with them. You can always tell when I've made a sandwich with it because the plate resembles the bottom of a bird feeder (that's an exaggeration, but it always inspires the comparison). I don't love it, but I can live. That said, the slice I pulled out for this taste test mostly retained its eponymous ingredient — the good seeds stayed put. They knew they were being judged.

The texture of this bread was relatively springy but still quite dense and far from fluffy. Flavor-wise, Good Seed displays a lot of personality, having a nutty taste with a bit of sweetness from the 2 grams of added sugar. I still like it, but there are three other high-fiber breads I enjoyed more.

I'd noticed Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Bread in the frozen section of supermarkets for years and, being a frozen sandwich bread, always thought it looked too fussy to mess with. It's also quite a bit pricier than other high-fiber breads; my loaf was nearly $8 at Walmart. Granted, it's something of a specialty item. It's made with sprouted grains, which, according to Harvard Health, offer higher quantities of available nutrients than regular whole grains. It's also designed around the bread recipe outlined in the Ezekiel 4:9 Bible verse, containing wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt. Combined, these equal a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids the body requires, and 3 grams of fiber per slice. It also contains no preservatives, which is why it must be frozen.

To break off a slice of this bread, I let the loaf thaw on the counter for 10 minutes before heating a slice in the toaster. It had a nice chew, and the aroma was pleasant — definitely earthier and all-around grainier than that of regular breads. It still seemed a little moist even after being toasted, too. With 0 grams of sugar, Ezekiel 4:9 bread took my sugar-acclimated palate a second to get used to, but once it did, we were good to go. The flavor was understated yet complex, being earthy and nutty with malty undertones. I really liked it, but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea — at least not at first try. For a consumer like me who looks for breads lower on the glycemic index, this is great, though I would definitely doctor it up with olive oil or butter.

Pepperidge Farm, purveyors of grocery list regulars like Goldfish crackers and Milano cookies, also offers an array of breads. Many are intended for yumminess rather than fiber content (not that the two are mutually exclusive), but the brand has several 3-gram options, including the No. 1 contender in our ranking of 10 grocery store wheat breads. I already knew the 100% Whole Wheat one was good, though, so I went for Pepperidge Farm's Whole Grain 15 Grain Bread.

I immediately noticed the nutty, malty aroma of the loaf when I opened the package. The texture of the bread was very fluffy, moist, and soft, and its nutty and malty flavor notes, complemented by a notable sweetness, were even more welcoming than the fragrance. The mouthfeel reminded me of Sola Simply Seeded, with the seeds and little bits in the bread making for an excellent textural contrast. This would have been No. 1, but there are 4 grams of sugar per slice, all added, and the top-ranking bread delivered a nearly identical texture and flavor with half the sugar.

Walmart's store-brand product line runs the gamut from great to awful, but it's time to add its Multi Grain Bread to the list of Great Value products you should always buy. It was extremely soft and moist and had the perfect nutty, malty flavor. I don't want to say it's an exact dupe of Pepperidge Farm's high-fiber bread, but it's very, very close. Given that it's cheaper (about a dollar less at my store), has 3 grams of fiber per slice, and contains 2 grams of added sugar instead of 4, I had no choice but to slide it into the top position of this ranking.

I debated that move carefully. I finally compared a slice of Pepperidge side by side with a slice of Great Value; they looked the same. I squeezed them; they felt the same. I re-tasted them, and except for that aforementioned extra pump of sweetness in the Pepperidge, they tasted the same. The extra sweetness wasn't needed for my taste buds to enjoy Great Value, so here it sits — a tasty piece of high-fiber bread that I have zero complaints about.

I tested each bread on the day I brought it home to ensure it was at peak freshness, and I taste-tested each slice plain and untoasted to get the best sense of its flavor and texture, which were the two criteria I used to evaluate the breads. The only exception was the Ezekiel bread, a frozen food that I heated up in the toaster.

A good high-fiber bread needed to feel soft rather than dry and crumbly, be fairly springy to the touch, and have a satisfying resistance when bitten. The flavor needed to reflect its ingredient profile, with a distinct nutty, earthy taste that wouldn't overwhelm spreads, toppings, or ingredients. The experience of using the bread also counted when applicable. If the bread was made with a large quantity of seeds, for instance, and it became unreasonably messy, this impacted its placement in the ranking. Finally was the question of added sugars; this only became a factor if two breads were more or less tied for one place. If a high-fiber bread can get away with less sugar, that's generally a good thing in my book, but I wouldn't rank a bread lower for that alone.