12 Blueberry Bagel Brands Ranked Worst To Best

When you want a baked good with a perfect touch of fruitiness, there's one type of bagel that will satisfy that demand for a subtly sweet breakfast. Set aside the savory selections like everything seasoning, pumpernickel, and onion to enjoy one of my personal favorites: the blueberry bagel. Luckily, you don't have to search very far to find one. You can grab a prepackaged bag from the bread aisle in grocery stores, hand-pick a few in bakery departments, or go gourmet with a chain cafe's fresh rendition.

But the challenge from there is figuring out which one you would prefer to buy. Would you rather choose a store-bought option that will save you some money, but isn't the most artisanal? Or would you prefer spending more cash for a better experience, one that isn't so artificial and processed? Before you bring out your spreadable butters (maybe a fruit-flavored butter for double the berry bliss) and cream cheese tubs, here's a list of 12 blueberry bagel brands I tried and ranked from worst to best. The biggest takeaway in this review shouldn't surprise you: The bagel shop chains reigned supreme against all the grocery stores in terms of quality over mass-produced quantity.

Marketed as a protein-packed, low-carb option made with high-quality ingredients, the Sola Company's Blu-Berry Bagels puts up a convincing argument to pursue a specific lifestyle ... it's just too bad they tasted awful. And the $7.69 price, one of the most expensive out there for only four units per package, also didn't improve my mood. A further deep dive into the long list of ingredients also left a nasty aftertaste. I'm trying not to be too cruel here. Out of all the competitors in this review, the Sola brand is indeed the most practical solution for low-glycemic, keto-friendly diets requiring added proteins and fibers.

But when the mood strikes for a carb-loaded breakfast, wouldn't you rather have a good ol' fashioned bagel made with simple ingredients and actual blueberries? Do "natural blu-berry flavored bits" made with an amalgamation of erythritol, modified wheat starch, vegetable glycerin, natural flavors, and stevia extract really sound all that appealing? Or all that natural? I'd rather eat a bowl of fresh blueberries and some plain crackers than this inexcusably unappetizing mound of half-baked dough.

The interior was outrageously heavy and squishy, and had a weird, powdery texture that must be a consequence of using so many different kinds of alternative flours, sugars, and fibers. Despite the valiant effort, toasting did not help improve how dense and doughy it was.

Big, beautiful, and glossy, the Marketside New York Style Blueberry Bagels looked like true winners. But one whiff inside the bag brought them all the way down to the second-worst spot in this review. There was an immediate ick factor to the odd stench released, plastering a permanent frown on my face that remained there far after the taste-testing procedure.

"Musty" is the most fitting word I can use to describe what I witnessed in both smell and taste. The fruit component was not enjoyable. While there are some actual pieces of fruit in the form of dried blueberries mixed with sugar and sunflower oil, they are rendered useless with the multitude of other additives to make "artificially flavored blueberry bits," created by a combo of sugars, de-germed corn grits, artificial flavors, oils, lecithins, and assorted color dyes.

Their texture could have been better, as well. While its more solid, chewier texture was definitely an improvement from Sola's excessively soft and doughy mess, the interior crumb was on the drier, staler side. Toasting it only amplified the weird smell and taste, and dried out the texture even more.

It took me a few days after taste-testing to realize what the texture of Toufayan Bakeries Blueberry Bagels reminded me of, and it's one of the reasons why it ranked so low. Like a cheap soft pretzel, this base was very solid, tight, and somewhat difficult to chew. It was like the dough didn't get enough time to rise and ferment to develop a more pleasing texture. Despite an odd similarity to a pretzel, I still would prefer eating it compared to the Sola and Marketside brands. It at least tasted fresh, not stale like Marketside, and it didn't transform into a gluey, squishy blob as I was chewing, like Sola. And its heavy density was improved by toasting to create a better texture — nothing a smear of butter or cream cheese couldn't fix.

However, it lacked the joyous scent and flavor of a strong, natural fruity presence. Similar to its other lower-ranking brethren, Toufayan uses tons of additives to create its sparsely scattered "blueberry nuggets." Ingredients include, but are not limited to, the following: wheat flour, corn cereal, corn flour, soybean oil, gum arabic, artificial flavor, and food dyes. Rather than tasting like plump whole blueberries, the nuggets were disappointing and flavorless. Their texture was even worse than the taste, similar to little bites of powdery residue.

Lender's Blueberry Bagels weren't too exciting, but the brand was a low-cost selection (just under $3 for a half-dozen) for anyone looking to buy breakfast on a budget. There are both natural and artificial ingredients, but the flavor didn't seem as phony as those that ranked below it. Despite not looking too impressive when I sliced into one to find only a few specks of blueberries, the fruity taste was surprisingly recognizable. This was probably due in part to the use of both blueberry puree and dried blueberries in addition to the natural/artificial flavors.

While the overall taste was pleasant, I didn't like the texture of the blueberry bits. They had a soft, gritty texture that didn't seem like actual fruit pieces. The base tasted slightly underbaked and doughy when eaten as is straight from the bag. However, the texture improved after toasting, and it was a big hit slathered in some butter.

Thomas' Bagels are a standard product available across multiple chain grocery stores at a very affordable price, at roughly $4 for a package of six. It's clearly a popular brand with quite a stronghold in the grocery retail sector. My husband and I often buy its bagels and English muffins when they're on sale, so we're longtime customers. But when I compared its blueberry flavor to other competitors, they fell short for me.

They are on the smaller side and seemed a little puny and lacking in significant carb-y girth when compared to the bigger sizes of many of the other brands. The blueberries were also scarce visually when I halved them. As far as smell and taste, the blueberry had a mild and subtle presence. Without using any artificial additives (Thomas' uses dried blueberries and fruit/vegetable juice for color), it was more pleasant and brighter than the lower-ranking options. The texture is soft and tender, similar to an ultra-processed fluffy white bread like Wonder Bread. Toasting it greatly improved its overall enjoyability, giving it more textural contrast and a more pronounced fruit flavor/aroma.

Even less expensive than Lender's Blueberry Bagels, Aldi's L'oven Fresh Blueberry Bagels are the most budget-friendly option for a bag of six. L'oven Fresh is one of Aldi's many exclusive in-house private label brands, offering shoppers a range of cost-effective breads, English muffins, tortilla wraps, and more. Despite the tiny price point at $2.19 per package, they were a decent choice. They contain both natural and artificial flavors, so there admittedly was a hint of inauthenticity to the taste. But for such a slim price, I'm willing to overlook some of my complaints to enjoy the better deal.

The texture of the base had a pleasant level of chewiness and density, but was still light enough that it wasn't a difficult bite. It was okay as is, but I thought it was even better after it spent a little time getting warm and cozy in the toaster. The blueberries were all over the place in terms of placement and texture. A couple of the pieces were actually big and juicy, a pleasant surprise I was not expecting. I do wish there could be more, but mostly all of them were small bits that had a gritty, powdery texture that dissolved right away after eating.

The blueberry bagel in the bakery department at Shop 'n Save was a satisfyingly mediocre choice. I'm not obsessing over it, and won't be running to the store first thing tomorrow to grab another one any time soon. Because it was from the self-service section of the bakery, I was not able to find nutritional/ingredients information.

The interior crumb was chewy and had an interesting hint of tanginess. It reminded me of sourdough bread, but sweeter and less abrasive. It was a unique, enjoyable characteristic that set it at a more gourmet, higher-quality level when compared to the other brands that ranked lower. The dough was maybe a little on the stiff and stale side, but that improved immensely after toasting. The blueberry flavor/aroma was lovely, but a tad weak. I liked what I could taste and smell, and wish there was more of a fruity presence. Overall, though, I wasn't too disappointed.

You can immediately tell the difference between an unprocessed blueberry bagel like this one from Whole Foods compared to one of the cheaper brands that ranked lower and are made with a slew of artificial ingredients. The appeal is simple and straightforward: The flavor was better, with no bizarre aftertaste. And with whole blueberries uninterrupted by strange additives, the fruit is introduced effortlessly without that weird gritty texture I have criticized with the previous brands. 

One major disadvantage is that Whole Foods sells some seriously overpriced items to support its higher quality, sustainable, more natural products. One bag cost nearly $6 for a half-dozen, while many of the other grocery store brands were a few dollars cheaper. Another issue with any more natural baked good is that it goes stale and loses its quality more quickly. Even after a single day post-purchase, they felt stiffer, so they weren't my favorite when left untoasted. But a transformative experience happens with just a minute in the toaster. Toasting helped soften the interior crumb, which created a thin, browned crust and plumped the dried, whole blueberries.

Panera Bread's blueberry bagel was a tasty option and ranked infinitely better than almost all grocery store brands on this list. But out of all the chain cafes (between Panera, Bruegger's, and Einstein Bros.), it was my least favorite. It had a hearty, chewy texture, but the blueberry component was weak and could have been more memorable. While I appreciated that Panera Bread's recipe utilizes whole dried fruit in addition to the more processed "blueberry flavored bites," the combination of the two was still fairly faint.

When compared with my top three picks, Panera Bread didn't quite make the cut. But if you happen to be a bigger fan of its blueberry flavor (or any of its options, for that matter), a cost-effective Panera hack is to visit your local spot on Tuesdays for cheaper bagels. With a deal like that (one that I'll see if I can take advantage of in the very near future), I'll definitely still include a couple of blueberry bagels among my selections.

So big! So fluffy! So ... PURPLE! While I would often swing by the Market District's bakery department to grab a container of blueberry muffins while doing my weekly grocery run, I never really explored any of the other baked goods. But how could I ever have missed something so stunning, with so much beautifully hued magnificence?

The crust was a unique deep brown color that stood out from all the other paler products in my ranking. Cutting into this bodacious beauty revealed another one-of-a-kind personality trait: purple dough. Unfortunately, I was not able to find the ingredients list for this bakery item, since it was part of the self-service section. I can only assume that, given the remarkable hue and incredibly bold blueberry flavor, there might be some fruit puree mixed into the dough in addition to some dried pieces.

The texture was cloud-like, fresh, and fluffy. Even with such a delicate texture, there was still enough chew to give it character. There weren't many actual pieces of blueberries, which is ultimately what kept it out of the top two spots, but the flavor was so intense even without them. It was nearly perfect when left untoasted, but I had to try it toasted for the purpose of research. My whole kitchen smelled like a fresh-from-the-oven blueberry cobbler, and the interior became even softer and more tender with the lightest, crispiest crust.

Not too far behind the first-place spot, the blueberry bagel from Bruegger's Bagels would make any breakfast a better experience. Focusing on appearance first, it has a stunning look, with its shiny, bubbly, golden-brown crust and an interior crumb evenly speckled with small bits of blueberry. The texture was hefty and hearty, exactly what I hoped for when it comes to a New York-style option. It tasted so fresh and delicious when not toasted, and I would have been happy eating it as is. As expected, though, it was also super tasty when I lightly toasted it and served it with just a little butter.

My main criticism, and what ultimately prevented it from earning the win, was the format of the blueberries. Though they were flavorful, they were just a little too pulverized for them to provide any textural value. Not willing to accept defeat, I was still dreaming of biting into a baked treat with big pieces of fruit.

My blueberry dreams finally came true with this one. The blueberry bagel from Einstein Bros. Bagels checks all my boxes for great texture, dynamic flavor, and enticing aroma. The dough was simply perfect. I was not able to access the ingredients list, but I tasted a noticeable difference in its quality compared to all the others in this ranking. Another New York-style product, the crust had a glistening shine and a crisp, bubbled surface. The interior had the right balance between both a soft and hearty texture without over-exhausting my jaws with too much chewing.

But the crowning glory of it all, as it should be with this particular variety of bagel, was the fruit itself. With many large, juicy pieces of blueberries evenly mixed throughout the dough, every bite was a burst of concentrated berry flavor combined with a moist, tender consistency. It was just as good plain as it was lightly toasted with a small smear of butter. I definitely think it was worth spending close to $3 for just one.

For this review, I chose only blueberry-flavored bagels with no other added flavorings. There were other options like mixed berries or lemon-blueberry, but I wanted to maintain consistency across this taste-testing with only the classics. For the most in-depth review, I tried each product both plain/unbuttered, as well as toasted/buttered. I judged the brands based on appearance, taste, texture, aroma, how they tasted after being toasted, and the overall pairing of the toasted section with a small smear of spreadable butter. I did not factor in whether or not the brand pre-sliced the product, as I didn't think that was an important quality to judge.

I took into serious consideration the ingredients, if that information was available. Most of the pre-packaged store-bought selections had nutritional information on the packaging. For any item coming from a self-service section of a bakery (such as the Market District or Shop 'n Save bakery departments) or from a cafe (like Einstein Bros. or Bruegger's), the ingredients list and nutritional information were difficult to find or nonexistent online. My analysis of those particular ones had to be based solely on my personal experience of eating them.