The Hands-Down Best Blueberry Bagel Knocks Panera Down A Peg

You might assume blueberry bagels to be uncontroversial, but that's not necessarily the case. A quick Google search turns up articles defending the blueberry bagel's right to exist and niche outrages against certain blueberry bagel purveyors for failing to stuff their products with enough actual blueberries. In fact, when Chowhound ranked 12 blueberry bagel brands — covering offerings from both grocery stores and breakfast chains — a large issue with the worst bagels was artificiality. They were often not made with actual blueberries, but with artificial components designed to mimic real fruit. The blueberry bagel that outshone the others came from Einstein Bros. Bagels, and it did not have that problem; it had a generous, evenly dispersed amount of genuine blueberry pieces.

The Einstein Bros. blueberry bagel got the top position for its overall flavor, aroma, and fantastic dough texture, striking an ideal balance between softness and chewability. In comparison, Panera's blueberry bagel only came in at No. 4, beating out most grocery store brands, but coming dead last in terms of the represented cafe chains on the list. It simply didn't have a strong enough blueberry flavor, and the real fruit bits were supplemented with processed blueberry-flavored pieces. This is interesting in part because Einstein Bros. (founded by the once-popular restaurant chain, Boston Chicken) and Panera are both owned by the same parent company, JAB Holdings (and, as of 2021, both fall under Panera Brands).

While our blueberry bagel ranking outlined why Einstein Bros. has the best one and is preferable to Panera, what about the more general consensus? Over on Reddit, the vote seems to be fairly unanimously in favor of Einstein Bros. as well. While commenters recommend searching out a non-chain bagel if you truly want the best experience possible (we suggest trying one of these top-rated U.S. bagel shops), they had some pretty harsh things to say about Panera's bagel quality, while Einstein Bros. was judged to be better by a mile.

At Einstein Bros. Bagels, you have your choice of gourmet, signature, and classic bagels (the blueberry bagel falls under the signature category, alongside asiago cheese, chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, and a pretzel bagel.) All of the bagels can be paired with any number of schmears or spreads, although you'll probably want to steer clear of the savory options like jalapeño salsa if you've ordered the blueberry bagel! Instead go for spreads like peanut butter and honey almond, or beef up the fruity flavor by pairing it with strawberry jelly. In addition, you can order a variety of breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches.