Costco Shoppers Say Kirkland's Sweetest Bagel Might Be Its Most Slept-On

As a general rule, days don't start with good bagels. And as many fans of Costco would attest, the mega-retailer's in-house brand Kirkland Signature is a worthy competitor in the grocery store bagel game. For one thing, unlike the mass-produced options you'll find on most store shelves, Kirkland's are baked fresh in Costco's bakery on the daily and contain zero preservatives. In addition to the usual suspects — plain, everything, sesame seed — Kirkland produces some more creative takes, like a blueberry version and ones topped with cheesy parmesan. But the brand's sweetest bagel launch might be its most slept-on. Enter: Kirkland's French toast bagels.

Featuring a cinnamon and brown sugar swirl complete with sweet maple flavoring, the brilliant breakfast hybrid appeared on Costco's bakery shelves in late 2024. There's no denying the fact that they earned a following among some of the sweet-toothed shoppers who gave them a try. Over on Reddit, one user started a thread titled, "French toast bagels, by the gods." The poster raved, "French toast bagels are impeccable. Just throwing one in the toaster fills my home with a cinnamon bun aroma. And with some good butter? I can't stop eating them."

However, many customers seem to need some convincing before joining the French toast bagel fan club. Or, at least, they have yet to give the flavor a chance over the cinnamon raisin ones that Kirkland seems to have quietly discontinued.

Peep a recent Costco post about the French toast-flavored bagels on Facebook, and you'll find many commenters demanding that the company bring back the OG cinnamon raisin flavor. While others have called the newer flavor "amazing" and "wonderful," the item may have some work to do before gaining the same popularity as the classic options.

Then again, not everyone who has actually tried the bites has fallen for them so easily. Elsewhere in the aforementioned thread, one critic wrote, "They're not bad, but they're not as good as I was expecting." In another post on the r/Costco subreddit, a shopper declared them "very bland and dry." In response, fans of the flavor shared the best, most decadent ways to prepare the French toast bagels in order to get folks on board. Some suggest making actual French toast with the bread, while others swear by a generous spread of butter and maple syrup.

We think you can't go wrong by slathering them with cinnamon cream cheese to really play up their flavor — or by taking the sweet and savory route by stacking them with eggs and bacon. But we might have found our favorite approach to preparing these doughy rounds. A Redditor said they brought out the bagels' "pleasantly eggy" flavor while maintaining their chewiness by using them to make Monte Cristo sandwiches in the air fryer. Just remember to keep the bagels frozen until you're ready to eat in order to extend their shelf life, a pro tip that we can all agree on.