5 Best Sliced Breads At Costco, And 2 To Avoid

There are people in this world who would tell you that unless you bake your own loaves at home, you are doing bread a great injustice. However, we believe that sliced bread is convenient, economical, and, if you know which brands to buy, downright tasty. Plus, it's the saving grace of those with busy schedules and/or multiple kids.

If you have a Costco membership, then you're in luck; the store carries several wonderful brands of sliced bread at budget-friendly prices. Even if you can't finish this bulk bread before its expiration date, you can freeze, thaw, and reheat it later. We've turned to customer reviews to discern which sliced breads at Costco are worth buying, as well as which you should avoid.

In curating this list, we chose a variety of breads — including whole wheat, multigrain, sourdough, and white — that have received substantial attention from customers online. We recommended products that were heavily praised with descriptors like "soft" and "complex in flavor." We discouraged buying products that customers have often described as unreliable, stale, or gummy.

Before gathering your shopping bags, we encourage you to check Costco's website or call ahead to see which products are available in your area. The sliced bread selection at a Costco in Portland, Oregon, is not the same as that at a Costco in Miami, Florida. Regional bakeries are, after all, regional, even if they supply to big-box stores like Costco. You can find more information on methodology at the end of this article.

Sure, Costco has a great bread selection in its bakery, but you might not be craving flavors like rosemary and Parmesan in your peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Nor is this the moment for a narrow baguette half as long as your arm. For those who are health-conscious, as well as folks who prefer more richly flavored bread, look no further than the double-loaf packages of Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread sold at Costco.

One Redditor reported that this bread is ideal for PB&J sandwiches because it is soft and chewy, two qualities that can be hard to come by in whole wheat bread. Other reviews indicated that this bread can appeal to children and even those with sensory issues. Indeed, its reliable and uniform texture makes it an excellent contender for everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to eggs in a basket.

Though this bread is made with whole wheat flour and bulgur wheat, it's not as robust as you might expect. The addition of honey helps mollify the whole wheat flavor profile with its sweetness. Honey also works as a nifty preservative and moisture enhancer, so this bread is less likely to go stale within a few days of purchase. Finally, note that Oroweat whole wheat loaves contain whey, too, making them doubly unsuitable for vegans.

There are times when only white sandwich bread can do the trick, like when you're enjoying the summer's tomato harvest alongside a generous dollop of mayonnaise. That said, you'll be on a fast track to disappointment if you choose the wrong brand. While we love Dave's Killer Bread for its top-of-the-line English muffins, it seems that its white bread could do with some improvement. With only 3.6 stars out of 5 on the brand's website, it doesn't perform well compared to other Dave's Killer Bread products, such as the 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Bread that can also be found at Costco.

Part of the appeal of this White Bread Done Right is that, in addition to organic wheat and whole wheat flour, it is also made with organic spelt, barley, rye, millet, quinoa, and potato flours. Though some customers purchase this bread largely for its relative healthiness, it's simultaneously critiqued for its unreliable flavors and textures. For instance, while one Redditor reported that this bread is excessively soft and sticks to the roof of their mouth, another said that Dave's Killer Bread products in general have become dry over the last few years.

Indeed, various dismayed customers have lamented the decline in quality that they have recently observed in this brand's products. It appears that, as one Redditor put it, this bread is overrated, and so we're not going to recommend any of its products outright. Instead, we recommend checking out the other white breads that we have tried and ranked for a better alternative.

You don't have to tend to a finicky starter to enjoy delicious sourdough bread. Nor do you have to visit a bakery mere hours after it has come out of the oven. Instead, you might be able to buy a loaf of Sacramento Baking Company Sliced Sourdough at Costco. This product has the approval of many West Coasters, where it is often available. Unlike many other sliced breads on the market, this one only includes a handful of ingredients: unbleached flour, sourdough starter, salt, water, and calcium propionate (a preservative).

One Redditor claimed that this product was superior to any other sourdough bread they had ever eaten. Another noted that because of this bread's longer shelf life compared to what you would buy at a bakery, the Sacramento Baking Company sourdough bread is an excellent kitchen staple to have on hand for casual meals.

Make sure that you have plenty of recipes on deck when you purchase this product; each loaf weighs 32 ounces, meaning the full bag weighs a whopping 4 pounds. One pleased customer recommended using this bread to prepare avocado toast, as well as breakfast and grilled cheese sandwiches. Another Redditor agreed that this bread is perfectly suited for grilled cheeses. We're not surprised; sourdough in general is one of the best breads for grilled cheese sandwiches. We'll add that slathering your sandwich with a sweet condiment like quince paste or your favorite jam will take it to another level.

We'd like to put cinnamon bread up for consideration as an unofficial, yet universal, love language. From the sweet buns commonly consumed alongside coffee in Nordic countries to the enchanting aroma that always wafts from Cinnabon, the mouth can't help but water at the thought of cinnamon and bread. And yet, most of us have tried enough of this delicacy to develop a discerning palate. Sliced cinnamon bread must therefore feature an appropriate level of moisture, a complex cinnamon flavor, and a consistency and shape that holds together rather than falling apart in the toaster.

In our recent ranking of store-bought cinnamon raisin breads, Pepperidge Farm's version caught our attention for being sweet but not cloying. Furthermore, the raisins added moisture, but weren't excessive in number. This isn't the only cinnamon bread Costco carries; for instance, Greenlee's Original Cinnamon Bread frequently receives solid praise on the West Coast. However, the Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread from Pepperidge Farm is more widely available and also more reliably in stock.

Customers generally agree with our preference for this product, with some saying that it puts up an admirable fight against Trader Joe's version of cinnamon raisin bread. Besides, even though the Trader Joe's bread appears to be richer, stocking up on the Pepperidge Farms version at Costco can be a smarter choice for your wallet. One Redditor shared that after buying it at Costco, this bread has become a non-negotiable breakfast item for their kids. It's allegedly delicious when toasted and slathered in butter, as well as when prepared as French toast.

Nailing gluten-free bread is no easy feat. This is true not only for home bakers, but also for recipe developers working in commercial kitchens with myriad pieces of equipment and ingredients at their disposal. Without ratcheting up the price too high, brands need to achieve a consistent, versatile texture in their gluten-free sandwich breads. Very few have succeeded. Canyon Bakehouse, though a household name for those catering to gluten-free diets, missed the mark on its multigrain bread, so leave it out of your cart next time you shop at Costco.

Primarily made with tapioca, brown rice, and whole grain sorghum flours, this bread also contains eggs and xanthan gum, two ingredients commonly added to gluten-free baked goods for their binding qualities. Millet, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat flour are also in the lineup.

These ingredients do not live up to their potential in this multigrain bread. Customers note that each loaf is not worth its high price tag, contains a disappointing array of nutrients, and offers a lackluster — even artificial — flavor. One Redditor mentioned that it's "as dry as the Sahara desert," while others said that it can feel heavy. Plus, each slice is reportedly tiny, so this is not the bread you'll want to reach for when making a dish like French toast. Instead, customers often recommend trying Schär's or Trader Joe's versions of gluten-free bread. Or, if you've got time on your hands, try our recipe for gluten-free buckwheat bread.

When you can't be strolling through Paris, the next best thing is to treat yourself to a mouth-watering croissant. Or, if you're going to be shopping at Costco, a pack of the Schwartz Brothers Bakery Croissant Loaves. Yes, you read that right: A loaf pan can transform croissant dough into a fluffy bread, and the sliced bread industry has taken due notice.

One happy Redditor said they would leave these loaves a 12 out of 10 star review if possible, and also that a single loaf vanished within a day of purchase. Others echoed that self-control is difficult when these loaves are in the house. However, if you can make the loaves last until they turn a bit stale, you can take inspiration from another Redditor and make an excellent bread pudding.

These croissant loaves are sweeter than your average sandwich bread, so adjust recipes as you see fit. For instance, if you whip up a batch of French toast with this bread, as many customers recommend, you might not want to add any sugar. For a sweet-and-savory delight, use this bread in place of burger buns, or perhaps as the vehicle for a fried egg sandwich (croissants are, after all, commonly used for breakfast sandwiches). Customers also say that this bread is divine when made into a grilled cheese sandwich. In case you don't want to do any cooking, though, one customer reported that this bread is superb when simply toasted and slathered with strawberry jam.

Like the whole wheat bread we recommended earlier, the first ingredient listed for Oroweat's Oatnut Bread is whole wheat flour. However, this is not a 100% whole wheat bread; enriched wheat flour is also present (wheat and whole wheat are not synonymous). Oats are, of course, on the scene, while hazelnuts, walnuts, and almonds explain the latter half of this bread's name. These nuts are complemented by sunflower seeds, which add further protein and flavor. Indeed, this is not a bread for those with allergies to any of the previously mentioned nuts, nor is it suitable for those allergic to soy, milk, or wheat.

As long as you don't fall into any of those categories, however, you may fall in love with this bread. It's said to have a great texture for all kinds of sandwiches, and one Redditor particularly recommended it for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. If you have kids, another pleased customer mentioned that the crust is soft enough that even they might find it palatable. Meanwhile, some customers reported that this bread has a long shelf life. That said, because it's sold in bulk at Costco, it's still worth taking extra precautions to keep it fresh.

To be included on this list, each bread required several recommendations for or against it, with a general consensus swinging either way. We looked for breads described as moist, pliable, sturdy, flavorful, and/or reliable, as well as those said to be gummy, crumbly, and/or dry. Customer insights were gathered on websites like Reddit, Facebook, and occasionally third-party vendors like Walmart and Sam's Club, given that customer reviews were not available on Costco's website. Cost was not a factor.