Frozen Garlic Bread, Ranked Worst To Best

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Interestingly enough, garlic bread is one food that holds up exceptionally well in the freezer, as is evident by the tasty options you find lining the freezer aisle of your local grocery store. There's no denying frozen garlic bread is convenient, either, especially if you don't need an entire loaf.

Fortunately, most brands of frozen garlic bread more than live up to expectations. Even so, I can personally attest to the fact that some are much more garlicky, buttery, and, well, just tastier than others. How do I know? Aside from my lifelong love affair with garlic bread, I just bought and tasted every brand I could find, and yes, this includes both full loaves and Texas toast. It was a tasty adventure, to say the least.

After tasting many different kinds of frozen garlic bread, I ranked them based on flavor, texture, and more. Once you hear what I discovered, you'll not only know exactly what to expect from each product, but you'll also be able to skip over any lackluster frozen garlic breads moving forward.

Last, and most certainly least in my ranking, is 365 by Whole Foods Garlic Texas Toast. Before anyone gets up in arms about this, I'm sure it's "better" for you, because, well, Whole Foods. I don't care, though, because this product truly misses the mark. My honest opinion? It's barely North of buttered toast, lightly buttered at that.

When I first took a bite of Whole Foods Garlic Texas Toast, I was like, okay. The bread is tasty, airy, crispy, and I could tell it wasn't low quality. However, everything else about the recipe was just meh. The garlicky, buttery flavor we all want wasn't there. Sure, there was a hint of it, but it was quite the letdown. I guess it would be tasty if you turned it into a grilled cheese, but that's as generous as I'm willing to be. Straight out of the box, it just doesn't get the job done. Oh yeah, it's on the pricier side, as well. Apparently, you should never trust a health grocery store with garlic bread. Lesson learned.

I will start by saying that the Great Value makes its Garlic Bread with a nice, hefty-sized loaf. As a result, I got lots of crispy and soft textures, something that is ideal. However, my taste buds told me that the bread itself was pretty low quality. I almost hate to say it, but it kind of tasted stale, and yes, I know frozen bread isn't the same as a fresh loaf. Still, Walmart dialed the main ingredient in, and it shows.

As for the garlic and butter on Great Value Garlic Bread, there was a decent amount. Even so, just like the bread, it didn't taste like it was of the best quality. How you mess up the flavor of garlic and butter is beyond me, but they managed to pull it off. If I had to purchase this product again — I can see no reason why this would ever be the case, but still — I would definitely have to slather it with some Italian dressing (one of the secret ingredients that upgrades garlic bread). Or, at the very least, cover it with cheese. Needless to say, though, I'll be passing on this option in the future.

No surprises here, but Great Value's Garlic Texas Toast was pretty unappealing. Just like the brand's regular frozen loaf of garlic bread, the flavors and textures simply weren't anything to write home about. The bread quality and consistency were slightly better than Walmart's garlic bread loaf, but it was still fairly dry and bland. Even with help from garlic and butter, it was pretty lackluster.

Speaking of Great Value Garlic Texas Toast's garlic and butter, there wasn't much to speak of. Yes, the flavors were there, but I would have preferred way more, like double or triple. I might use the rest of the box as a substitute for burger buns, but I don't recommend purchasing one yourself. Unless, of course, you plan on jazzing it up, but it'll take quite a bit of work. Sorry, not sorry, Walmart. This product left a lot to be desired, and with so many better options on the market (some of which you can also pick up at Walmart), it's better left on the shelf.

At $2.29 a box, Kroger Garlic Texas Toast is on the cheaper side of the frozen garlic bread price spectrum, and that's certainly a perk. Still, I'd pay double that if it meant I was getting a top-quality product. Sadly, though, quality is one area where Kroger Garlic Texas Toast falls short. The flavors and textures are there, but alas, it's a generic grocery store product, and it shows.

Compared to Great Value Texas Toast, Kroger's is definitely an improvement on all fronts. The slices of bread are thicker, so you get a pleasing mix of soft and crunchy textures. There was also a decent amount of butter, but neither the bread nor the butter possessed a premium taste. It isn't bad per se, but I could tell the ingredients were lower quality than anything that made it to my top five. The garlic flavor is a bit underwhelming, as well. Admittedly, I have a high tolerance for garlic (is that even a thing?), so I probably prefer it more than most. Even so, I feel like Kroger played it safe with the recipe.

Now it's time to take a trip to Target's freezer aisle. The company makes two types of frozen garlic bread, and its full-sized loaf earned a number seven spot in my ranking. When I first unwrapped a bag of Market Pantry Garlic Bread, I immediately noticed how small it was compared to the other products I purchased — it's only 10 ounces. For reference, Kroger's frozen garlic bread loaf is 16 ounces, and it costs $0.10 less. Just saying.

Aside from the difference in size, Market Pantry Garlic bread continued to let me down once I gave it a taste. Is it awful? No, but again, the bread itself simply isn't made with quality ingredients, and the taste reflects this. It's also much denser than other brands I tried, so the textures aren't as varied. I will say that there was a good amount of garlic butter spread on each side of the loaf, but surprise, surprise, I wanted more garlic. Overall, it gets the job done, but it's just meh. Moving on.

Market Pantry Garlic Texas Toast earned a spot smack dab in the middle of my ranking. Surprisingly, it's much better than the brand's full-sized loaf. As opposed to being dense and lacking flavor, the Texas Toast was just how it should be: Soft in the center with crunchy crust around the outside. Finally, some progress in the right direction, am I right?

There's no shortage of butter on Market Pantry's Garlic Texas Toast, either. It's not swimming in it, but it was most certainly the first flavor to take over my palate. After that, I detected some garlic, but it was secondary. The herbs I spotted sprinkled on for a touch of color weren't really noticeable at all when it came down to taste. Aesthetically, though, they do the trick. Is it the most flavorful frozen garlic bread of the bunch? Nah, but we are rapidly moving in the right direction. With a little help from some extra herbs and spices, and of course, some cheese, you could make yummy garlic bread out of Market Pantry Garlic Texas Toast. After all, the bread passed my sniff test, and that sets the tone. Even so, I recommend sticking to a higher-ranking pick that doesn't need to be jazzed up.

Kroger is back again, but this time with its traditional full-sized loaf of frozen garlic bread. As you can see by its fifth-place ranking, it makes a much better pick than the brand's Garlic Texas Toast, largely because the bread does everything right. It's super soft in the center, and the crust crisps up beautifully. It's also much thicker, fluffier, and longer than Market Pantry's sad excuse for a full-sized loaf of garlic bread. Dip it in some flavorful marinara sauce, and you'll have no complaints.

The bread needs to be delicious for garlic bread to be any good, so Kroger is off to a great start with its recipe. However, the bread is the best part. It's somewhat garlicky and buttery, but there isn't a ton of either, to be honest. It's not bland, but it would absolutely benefit from a few seasoning upgrades. This may sound a touch strange at first, but a little sprinkle of salt over the top made a huge improvement for me. It gave the flavors some much-needed oomph. For a hassle-free purchase, though, I recommend sticking to the upcoming picks — they don't need any help.

It's finally time for the good stuff, or actually, the great stuff. Yay! Starting with New York Bakery Garlic Texas Toast, I would happily buy every frozen garlic bread we discuss moving forward without hesitation. Why? They are all drool-worthy, to say the least. The reason this brand in particular scored a reputable fourth place ranking is that it has everything you could want from a tasty frozen garlic bread. Lots of garlic and butter? Yup. The perfect blend of soft and crispy textures? It's got that, too.

If I were being picky, and I am, I would have liked some more garlic with my New York Bakery Garlic Texas Toast. At this point, that's probably no surprise, but that's how I feel. Full disclosure, though: A friend who joined me on my taste-testing adventure said they thought there was lots of garlic, so maybe it's just me. Even so, a bit more would have pushed it up a spot in this ranking. I am, however, pleased to report that there was lots of rich buttery flavor, and I'm sure this contributed to the ideal texture, too.

Another huge perk that comes along with this brand is that it's widely available. It's not quite as prevalent on store shelves as my top two, but tracking it down shouldn't be an issue. As a point of reference, it was available at three of the five stores I visited while acquiring all the options on this list.

Signature Select Garlic Bread can only be found at grocery stores that operate under the Albertson's company name, so places like Safeway, Vons, and Shaw's, but you know what? It's tasty enough that even if you don't typically shop at any of the company's stores, I'd say it's worth going out of your way to snag a bag of it.

Compared to every other generic grocery store brand on this list, Signature Select's frozen garlic bread has a much richer, deeper taste. Basically, it comes correct with the flavor. After one bite, I was an instant fan. Everything from the garlic to the butter to the other seasonings came together to give me a mouthful of umami flavor in every bite.

Thankfully, Signature Select didn't dial in the bread, either. The loaf is thick and fluffy, and after baking, I got all the soft and crunchy textures a girl could want. To be fair, I hadn't sampled my top two picks when I first gave it a try, but even after I did, it held its own. Plainly put, the rest of this loaf won't be going to waste in my home (with so much on hand, sadly, some will). Plus, it's almost a dollar cheaper than my top two, so if you're looking for a budget pick, it's your best bet.

Pepperidge Farm's frozen garlic breads (there are two without cheese) are available everywhere, so you may have been wondering when they would make their debut on my list. As you can see, though, I had to save the best for last, and there's no doubt in my mind that the legendary brand's Garlic Texas Toast is worthy of a second-place spot. Actually, it's neck and neck with my No. 1 pick, and it might even make a better choice if you want the freedom to heat up single servings, as opposed to an entire loaf.

Nothing short of amazing, Pepperidge Farm Garlic Texas Toast has all the hallmarks of a top-notch garlic bread, frozen or not. For starters, the moment I opened the bag, I could smell garlic wafting through the air, and that's before the bread was cooked. After that, it's game over. The buttery, garlicky aroma becomes drool-worthy from a distance. That's right, you can smell it from the other room. Yum. The butter is nothing to scoff at, either. Both sides of every slice are coated with an abundance of all the good stuff. Really, it's freaking fantastic.

Unfortunately, the brand's Farmhouse Hearty White Bread is one of the unhealthiest store-bought breads, and, needless to say, the Garlic Texas Toast isn't necessarily good for you, either. But you know what? It tastes really good going down. We can save the healthy stuff for another time, right?

And the winner is... Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread, yay! It comes in a classic loaf, and as you can see, it's second to none. If you love garlic bread as much as I do (something tells me you do if you made it this far), you want your garlic bread to do it all. It should be soft in the middle, but the crust should still be crispy, and there shouldn't be any question about it containing plenty of butter. Most importantly, there has to be tons of garlic. Otherwise, it's just buttered toast. Lucky us, Pepperidge Farm's frozen garlic bread loaf hits all the marks, and then some.

Pepperidge Farm Garlic Bread is swimming in butter and garlic. The bread is on point, too. Compared to many of the lower-ranking picks, you can tell it's of much better quality, and the delicious texture proves it. Really, it's everything. There's a reason it's the one brand you can find in just about every grocery store: It's hands-down the absolute best frozen garlic bread around. It'll punch you in the face with garlic, and, if you aren't a super tidy eater, you may even find some butter dripping down your chin after a few bites. Oh my gosh, I'm drooling just thinking about it. Yum. Chances are good that you've tried this frozen garlic bread before because of how popular and widely available it is. However, if not, it's time to finally give it a go.

Garlic bread is one of life's little joys, and as someone who knows the truth — Italian food is the best in the world and it's not called marinara, it's gravy — it's enjoyed in my home quite frequently. With this in mind, I couldn't wait to buy, taste, and rank all the different types of frozen garlic bread I could find. After all, I'll be the first to admit that frozen garlic bread is beyond convenient. When it came to tracking down different frozen garlic breads, I left cheese-covered options out of it because, let's face it, cheese makes everything better. Plus, I wanted to get a good grasp of what the actual garlic bread tasted like. In this case, cheese would have just gotten in the way. Sorry, cheese. I promise you're still my bestie.

After tasting these frozen garlic breads, I realized that they are all different renditions of a basic garlic bread recipe. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, so I based my ranking on taste, texture, and the quality of the bread. The most buttery, garlicky products with the best quality bread came out on top. It's as simple as that. Moving forward, I'll be sticking to the top four. The lower-ranking picks aren't awful, especially if you upgrade them with some more seasoning or cheese. However, if you want the best of the best straight out of the bag or box, the top four are where it's at.