Store-Bought Hamburger Buns Ranked From Worst To Best

Steven Luna/Mashed

When grilling season rolls around and the cookout calendar starts filling up, it's important to have a handle on your menu, which means having the right hamburger buns on hand to cradle your most creative burger. The good news is that you have so many options to choose from; there's practically no way you can make the wrong pick. Still, it helps to have the inside track on which burger buns are a proper purchase to make your best burger recipe shine, instead of taking a chance on buns that could bring the party to a screeching halt.

To get a solid view of which hamburger buns are the best investment for the season of summer sizzle and beyond, I headed out to my neighborhood grocers and grabbed 13 different kinds of burger buns from a variety of store labels and national brands. Then I gave them all a studious taste test and ranked them worst to best to keep you from making an ill-informed buy. If you're in the market for specific types of burger buns but don't want to risk ruining your poolside fiesta with the wrong rolls for the occasion, read on to find out where your money is best spent so you can spark up the grill and get your burger making off to a proper start.

Steven Luna/Mashed

I didn't expect a well-known national name brand like Oroweat to end up at the bottom of my hamburger bun ranking. But that's one of the most revealing aspects of trying a bunch of brands side by side; sometimes, you're preconceived notions of what constitutes quality are challenged, and you discover that a producer you have always considered to be top-notch ends up being a bottom-ranker. As wisdom throughout the ages has often revealed, them's the breaks.

Oroweat adds potato flakes to its properly-named potato buns, but comes up with bread that has a slightly off undertaste. The only suspect item on the list of ingredients that I could find that might contribute to this is stevia leaf sweetener, which doesn't replace sugar but adds to the overall sweetener content. It also brings down a highly priced bag of burger buns to the point where I would rather do without than risk the disappointment of my hungry crowd, even if I was only serving air-fryer burgers on paper plates.

Steven Luna/Mashed

If a bread company were ever destined to incorporate hamburger buns into its line of products, Wonder would be the one. After all, the brand has established its name as something of an honorific in the grocery space, thanks to simple yet satisfying bagged bread selections that have been enjoyed for generations. So it's not unreasonable to anticipate the same quality in a hamburger bun that you've come to know and love in sliced bread.

But maybe there's a limit to what shoppers should expect from a food producer, even one with such a long-lasting reputation. These extra-soft hamburger buns are generously sized, for sure, but all it takes is a bite to recognize the strange tang of leavening in the recipe. It's a bitter layer that may be readily disguised once you have a burger and pickles sitting between the two halves. When you're testing them side-by-side with a bunch of far superior burger buns, though, Wonder comes across as less than wonderful. It also inspires some groan-worthy wordplay, so at least it's not a total waste. Seriously, though: Don't buy these.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Kroger introduced base-level store label Smart Way as a super bargain variety of staple shopping items at unquestionably bank-saving prices, though the quality isn't always up to par. For an item as straightforward as a hamburger bun, I would've thought that there was little that could be done to detract from taste, texture, or enjoyment.

These burger buns are so ordinary, they practically taste stale. Not that they are, based on the "best by" date on the bag, but there's so little to endorse them other than the usual ingredients and a host of add-ins to make the dough tender and deterioration resistant. They're appropriately stocked on the bottom shelf of the hamburger bun section, and I would definitely put them as a lower-tier option, to be purchased only if all the other hamburger buns are gone. Weirdly enough, I've seen it happen, and now I know that at least I can get something on the table, even if it isn't my preference among the hamburger bun collection.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Albertsons comes running into the hamburger bun fry with a simple bag of unquestionably workable bread to get your prepared patties up off the plate in tasty fashion. Signature Select is certainly a hamburger bun, and that's all that can really be said about it. There's nothing at all to set it apart from the package pack, and with its slightly floury surface, it comes off as a bit dry. This is what you pick up when you just need buns on the table and aren't picky about impressing guests ... or your family, for that matter.

Usually, this store brand comes up with some seriously grand products, items that challenge the bigger labels and offer satisfying replacements for your favorite staples. This time, though, Signature Select is one selection that can be counted out for your cookout needs. It's an especially easy decision considering the far-superior options this bag is surrounded by.

Steven Luna/Mashed

The name is no lie; freshness is truly guaranteed with these buns. They were the first of my samplings, and they were a tasty morsel indeed. The texture is slightly denser than the other buns, perhaps due to being "baked fresh," whatever that means in the Walmart world. But from the moment I opened the bag, I knew there was something special waiting within, much better than the buns you'd find on fast-food chain burgers.

And then, I went back for a second sample a few days later and found the whole bag starting to harden. This is a fantastic sign for the limited preservatives found in the recipe, but a terrible omen for anyone who fails to use their stash all in one go. Once the clip is removed, the clock is ticking. So even if these hamburger buns provide a first-rate experience, it means nothing if you can't depend on them to be fresh at least through the weekend. Turns out, even Freshness Guaranteed has its limitations. You've been warned.

Steven Luna/Mashed

It's not just the hot dog angle that Ball Park takes when the summer dining season shows up. The well-known Frankfurter producer pairs up its hot dog buns with an eight-pack of hamburger buns to provide the right kind of variety for all of your barbecue needs. Even if you're just heating up pre-formed patties in the microwave for dinner, Ball Park wants to make sure you have buns to hold all the classic condiments and mouthwatering toppings possible. I have to admit, the bright graphics on the bag are a real dazzler when you're strolling through the burger bun section and the other bags have limited themselves to logos and names.

But when it comes to enjoyability, these burger buns hit the ball straight down the middle, neither knocking it out of the park nor striking out entirely. The label says they are the official hamburger bun of the Little League, which may explain the relatively characterless flavor that takes on the task of feeding hundreds of little palates around the U.S. Could you do better than this? Absolutely. But you could do a whole lot worse than this, too, especially for the moderate price.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Kroger's top-of-the-line house label has its own hamburger bun offering that's not too shabby at all. As a premium offering, Private Selection may provide the prettiest hamburger bun in the bunch. The tops are more than single split; they form sort of a flower petal shape, and they're generously sized too, which makes them very presentation-oriented for your show occasions. It's a strange consideration to make when shopping for hamburger buns, but once you've seen the code behind the barbecue matrix, there's no going back.

As for the flavor, it's nothing extravagant: average tasting bread without high-fructose corn syrup. It won't intrude on your premium burger meat but instead will stay in the background. These would make good buns for a smaller occasion with a pickier crowd, but priced as they are, I might not consider them a go-to burger bun for general use. Think of them as an option when you're eager to impress your guests.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Of course, Walmart's Great Value collection is going to have a hamburger bun to toss into the fray. It's a natural addition to the company's expansive line of store-branded creations. Though not every offering in the Great Value catalog is a winner, something as simple as a bread product should be a slam dunk for the company. And if you can grab them at lower-than-low prices, there's no question that you should. But will you be getting something worth paying even bargain prices for?

This time, it's a yes. Great Value hamburger buns turn out to be pretty good for the price point. And since they're not aspiring to be anything gourmet, they're a darn sight better than some of the other store brands you could purchase. The bread is perfectly moderately flavored, meaning there's nothing untoward to get in the way of enjoying your burger or turning it into sandwiches for a picnic instead. If I were on a tight budget and didn't want to miss out on bunned burgers, I'd go with Great Value.

Steven Luna/Mashed

I have to admit, the burger buns from Marketside cut a more stylish figure on the shelf than the other buns do. They come with a simple sticker rather than a flashy graphic and align in a single tidy row in the cellophane wrapper, giving them the air of a high-quality bakery creation rather than a big-box product. Their shape and color also announce that you should expect something special when you break them open. I was leery about whether such perceived poshness could hold up once the bag was opened and the taste testing began. Would this selection be another style-over-substance situation?

The distinctive aroma of croissant bursts out of the bag when you tear it open. You can tell by looking at the custardy yellow white color that eggs are used in the French recipe. It's a fantastic way to show off your best cookout burger recipes. To be embarrassingly honest, this is the type of hamburger bun I would eat without the patty, just tearing into it like a piece of bread or toasting it and adding peanut butter as a breakfast dish. I stand by what I said.

Steven Luna/Mashed

There's no way you'd expect anything other than a wholesome experience from a hamburger bun from Nature's Own. The company name itself suggests products that stick to the essentials while keeping the extras to a minimum. While it's great when a food producer takes a mindful path like this, it sometimes makes the enjoyability suffer. Not so with Nature's Own; this is a proper selection to give any burger-serving opportunity a welcome boost. 

With a sweet split top and a darker top than most of the other brands, these patty holders certainly present a more stylish take on a classic burger bun. The flavor is slightly buttery, and the interior is gold and yellow, likely from the real butter used in the recipe. There's a toasty taste in the mix too, even when you haven't toasted them, which gives these buns a notable lift. Nature's Own has definitely come up with a top-five burger bun. In fact, you may find yourself using leftovers to make ham and cheese sandwiches or PB&Js, just to keep the good times rolling right along.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Aunt Hattie's is a regular player in the hamburger bun race, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with other brands while never shoving its way into the limelight. If you're lucky enough to find them in the mix, they're a bag worth purchasing, especially if you happen to like premium bread products. To everyone else, it may just be a way to keep your burger from messing up your hands, but to a cookout connoisseur, a luxe hamburger bun like Aunt Hattie's is a non-negotiable part of the deal. It may not be as creative as the viral TikTok French fry-encrusted burger, but what is?

These hamburger buns cleverly utilize potato flakes to give a rich texture to an otherwise ordinary hamburger bread. The result is soft and doughy without being crumbly or falling apart, with a flavor that is slightly buttery and marvelously mellow. These started as a local Arizona brand  manufactured by the Holsum company, and I would readily recommend them to anyone looking for a burger bun that provides higher-than-expected quality. Although now that I've told you how great they are, you should definitely expect it.

Steven Luna/Mashed

I know Pepperidge Farm from the fantastic selection of premium cookies it offers, but I was unaware of its hamburger bun game until now. Knowing the treats in the cookie aisle from this company are more highly priced than other brands, I assumed the bread quality would be a match for Pepperidge Farms' Milano and Verona cookies, and all the other classic bakes bearing its old-fashioned farm logo. I like to live dangerously with my grocery choices.

Sometimes, a product lives up so well to your expectations that you discover a new favorite. And though I've never had a favorite hamburger bun before and haven't even considered that concept to be possible, I can safely say that Pepperidge Farms has opened my eyes. These soft white burger buns certainly live up to the description, being incredibly tender and delightfully yeasty. There's no high fructose corn syrup or artificial colors or flavors, which gives these bakery beauties a wholesome, homemade taste. They are a bit more expensive than some of the other brands, so I'd spring for them when I have high-level burgers to serve, rather than just keeping them on hand for weeknight dinner. If you don't mind paying a little more for bread to wrap around your hamburger, these buns should be one of your new favorite things to shop for, too.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Sara Lee is one of the most trusted names in the grocery business, no matter what product happens to bear its logo. The company's Artesano bread line aims to elevate the concept of the basic hamburger bun to the heights of pre-bagged baked goodness, taking a cue from King's Hawaiian to create an island-themed take on the usual burger bun that turns out to be a cookout lover's paradise.

These rolls promise a sweeter-than-usual burger experience and, oh man, do they ever attain that goal. I searched the ingredients list for something distinctive that would make them taste as sweet and fluffy as they do. All I could find was a bit of pea protein and grain vinegar; everything else seems to be standard for the burger bun formula. Whatever magical thing the Sara Lee bakery does to make these buns top-notch absolutely makes them worth the price. They're a perfect addition to your ground beef pattie  or alternative burgers, but you could just eat them plain if you get the urge. I'm not too shy to say that rather than just trying a sample, I didn't stop until I had eaten the whole thing. I may do it again soon.

Steven Luna/Mashed

Shopping for hamburger buns is a simple yet confusing task, considering the quantity of brands and styles on the market. To keep things fair and square, I looked for the most straightforward version of the bun concept that I could find in a variety of national and store-specific labels. Some companies like Sara Lee only offer artisan-style buns, so I went with that and hoped they would be comparable to the others.

My first instinct was to try each hamburger bun with a slice of burger inside, but I quickly nixed that concept. I wanted to experience the taste and texture of the bread without anything complicating the basic creation. It turned out to be a much easier endeavor than I thought it would, thanks to the wide-ranging ideas each food producer held of what a hamburger bun should taste like. It may seem like a hamburger bun is just a hamburger bun, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it, there's quite a spectrum of taste and textures to experience.