Taste Test: Best Low-Carb Breads at the Grocery Store

September 16, 2024

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If you love a loaded sandwich or a crisp slice of toast but you’re watching your carbs, you used to have to choose between your diet and your favorite foods. But these days, there are many options for low-carb breads at most well-stocked grocery stores, so you can have your bread and eat it, too.

Of course, when it comes to bread made with fewer carbohydrates, some are better than others in terms of flavor, texture, and overall satisfaction. I tasted six popular brands of keto-friendly bread from grocery stores and evaluated them based on looks, flavor, and texture. I tasted slices from each loaf both fresh from the bag and toasted. Here’s how they stacked up, and my favorite picks from the bunch.

What we mean by “low-carb breads”

A typical slice of white bread has around 14 grams of carbs and less than 1 gram of fiber. Whole wheat is slightly better at around 12 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber. Fiber is important in factoring in the carbohydrate load of a food like bread, because it’s a form of carbohydrate that doesn’t affect blood sugar levels, since the body can’t digest it. So although some of the breads on this list have as much (or more) carbs as regular white or whole wheat bread, that number drops significantly when you factor in the fiber.

Low-carb breads taste test results

Here are the breads I tried, nutrition info for 1 slice, and my thoughts on each.

1. Dave’s Killer Bread Thin-Sliced 21 Whole Grains and Seeds

Calories: 60
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 105mg
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 3g

Rather than relying on any highly modified ingredients or a proprietary fiber blend, this bread from Dave’s Killer gets its lower-carb nutritional profile because it’s simply sliced into thinner pieces. You get the same rich, wheaty flavor and nuttiness of the brand’s regular loaf (which contains 22 grams of carbohydrates per slice), in a slightly smaller serving size.

This was my favorite of the loaves I tested. It has the full, well-rounded flavor of high-quality seeded wheat bread and a toothsome, hearty texture. As a bonus, each slice also contains 12 grams of whole grains and 90 grams of ALA omega-3 fatty acids, thanks to the robust inclusion of various grains and seeds.

2. Sola Sweet Oat Bread

Calories: 40
Fat: 2g
Sodium: 140mg
Carbohydrates: 9g
Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 4g

Sola offers several low-carb bread options, including this sweet oat flavor, which is topped with whole rolled oats and made with a blend of various fibers, including flaxseed, citrus, and vegetable fiber. With just 9 grams of carbohydrates and 40 calories per slice, this is the lowest-carb option I tasted. It has a nice subtle sweetness with just 1 gram of sugar per slice, and a warm, cozy oaty flavor that’s delicious toasted with butter. The texture was also surprisingly similar to regular sliced oat bread, despite the long list of fiber-laden ingredients. Note that it turned golden very quickly in the toaster, so be sure to keep an eye it to avoid burning.

3. Schmidt Old Tyme 647 The Original Italian Bread

Calories: 40
Fat: 0.5g
Sodium: 140mg
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fiber: 8g
Sugars: 1g
Protein: 2g

This Italian-style white bread comes in thicker slices than the other low-carb breads I sampled. It has a subtly tangy flavor and a hint of sweetness that makes it great for toasting or loading with cold cuts for a classic Italian sandwich. Each slice contains 1 gram of added sugar, which helps the bread take on a nice caramelized color quickly in the toaster.

4. Nature’s Own Keto Burger Buns

Serving size: 1 bun
Calories: 60
Fat: 2.5g
Sodium: 310mg
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 16g
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 9g

Nature’s Own brand has a line of keto-friendly products including sliced white bread, hot dog rolls, and these hamburger rolls. Each roll has 17 grams of carbs, of which 16 grams come from dietary fiber. There is no added sugar and each bun has 9 grams of protein from wheat protein isolate. The buns are soft and fluffy, with a light and stretchy texture, making them chewier than your typical hamburger bun. I found them slightly dry and bland-tasting, but they toasted up nicely and had enough structure to support a full burger, condiments and all.

5. Arnold Keto Bread

Calories: 60
Fat: 1.6g
Sodium: 150mg
Carbohydrates: 10g
Fiber: 9g
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 5g

This sliced white bread from Arnold is among the lowest in carbohydrates per slice, at just 10 grams (of which 9 grams come from dietary fiber). I found the flavor of this loaf pretty strange. The bread has a fibrous, oddly chewy texture and an artificial taste. The ingredient list is pretty far off from your typical bread loaf and includes inulin fiber, sunflower flour, and modified wheat starch.

6. Carbonaut Gluten Free White Bread

Calories: 40
Fat: 2.5g
Sodium: 170mg
Carbohydrates: 16g
Fiber: 15g
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 1g

This was the only gluten-free keto-friendly bread I sampled. Unfortunately, it couldn’t stand up to the others in the test. The bread was pretty flavorless and had a dry, crumbly texture with no stretch or chew to it. The slices had minimal structure and were easily smushed, as if they contained more air than anything else.

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