Pressmaster/Getty Images
Kroger, America’s most venerable grocery chain, doesn’t really compete head-to-head with department stores like Walmart or big box stores like Costco since it knows the value of staying in its own lane. In that lane, though, it offers just about everything you’d want in a grocery store, including a bakery. While it’s true that many of its items are baked off-site, this seems to be true of most grocery stores today (even Costco doesn’t bake all of its offerings from scratch). That being said, the Kroger bakery offers a wide range of items, and quite a few of them are customer favorites.
To curate this list of Kroger’s best bakery items, we went through nearly 300 store-brand items, including those sold under the Bakery Fresh, Private Selection, and Simple Truth labels. We then discounted any items that had only a single review or ratings with no reviews since this was deemed insufficient evidence. (There’s always at least one person who likes something even if the rest of the world thinks it’s hot garbage.) The highest-ranked items — each earning 4.5 stars or above — run the gamut of breads, cakes, donuts, and pies. Oddly enough, no cookies made the cut, but we’re hoping Kroger’s bakery might up its cookie game with a little customer encouragement.
Bakery Fresh Churro Donut Bites
Kroger
Bakery Fresh Cream Cheese Iced Red Velvet Cake
Kroger
Bakery Fresh Red Velvet Cake is another item with unanimous five-star reviews. Customers praise the moistness of the cake and the flavorful cream cheese frosting, with one person calling it the “best cake of the year.” That same person also pointed out that the cake’s actually quite a bargain since it might cost nearly twice as much to purchase the ingredients to bake something similar from scratch.
Purchase a 51-ounce Bakery Fresh Cream Cheese Iced Red Velvet Cake at Kroger for $17.99.
Bakery Fresh Zucchini Loaf Cake
Kroger
Zucchini bread clearly isn’t something people bake merely to get rid of unwanted produce, as plenty of people enjoy it enough to buy it. Kroger’s Bakery Fresh brand produces a Zucchini Loaf Cake that has earned a 4.8-star rating along with such accolades as “It is delicious!” and “This one is hard to find because it’s so good!”
Purchase a 14-ounce Bakery Fresh Zucchini Loaf Cake at Kroger for $6.99.
Kroger Carbmaster Hawaiian Hamburger Buns
Kroger
Low-carb bread products sometimes seem like a second-rate choice, but this isn’t the case with the 4.7-star-rated Kroger Carbmaster Hawaiian Hamburger Buns. According to one shopper, they’re “really good and less dry than most low carb buns.” Another reviewer vowed, “I will order again and again and again!”
Purchase an eight-count package of Kroger Carbmaster Hawaiian Hamburger Buns at Kroger for $5.79.
Kroger Powdered Sugar Donut Holes
Kroger
Donut holes dusted in powdered sugar are a sweet, simple snack, and one that Kroger has absolutely nailed. One shopper who reviewed this 5-star item claimed they’re “way better than the ‘name’ brand.” Another agreed: “These are the first donuts I have had that do not taste super processed!”
Purchase a 13-ounce box of Kroger Powdered Sugar Donut Holes at Kroger for $3.69.
Private Selection All Butter Croissant Loaf
Kroger
Private Selection is Kroger’s higher-end store brand, and as such is one of the best private label brands at any grocery store. Its reach extends past shelf-stable and frozen foods into the produce aisle, the meat department, and the bakery, where one of the best bread products you’ll find is a croissant loaf made with real butter. It has a 4.7-star rating, with one reviewer saying, “Fantastic flavor and texture!! It is now my favorite bread.” Another review echoed the sentiment, saying, “This is the best bread I have ever had. When I travel I take it with me it’s so good.”
Purchase a 15-ounce Private Selection All Butter Croissant Loaf at Kroger for $6.99.
Private Selection Classic Creamstyle Cheesecake
Kroger
Private Selection Classic Creamstyle Cheesecake is cheesecake in its purest form unadorned with any type of topping or flavoring apart from a hint of cinnamon in the graham cracker crust. It has a 4.6-star rating and has garnered many accolades, including: “This was one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had, from the first bite to the last.” Some customers have complained that it can be difficult to find, but it has not been discontinued so keep your eye out.
Purchase a 40-ounce Private Selection Classic Creamstyle Cheesecake at Kroger for $19.99.
Private Selection French Loaf
Kroger
Even though many of Kroger’s bakery items arrive onsite in a frozen state, the chain proudly touts its Private Selection French Loaf as being “fresh baked in store,” with these exact words imprinted on the packaging. Customers appreciate the just-baked goodness of this artisan-style bread, awarding it 4.6 stars and calling it “fresh and yummy.”
Purchase a 16-ounce Private Selection French Loaf at Kroger for $4.99.
Private Selection Honeycrisp Apple Half Pie
Kroger
Kroger’s more basic Bakery Fresh brand offers a budget-priced apple pie selling for under $6.00, but many customers gladly pay extra for half of a more upscale offering (they are, admittedly, very similar in weight). The Private Selection Honeycrisp Apple Half Pie is one of the Kroger bakery pies we’re hunting down on our next shopping trip and has a 5-star rating, with customers declaring it to be “Too good!” and “To die for!” It might be safer to purchase such a pie in smaller quantities (as per one reviewer whose one bite turned into half the dessert), but this dessert is also available as a 44-ounce full pie for $11.99.
Purchase a 20-ounce Private Selection Honeycrisp Apple Half Pie at Kroger for $6.49.
Private Selection Lemon Mini Bundt Cake
Kroger
Kroger’s 4.8-star rated Private Selection Lemon Mini Bundt Cake is not only super-cute, it also allows you the glorious sensation of scarfing down an entire cake without overindulging. (For once, the packaging acknowledges that one serving = one cake.) One purchaser said, “I picked this little cake up on a whim, and it turned out to be the best cake I’ve had in years. It’s nice and tart and the frosting has that wonderful crunchiness to it.” Another reviewer said, “Absolutely the best lemon bundt I have ever had! [sic]”
Purchase a 4.9-ounce Private Selection Lemon Mini Bundt Cake at Kroger for $3.99.
Private Selection Strawberry Shortcake Slice
Kroger
One thing we love about Kroger’s bakery is that it sells cakes by the slice, which is perfect for solo shoppers who don’t want to commit to an entire eight servings. The 4.5-star Private Selection Strawberry Shortcake Slice is sheer summery perfection, with one customer enthusing, “Its so good! Perfect amount of whipped cream, Strawberry jam, and pound cake. [sic]”
Purchase a 6.2-ounce Private Selection Strawberry Shortcake Slice at Kroger for $3.99.
Private Selection Toffee Apple Pie
Kroger
The honeycrisp apple pie isn’t Kroger’s only premium apple pie offering. There’s also the Private Selection Toffee Apple Pie, which has a 4.5-star rating from the grocery chain’s customers. One review said, “Best apple pie I’ve ever had!” Another opined, “Much Better than marie callendars. Better than homemade. [sic]”
Purchase a 39-ounce Private Selection Toffee Apple Pie at Kroger for $11.99.
Private Selection Tuxedo Mousse Layer Cake Slice with Dark Chocolate Ganache
Kroger
Another Private Selection slice worth checking out is the Tuxedo Mousse Layer Cake, which consists of marble cake layered with dark and white chocolate mousse and frosted with dark chocolate ganache. It has a 5-star rating, with one satisfied shopped saying, “This tastes amazing! Restaurant quality and will definitely purchase again.” Another added, “It’s probably one of the best store-bought cakes I’ve ever had.”
Purchase a 6.18-ounce Private Selection Tuxedo Mousse Layer Cake Slice at Kroger for $3.99.
Private Selection Vanilla Bean Iced Four Layer White Cake
Kroger
If you’re in the market for a whole cake instead of a single slice, you could hardly do better than the 4.6-star Private Selection Vanilla Bean Iced Four Layer White Cake. “This cake is absolutely wonderful! Better than homeade or from a speciality bakery, [sic]” asserted one repeat buyer. Another rhapsodized in caps, “Best Vanilla Bean Cake Ever!!”
Purchase a 59.5-ounce Private Selection Vanilla Bean Iced Four Layer White Cake at Kroger for $24.99.
Simple Truth Gluten Free Celebration Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting
Kroger
Even gluten-free baked goods get the five-star treatment at Kroger in the form of the Simple Truth Gluten Free Celebration Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting. Customers have awarded this colorful, sugar-topped cake a perfect score, with one admitting, “This one is better than it should be.” Another affirmed, “I was so mind blown at how good this cake actually was!”
Purchase a 16-ounce Simple Truth Gluten Free Celebration Vanilla Cake at Kroger for $8.99.
