I firmly believe that there’s no better way to start your day than with a generous serving of carbs. Sure, you can get those carbs through cereal, toast, even a croissant. But if you ask me (and anyone with sense), the best way to get your carbs in the morning is with a bagel. Is there anything more magical than smearing a freshly toasted bagel with the cream cheese flavor of your choice, piling on the toppings and eating it as a sandwich when you’re on the go? Or maybe you take the sausage, egg and cheese route for something heartier. If you ask me, bagels are even perfect in their simplest form, with no more adornment than a small pat of butter.
But before you even start to ponder toppings, you have to decide what flavor of bagel to get. With so many choices at your fingertips, it can be difficult to make a decision. Luckily, I’ve put together this definitive ranking of some of the most popular bagel flavors so you never have to fall victim to bagel regret again.
10. Plain
There’s nothing wrong with plain bagels—but there’s nothing that exciting about them, either. They don’t have much flavor to them, so they mostly serve as a neutral base for whatever you choose to eat them with. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it might be exactly what you’re looking for if you really want to pile on the toppings. But when you want to keep things simple, there are better bagel options to choose from.
9. Poppy seed
Poppy seeds may not add much in the way of flavor, but I do like that they give a plain bagel a bit more character and texture. The downside, though, is that you’ll be left with black crumbs in your lap for the next couple of hours. I’d personally never go out of my way for a poppy seed bagel, but if you’re looking for something subtle but still more interesting than a plain bagel, the poppy seed variety may be what you’re looking for.
8. Everything
This might be a hot take, since everything everything bagel-flavored has been wildly popular for years at this point. But everything bagels are just okay. There’s perhaps too much going on to really let the toppings shine. Sure, if you’re just giving you bagel the butter or plain cream cheese treatment, an everything bagel may be the way to go. But other flavors may be better suited to a more delicious breakfast.
7. Cinnamon Raisin
Most of the flavors on this list are on the savory side, but if you’re the kind of person who craves a sweet bagel in the morning, then cinnamon raisin can seem like a good option. I think the cinnamon raisin variety are at their best when they’re relatively plain—they don’t take well to a bunch of toppings. If you are going to opt for a cinnamon raisin bagel, just make sure it’s heavy on the cinnamon, light on the raisins. Too many raisins can make your bagel taste too soggy and chewy.