15 Walmart Bakery Items Ranked From Worst To Best
Walmart has a few store brands that are dedicated to different types of products, like Great Value for basic groceries and Equate for pharmacy goods. In the bakery section, you have both Marketside and Freshness Guaranteed, two labels that focus on the types of foods sold at specialty shops like a butcher, bakery, or deli counter. Ready-to-eat salads, soups, deli trays, meats, and bakery items all fall under these two brand names.
For bakery fans, Walmart's two store brands can hold some pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises. While its store-brand products in general have been getting better, you still won't want to buy them without checking some reviews and ratings first. When you buy baked goods, you want to know that you're getting a delicious treat, and customer reviews and reputation can help you make a good decision. Here are some of the most popular Walmart bakery items, ranked from worst to best.
15. Freshness Guaranteed Assorted Sweet Rolls
Let's get the bad news out of the way: If you like sweet rolls, think twice before you buy the Freshness Guaranteed assorted sweet rolls at Walmart. These rolls have a rating of only 1.5 stars with 79 reviews. Some of the complaints stemmed from bad grocery pickup experiences, where a store associate gave a customer rolls with a best-by date that was either the same day or long passed. However, you can also see that personal taste played a big part in whether or not a customer liked the sweet rolls. One reviewer painted a glowing picture and wrote that they preferred the texture of these rolls, while another thought the doughiness was just too dense. Others thought there wasn't enough filling and that the rolls were too dry.
With so many bad ratings based on things like the actions of a store associate and not on the rolls themselves, these may be better than the low rating implies. One of the advantages that Walmart offers is that its bakery goods are affordable. If you want to try the sweet rolls anyway, you aren't going to be out that much money if you decide you don't like them.
14. Freshness Guaranteed Old Fashioned Donut Holes
Okay, so the sweet rolls aren't a popular pick. What about people-pleasing donut holes? Freshness Guaranteed old-fashioned donut holes are not exactly at the top of our list. They're the second-worst item due to reports that the donut holes are oddly soggy. Reviewers on the Walmart product page assigned a rating of 1.7 to these fried dough nuggets, with the majority focusing on terrible textures and bland tastes. The positive reviews don't always have comments, but those that do focus on having the donut holes with coffee or tea, which may mask texture issues.
One possible reason why the donut holes end up soggy could come down to the packaging. Fresh donuts that are packed for storage without cooling first can become soggy from all the steam released into the storage container. Walmart doesn't say its donut holes are packed immediately after baking, but it does sound plausible.
13. Marketside Triple Chocolate Cake
It's a testament to how popular chocolate cake is that this next entry has very low ratings yet still manages to be a bestseller on Walmart's website. The Marketside triple chocolate cake has 1.8 stars and 180 reviews, most of which call the cake too dry. Many of the few positive reviews also mention how dry the cake is but either give tips on how to hide the texture issues or compliment other aspects of the treat. One customer admits the cake is dry but says the light amount of frosting is excellent. That same customer and another both mention heating the cake and eating it along with a glass of milk.
Baked goods can dry out as they get older, but relatively fresh cakes shouldn't be so arid that even those who like them mention the lack of moisture. While we don't know what's going on specifically with the triple chocolate cake at Walmart, dry cakes can be due to using the wrong amounts of ingredients, overbaking, and making inappropriate substitutions for different liquid ingredients. For example, using a dark cake pan requires reducing the oven's heat, and if the recipe calls for a specific liquid like buttermilk, you can't use plain milk in its place. But Walmart's cake continues to sell, so something about it is attractive enough to overcome the low ratings. We're just not sure what that is.
12. Freshness Guaranteed Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin pie has long been a divisive dessert, and Walmart's Freshness Guaranteed 8-inch pumpkin pie doesn't help the dish's reputation. As of this writing, the pie has received just 2.4 stars after 105 reviews, with many complaints about broken crusts, artificial taste, blandness, gross filling, and raw-seeming crusts that need additional baking. At the same time, the pie has fans who appreciate the firmness of the pumpkin filling, the blend of spices, and the moderate level of sweetness that doesn't overpower the flavor of the pie.
Pumpkin pie as we know it with a custard-like filling is a very North American dish. Pumpkin pies were available in England, but those early British pies usually had slices of pumpkin and apple in a double crust. The custard version appeared in North America by the end of the 1790s, and its basic form hasn't developed much over the centuries. The methods for making the pie have changed drastically, however, going from long stewing techniques using fresh pumpkin and fresh milk to canned pumpkin puree and evaporated milk by the 20th century. Fun fact: When Thanksgiving was first declared a holiday in 1863, those in the South saw the holiday and its food — including pumpkin pie — as Northern propaganda instead of a national celebration.
11. Freshness Guaranteed Fresh Oatmeal Cookies
Cookies now make an appearance on our list, and they bring the first ratings in the threes. Freshness Guaranteed fresh oatmeal cookies get 3.3 stars from 92 reviews. Many negative comments focus on delivery issues, but comments that focus on the cookies themselves tend to be all over the place. Some thought the cookies were too hard, others thought they were overly soft, some complained of an excessively strong taste, and so on. Positive reviews mentioned just the right amount of chewiness, a nice level of cinnamon, and a consistently fresh taste.
Something to remember if you order these cookies for pickup: A few of the reviews mentioned getting these cookies instead of oatmeal raisin or iced oatmeal varieties. Others got these instead of chocolate chip. If you want oatmeal cookies specifically, you may want to head over to Walmart and pick them out yourself to ensure you get the ones you really want.
10. Marketside Iced Cinnamon Sliced Cake
Walmart offers sliced loaf cakes in a few flavors, and the iced cinnamon cake from the Marketside brand earned 3.9 stars from 54 reviews, so it's a decent choice according to customers. Some called the cake nice and moist, and perfect to have with coffee or even a scoop of ice cream. What stood out in the positive reviews was the cake's namesake cinnamon taste, which many customers felt was balanced just right.
However, both positive and negative reviews had something in common: the controversy over the icing. The cake itself was generally well-received, but some wanted less icing, others wished for more, and one buyer wanted none at all. Meanwhile, some customers found the icing to be bland, yet others loved its cinnamon flavor. This seems to be a recurring issue with Walmart's iced cakes, as the users on this Reddit thread make clear.
9. Freshness Guaranteed No Sugar Added Apple Pie
Rounding out the entries with ratings in the 3s is the Freshness Guaranteed 8-inch no sugar added apple pie. Its current total of 3.9 stars from 112 reviews is a pretty good rating, and a lot of people appreciated that this pie merely existed for diabetic customers. One reviewer loved the fact that they could taste the fruit instead of just sugar, and quite a few others mentioned that they didn't even realize this treat had no added sugars because it tasted so good.
This isn't a sugar-free pie, however, as the fruit contains its own natural sugar. What's more, additional sweetness is provided by artificial sweeteners, which unfortunately didn't sit well with one customer who complained about the inclusion. There were also comments about how the apple filling seemed less bountiful compared to previous versions and how the pie appeared to be lacking enough filling in general.
8. Freshness Guaranteed Mini Pies and Mini Cakes
Walk into any Walmart and you'll see at least one rack, often by an entrance, that holds several small boxes with one mini cake or mini pie in each container. These mini desserts from the Freshness Guaranteed brand come in so many different flavors that most people should be able to find at least one that they love. We're including these as a category rather than as individual items because there are so many varieties to consider. Ratings range from low to pretty good. The mini chocolate cake gets 2.6 stars from 27 reviews, while the mini pecan pie has 4.2 stars out of a whopping 428 reviews.
Negative comments focused on issues like the mini chocolate cake having a texture similar to paste and the Louisiana crunch cake having no crunch. Even the lower-rated varieties have some dedicated fans. However, one caveat is that these mini desserts are calorie-packed. They're not ideal bakery items if you're concerned about nutrition and health. At less than a dollar, they're at least convenient and cheap.
7. Marketside Sliced Brioche Loaf
While Walmart's Great Value line offers baked goods that you'll typically find in the packaged bread aisle, Freshness Guaranteed and Marketside often show up right alongside the cakes and cookies in the bakery section. You can find non-sweet items like Italian bread, but it's the sweet Marketside sliced brioche loaf that makes our list. According to customers (who overall gave it 4.0 stars out of 145 reviews), it's a wonderful bread to use for French toast, as it's perfectly soft and fluffy and is reasonably priced. One customer gave it points for versatility, noting that their family loves to use this brioche for turkey sandwiches.
On the negative side, some complained that the bread was dry and rough. Many others said that the bread included in pickup orders had only a couple of days to go until its best-by date. People likewise said they had received crushed bread, while some complained about odd substitutes such as receiving brioche in place of things like sub rolls, or even finding a pineapple instead of brioche. But problems with Walmart's pickup service are not new, so you may want to head to the bakery section yourself instead of relying on store employees to do the selecting for you.
6. Marketside Red Velvet Cupcakes
Red velvet is one of those flavors you either love or hate. Customers who get the Marketside red velvet cupcakes are clearly on the love side, giving these small cakes 4.1 stars out of 96 reviews as of this writing. Some complained about dry cake and an overly sweet taste, but in general, these cupcakes are customer favorites. Many consistently singled out this treat's moist cake and the cream cheese frosting filling inside the cupcake for praise.
However, you may want to monitor the frosting. The taste may be fine, but these cupcakes have a pile of sugary stuff on each one that looks like it's almost as tall as the cake itself. You're not alone if you don't like that much frosting, by the way. Posters in this Reddit thread agree that the amount of frosting commonly seen on cupcakes nowadays is just too much. But even if you like the amount of frosting, remember that it is mainly butter plus sugar and flavoring, which will add a lot of calories to these small cakes.
5. Marketside Sock It To Me Cake
Walmart's full-size cakes haven't fared well on this list so far. However, the Sock It To Me cake stands out with 4.2 stars out of 122 reviews. The vast majority of the reviews had only a star rating without commentary, but the positive reviewers who wrote something overwhelmingly complimented the cake's delicious taste and moist texture. The negative reviews deemed it to be bland and dry.
If you're not familiar with the concept of a "sock it to me cake," it's a yellow box mix cake that got its start in the 1970s. First promoted by Duncan Hines, it contains a cinnamon-pecan ribbon and a vanilla glaze. The reason it's called a Sock It To Me cake isn't clear, but it may have picked up the name because the phrase "sock it to me" was popular in the 1960s thanks to TV shows like "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" and the backing vocal track of Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
4. Marketside French Style Cheesecake Mousse
If you want something that isn't cake or bread, Walmart has plenty of creamy desserts like mini chocolate cream pies, parfaits, and mini mousse cups. However, most of them don't rank very highly. Only the Marketside French style cheesecake mousse gets a spot on this best-of list. As of this writing, customers gave this mousse 4.2 stars over 156 reviews, with many praising its moderate sweetness and cold, creamy texture. A few reviewers jokingly complained about how delicious the mousse was, with one reviewer claiming that they couldn't stop eating these little treats.
However, getting only 4.2 stars means that there are some negative comments to consider. Some are standard complaints, such as one that mentioned how fatty the mousse seemed. Others are a bit more eyebrow-raising. One customer found a piece of sharp plastic in one mousse cup, which is obviously alarming. If you ever find something like this in a store-bought product, always contact the store and consider reporting the quality issue to the company's corporate office.
Then there's this one-star review from a customer who signed as "Kalya" and called the mousse "misleading," claiming their face broke out after eating the product. They then claimed the calorie count had dropped significantly and made a general threat that they would call some unspecified authorities if they were misled again.
3. Marketside Iced Lemon Sliced Loaf Cake
Walmart's sliced loaf cakes make another tasty appearance on this list. This time, it's the iced lemon variety and it's the third-best Walmart bakery item according to 62 reviews that rated the cake at 4.3 stars. Customers loved how intense the lemon flavor was and liked that the icing was flavored with lemon as well. One reviewer appreciated the "perfectly portioned" slices, and another went as far as to say they prefer over Starbucks' famous iced lemon loaf.
As with the cinnamon loaf cake, however, the cake's icing was a focal point for both compliments and complaints. Some liked it, but other customers hated it. Some would have preferred a lemon glaze, while one customer was vocally glad that it wasn't a glaze. Meanwhile, one hinted that they would prefer a cream cheese frosting. If you decide you don't like the icing, never fear, though. One review said the icing was like tape that you could peel off. Negative reviews focused on how overly sweet the cake or icing was, while some said the cake was also too dry.
2. Freshness Guaranteed Banana Nut Muffins
The four-pack of Freshness Guaranteed banana nut muffins may look rather plain and unassuming, but it currently boasts 565 reviews that have led to a respectable 4.3-star rating. According to several reviewers, this treat is a perfect choice for breakfast and is better than the muffins from fan-favorite grocery competitors like H-E-B. More than one review mentioned that the muffins were pleasantly soft and noted that they did not crumbled into nothing like muffins from other stores did.
The few low ratings reveal two significant issues related to delivery. Some reviews mentioned receiving smashed muffins, but the second issue is more concerning. Several mentioned that the muffins received in delivery orders were way past their best-by date, and a few even said the muffins were moldy. A muffin past its best-by date isn't necessarily unsafe to eat, but it is unpleasant to order muffins only to receive something that may be well on its way to becoming stale.
1. Freshness Guaranteed No Sugar Added Blueberry Muffins
With 208 reviews and 4.4 stars as of writing, the no sugar added blueberry muffins win the top spot on this list. Many reviews happily detail how much better these taste than their sugar-filled counterparts. Lower ratings were due mainly to complaints about side effects from the sweetener, shipping issues, or misunderstandings over the ingredient list. The muffins contain maltitol, a sugar alcohol that's often used in baked goods because of its lack of an aftertaste. However, too much maltitol can lead to digestive upset. If ever there were a good reason to say no to that second muffin, this is it. There's still plenty going for these muffins, like the fact that they contain real blueberries and not the fake berry bits that so many other blueberry-flavored foods have now.
As of this writing, the Walmart listing for the muffins contains two ingredient lists. One is in a picture of the packaging, and the other is included in the text on the webpage. That second ingredient list mentions sugar, though it's highly unlikely that Walmart has discovered a way to include sugar without actually increasing the sugar content, so we have to assume that this list is incorrect. If you want to see the actual ingredients before you head over to Walmart, be sure to go into the store and double-check the list on the item in front of you before you buy.