12 Store-Bought Bacon Brands Ranked Worst To Best

Is there anything better than a crispy, salty, perfectly cooked piece of bacon? We're hard-pressed to think of anything that can compare, so we decided to test 12 of the most popular bacon brands to find out which were the best. We tried options ranging from applewood-smoked bacon to bacon so thick cut that could almost be mistaken for pork chops and there was no shortage of delicious flavors.

To cook the bacon, we fried some up but also made a batch in the oven, our go-to method for preparing a large amount when we don't want to mess around with splatter. Texture and taste were our top criteria in determining our ranking, but we also considered price and value, finding that some of the most expensive brands weren't worth the higher cost. While some brands also offer turkey bacon, we stuck with traditional pork bacon for our testing purposes to keep things comparable. Ultimately, the strips with the right balance of crispiness and chewiness, plus salty and savory flavors at a good price point took the top spots on our list.

We expected big things from Sugardale because we could see how thickly this bacon was sliced in the package. Although there was no special smoked flavoring listed, we could see the fat marbled through each bacon piece. We also noticed that the packaging was different than most other brands, featuring the bacon slices lying next to each other rather than spaced out slightly. 

Unfortunately, this was the least flavorful bacon that we tried. We thought that even lackluster bacon would still be tasty, but these slices managed to be bland and too chewy at the same time. Even though we anticipated a juicy, sizzling piece of bacon in the pan, the Sugardale bacon was too thick to crisp up in either the pan or the oven. 

It is a very budget-friendly option, costing just $10 for a 40-ounce package, but that ended up being the best thing this bacon had going for it. The cost-effective large package would work if you need to feed a crowd, but if taste and texture are your top priorities, we recommend choosing a different brand. Overall, we were not impressed with Sugardale bacon and it ended up unfinished on our plates and at the bottom of our list.

The smallest of the packages that we found came from Applegate Naturals. We went with the hickory-smoked, no-sugar bacon but the brand also makes a richer Sunday bacon and lean turkey bacon, all of which are uncured. The pork used for these slices is antibiotic-free and humanely raised, which may account for its high cost. Each 8-ounce package costs around $7, but the smaller package didn't make nearly as much bacon as most other brands. If we were making this for our family of five, we'd need to get multiple packages, which would get expensive.

It was perfectly salty and savory, which earned this bacon good marks for taste. However, it was the first to start burning when we cooked it in the oven and the large amounts of fat in each slice meant lots of splatter on the stove. It also came apart when we lifted it out of the package, leaving us with much smaller pieces of bacon. We couldn't justify the higher cost when the extra fatty parts meant that the bacon cooked down considerably and ended up very small when it was all done. If you like large slices of bacon, this isn't the brand for you.

If you're a Giant shopper looking for great value, give the store-brand bacon a try. It has a similar texture and taste to some of the name-brand varieties but is a fraction of the price, around $5 for a 1-pound pack.

It comes in hickory-smoked, low-sodium, and thick-cut varieties but we went with the maple bacon because Giant was one of the few brands to offer this option. For an extra indulgent breakfast, we like to add maple syrup to bacon before putting it in the oven and it was nice to be able to skip this sticky step. The maple flavor was subtle though, leaving the bacon to still taste more salty than sweet. There was a nice balance of meat and fat on each slice, however, which was one of our top criteria for good bacon at first glance.

The classic-style bacon stretches out when you lay it on a baking sheet, so we recommend sticking with frying for this brand if you don't want your slices to become even thinner. While this bacon would make good crumbles, we wished that it was a little thicker to hold up in a sandwich or alongside eggs for breakfast. It was ultimately this thin texture that knocked the Giant brand down a few spots on our list.

The Good & Gather line of uncured back from Target doesn't have any added sugar. It's a great option for those looking for fewer additives. It costs around $6 for a 12-ounce package, which was higher than most other store brands but on par with other uncured options. Good & Gather also makes a thick-cut version, although, from the look of these slices, they are cut super thickly. The regular bacon was still one of the thicker options that we tried, so we'd recommend sticking with that version unless you want bacon that is thick like a steak. Good & Gather also offers turkey bacon, which is flavored with applewood smoke.

These slices started shorter than most other brands and cooked down even more. We were left with very small pieces of bacon compared to what we expected. The taste was great, with just the right balance of salt and pork. This is a good option that we'd buy again, although we're not sure we'd make a special trip to get it.

For an all-natural brand, we tried Coleman hickory-smoked uncured bacon, which is made without antibiotics, hormones, or added nitrates or nitrites. While it is labeled "uncured," this simply means that the bacon is cured using natural ingredients rather than chemical additives. 

Coleman bacon is very thin, stretching out even as we pulled it out of the package. If you want to keep the slices intact, be careful and lift the bacon out gently. The thinness helped it get extra crispy, however, and cook faster than some of the thick-cut bacon we tried. These slices would be ideal for a bacon cheeseburger or broken into pieces in a BLT pasta salad thanks to its salty and savory flavor.

It costs around $8 for a 12-ounce package, making this one of the priciest options on our list. If avoiding additives and potentially harmful ingredients is important to you, it may be worth the slightly higher cost for this bacon. We couldn't justify the extra expense on taste and texture alone, even though we did thoroughly enjoy every slice we ate.

Oscar Mayer has the largest selection of types of bacon at the store, so if you like variety, look for this brand. We went with the center-cut thick-cut bacon, but they also carry classic center-cut bacon, maple bacon, original, and turkey bacon. We've tried Oscar Mayer maple bacon in the past and wanted to see how this tender center-cut slice compared. Center-cut bacon is made from the same part of the pig but has the fatty ends cut off. The center-cut variety isn't as meaty as some others that we've tried and still has quite a bit of fat streaked through each slice.

At around $9 per pound, it's on the pricey side as well, especially considering that it is shorter than other strips of bacon. Because it is sold in clear packages, you can easily see how much fat is on the bacon before you buy it. If you find one that is meatier, you can rely on Oscar Mayer to deliver on taste. But if you're looking for a center-cut piece without all the extra fat, this brand doesn't quite deliver.

We've used Hormel microwave-ready bacon in our home for an easy early morning option when we don't want to cook bacon fresh, so we were excited to try the Hormel Black Label applewood thick-cut bacon. We fried it up in a pan and made a strip in the oven, both of which crisped up well. This bacon didn't have as much fast as some of the other brands, which helped keep the splatter to a minimum. The thick cuts were also substantial enough to hold up on a sandwich but still thin enough to get crispy and delicious. Hormel Black Label bacon gets top marks from us on texture.

It costs around $6 for 12 ounces, so you'll need to look for the price per ounce to truly compare it at the store to other 16-ounce packages. The thick-cut version is a slightly better value at $5 for 16 ounces.

It ended up having too much salt for us, however, which knocked this option down in our rankings slightly. While this might be unique to the applewood option, we saw that the thick-cut bacon has even more sodium per serving, so we suspect that both are pretty salty. Overall, it's still a bacon brand that we would get again, making sure to pair it with dishes that were not heavy with added salt.

Wright bacon is very thick cut, which we prefer for sandwiches like BLTs where bacon is a main ingredient. It didn't crisp up as much as some other options, so if you want bacon to add a crunchy texture, you'll need to let it cook longer than the package recommends or go with a different style. We tried the hickory-smoked thick-cut variety but Wright also makes applewood bacon, which is also thick-cut. Both options cost around $9.50 for a 24-ounce package, which is on par with most brands per ounce.

Our favorite aspect of the Wright bacon was actually the packaging, which was resealable and didn't leak in the fridge. While the taste, texture, and price were good, this was the only brand that ended up higher in our rankings due to how easy it was to use and store. Given that it comes in large packs with 1.5 pounds of bacon each, being able to easily store the extra in the fridge was important to us.

Another name that's synonymous with breakfast meats is Jimmy Dean. We went with the hickory-smoked variety but like many other brands, Jimmy Dean also has thick-cut and applewood-smoked bacon options. Even though we went with the classic cut, the strips were much thicker than we expected. We suspect that the thick-cut Jimmy Dean bacon would be too much to get crispy without burning the bacon. They were a bit fattier than we liked but full of flavor, so it was an okay trade-off in the end.

While the pack is decently priced at $5, don't let that cost fool you into thinking it's the same value as some of the other budget-friendly items on our list. Jimmy Dean bacon comes in 12-ounce packs, while most others come in 16-ounce. That means that you'll need to do a quick cost-per-ounce comparison to really see which is the better deal.

For a good economical choice, consider Market Pantry bacon, which is available at Target. It's just $5 for a 1-pound package, and offered in the classic style we tried, as well as thick-cut and lower-sodium options. Market Pantry center-cut bacon is also $5, although it is a slightly smaller 12-ounce pack. 

When we pulled this bacon out of the wrapper, it was very thin and stretched out. If you like thin, crispy bacon, this is definitely one to try. The thick-cut version is closer to a standard slice from some other brands. The bacon itself was salty and had fat streaked through the meat pretty evenly, which helped it sizzle up well. It was one of the easiest to work with in the pan, getting crispy edges quickly. We liked the balance of salty and savory in the end result. Thanks to the better price, we'd opt for this bacon over the more expensive options at Target.

Smithfield hickory-smoked bacon is easy to find in most supermarkets and there are plenty of cuts and styles available. We went with the Hometown Original, which is hickory-smoked and a good combination of meat and fat. Bacon in the U.S. comes from the belly of the pig, so it's streaked with fat. This adds flavor and helps it sizzle in the pan, which Smithfield did very well. It crisped up well around the edges, giving it a little extra crunch that we enjoyed. It also cooked easily in the oven and got a nice curl to it when it was all done.

This classic bacon is smoked with hickory chips for an even deeper flavor, which we enjoyed. There are also thick cuts and cherrywood-smoked varieties, as well as a low-sodium option, all available at the same price. While this brand typically costs around $8 per pound, you can find it for less in stores that run special promotional pricing for shoppers with loyalty cards. It's good enough to buy in a value pack, which can save money if you need a larger quantity. 

There aren't a lot of options at Trader Joe's but all of the bacon sold here are uncured. You can rely on Trader Joe's to keep additives and preservatives out of its bacon; they are made with just pork, sea salt, sugar, celery powder, and spices. We went with the uncured, dry-rubbed sliced pork bacon, although TJ's also has a turkey bacon option.

This was the most flavorful bacon we tried and it crisped up really well when prepared in the oven and frying pan. Each slice had a nice balance of meat and fat streaked through, as well as the signature fatty ends that are on a standard-cut piece of bacon. 

We expected this bacon to be more expensive due to its high-quality pork, but it was around $6 for a 12-ounce package. Because this bacon is only sold at Trader Joe's, you'll need to navigate through an often-crowded store, although you can shop at off-peak days and times to make it a bit easier. We promise that it's worth the effort to get this best-of-the-best bacon.

To find the best bacon out there, we tried popular brands carried at multiple grocery stores as well as a few store brands. We looked at a variety of styles, including thick-cut, classic, center-cut, and even flavored wood-smoked bacon. While some brands offered a lot of options, others stuck to just one or two. 

Our top criteria for great bacon included taste, of course, and a crispy texture. Some slices ended up chewy while others were crumbly, both of which can work for particular types of cooking or recipes. But our favorites fell right in the middle, with a nice crunch without being overcooked or burnt. We liked bacon that was salty and savory, often due to great fat content that still included enough pork to give it some heft.

We also considered price, deciding which bacon was worth paying extra to get and which wasn't. We wanted to make sure that the best bacon was a good balance of delicious and economical. After preparing bacon in the frying pan and the oven, we settled on our top choices and decided which ones we'd rather skip.