Ultimate Dave’s Killer Bread Review (Is it Vegan? Healthy?)

Chances are, you’ve heard about Dave’s Killer Bread (whether you’re vegan or not)!

But are all of their breads vegan?

Is it healthy?

Does it actually taste good?

I tried almost every flavor and give my thoughts in this ultimate review!

Keep reading for my opinion as dietitian (I know a lot about nutrition) and vegan foodie.

Disclaimer: This review includes the authors own personal opinions. It is not personal dietary advice. Talk to your doctor about any health/diet questions and dietary changes. Please note that product formulations, and ingredients may change. You should check products for updated information. See our disclaimers for more details.

Quick Summary

Overall, I’m a fan of this brand! My absolute favorite is their ‘powerseed‘ bread for the taste, versatility, and nutrition.

All the breads are vegan friendly at the time of this post(1) which (of course) is a plus for this ethical vegan!

Here’s a quick pros and cons list of the bread products:

Pros:

• Many tasty options
• Whole grains are the first ingredient in most of their products.
• Several options with little added sugar.
• Organic (if you find that important)
• Many vegan friendly options
• Low in saturated fat

Cons:

• Some flavors taste too sweet in my opinion
• They can be pricey
• Some of the products have chunk of added sugar and sodium (or are similar to other brands of the same variety)

About This Brand

The name kind of makes you wonder:

Who is dave? And why is his bread ‘killer?’

According to their about page, Dave’s Killer Bread is under Flowers Foods, and available in the US and Canada.

They are most widely known for bread products that are:

• organic
• include whole grains
• vegan friendly (FYI- only the bread products are vegan – more on this later).

‘Dave’ refers to Dave Dahl, who is a co founder, and leads product innovation for Dave’s Killer Bread(1).

It’s quite an interesting story! Per the DavesKillerBread.com’s about page, Dave use to serve in prison and then came back to his family’s bakery and created the famous breads that we know of today.

Dave’s Killer Bread even has a ‘second chances’ employment initiative that’s aimed at hiring based on the right fit for the job despite a criminal background.

You can learn more about the Second Chances employment initiative here.

All in all, pretty cool Dave and company! ✌

Is Daves Killer Bread Vegan?

The bread products from Dave’s Killer Bread (bagels, hamburger buns, bread, and English muffins), are vegan. There are also a few other products that are vegan as well.

Here is a list of all the vegan products from Dave’s Killer bread (FYI- check the ingredients on the package of your product as ingredients may change):

• White Bread Done Right (regular and thin sliced)
• Burgers Buns Done Right
• Righteous Rye (regular and thin sliced)
• 100% whole wheat (regular and thin sliced)
• 21 Whole Grains and Seed (regular and thin sliced)
• 21 Whole Grains and Seeds Burger Buns
• Powerseed (regular and thin sliced)
• Good Seed (regular and thin sliced)
• Sprouted Whole Grains Thin Sliced
• Epic Everything Bagels
• Epic Everything Breakfast Bread
• Cinnamon Raisin Remix Bagels
• Rasin’ The Roof! Breakfast Bread
• Plain Awesome Bagels
• Boomin’ Berry Bagels
• Killer Classic English Muffins
• Rockin’ Grains English Muffins
• Cocoa Brownie Blitz Organic Snack Bars
• Amped-Up Organic Protein Bars (Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk, Chocolate Coconut, Blueberry Almond Butter)
• Peanut Butter Choco Bliss Snack Bites
• Baked Snack Bites (Epic Everything, Toasted Garlic, Bold Buffalo)

That’s a lot of vegan products! (thanks again Dave!)

Still, this brand isn’t inclusively vegan…

These Products Aren’t Vegan!

While the bread products are vegan, there are several non vegan products from Dave’s Killer Bread.

I soured the ingredients lists, and found a common theme that makes all of these products non-vegan: Honey.

It’s super easy to miss! (in fact, I accidently bought one).

Without further ado, here’s the list of Dave’s Killer Bread products that are not vegan:

• Heavenly Honey Nut Crunchy Snack Bites
• Super Cinna Roll Crunchy Snack Bites
• Trail Mix Crumble Snack Bars
• Oat-Rageous Honey Almond Snack Bars

Non of the breads are listed here (phew) which is a great thing, because I tried most of them!

Here’s my super analysis.

Daves Killer Bread Review

Taste

Here’s my thoughts on almost every a plethora of Daves’ Killer Bread ‘breads.’

Keep in mind, this is my personal opinion- yours may be different, and that’s ok!

• 21 Whole Grains and Seed(flavor rating- 6/10): I know this is a popular one! But in my opinion, it was just too sweet for my taste. I prefer to have less sweetness on sandwich bread. Still, this one did just fine fine in a ‘sweeter sandwich (like my beloved peanut butter and jelly), so for that, I’ll give this one a above average rating!
• Powerseed (flavor rating- 9.5/10): I love how hearty (yet not gritty) this one is! Spoiler alert – it’s one of my favorite breads to use! For sandwiches, avocado toast, PB and Js, it’s super versatile and satisfying. (I’m a fan!)
• White Done Right (flavor rating- 8/10): This one is lovely when I’m wanting bread with less ‘roughage,’ yet, still containing whole grains!
  That was super nice when I was pregnant and had a hard time stomaching alot of things with nausea at first.
• Good Seed (flavor rating- 4/10): This one tasted even sweeter than the 21 Whole Grains and Seeds flavor. Not a fan! Again, I’d much prefer a savory bread, unless it’s suppose to be a sweet bread- like cinnamon raisin.
  I’ll also note that this one did seem more gummy than the other ones I’ve tried. Not a big fan of this flavor.
• Raisin’ The Roof! Breakfast Bread (flavor rating- 9/10): Another ah-mazing bread! Very enjoyable! It has all the sweetness I could ask for in a cinnamon raisin bread. But this one is likely healthier than your typical ‘refined flour’ breakfast bread!
  Expect this one to be more hearty but still absolutely delicious (in my opinion)!
• Plain Awesome Bagels (flavor rating- 6/10): I think these are just slightly better than ‘ok’. I don’t usually expect much from a plain bagel, and this one wasn’t much different. I would imagine that this would be yummy baked with marinara sauce and vegan cheese though (hmm I’ll have to put this on the list!)
• Epic Everything Bagels (flavor rating- 5/10): This one is a ‘meh’ for me. Again, I appreciate the heartiness of the whole grains, but I feel like there wasn’t enough everything bagel seasoning – which was what I was hoping for with that name.
• Plain Awesome Bagels (flavor rating- 7.5/10): Want to know something kind of strange? I like to eat these straight from the freezer (slightly thawed)! These are a delightful change and come with the sweetness you are probably expecting (yum!)

Price

These products can be a bit pricey – depending on what bread you are comparing it too.

Here’s a comparison of different vegan organic bread prices at Meijer (please note- prices frequently change! check the prices at your store):

• Dave’s Killer Bread: 21 Whole Grains and Seeds: $6.49 USD per loaf
• Brownberry Organic 100% Whole Wheat Bread: $5.89 USD per loaf
• Food for Life- Ezekiel Sprouted Bread: $7.59 USD per loaf

Of course, sales can change things a bit!

And if you do enjoy lots of the ’21 Whole Grains and Seeds’ loaf from Dave’s Killer Bread – I’ve seen them at Costco.

But generally speaking, you’ll probably have better luck finding cheaper non organic, or even organic store brand vegan breads.

Ingredients

Dave’s killer bread utilizes organic ingredients that are also non-GMO project verified.

As mentioned before, almost all products are vegan, which I think is rad as an ethical vegan myself!

I also love that they utilize whole grains in just about every product.

It’s generally accepted that whole grains are healthy. Some research even suggests a lower risk of heart disease in those consuming lots of whole grains compared to a mere 30 gram serving (approx 1 slice of several breads)(2).

The Dietary Guidelines also recommends to make at least half your grains whole grains(3), so I appreciate that whole grains get a nice feature with these loaves!

Finally, it’s worth noting that Dave’s Killer bread products are not gluten free and not suitable for those requiring a gluten free diet.

Is Dave’s Killer Bread Healthy?

Dave’s Killer bread has several healthy options.

Which one is the healthiest?

My favorite is ‘Powerseed’ because it hits all the healthy components I would look for in a bread (and it’s tasty too!)!

In short, Daves Killer Bread ‘Powerseed’ is a healthy options because it:

• Has whole grains as the first ingredient: Whole grains have many nutritional benefits, including fiber, antioxidants, and specific B vitamins.
• Is low sodium (at/under 140 milligrams of sodium per serving(4)): The Powerseed option from Daves Killer bread has 135 milligrams, making it a low sodium bread choice. Research suggests too much sodium may increase your risk of high blood pressure – which is a factor related to heart disease and stroke(5).
  
• Has few added sugars: Too many added sugars may displace more healthy nutrient dense options. The Powerseed option only has 1 gram of added sugar per serving (bravo!)

By the way, I wrote a section about what to look for when choosing healthier breads. Check it out for more info!

Here’s a chart showing the range of select nutrition highlights from the regular and breakfast breads.

	Saturated Fat	Sodium	Fiber	Added Sugars	Protein
Dave Killers Bread (regular + Breakfast Breads)	0 grams	95 – 220 milligrams	2-4 grams	1-5 grams	3- 5 grams

As you can see, nutrient values vary widely. This is because different flavors have different ingredients that contribute to differing nutrient values.

They all have zero grams of saturated fat, which is wonderful. Too much saturated fat in the diet can have negative consequences on our heart health(6).

While some breads are higher in the sodium, this is not too uncommon with conventional breads.

Lower sodium breads – like the powerseed variety is an added bonus, but it’s important to keep your whole diet in mind.

When we talk about what’s healthy and what’s not, we need to consider nutritional compoents of individual foods, but also keep the bigger picture in mind.

Here’s some things to keep in mind when we talk about what is ‘healthy’:

• Medical conditions/history
• What are you replacing the food with? (example: are you choosing Daves Killer Bread instead of a refined sugar laden cookie with no nutritional value? – You’ve made a nutritionally more healthy choice!)
• How much of said food are you eating?
• What does the rest of your dietary pattern look like? (example- maybe the only whole grain bread available to you is higher in sodium. Perhaps you take steps to reduce sodium in some other foods you eat!)
• The nutrient density and health promoting factors of the food.

Final words: what’s healthy should be personalized to the individual. If you have any questions about what your diet, chat with your doctor and dietitian.

In general, I think several vegan bread products from Dave’s Killer Bread are tasty and can fit into a nutritionally sound diet.

My Favorite Ways to Use This Bread

Ok, so let’s get a bit practical here!

My favorites are the Powerseed and Raisin the Roof! Breakfast bread.

Here’s some toppings ideas and favorite ways I use these nutritious and yummy options (please note, if you have an allergy or medical condition that prevents you from using any ingredient listed here, don’t use them)!

Ideas for Powerseed:

• Tofu ‘egg’ salad
• Chickpea ‘egg’ salad
• Top with Hummus
• Mash and spread avocado
• Peanut butter and jelly/ or fruit

Toppings for Raisin’ The Roof! Breakfast Bread:

• Peanut butter
• Almond butter
• Mixed nut and seed butter
• Vegan margarine
• As is!

What are your thoughts about this famous organic bread brand? I’d love to hear your take in the comments!
Want to read more of my reviews? Head over to the Vegan Food Reviews section, or check out these popular reviews!:
–Harvest Snaps Review (+how healthy are they?)
–Lenny and Larry’s Cookies Review (+are they good for me?)
–Zing Bars Review (+are they a good option?)

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