The Greater Knead Review: Bagel Clubs

If you're a bagel lover with allergies, you know how tough it can be to find a good option. That's exactly why The Greater Knead was created - to make bagels that are safe for people with dietary restrictions. The founder started the bakery in 2012 after her sister and grandfather were diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and since then, they've been crafting bagels and baked goods that are free from the top nine allergens: wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, and sesame. (And just to be extra careful, they also don't use mustard, celery, or sulfites, per EU guidelines.)

You choose the flavors and create your subscription

You can order any combo of bagels you like as a one-off order from The Greater Knead. Your box has to contain at least 4 bags, with 4 bagels in each one (a total of 16 bagels). But, as soon as you hit the "Subscribe" button and choose a delivery frequency - every 30, 60, or 90 days - you'll see the price drop from $60 to $54. That's your "bagel club" discount.

Over a dozen fantastic flavors of bagels

And flavors? Your perfect lineup can include any of the following: "everything", cinnamon raisin, chocolate chip, tomato basil, French toast, garlic, onion, plain, poppy seed, pumpkin, salt, or snickerdoodle. You may also have seasonal specialties to choose from; for example, we've seen heart-shaped bagels in the past.

Other tasty baked goods you can add to your box

Bagels aren't the only thing on the menu. If you're in the mood for a little extra, The Greater Knead also offers gluten- and allergen-free soft pretzels and pretzel nuggets. It's a great way to add some variety to your order while still keeping things safe and delicious. We noticed that when we created a subscription with the minimum requirement of 4 bagel packs, we got a notification saying we could add 2 more frozen baked goods to our cart and get a discount - so keep that in mind if you'd like to mix-and-match a bit outside of "just bagels".

Free shipping

Are you thinking "I bet there's a catch, and it's going to be ‘expensive shipping'"? Nope. All orders at The Greater Knead ship for free. Your bagels (and other baked goods) arrive frozen, so there isn't the same time crunch/deadline you might have when buying freshly-baked bagels from other bakeries.

No spam, please

The one thing we didn't like? When all we had done was enter our name and email address to find out shipping costs, we still got a "here's a discount" email from The Greater Knead, even though we had checked the box saying we weren't interested in getting promotions or being added to the mailing list. That always leaves a bad taste in our mouth, and we'd recommend that this bakery take steps to remove that from their online process.

Terrific customer service

The Greater Knead has built a loyal following. Customers rave about how these bagels taste just like (or even better than) traditional ones. Many have said they never thought they'd get to enjoy a bagel again until they found this bakery. While you'll have to look at the a la carte bagels to see reviews on individual flavors, you can rest assured that if something goes awry with your delivery, all it takes is a reach-out to The Greater Knead's customer service team and they'll make it right.

Game-changer for bagel-lovers with allergies

If you need a bagel subscription that's completely allergen-free, The Greater Knead is a no-brainer. But even if you don't have dietary restrictions, it's still a fantastic choice. The bagels are delicious, the subscription is flexible, and the price is competitive. The only downside? You won't find super adventurous flavors, but that's a small price to pay for a safe and high-quality product - and there's still a broader selection of both sweet and savory bagels than many of the competitors on our list. Whether you have food sensitivities or just want to try something new, this is a bagel club worth checking out.

Learn More  ➜

On the The Greater Knead website