The battle over whether Pizza Rolls or Bagel Bites are the superior snack has been going on for many years. Here you will find a comparison of these two products including a taste where we pick a winner. At the end of this article, there is a poll where you can vote for your favorite between Pizza Rolls vs Bagel Bites. Please help settle the debate about which one is superior by voting!
Pizza Rolls vs Bagel Bites
Taste Test
We had two adults and a 10-year-old taste each product. The adults preferred the Pizza Rolls while the child liked the Bagel Bites.
The Pizza Rolls tasted more natural to the adults with a slight spiciness to them that was considered favorable. The adults believed that the sauce and cheese tasted more authentic (like real pizza) compared to the Bagel Bites. Despite there not being a lot of interior filling, the Pizza Rolls provided a nice punch of desirable pizza flavor.
The Bagel Bites had a sweeter sauce, which was primarily the reason the child loved these mini pizzas. The adults stated that you could tell that the Bagel Bites were previously frozen. They also indicate that the Bagel Bites tasted more like processed food compared to the Pizza Rolls.
Be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll at the end of this article. While two out of three of us at Brand Informers preferred the Pizza Rolls, certainly don’t let that influence your anonymous voting decision.
Appearance
Pizza Rolls (pictured left) feature a fried dough exterior that forms the roll. Inside the roll are the typical pizza ingredients such as pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. At least one side of a Pizza Roll splits open during cooking which inevitably oozes a portion of the filling all over the baking sheet. You can see in the above picture that the bottom of the roll split open on that particular Pizza Roll. It’s quite annoying but the rolls are still yummy!
Pizza Bagels (pictured right) are mini bagels topped with pizza toppings. The Bagel Bite above has pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. All the toppings remained on the nine Bagel Bites that we cooked.
Price
We paid $4.79 for a bag of 50 Totino’s Pepperoni Pizza Rolls. That comes out to about 10 cents per Pizza Roll that weighs around 14.14 grams.
Additionally, we paid $2.69 for a 9 count of Pepperoni & Cheese Bagel Bites. That is approximately 30 cents per Bagel Bite that weighs about 22 grams.
Overall, the Pizza Rolls offer the better value. However, prices vary based on where you purchase them.
Ownership & History
Totino’s was launched in the early 1950s by Rose and Jim Totino in Minneapolis. The business was first a take-out pizza joint and later became a dine-in restaurant at the request of customers. The success of the restaurant allowed the company to open Totino’s Finer Foods in 1962, which specialized in making frozen pizza on a large scale. Totino’s was purchased by Pillsbury in 1975. It became a part of General Mills when the company merged with Pillsbury in 2001. It remains a brand of General Mills today.
Bagel Bites were first made by Floridians, Bob Mosher and Stanley Garczynski, in 1985. Approximately two years later, the brand was sold to the Canadian beer manufacturer, John Labatt Co. Hey, Bagel Bites and beer do make an excellent combo! However, in 1991, Heinz paid about $500 million to acquire JL Foods (which included Bagel Bites) from Labatt. Bagel Bites remain a brand of Kraft Heinz today. They are made through Ore-Ida which is also owned by Kraft Heinz.
Nutrition
There aren’t enormous differences in the nutrition between Pizza Rolls and Bagel Bites. The Bagel Bites are the best bet if you are looking to consume fewer calories, total fat, and carbs. Pizza Rolls are a better option for people that wish to eat less sodium and cholesterol. Overall, we suspect that nutrition is not a major factor that most people consider when deciding between purchasing Pizza Rolls vs Bagel Bites.
| Totino’s Pizza Rolls – Pepperoni | Ore-Ida Bagel Bites – Pepperoni | |
| Serving Size | 6 Rolls (85g) | 4 Pieces (88g) |
| Calories | 220 | 190 |
| Total Fat | 8g | 6g |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 2.5g |
| Trans Fat | 0g | 0g |
| Cholesterol | <5mg | 15mg |
| Sodium | 350mg | 420mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 30g | 27g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1g | 1g |
| Total Sugars | 2g | 2g |
| Protein | 6g | 7g |
Ingredients
There are certainly a lot of ingredients in each of these products. Some of these ingredients include artificial colors and preservatives which some people like to avoid. Be sure to review the ingredients on the products label for the latest information.
Totino’s Pizza Rolls (Pepperoni) – Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Tomato Puree (Water, Tomato Paste), Water, Pepperoni Seasoned Pork, Chicken And Beef Pizza Topping (Pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Water, Soy Protein Isolate, Beef, Salt, Contains 2 % Or Less Of: Pepperoni [pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Beef, Salt, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Spices, Dextrose, Pork Stock, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Flavoring, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid], Spices, Dextrose, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Sodium Ascorbate, Garlic Powder, Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Sodium Nitrite, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Bha, Bht, Citric Acid), Imitation Mozzarella Cheese (Water, Palm Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Vegetable Oil, Rennet Casein, Salt, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Citric Acid, Guar Gum, Potassium Sorbate [preservative], Sodium Citrate, Sodium Phosphate, Titanium Dioxide [artificial Color]), Vegetable Oil. Contains Less Than 2% Of: Modified Corn Starch, Rehydrated Fat Free Mozzarella Cheese (Water, Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Citric Acid), Sugar, Salt, Modified Whey, Defatted Soy Flour, Dried Onion, Modified Tapioca Starch, Spice, Methylcellulose, Potassium Sorbate (Preservative), Rehydrated Enzyme Modified Cheese (Water, Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Dextrose, Maltodextrin, TBHQ (Preservative), Natural Flavor.
Bagel Bites (Cheese & Pepperoni) – Bagel Halves (Wheat Flour, Water, Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following Invert Cane Syrup, Yeast, Salt, Soybean Oil, Enzyme, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Topping (Cheese Blend [part-skim Mozzarella Cheese (Cultured Part-skim Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Modified Food Starch, Skim Milk], Pepperoni Made With Pork And Chicken [pork, Mechanically Separated Chicken, Salt, Contains 2% Or Less Of Pork Stock, Spices, Dextrose, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Flavoring, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid]), Sauce (Water, Tomato Paste, Invert Cane Syrup, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Methyl Cellulose, Citric Acid, Potassium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride, Spice, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavor, Calcium Lactate), Water, Invert Cane Syrup.
Poll: Pizza Rolls vs Bagel Bites
Do you have a favorite between Pizza Rolls and Bagel Bites? Vote for your favorite in our poll below.
