I'm a professional baker. I tried cinnamon rolls from Walmart, Safeway, and Kroger, and I'd only buy 1 again.

Cinnamon rolls are a favorite comfort food for many. They're great any time of year, but when the colder weather arrives, they're the perfect treat to pair with a mug of coffee while curling up with a blanket.

Baking cinnamon rolls at home is definitely achievable, but it requires a few steps, including working with a yeasted dough.

For many, purchasing a package from a grocery-store bakery is a quicker, easier solution when you need a Sunday-morning breakfast or a treat to share with the office.

I decided to try to find the best store-bought option in terms of appearance, flavor, and texture, so I put cinnamon rolls from Walmart, Safeway, and Kroger to the test.

The Safeway bakery sells glazed cinnamon rolls in packages of four and eight. 

The dough arrives frozen and is baked in the store. The glaze is also similar to the one used on the vanilla doughnuts made in Safeway stores.

I picked up a pack of four cinnamon rolls for $4.

The Safeway cinnamon rolls were packaged in a plastic clam-closure container.

They didn't look terribly appealing in the package, and that carried through to the first bite — they were incredibly dry.

There was a hint of cinnamon flavor, but it wasn't terribly strong. The icing wasn't too sweet, but it had a strange texture.

I warmed one of the Safeway cinnamon rolls for 30 seconds in the microwave to see if the texture and flavor would change.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a difference.

The flavor seemed to develop a bit better, making the cinnamon more pronounced. They also weren't quite as dry once warmed, but the texture still missed the mark.

I called ahead to make sure I could get a package of cinnamon rolls from Walmart.

Over the phone, I was told the rolls arrive frozen and are baked in the store. 

The four-pack of cinnamon rolls cost $4.98.

The texture of the Walmart cinnamon rolls was great. But it didn't make up for the lack of flavor.

The icing was sweet and went well with the rolls. But I couldn't actually taste any cinnamon flavor.

They just tasted like a soft, sweet roll.

After warming up a cinnamon roll from Walmart, the texture changed significantly.

The rolls were much softer and the dough was very moist. But the flavor didn't really improve.

Overall, it was still missing any cinnamon flavor.

Kroger sells a variety of different cinnamon rolls in its bakery department. I opted for a four-pack from the Private Selection label for $4.99.

The label said the cinnamon rolls were baked fresh in the store. But based on the list of ingredients, I feel like the dough was prepared elsewhere, brought in frozen, and just baked in the store — like the others. 

The cinnamon rolls were packed in a pan secured in a cardboard box. They were incredibly tall with a nice swirl.

Trying a bite right out of the box, the outer edges were dry, but the center was moist.

The flavor of the rolls was well-balanced and cinnamony, and the icing wasn't too sweet or overpowering.

I put one of the Kroger cinnamon rolls in the microwave for 30 seconds, and it tasted even better.

The texture was no longer dry — it was soft and fluffy. The already decent flavor also improved significantly.

If I have a craving for cinnamon rolls, I'm still likely going to make them from scratch at home. But that's not an option for everyone. 

Given the choice between Kroger, Safeway, or Walmart, I'd only consider picking up a pack of cinnamon rolls from Kroger again.

The ones from Safeway and Walmart both tasted a little bit artificial. The texture of Walmart's rolls was a little better, but Safeway's were incredibly dry.

Kroger offered a well-balanced treat with decent texture and flavor right out of the package. But the key here is to warm them up to make them taste closer to homemade cinnamon rolls.