If you want to serve croissants warm
Ready-to-bake or frozen croissants, or croissant dough, let you time the baking to suit your drinks party. Allow for the preparation time and check how many croissants will fit in your oven or air fryer at once.
Which option is right for you?
If you don’t have time to bake them
You can serve a fresh croissant from the shop without baking it at home. Choose a size that suits your guests and check that the option you want is available when you shop.
If you need to consider allergens or ingredients
Check the information for the exact product: butter croissants, dough products and filled croissants can differ in their ingredients and allergens. The current packaging is more reliable than the product name alone.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether you want to serve them straight away or bake them yourself. Then choose a size and flavour to suit the rest of your spread. Always check the ingredients and allergens for each product.
Fresh from the shop
Choose this if: you want to serve them without using the oven.
Consider: you have less control over when they’re baked and are limited to what the shop has available at the time.
Bake or shape them yourself
Choose this if: you want to serve them warm or make smaller croissants yourself using dough.
Consider: preparation method, baking time and equipment requirements vary by product.
Savoury filling
Choose this if: you want the croissant itself to be a savoury bite.
Consider: a set filling gives you less scope to add your own toppings or combine different flavours.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Serving warm | Check the preparation instructions and how many croissants will fit in your oven or air fryer at once. | If I want to serve all the croissants warm at the same time, I need to fit the baking into my plans for the drinks party. An estimated 33% of consumers say this is their top priority. |
| Convenience | Check whether the croissants are ready to serve and what size you’re buying. | If you’re shopping just before guests arrive, you’ll want to be able to serve the croissants straight away. For around 27% of consumers, convenience comes before the other selection criteria. |
| Flavour and portion size | Compare a filled option with an unfilled croissant and check whether the size suits your drinks-party spread. | If I’m already serving cheese or dips, I want to decide whether the croissant needs a filling of its own. Around 20% of consumers put this combination of flavour and portion size first. |
| Ingredients | Read the current ingredients list and allergen information for the exact product. | If guests have specific dietary requirements, I want to know what’s in this particular croissant. For an estimated 20% of consumers, this check is the most important condition when buying. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming ‘premium’ means a specific product feature
Words such as luxury, petit and butter don’t automatically tell you whether a croissant is ready to serve, what filling it has or what’s on the label.
First compare fresh, ready-to-bake, frozen and dough options. Then look at the size, filling and ingredients.
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Leaving it until the last minute to think about baking
Instructions can vary considerably. PLUS says its pre-baked butter croissants take 4–6 minutes in the oven at 200 °C or 4 minutes in the air fryer at 180 °C; for Délifrance frozen croissants, PLUS specifies 18 minutes in the oven at 185 °C.
Check the instructions on your pack and allow time for preheating and any batches you may need to bake one after another.
If they don’t all fit in the appliance at once, serving them warm will take extra time.
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Assuming all butter or cheese croissants have the same label
Ingredients and allergens vary by product, and the information on a product you bought before may have changed.
Check the current packaging of the croissants you plan to serve your guests.
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Assuming every croissant contains iodised salt
Brood.net states that using iodine-enriched baker’s salt is not a legal requirement in the Netherlands. Its presence may therefore vary from product to product.
Check the ingredients list if iodised salt is relevant to your choice.
Brands to compare
Albert Heijn
Worth a look if you want to compare petit, luxury and other butter croissants with frozen options.
- The range includes several sizes, as well as shop-bought and frozen products.
- Check whether the product you want is available at your shop, and read the packaging for product information.
Jumbo
Offers butter, frozen, plant-based and filled croissant options, among others.
- You can compare different ways to serve them and a range of flavours within the selection.
- A label such as plant-based or filled doesn’t tell you the full ingredients or allergen profile; check the exact product packaging.
Lidl
A good option if you’re looking for a shop-bought butter croissant or a cheese croissant.
- Lidl describes its cheese croissant as a butter croissant with a cheese filling.
- Check which options are available when you buy, along with the current ingredients information.
Aldi
An option if you want to buy a fresh butter croissant individually.
- Buying them individually makes it easy to choose the right number for your guests.
- The product description alone doesn’t support claims of a quality difference compared with croissants from other shops.
Plus
Worth a look if you want to compare pre-baked croissants, frozen croissants and croissant dough.
- PLUS provides preparation instructions for a range of products, helping you plan when to serve them.
- Preparation and ingredients vary by product. PLUS notes that product information may change, so check the packaging.
Dirk
Offers both individual butter croissants and a pack of ready-to-bake butter croissants.
- The choice between buying them individually and baking them yourself suits different serving plans.
- Check the preparation instructions on the pack; don’t assume both options are ready to serve straight away.
Croissants on Joybuy
These products offer a few different options for a drinks party: an individually wrapped, ready-to-eat croissant, croissants to bake at home and a mini size. Check each product’s serving instructions and current packaging.
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Bakery Village Danish Croissant 85 g
The product description says this croissant is ready to eat and individually wrapped, making it a good choice if you want to serve it without baking.
The ingredients descriptions contradict one another, so check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging. The description also mentions E102 and E110, with a warning about possible effects on children’s activity and attention.
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SCHOOF Croissants, 4 stuks
According to the description, these four croissants are intended for baking at home, so you can plan when to serve them.
The description states that they contain 30% margarine, not butter. Check the packaging for the baking time, temperature and equipment required before planning your drinks party.
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G'woon Mini Butter Croissants
The mini size is an option if you want to add smaller croissants to your drinks-party spread. The ingredients description states that they contain 25% butter.
Check the packaging for the weight, number of pieces and whether the croissants need to be cooked: the available product descriptions give different quantities. Also read the current allergen information.
Frequently asked questions
Does every croissant in the Netherlands have to contain iodised baker’s salt?
No. According to Brood.net, using iodine-enriched baker’s salt is not a legal requirement. To find out whether a particular croissant contains it, read the ingredients list on the packaging.
Which allergens should I check in croissants for guests?
Read the allergen information for every specific product you serve. The products described here include ingredients such as wheat and milk; egg and warnings about possible traces of other allergens vary by product. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority provides information about how allergens are listed on labels.
Can I bake ready-to-bake croissants just before a drinks party?
Yes, as long as the product instructions and the capacity of your oven or air fryer fit your plans. PLUS says its pre-baked butter croissants take 4–6 minutes in the oven at 200 °C or 4 minutes in the air fryer at 180 °C; for Délifrance frozen croissants, PLUS specifies baking from frozen for 18 minutes at 185 °C. Always follow the instructions on the packaging of the product you buy.
Is a cheese croissant a better fit for a drinks party than an unfilled croissant?
A cheese croissant works well if you want to serve a savoury bite in its own right; an unfilled croissant gives you the option to add toppings or combine it with other flavours. Think about how the croissant will fit in with the rest of your drinks-party nibbles, and check the ingredients and allergens for any filled option.