Choose a ready-to-eat croissant if you want to serve it without turning on the oven. If you’d like to serve warm croissants with your meal, look for chilled dough or a bake-at-home option, and follow the preparation instructions on the packaging. A multiseed croissant offers a different mix of ingredients, but the name alone doesn’t mean it’s wholemeal. Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information too.
You want to serve warm croissants and can set aside oven space and time to prepare them. Check whether each product needs to be defrosted or shaped: chilled dough and bake-at-home products don’t all come with the same instructions.
You’re looking for an alternative to a classic croissant and are considering options with kernels, seeds or bran. Check the ingredients and fibre per 100 g separately: ‘multiseed’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘wholemeal’.
You want to know which allergens a croissant contains and which traces may be present before you buy. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information for prepacked products must appear on the label. For unpackaged products, it must be available in another way.
First decide whether you need croissants that are ready to serve or whether you have the time and oven space to bake them at home. Then compare the product style you want, the label and the number of croissants in the pack.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Serving time and oven planning | Check whether the product is ready to eat, contains chilled dough or still needs to be baked. Read the defrosting and oven instructions. | If I want to serve warm croissants just before eating, I need to fit the preparation in around the other barbecue dishes. For around 31% of consumers, timing is the top priority. |
| Butter style and nutritional information | Check the ingredients and compare fat and salt per 100 g and per portion. See whether the nutritional values apply to the product before or after preparation. | When choosing a classic butter croissant, I mainly want to know what ingredients are used in that style. Around 31% of consumers give this preference top priority. |
| Seeds, fibre and wholemeal | Read the ingredients list and check the fibre per 100 g. If you prefer wholemeal, look specifically for that description on the product. | If I’m looking for a croissant with kernels, I don’t want to assume it’s wholemeal just because it says ‘multiseed’. This is the main consideration for around 23% of consumers. |
| Number of croissants and portions | Compare the number of croissants, the total weight and the preparation method with the number of guests. | When I’m catering for a group, I want to buy enough without getting mixed up between individual croissants and packs. Around 15% of consumers put this question of quantity first. |
Wheat flour is listed as the first ingredient in the AH Multiseed Croissant, and the product page doesn’t describe it as wholemeal. So the presence of seeds or bran doesn’t automatically tell you whether a croissant is wholemeal.
If wholemeal is a must, check the product description and ingredients list rather than relying on the word ‘multiseed’ alone.
Different preparation methods call for different steps. PLUS says its small butter croissant must be defrosted before baking, while the product information for Danerolles dough gives different oven instructions.
Follow the instructions on the packaging you buy, and set aside oven time around the preparation of your other dishes.
‘Butter’ and ‘multiseed’ don’t tell you which allergens or possible traces are listed on the label. The AH and PLUS croissants reviewed have different allergen information.
If you’re catering for guests with allergies, check the current packaging. For unpackaged croissants, ask what allergen information is available before buying.
An individual bakery croissant, a pack of four and a product that still needs to be baked at home all require different planning for the same group of guests.
Work out how many croissants you want to serve, and consider the weight, product type and preparation needed too.
These examples show the product types and label details you can compare. Check the information for the specific croissant you plan to buy.
A shop-bought option for anyone looking to compare the seeds and ingredients in a multiseed croissant.
A range that includes butter, fresh-frozen, frozen and dough options.
A multiseed croissant for anyone looking for an option made with several types of seed.
An individual butter croissant from the shop range for anyone who wants to buy them by the piece.
Product information for both a small butter croissant and croissant dough for baking at home.
Packaged butter croissants and a frozen option to suit different serving plans.
These Joybuy products offer a range of pack sizes and croissant styles for a barbecue. When choosing, check whether they’re ready to serve or need to be baked, and read the current label if ingredients or allergens are important to you.
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For serving without turning on the oven: check whether this croissant is ready to eat when you buy it.
The stated weight is 85 g. Check the current label for ingredients and allergens before offering it to guests.
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Four croissants for anyone planning to serve several at the same time. Check the packaging to see whether and how they need to be baked.
Joybuy product information lists 30% margarine and iodised salt. It also mentions possible traces of sesame, lupin, milk and soya. Check the current allergen information if you’re catering for guests with allergies.
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A pack of four for anyone who wants to decide in advance how many croissants to serve their guests.
The stated total weight is 180 g. Check the packaging for ingredients, allergens and any preparation instructions.
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The mini version is a good option if you want to serve smaller croissants. Check the pack to work out how many you’ll need.
The stated pack weight is 200 g. Before planning when to serve them, check the preparation instructions and read the current allergen label.
Ask the bakery in the shop for allergen information before you buy. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, information for unpackaged products must be available in a way other than on packaging. For prepacked croissants, it’s on the label.
Check the ingredients, allergens, quantity and nutritional information, as well as the use-by date and any storage or preparation instructions. These instructions are particularly important for chilled dough and bake-at-home croissants, as they determine how much time and oven space you’ll need.
Plan the preparation according to the label for the specific dough. For Danerolles croissant dough, PLUS says to store it at a maximum of 7 °C, not to eat it raw, and to bake it for 12 to 15 minutes at 200 °C in an electric oven. Don’t treat these instructions as a general rule for other dough.
Follow the instructions on the packaging for your product. The product information for the small PLUS butter croissant explicitly says not to refreeze croissants once they’ve been defrosted.
