For Sunday breakfast, start by deciding how and when you want to serve your croissants, rather than relying on the word ‘premium’. Fresh croissants need no preparation at home. You can bake part-baked and frozen croissants around breakfast time, while chilled dough lets you shape them yourself but involves more steps. Then compare the ingredients, any stated butter content, the size and the allergen information for each pack.
You’re looking for a butter croissant and want to compare the stated butter content. PLUS’s product information shows why the exact variety matters: butter croissants don’t all have the same ingredients.
You want to put several croissants on the table at a time that suits you. In that case, it matters whether you’re simply warming them up, baking them from frozen or shaping the dough first. Check the preparation time on the pack you choose.
You pay attention to ingredients or allergens and want to know where to check this information before buying. For packaged croissants, check the current packaging; for loose products, ask for the allergen information.
The type of product mainly determines how much you’ll need to do on the morning of your breakfast. So decide when you want to serve them first, then compare the ingredients and sizes of the varieties that suit your plans.
Best if: you’re buying shortly before breakfast and want to serve them at home without any preparation.
Consider: you can’t choose to bake them just before serving.
Best if: you want to warm them up quickly at home, without shaping the dough yourself.
Consider: check what your oven or air fryer can do and follow the instructions on the pack.
Best if: you like to plan ahead and want to bake the croissants around serving time.
Consider: you’ll need freezer space and should allow enough time for baking.
Best if: you want to choose the shape or filling yourself.
Consider: shaping takes extra time; store and prepare the dough according to the pack instructions.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients and presentation | Compare the stated butter content, size and whether the croissant is filled. | If the ingredients and presentation set the tone for my Sunday breakfast, I don’t want to rely on a luxurious-sounding product name alone. This is the top priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| Serving warm | Check the baking time and temperature, and whether the product needs to be defrosted or shaped first. | I want to serve warm croissants without holding up breakfast. This is the main consideration for around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the product you’ve chosen, including any relevant warnings about possible traces. | When ingredients or allergens determine my choice, I need to be able to check the information for the exact croissant. Around 25% of consumers give this the highest priority. |
The name doesn’t tell you how much butter a croissant contains or how to prepare it. For example, PLUS lists 25% butter for one part-baked variety and 24% for a large croissant. These figures describe the individual products, not their taste.
Compare the ingredients list and product type on the exact packs before choosing a size.
Part-baked croissants, frozen croissants and chilled dough all need different preparation. PLUS says one part-baked variety takes a few minutes to warm up, while its chilled dough needs to be shaped first.
Read the preparation instructions in advance and work backwards from when you want to serve breakfast. Also check whether you’ll need space in the fridge or freezer.
‘Butter’ doesn’t tell you which other ingredients or allergens are present. Products that look similar may also have different ingredients or warnings about possible traces.
Read the current packaging or ask for allergen information if you’re buying a loose croissant. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be clearly listed on labels.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, iodine compounds may be present in bakery products. That doesn’t mean they’re added to every croissant.
If iodised salt is important to your choice, check the ingredients list for the croissant you want to buy.
These examples show the types of croissants you can compare. The features of one product don’t automatically apply to every croissant sold by the same shop.
Albert Heijn’s online croissant range includes fresh, bake-at-home and frozen varieties.
Jumbo’s online range includes several types of croissant, including butter, frozen, filled and plant-based varieties.
PLUS offers part-baked croissants, frozen croissants and chilled croissant dough, among other options.
Dirk offers a single butter croissant as well as a pack of four butter croissants.
ALDI offers a fresh butter croissant as an individual item in its in-store bakery range.
Lidl offers croissants to bake at home.
These two packaged butter croissants are worth considering if you’re choosing between a standard and a mini size for Sunday breakfast. Before planning when to serve them, check how to prepare the pack you’ve chosen.
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A pack of four, so you can plan to serve four croissants for breakfast.
Before serving, check the current pack for preparation instructions and ingredients and allergen information.
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The mini size is a good choice if you want to serve smaller croissants.
The pack states 200 g. Check the number of croissants, preparation instructions and ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
No. ‘Premium’ isn’t a set measure of a croissant’s ingredients or taste. For your Sunday breakfast, compare the ingredients, stated butter content, size and preparation method of the exact products.
Not always. PLUS says that a Délifrance frozen variety can be baked without defrosting, for around 18 minutes at 185 °C. For other products, follow the instructions on the pack.
For packaged croissants, check the current ingredients and allergen information; for loose croissants, ask for the allergen information. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the requirement to list allergens. Don’t rely on the product name alone, as ingredients vary between varieties.
You can’t assume that. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that iodine compounds may be present in bakery products. Check the ingredients list for the croissant you’ve chosen if you want to know whether iodised salt is listed.
