Want to fill or top a croissant generously for a dinner for two? Look for a large size or croissant dough you can shape yourself, rather than relying on the term ‘thick cut’. Shaping your own gives you more control over the size, but takes preparation; a par-baked croissant or fresh bakery croissant is a better fit when you’re short on time. Check the cooking instructions and ingredients on the pack you choose.
If you want to slice open a croissant or fill it before baking, a large size or dough you can shape yourself is more suitable than mini croissants. Jumbo lists large croissants, while PLUS says its croissant dough can also be used to make maxi croissants.
If you want to keep preparation to a minimum just before dinner, you could choose a par-baked croissant. A fresh bakery croissant needs no baking at home, but gives you less control over the size.
You can’t tell from the size whether a croissant is made with butter or margarine. Check the packaging too if wheat, milk or the use of iodised salt matters to your choice: the recipes for the products mentioned vary.
First decide whether you want plenty of room for a filling or as little preparation as possible. Then compare the number of croissants and read the cooking and ingredients information for the one you want to buy.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Size and filling | Compare the number of croissants and the pack weight, or choose dough you can shape yourself. ‘Thick cut’ on its own tells you nothing about the size. | I want enough room to fill a croissant generously; size is the top priority for around 31% of consumers with this dinner plan. |
| Preparation | Check whether the croissants are fresh, par-baked, frozen or still dough, and follow the cooking instructions on the pack you choose. | If I don’t have much time just before dinner, I don’t want to have to shape the dough. Keeping preparation to a minimum matters most to around 25% of these consumers. |
| Ingredients | Check the ingredients and allergen information for butter or margarine, wheat, milk and, where applicable, iodised salt. | I want to know whether the croissant suits the ingredients diners can or want to eat; checking this is the top priority for around 25% of these consumers. |
| Quantity and availability | Think about how many croissants you need and whether you want to buy them in advance or pick up fresh ones on the day. | For a dinner for two, I don’t want to buy more than I need and I want to have them at home in time. This is the first consideration for around 19% of these consumers. |
The supermarket products mentioned use descriptions such as ‘Large’, ‘Super’ and croissant dough. A search term such as ‘thick cut’ doesn’t tell you how much room a croissant offers for a filling.
Look at the size, number of croissants and pack weight, and check whether you can shape the dough yourself.
Jumbo lists margarine in its Super Croissants. Size and type of fat are separate considerations.
If you specifically want butter, check the ingredients on the pack you choose.
Shaping croissant dough yourself takes more effort than preparing par-baked croissants. PLUS gives a baking time of around 15 to 20 minutes for its dough, and 4 to 6 minutes in the oven for its par-baked butter croissants.
Before you go shopping, decide how much preparation fits into your plans, then follow the instructions on your pack.
A croissant’s name doesn’t tell you which allergens or type of salt are listed in its specific recipe. Product information from PLUS and Jumbo shows that they can vary.
Read the current packaging, especially if an allergen or a specific preference around iodised salt matters to your diners.
A useful option if you want to compare different types of croissant within one range.
A useful option if you want to choose between shaping your own and a par-baked butter croissant.
A useful option if you’re looking for croissant dough explicitly described as ‘Large’.
A useful option if you want to compare the ingredients in a butter croissant with those in larger varieties.
Don’t use ‘thick cut’ as a measure of a croissant: the Dutch ranges mentioned use terms such as ‘Large’, ‘Super’, par-baked and croissant dough. If you want a croissant you can fill generously, look for its size or choose dough you can shape yourself.
With croissant dough, you can decide the size as you shape it. PLUS says its dough can be cut into at least six triangles and used to make mini or maxi croissants; allow around 15 to 20 minutes for baking, and don’t eat the dough raw.
Some products can be heated in an air fryer: PLUS gives instructions for its par-baked butter croissants of 4 minutes in a preheated air fryer at 180 °C, as well as 4 to 6 minutes in an oven at 200 °C. Follow the instructions on the pack you buy.
Read the allergen information for the exact product. The PLUS butter products mentioned contain milk and wheat; for the par-baked variety, PLUS also states that it may contain rye, barley and oats.
Don’t assume so; check the ingredients of the croissant you choose. The Dutch legal definition describes baker’s salt as iodised table salt for bread and other baked goods, but that doesn’t mean every croissant is made with it. PLUS lists iodised salt in its par-baked butter croissants, while the croissant dough mentioned lists ‘salt’.
