Choose a croissant whose sourdough preparation is confirmed if that method matters to you; a rustic look or bake-at-home packaging doesn’t prove it. If your main priority is serving warm croissants at a particular time, bake-at-home or frozen croissants offer a different option, while fresh croissants need less preparation. If your guests need to check ingredients or allergens, always consult the information for the croissants you choose.
You want to know whether the croissant is actually made with sourdough, rather than relying on how it looks. Albert Heijn describes a sourdough starter as a mixture of flour and water with natural yeasts and lactic acid bacteria. What this means for a croissant depends on the product you choose.
You want to prepare the croissants shortly before serving. Jumbo describes frozen croissants that you bake at home. This gives you a way to plan when they go in the oven, but says nothing about whether sourdough is used.
You want to know which allergens are in the croissants you’ve chosen before buying them. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority lists cereals containing gluten, milk and eggs among the allergens for which product information is important. Check the label on packaged croissants, and ask for up-to-date information about unwrapped ones.
First decide whether the sourdough preparation, serving time or ingredients for your guests will guide your choice. Fresh, bake-at-home and frozen describe how you buy or prepare a croissant, not which raising agent it uses.
Choose this if: sourdough preparation is an important part of the flavour you’re looking for.
Bear in mind: a rustic name or appearance confirms neither the starter used nor the flavour of the croissant.
Choose this if: you want to plan baking for shortly before serving.
Bear in mind: you’ll need oven space and time; being suitable for baking at home doesn’t confirm the use of sourdough.
Choose this if: you want to serve the croissants without having to bake them fully at home.
Bear in mind: even with a fresh croissant, check the product information if sourdough is important to your choice.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sourdough and flavour | Check whether sourdough or starter is mentioned for the croissant you’ve chosen, and ask what role it plays in the preparation if needed. | I want the croissant to bring more to dinner than just a rustic appearance. For around 40% of consumers, choosing sourdough is their main priority. |
| When to serve | Check whether the croissant is fresh, suitable for baking at home or frozen, and follow the preparation instructions for that product. | If I want to serve the croissants warm, baking them needs to fit into my preparations. Timing is the main priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current allergen information on the packaging, or ask the seller for it if the croissant is unwrapped. | For guests who need to watch their ingredients or allergens, I want to know what’s in the croissant before buying it. For around 30% of consumers, this information is their main concern when buying. |
A rustic presentation doesn’t tell you which raising agent was used for the croissant. Nor can you tell from the packaging whether it might have a sourdough flavour.
Check the description and ingredients of the exact croissant you want to buy, or ask the baker how it’s made.
A bake-at-home or frozen croissant can make it easier to serve them warm, but the storage or preparation method doesn’t confirm the use of sourdough.
Assess when you’ll serve it and whether sourdough is mentioned separately.
Allergen information can also matter for croissants from a bakery counter. If a guest needs to avoid an ingredient, don’t rely on the product category alone.
For a packaged product, read the current label. For an unwrapped product, ask about allergen information before buying.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Whether a croissant contains iodised salt therefore varies by product.
Check the ingredients list or ask the baker if this is relevant to your choice.
A good starting point for comparing different types of croissant.
Worth considering if you want to compare fresh croissants with an option you bake at home.
A place to compare bake-at-home croissants with fresh croissant dough as different ways to prepare them.
Worth considering if you’re looking at croissants from the in-store bakery.
Worth considering if you’re interested in a croissant from the bake-off range.
These butter croissants are an option if you want to plan how many to buy for your dinner. Check the packaging to see whether the preparation and ingredients meet your needs for sourdough or serving them warm.
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A pack of four can help you work out how many you’ll need for your guests. Before buying, check the current packaging for ingredients and allergens, the role sourdough plays in this product, and whether you need to bake the croissants at home.
No. Sourdough describes how it’s made; it doesn’t mean the croissant contains no cereals with gluten. Check the ingredients and allergen information for the product you choose. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority lists cereals containing gluten as allergens that consumers must be informed about.
Before buying unwrapped croissants, ask for allergen information about the product you’ve chosen. For pre-packed croissants, this information is on the label, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
No, you can’t assume that every croissant does. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients list or ask the baker if this matters for your purchase.
It depends on the preparation instructions for the croissants you’ve chosen and when you want to serve them. Check the packaging and plan the oven space and preparation time you’ll need before organising dinner. Don’t use the baking time for another product as a guide.
