Tested: these are the tastiest cheese croissants in the supermarket (and the worst ones!)

It turns out that no two cheese croissants are the same, as shown by FavorFlav’s supermarket cheese croissant test. One is pale and soggy, another so crisp that it crumbles under your fingers, and number three, well, that one is simply perfect. Which supermarket sells the tastiest cheese croissant?

To get ahead of the Facebook comments: you probably buy the very best croissants at the bakery. And not just any bakery, but that one specific little bakery where they know you by name, reserve a whole-wheat loaf especially for you if you’re a day late, and put a warm currant bun in your toddler’s hands.

Tastiest supermarket cheese croissant

But that’s not what this test is about, because not every day is a romantic comedy. Sometimes you get all your groceries at the supermarket, nice and quick and easy, and then you pick up a bag of cheese croissants too. Which supermarket is your best bet?

Round like an at sign

The differences between the five croissants in our test are substantial. Jumbo’s cheese croissant is round like an at sign, Dekamarkt’s croissant is decorated with grated cheese and herbs, and Lidl’s looks a little pale. Once we cut them open, the differences are even greater: from barely filled (Albert Heijn) to containing more cheese than puff pastry (Jumbo again). And the cheese on that round cheese thing from Jumbo is bright yellow too. The tasting team is hoping for mature cheese. Naturally, the croissants were tasted on the same day they were bought.

Pop them in the oven

Some croissants are very soggy, such as the croissants from Lidl and Aldi. ‘You still need to put that one in the oven at home,’ Bo suggests. Two croissants also contain ham, because the cheese croissants happened to be sold out at Aldi and Dekamarkt today. Deka’s croissant has a slice of ham on the inside, while Aldi’s has diced ham. That makes for a completely different effect. ‘I can taste almost nothing but ham,’ Rick says about Aldi’s croissant. And although Dekamarkt’s croissant scores very well, the ham flavour is not particularly prominent.

Volume matters

The winning croissant: Dekamarkt’s ham and cheese croissant. Good volume, ‘lovely and airy,’ says Robbert, ‘salty,’ says Arno, and ‘this tastes like a real croissant,’ says Rick. It’s also the only croissant you can cut through and still have it hold its shape; the other croissants turn into crumbly lumps as soon as a knife passes through them. And those herbs on top help too.
For the vegetarians: that cheese curl from Jumbo tastes absolutely delicious. Plenty of cheese and salt, and minimal crumbling—still, it’s a shame when most of your croissant ends up on your plate or in your lap.

And the worst croissant? That one comes from Albert Heijn. Tough, little cheese flavour, little crispness. ‘Is this a croissant from yesterday?’ Sabina wonders. ‘That cheese tastes super artificial,’ according to Robbert. ‘You really have to chew this one,’ says Arno.

Also read:

• Tested: this is the tastiest tompouce from the supermarket (and the worst one)
• Stock up: a serious Nutella shortage is looming
• Recipe: Flügel cupcakes from the air fryer (and how to make them)