The best croissants are layered, buttery, and have a delicate, crispy, golden-brown exterior. Inside, the lamination should boast dozens of thin, aerated, and delectably soft layers—creating a beautiful contrast between a crunchy shell and soft, buttery interior with every bite.
Hi, everyone. I’m covered in croissant flakes. Just a hazard of the job, I’m afraid. Actually, it begs the question: Is a croissant even any good if it’s not shedding all over you like a clinically dry scalp? I don’t think so. Wait, don’t click away yet! I’m sorry I grossed you out, but I promise, the best store bought croissants are worth sticking around for.
Hot take: The very best croissants from the grocery store can even beat the croissants on display at your favorite hippie coffee shop. In my experience, coffee shop croissants get too caught up in the aesthetic and forget the real star of the show: butter. Artisan croissants can be too hard, dry, and obsessed with getting a million layers, and they lose that buttery softness that makes them so darn enticing to begin with. The best butter croissants need it all: crunch, layers, and softness. And thankfully, we found some—right at your local grocery store bakery.
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- Private Selection Everything Croissants
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These everything croissants from Kroger’s bakery are…confusing, to say the least. They smell incredible. As I warmed them up in the oven, people at the office would float into the kitchen, drawn to the rich aroma of garlic, onion, and sesame seeds. They taste pretty good, too—but not as good as they smell. They taste like they’re missing a key ingredient: cream cheese. For something with such a complex, enticing smell, the fact that I probably wouldn’t finish one of these without cream cheese (or a little extra butter, to be honest) is pretty telling. But hey, if you’re having a hard time deciding whether you want a bagel or croissant for breakfast, these are the best croissants for you. I have to recommend them for the novelty alone.
Credit: Liv Averett / Ralphs
- Freshness Guaranteed Mini Croissants
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Freshness Guaranteed Mini Croissants are super soft, moist, and buttery. They don’t have a golden, flaky exterior, but who cares when you’re basically biting into a buttery pillow with layers of soft fluff, and it’s delicious. Warmed up, they do get a bit of a crispy, golden sheen on them—plus, they’re even more tender and moist. Are these still chewy and doughy enough to offend a French person? Yes. But this is Walmart, and Walmart is the superstore of America, catering to American taste buds, okay? Not to mention, we tried a few different bite-sized croissants from other grocery store bakeries, and Walmart absolutely delivered the best mini croissants of the bunch. C’est magnifique in mini form, if you ask little old American me!
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Whole Foods Butter Croissants
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I hate to change my tune, but even though I nominated Whole Foods as my favorite butter croissant in my initial taste test video with Mythical’s Supervising Producer Chase Hilt, that was before I stuck all of these in the toaster oven for a few minutes. At room temp, Whole Foods croissants are quite buttery, soft on the inside, and nicely laminated. But warmed up, the layers tend to collapse on themselves. Still, quality-wise, these are some of the best store bought croissants I’ve tried to date. They have a lingering tanginess, reminiscent of sourdough, that you can taste (and smell) right off the bat. They’re from Whole Foods so they may be pricier than the other best croissants on this list, but they’re likely still cheaper than what you’ll see on display at your local coffee shop! Just sayin’.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Sprouts Hazelnut Croissants
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As you can see from our #1 pick, Sprouts clearly makes some of the best croissants you can buy from a grocery store. Their hazelnut croissants strike a nice balance of rich chocolate, nutty hazelnut, and yes, butter. Crucially, these are still pretty buttery, which makes them extra rich and decadent, without being too sweet. Sprinkled with flecks of chocolate on the outside and rolled with hazelnut on the inside, even if you’re not a huge fan of sweet croissants, you’ll have a hard time faulting these little beauties.
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
- Private Selection Butter Croissants
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Strike up a conversation with one Private Selection’s Butter Croissants sometime, because this baby’s got layers. Seriously, the lamination here is unreal. It’s like a spiderweb of aerated, fluffy, delicate layers. Every bite gives you flake, crumble, and crunch. The only issue? You really need to heat them up to fully enjoy them. Otherwise, they are a little bit too firm. For their beautifully spun lamination alone, I’d nominate these as some of the best croissants you can find at a grocery store. Luckily, the buttery, yeasty, salty-sweet flavor really comes through here, too. France: I think you might be kinda proud of this one!
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Sprouts Butter Croissants
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If you told me these were made from a French patisserie, I would believe you. And sure, I’m an ignorant American, but still—these are stunning, in looks and taste. Warm or cold, Sprouts Butter Croissants gives you the best of both worlds: tender softness and delicate, flaky crunch. The dough is also quite flavorful; they didn’t skimp on the salt, which is key to bringing out all of the other tangy, buttery flavor nuances. That shiny golden egg wash on top is pristine. I didn’t count all of the layers, so I can’t honestly compare the lamination with our runner up—but overall, I found the buttery fluffiness and crispy exterior to be the most satisfying of the bunch. These are the best croissants at the grocery store. C’est la crème de la crème.
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
Most Unique
Best Mini Croissants
Best at Room Temp
Best Sweet Croissants
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other croissants we tried: Marketside Croissants, Freshness Guaranteed Chocolate Mini Croissants, Vons Chocolate Croissants, Bake Shop Croissants, Amazon Fresh Brand Mini Croissants, Specially Selected All Butter Croissants, Kirkland Signature Mini Croissants
Not seeing Winn dixie in there, theirs are pretty good and you can even ask to buy them frozen for you to bake later on at home if you need to.