Best hot cross buns for Easter 2025

A classic hot cross bun makes a delicious traditional Easter treat, whether you enjoy it plain, toasted or adorned with the topping of your choice.

But which buns taste best? To find out which supermarket hot cross buns are worth snapping up this Easter, we asked a panel of 65 people to blind-taste and rate eight supermarket options, including hot cross buns from Aldi, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

Marks & Spencer's premium buns were a big hit with our tasters, earning a Best Buy, but Aldi's cheap and cheerful hot cross buns weren't far behind. 

See how all the supermarkets fared below, and what you need to know about sugar levels, alternative flavours and more.

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Best hot cross buns

M&S topped our test for the second year running, winning over our panel with its appetising fruity buns.

Aldi's Great Value buns are also worth considering if you're after a cheaper alternative that's still appealingly tasty.

Best Buy: M&S Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns - 73%

£2 per pack of four (50p per bun)

These fruity and well-spiced hot cross buns from M&S were rated a cut above most other supermarkets overall.

The majority of our testers thought the sweetness, spice levels and amount of fruit were spot on, while nearly everyone was impressed with the moist texture.

At £2 a pack, they're the joint most expensive on test, but they're worth paying more for if you're after some top-notch buns to indulge in this Easter.

Available from M&S (in-store only) and Ocado. 

M&S also has a version of mini hot cross buns (£2 for nine). We haven't taste tested these, but they are the same range.

Co-op Irresistible Richly Fruited Luxury Hot Cross Buns - 69%

£2 per pack of four (50p per bun)

Our tasters loved the enticing aroma and moist texture of Co-op's hot cross buns.

They were some of the best-rated buns for sweetness and spice strength, and the majority of our panel praised their well-balanced flavour.

In addition to being among the tastiest on test, these buns were also slightly lower in sugar content compared to most other supermarket options.

Available from Co-op.

Great Value: Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns - 66%

£1.39 per pack of four (35p per bun)

These budget-friendly buns from Aldi impressed our panel, earning our Great Value recommendation.

They weren't quite as moist as some other hot cross buns we tested, with just under half of our tasters finding them too dry. However, people did like their flavour and appearance, and the majority thought the buns had just the right amount of fruit.

These are currently on special offer for £1.25, which works out at just 31p per bun. They're a good choice if you're looking for some cheap and cheerful buns to enjoy this Easter, and they've got the lowest sugar levels, too.

Available from Aldi.

Waitrose Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns - 66%

£1.95 per pack of four (49p per bun)

Waitrose's hot cross buns finished in joint third place, alongside Aldi.

Most tasters were satisfied with the amount of fruit and liked their soft texture, although half of our panel felt the buns could be a bit spicier.

At £1.95 a pack, they're up there with M&S and Co-op for being a little pricier than most of the others, but these Waitrose buns aren't a bad choice.

Available from Waitrose. 

Waitrose also sells mini hot cross buns (£1.95 for nine). We haven't taste tested these but they are the same range.

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How other supermarket hot cross buns compare

Most of the other supermarket hot cross buns scored similarly to each other (and cost the same), although some lost marks for being too dry and not spicy enough. Here's what our tasters thought of the rest:

• Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns - 65%. These were rated fairly well overall, and our tasters thought they contained a good amount of fruit. However, more than a third of our panel felt they could have been sweeter and spicier. £1.80 per pack of four (45p per bun) or £1.25 per pack with Nectar (31p per bun). Available from Sainsbury's.
• Asda Exceptional Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns - 64%. Nearly everyone liked the moist texture of these buns, but the panel was split when it came to flavour – half would have liked more spice. £1.43 per pack of four (36p per bun). Available from Asda.
• Tesco Finest Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns - 64%. These buns weren't bad, but nearly half of our testers thought they were too dry. £1.80 per pack of four (45p per bun). Available from Tesco.
• Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns - 61%. Not the best in our test, these hot cross buns got the lowest score overall. Half of our panel thought there wasn't much spice flavour and a similar number said the buns were too dry. £1.80 per pack of four (45p per bun). Available from Morrisons.

Note: Lidl hot cross buns were not included in our test as they were unavailable at the time of testing.

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How we tested hot cross buns

All the hot cross buns were blind-tasted and rated by a panel of 65 people in February 2024 at our specialist test lab.

All of our panel were regular buyers of hot cross buns, and they broadly represented the demographic profile of adults in the UK (age range, gender split and more). 

The buns were toasted according to pack instructions and the taste test was blind, so our testers didn’t know which brand they were trying. They tasted the hot cross buns in a fully rotated order to avoid any bias. Each tester had a private tasting booth, so they couldn’t discuss what they were tasting or be influenced by others.

The tasters rated the flavour, aroma, appearance and texture of each hot cross bun, and told us what they liked and disliked. 

The overall score was based on:

• 50% flavour
• 20% aroma
• 20% appearance
• 10% texture

These weightings are based on what people ranked as the most important attributes when tasting hot cross buns. All our results are checked and analysed by our in-house statistical team.

How healthy are hot cross buns?

The fruit content and glazed top mean that hot cross buns can have quite high sugar levels – some will wipe out nearly a quarter of the adult daily recommended allowance of sugar in one go. And that's before you start adding toppings.

But, it's not all bad, as this isn't necessarily added sugar. As Which? nutritionist Shefalee Loth points out:

'Although hot cross buns contain quite a lot of sugar (three to five teaspoons per bun), most of this comes from the dried fruit. The higher-sugar buns from Asda and M&S both contain 33% dried fruit – that's around 26g of sultanas and currants per bun. 

'While this amount doesn't quite make up a portion of your five-a-day, this fruit content still provides fibre, antioxidants and valuable nutrients, including potassium.'

Morrisons hot cross buns have the highest sugar content, at just over 20g per bun, with Asda not far behind, while Co-op and Aldi have the lowest (despite being rated highly for taste).

Supermarket hot cross bun sugar levels (per bun): 

• Morrisons 20.7g
• Asda 20g
• M&S 19.3g
• Tesco 18g
• Waitrose 17.6g
• Sainsbury's 16.9g
• Co-op 16g
• Aldi 15.7g

Many supermarkets also do mini versions of hot cross buns if you want to scale down your portion size.

Are hot cross buns getting more expensive?

Like most groceries, you might have noticed hot cross bun prices creeping up compared to last year.

We compared average price per pack for the supermarket premium hot cross buns we tested over a one month period (1 Feb - 1 March) in 2024 and 2025, using an independent third party data source (not including discounts, multi buys or loyalty prices).

While average price changes varied across supermarkets, most hot cross buns had risen in price for 2025, with an average increase of 16% (around 23p per pack, around 6p per bun).

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How to serve hot cross buns

Most standard hot cross buns can be either heated under the grill or popped in a toaster.

However, if you're buying flavoured buns, it's worth checking the instructions as toasting them could pose a potential fire risk. If the bun has added ingredients, such as chocolate chips, they may stick to the toaster wires and potentially catch fire. Using the grill is generally a safer option. 

For more on why squeezing a hot cross bun into your toaster may not be a great idea, head to our article on why toasting your hot cross bun could actually be a fire hazard.

Hot cross buns are traditionally served warm with butter or jam. But if you fancy something a bit different, why not try another sweet and savoury topping? BBC Good Food has a variety of creative topping ideas, from bacon and marmalade to salted caramel.

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Flavoured hot cross buns

If a standard spiced bun doesn’t float your boat, there are plenty of alternative flavours to try, from apple and cinnamon to white chocolate and lemon. The more adventurous might be intrigued by savoury options such as Tesco's cheddar and red leicester buns.

Most supermarkets offer a couple of alternative versions, with Sainsbury's and Tesco having the widest selection. Here's an overview:

• Asda hot cross buns (apple and cinnamon, triple chocolate, fudge, raspberry and white chocolate, tiramisu)
• M&S hot cross buns (millionaire, lemon curd, chocolate, cheese, blueberry, apple) – also available from Ocado
• Morrisons hot cross buns (apple and cinnamon, strawberry and clotted cream, millionaire)
• Sainsbury's hot cross buns (apple and cinnamon, chocolate and salted caramel, triple berry, lemon and white chocolate, marmalade, coffee and chocolate, cinnamon and brown sugar)
• Tesco hot cross buns (apple and cinnamon, chocolate orange, St Clements, cheddar and red leicester, salted caramel and chocolate, strawberries and clotted cream, triple chocolate)
• Waitrose hot cross buns (apple and cinnamon, St Clements, white chocolate and lemon, blueberry, Belgian chocolate, apricot and stem ginger)

Are hot cross buns vegan?

Buns are not typically labelled as vegan, so you'll need to carefully check the ingredients.

While some hot cross buns don't list animal products, others contain milk, butter and egg. There are some 'free from' versions available.

Do hot cross buns contain palm oil?

The buns we tested all list palm oil as an ingredient, apart from the Asda hot cross buns we tested. 

All the supermarkets are signed up to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification system so, in theory, the palm oil used in the buns comes from a sustainable source. For more information, see our guide on how to buy sustainable palm oil.

When it comes to the packaging, the cardboard inner can be recycled at home, but the plastic film needs to be taken to a large supermarket which has a soft-plastics recycling scheme.

Price and availability correct as of 17 March 2025