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Hot cross buns

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Last updated: 21 March 2024
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Our panel of experts blind taste test and review 29 supermarket and bakery hot cross buns from Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Bakers Delight and more to see which ones are the best for both nutrition and taste.

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How we test

Products

We tested hot cross bun products available in major Australian supermarket chains and bakeries, including Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Bakers Delight, as well as wholesale warehouse Costco. Traditional fruit buns and chocolate buns, along with their gluten-free varieties, were tested separately. Price is for the pack size specified and bought in Sydney stores in February 2024 (not on special).

Tasting

Our panel of three experts tasted the hot cross bun samples 'blind' (without knowing the brands) in a randomised order, which was different for each expert. Each bun was tasted fresh (untoasted) and toasted, with scores given for each.

Scores

The experts independently judged all hot cross bun products. The CHOICE Expert Rating, our overall score, consists of 90% sensory and 10% nutrition (based on the Health Star Rating). For sensory, 50% of the score represented the toasted bun sample and the other 50% represented the fresh (untoasted) sample.

Here's a breakdown of the sensory weightings:

  • flavour (50%)
  • appearance (20%)
  • aroma (15%)
  • texture (15%)

We recommend traditional and chocolate hot cross buns with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 70% or more, and gluten-free hot cross buns (all varieties) with a score of 60% or more.

Matthew Steen
By Shadia Djakovic
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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

    Price

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    Price is for the pack size specified and bought in Sydney stores in February 2024 (not on special).

    enter value/s in increments of 1 between 3.69 and 19.99

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    Flavour

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    We tested traditional fruit buns and chocolate buns, plus their gluten-free varieties.

      Buns per pack

        Fresh (untoasted) score

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        This score is based on how nice each hot cross bun tasted when fresh (untoasted).

        enter value/s in increments of i between 27 and 72

        Toasted score

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        This score is based on how nice each hot cross bun tasted when toasted.

        enter value/s in increments of i between 32 and 78

        Shop Ethical rating

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        Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of the company (not the product) using independent sources. This rating is not included in our total score. The rating ranks from A (highest) to F (lowest); N/A means there is no rating for that company.

          Included in this review

          Members-only access
          • Brand
          • Model
          • Flavour
          • Recommended
          • CHOICE Expert Rating
          • Taste test score
          • Toasted score
          • Fresh (untoasted) score
          • Nutrition score
          • Taste test notes
          • Health Star Rating
          • Buns per pack
          • Price
          • Price per bun
          • Energy per 100g (kJ)
          • Protein per 100g (g)
          • Fat per 100g (g)
          • Saturated fat per 100g (g)
          • Carbohydrates per 100g (g)
          • Sugars per 100g (g)
          • Fibre per 100g (g)
          • Sodium per 100g (mg)
          • Percentage of chocolate
          • Percentage of fruit
          • Good to know
          • Ingredients
          • Shop Ethical rating
          • Percentage of Australian ingredients
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