10 Popular Chain Grocery Store Croissants, Ranked

We owe the French a world of thanks for all the culinary delights and dishes that they have gifted us. Seriously, those guys know what they're doing. They have nearly every category of fare locked down, but their baked goods stand out among the rest. Here is where you'll find the humble baguette, along with other French breads, countless sweet macarons, and crowd-pleasing pastries like the iconic croissant.

In French, the word "croissant" translates to "crescent," a nod to the pastry's shape. Though, today's croissants can chameleon into a variety of forms, not to mention into a variety of different dishes. A savory sandwich topping pairs just as well with croissants as a fruity jam, rich mascarpone, or infusion of decadent chocolate. Perhaps this versatility is why we Americans have taken such a liking to the flaky treats and why many major grocery store chains have baked up their own renditions.

I do hate to burst your bubble, but these store-bought croissants aren't quite the same as those baked fresh at a Parisian boulangerie or expertly made at home. With the help of in-store bakeries, though, some Americanized offerings do come remarkably close. I intended to sniff out the most satisfying and delicious replica available right here in the States. My criteria? A great airy structure, a buttery flavor that trumps any doughy or yeasty notes, and an overall authentic croissant experience. After all, who wouldn't want to bring a little taste of Paris home?

Target's bakery section is quite compact. Blink and you might miss it tucked among the fresh produce and other ready-made eats. But despite its size, the department doesn't deprive shoppers of buttery croissants. The pastries, a Favorite Day specialty, come in a standard size and in mini-fied versions. I had every intention of reaching for the heavyweights, but walked away with the minis in tow. Honestly, I was happy to get my hands on them at all after striking out completely at the first Target I visited. It also boded well for croissant experimentation, since this pint-sized variety can go head-to-head with the full-sized ones.

Now, I must admit, I typically back mini food. It's like a recurring David and Goliath story of the food realm where David triumphs every time. However, these Target croissants are no David. It's not necessarily their size that's the issue, though I don't believe it helps any. They have the most artificial taste of the bunch and aren't winning any awards for freshness or authenticity. I'm afraid the French would scoff at this take on their prized puff pastry.

What they're most reminiscent of is a Pillsbury crescent roll that's been left out for a day or so. They lack the lightness, fluff, and addictiveness of a Pillsbury crescent roll and their stale-adjacent demeanor had me missing that scary, yet enticing, pop of the dough-filled, cylindrical canister.

Giant Eagle is a regional grocery store chain with locations in a few Eastern and Midwest states. Here in my home state of Ohio, though, we just think of it as a local treasure. The market is second to none in terms of atmosphere, product diversity, selection, and fresh-made foods — a category which, of course, includes the goodies it churns out of its in-house bakery. When I need a cake for a friend's birthday, in Giant Eagle I trust, and I'll never skip over its artisanal bagels. It's safe to say I have high expectations for the brand — expectations that the store's large butter croissants failed to meet.

They fit the bill looks-wise; each has a pinched circle shape and comes in a medium size. One sizeable bite into the pastry, though, shatters those quintessential croissant dreams. This baked rendition would find a better home among the dinner rolls. It leads first with that strong, distinctly yeasty presence and allows any sort of butter flavor to slip through the cracks. The texture aligns with this designation as well; it's more dense than airy and with no flakiness in sight. I don't find them distasteful — I love dinner rolls as much as the next person — but I simply can't bring myself to rate them as a quality, bona fide croissant.

You could stand on your tip toes and see every bit of an Aldi store at once — it's like the Great Plains of groceries. What you won't see at most locations as you survey, though, are lines of ovens and bakers hard at work kneading dough. Some locations may still house bake shops, but that feature is rare. Instead, most baked goods and confections arrive at the supermarket pre-made. It's an approach that doesn't necessarily compromise quality and freshness, but it certainly puts it into question.

At least Aldi offers multiple options to make up for its other boulangerie shortcomings. Shoppers can find croissants from the store's private Bake Shop brand and its premium Specially Selected brand on the shelves. The latter gives off an air of superiority and decadence, dressed in all-black labeling, yet the pastries still taste like something bought at a discount grocery store. Despite the croissant's all-butter designation, their flavor is not significantly butter-forward. Alternatively, their dark-colored skin emits a deeply-baked tang that doesn't necessarily taste burnt, but teeters on that line. The consistency is soft on the inside and squishy-yet-concentrated on the outside. I imagine if you slice one of the croissants in half to pile on a juicy scoop of chicken salad or to slather it with a hazelnut spread or marmalade, it would be quite appetizing. For me, though, they don't land in the tasty-enough-to-savor-by-themselves category.

After chewing on both options, I'm unsure why Aldi offers two different croissant styles as they taste almost exactly the same. The Bake Shop iterations are lighter in color, their packaging lacks the same luxury feel, and they don't boast an all-butter foundation. However, they are the same size the other Aldi croissants and come in a matching rounded, pinched-ended configuration. They also mimic the Specially Selected croissants' subdued, washed-out flavor and chewier nucleus. Sure, each one is layered, but that coveted honeycomb structure and crispy outer crust is missing.

If you do find yourself waffling between these two Aldi boxes, my recommendation would be to go with Bake Shop simply to save yourself a dollar. Just remember, you get what you pay for no matter which croissant you choose to add to your cart. In my opinion, the fact that neither of these affordable options is made in-store largely affects their overall flavor and quality. The longer a fragile pastry like a croissant sits stagnant out of the oven, the less appealing it becomes. Freshness is of the utmost importance in this ranking — something that many Aldi locations simply can't offer its deal-loving, quarter-yielding customers.

Private Selection is to Kroger what Specially Selected is to Aldi: a deluxe private label brand. I knew from the jump that these croissants would have an advantage over the German grocery chain's products, given the fact that they are fresh baked at Kroger. Though, I started to think again once I caught a glimpse of the product's online reviews and abysmal 1.28 out of 5 star rating on its website.

The dough rounds are undeniably firm to the touch. They have an over-baked bottom, which was evident by the small charred areas. A faint cheese smell also caught me off guard — I wouldn't be surprised if they had been saddled up next to an asiago bagel at one point in the bakery. The flavor, though, is predominately buttery, which is made obvious by the interior skin's deep yellow hue. Without this deep butter essence, any layers of complexity or tastefulness would surely dissipate. 

However, I don't believe these croissants deserve the vitriol spewed their way. The pastries are not greasy, brittle, or hard as a rock as reviewers have so adamantly insisted and blamed on a new recipe. Kroger's offering is simply a croissant selection bathed in mediocrity — nothing more and nothing less.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, no, I are not discussing Trader Joe's trio of beloved frozen croissants — including the chocolate, almond, and mini installations. Like it or not, I'm skipping a step and springing right to ready-to-eat croissants from the market, which can be found breaking bread with the store's other pre-made loaves, buns, and off-the-shelf pastries.

Now, I'm fully on board with the sentiment that most things Trader Joe's touches turns to gold (there truly is something in the water over there). But, these butter croissants don't quite live up to the store's soaring standards. My first impression was that they are behemoths of the baked goods world, like a eat-half-and-wrap-up-the-rest-for-later kind of size — and trust me, that's not something I do often. Butter is evident on the outside, though the inside is more humdrum, packed thick with bands upon bands of dehydrated dough. It took more than a few chews to get through each sizeable mouthful.

The colossal croissants do come at a reasonable price given their bulk. If you have the time and can fight that instant gratification urge, though, the frozen TJ's croissants are substantially more likely to satisfy your confection cravings — especially the sweet flavor options that shoppers seem to have an insatiable hunger for.

If you're particular about your croissant's structure and have a hard opinion on the straight-versus-curved debate, then head to Walmart; its Marketside creations can be purchased in both forms. I elected for linear of the two, but don't worry — the two are made with the exact same ingredients. Yes, I stood in the store's bakery section and examined the packaging label on each, word for word.

Like most croissants on the list, these are all-butter, yet they also possess a level and welcome sweetness that not many others could manage. The texture leans towards puffed up, but doesn't quite achieve that unbelievably feathery and flaky consistency of a French-made croissant. The packaging does relay that they are best served warm. I think this would be true of most croissants, but I humored the brand anyway and threw them into the oven for just a few minutes. They came out a touch more spongy, but there wasn't a significant elevation in their taste.

One thing you can often count on with Walmart's products is an unbeatable price, but that's not necessarily the case here. The croissants are not part of the Great Value line, so they don't exactly present a great value — go figure. You can expect to pay just about the same amount per volume as you would anywhere else.

I gravitated toward the look of these croissants from the start. A wholesome-looking product from Whole Foods, imagine that. They come in a golden shade and a Goldilocks size smack dab in between too small, like Target's tiny morsels, and too large, like Trader Joe's titans. They're also the first to truly nail that archetypal croissant makeup, at least on the inside — I'm still holding out for just a hint of crisp, peel-able flake. A network of dough and air bubbles creates caves inside of the croissants. The result is a light, almost creamy core.

Flavorwise, butter makes an appearance, yet it isn't blatantly obvious. A bit of focus is required to detect its distinctive presence. With butter laying low, the taste is more so a neutral bread. It's not necessarily a bad thing in my eyes, as it lets the croissant's composition speak for itself. I also always appreciate it when a bakery product is produced sans any unnecessary ingredients, like corn syrup. There's just the authentic, standard ingredients expected in a buttery, carb-rich pastry like a croissant. 

The lure of Costco's bakery is strong. When you consider everything from its seasonal pies and endless flavored mini cakes to everyday pastries, shoppers never really had a chance, did we? And, one of the most irresistible and widely-adored baked good of all has to be the butter croissants.

These warehouse delicacies are famous among cardholders not only for their price, but also their reliable tastefulness. Each time I've indulged in one of the Costco-sized treats, it's been a more-than-satisfying experience. They greet you with a soft inner web and a heel that does crumble and shred ever so slightly. You won't be left with a pile of pastry shavings to clean up, but there is a certain level of flake, especially if you give the croissants a quick warm up in the oven.

If I were to administer two quick critiques — hopefully without riling up the die-hard Costco bakery fans too much — they would be related to the pastry's well-done edge and heavier demeanor. Each one always seems to be a single degree more bronzed than I would prefer and the thickset dough takes away from their authenticity. Otherwise, they're an eat-by-themselves, gone-in-a-minute kind of croissant. Plus, they're made even better with hacks like adding on a sweet pistachio mixture. 

Fresh Thyme knew what it was doing when it called its own version of the French classic "perfect croissants." At first, I found the name to be rather smug and conceited, but I quickly changed my tune. These baked goods started out strong even from the beginning; they appear like a scaled-down version of Costco's croissants with a sort of glossy finish — and things only got better from there.

Fine layers make up the entire pastry from the inside-out and I could pull razor-thin wafers from the shell, piece by piece. They're lightly buttered and oily in the best way, with yeast undertones. Their delicate and lightweight nature makes them addicting, and yes — nearly perfect. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine eating them outside a bustling French café with a café au lait in one hand and the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the distance.

The only true downside I can see is that Fresh Thyme Markets are a Midwestern thing, so they might not be available for every single croissant lover. But, the croissants just may be worth the trip.

While croissants are simple in concept — flaky, buttery layers wrapped in a golden pastry — they're surprisingly difficult to get just right. And, let's face it, store-bought versions rarely stand up to their freshly baked French counterparts. Still, I was on a mission to find a few gems among these grocery store options.

First, I noted the size and shape of each croissant, though I didn't find that either factor significantly impacted the croissant's flavor or texture. What mattered most was the texture. A croissant should be crisp and flaky on the outside, with a soft, airy interior that's almost creamy. A butter flavor is also key; it should be rich and distinct, not overwhelmed by yeasty or doughy notes (I'm looking at you, Giant Eagle).

For each pastry, I looked for a balance of these qualities and gave extra credit to those that achieved a light, multilayered structure and a satisfying crunch. Some croissants, like those from Fresh Thyme Market, came close to perfection, with delicate layers that made me forget that I wasn't sitting at a Parisian café. Others, like Target's mini croissants, missed the mark entirely, falling so flat and dry that shoppers would be better off skipping them entirely.