Supermarket hot cross buns ‘as good as M&S’ — but they’re more than £1 cheaper

Marks & Spencer has long been the go-to for scrumptious hot cross buns, am I right?

The retailer has been selling the seasonal treat for more than 50 years, so it’s fair to say they know what they’re doing.

However, a pack of four from the M&S Foodhall doesn’t come cheap, priced at £2.50 for the Luxury Fruited ones, which works out at around 63p per bun.

But according to the results of a recent taste test, there’s another own-brand bun out there that rivals this premium option.

The consumer champions at Which conducted a blind taste test featuring hot cross buns from the UK’s top supermarkets, and Asda’s wowed the panel.

Which supermarket own-brand hot cross buns are the best?

As part of the taste test, 75 hot cross bun lovers tried products from 10 different retailers, ranking them on everything from flavour, aroma, appearance, and texture.

Asda’s Exceptional Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns were the winners, coming in joint first place with M&S. 

Asda’s buns were praised for having the ‘most appetising’ appearance of all the buns tested, and those who tried them found them to be ‘deliciously sweet’.

According to reviewers, the amount of fruit they had, as well as the texture and flavour, was ‘spot on’.

All of this led to the buns garnering an overall score of 77%, which was the same score the panel gave to M&S.

However, it’s worth noting that Asda’s hot cross buns are more than £1 cheaper than M&S’s, costing £1.40 for a pack of four, making them just 35p each.  

Because of this, Which proclaimed Asda’s Exceptional buns a Best Buy and ‘Great Value’

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M&S also has several weird and wonderful hot cross bun flavours…

As well as its classic hot cross buns, M&S also offers shoppers a wide variety of flavoured ones.

This year, the retailer introduced new Red Velvet-filled ones, as well as Tiramisu Buns, and new gluten-free options.

The Red Velvet feature a vivid red dough enriched with cocoa powder, with Belgian dark chocolate chips and a smooth white chocolate filling. They’ll cost £3 for a packet of four, and M&S recommends eating them ‘straight from the pack like a doughnut’.

Joining the Made Without Wheat range, there are Apple & Brown Sugar ones, priced at £2.80 for four. The product description reads: ‘Packed full of juicy fruit, soaked in orange juice, candied apple, and a unique spice blend.’

Finally, the Tiramisu buns have a coffee-infused dough, enriched with mascarpone and studded with Belgian dark chocolate chips.

In addition to the new flavours, the Extremely Lemony Curd Filled Hot Cross Buns are back, with candied Sicilian lemon peel, and a zingly lemon curd filling made with Sicilian lemon juice and oil.

These were a huge hit in 2025, being hailed as ‘unreal’ and an absolute ‘game-changer’ by shoppers.

Heat to Eat Cinn-A-Yum Buns are also available again, which are ‘soft and sweet cinnamon buns, enriched with butter and finished with a drizzle of white icing and cinnamon sugar’.

There are also classic Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns (regular and mini size), Collection Two Fruited Hot Cross Buns, Granny Smith Apple Buns, Extremely Cheesy Buns, Extremely Chocolatey Buns, Millionaire’s Mini Hot Cross Buns, and the regular Made Without Buns.

Following behind M&S and Asda, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fruity Hot Cross Buns (£2 for four) scored highly with 75%.

These were found to have a ‘soft texture’ and ‘just the right amount of sweetness’, but they lost points as people who tried them wanted a ‘touch more spice’.

Next came the Tesco Finest Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns (£2), which were said to be soft and contain a ‘good amount of fruit’. They scored 73% but lost marks for a lack of spice and sweetness.

Iceland’s Luxury Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns (£1.80), Lidl’s Deluxe Hot Cross Buns (£1.49) and Morrisons’ The Best Extra Fruit Hot Cross Buns (£1.80) all scored 71%.

While Aldi’s Specially Selected Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns (£1.49), Co-op’s Irresistible Richly Fruited Luxury Hot Cross Buns (£2) and Waitrose’s Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns (£2) were at the lower end of the rankings.

Aldi and Co-op both scored 70%, while Waitrose was given the lowest score of 68%.

The latter failed to wow the panel as the spices were ‘too weak’ and the buns were ‘dry’. Many of those involved also claimed they ‘weren’t sweet enough’ and ‘needed more fruit’.

Natalie Hitchins, head of home products and services at Which, said: ‘Whether you’re a traditionalist who sticks to a toasted classic slathered in butter or a rebel planning to serve up a hot cross bun fry-up this Easter, our latest taste tests show you don’t need to head to a luxury grocer to get the best bake.

‘Asda has pulled off a real cracker this year, matching M&S for flavour and texture while coming in at a significantly lower price point.

‘It’s proof that shoppers can still enjoy a premium Easter treat without the premium price tag.’

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