By Vanessa Pratley
Investigative Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakatewhatewha
We blind taste tested 10 hot cross buns to crown the best and the worst traditional and chocolate buns.
It’s not Easter without hot cross buns, but with so much variety, how are you meant to pick the best? We’ve done the hard yards for you, sorting the ‘just right’ from the ‘under-spiced’.
We tasted a range of traditional spiced hot cross buns, as well as chocolate hot cross buns. There was one wild card bun thrown in the mix for good measure. We bought buns from all the major supermarkets, then asked tasters to rank them on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 1 being dreadful and 5 being delicious).
Tasters could eat buns plain or with a spread of butter or margarine.
A spokesperson for Woolworths said more than 80% of its store bakeries made their hot cross buns fresh every day. Each in-store bakery uses the same recipe. We purchased our buns from Woolworths Upper Hutt. Most New World and Pak’nSave buns are also baked in-store. A Foodstuffs spokesperson said while each supermarket had the same base recipe, buns will vary from store to store. We purchased our buns from Pak’nSave Lower Hutt and New World Thorndon in Wellington.
Traditional hot cross buns
Worst equal: Pak’nSave, pack of 8 for $5.99
This hot cross bun came in worst equal, with a score of 2.2/5. Although it looked OK, it had a strange aftertaste, not enough fruit and was quite dry. Ultimately, our tasters thought it lacked flavour, which is an important feature of a hot cross bun. It was one of the cheapest buns in our taste test, at just 75¢ per bun. Despite the attractive price tag, we would avoid this bun.
Tasters' comments
“Not enough flavour.”
“Only found two raisins.”
“Weird aftertaste.”
Worst equal: Yarrows, pack of 9 for $5.99
Yarrows’ traditional hot cross bun earned a score of 2.2/5, making it one of our worst-rated buns. This bun’s middle-of-the-road ranking reflected its strange appearance, with one taster describing it as “anaemic”, and another saying the bun looked like cheap white bread. Our tasters used words like bland, plain and boring to describe the taste of this hot cross bun. At just 67¢ per bun, it was the cheapest in our test, though they were described as “mini”.
Tasters’ comments
“Weird, bitter bite.”
“Not enough spice for me.”
“Why bother?”
3rd: Coupland’s, pack of 6 for $5.50
Coupland’s traditional hot cross bun didn’t find much favour with our tasters. It scored 2.3/5, narrowly missing out on a place among the worst buns. Tasters thought the cross looked painted on, and the flavour lacked the nuance required of a good hot cross bun. While many agreed the bun was soft, one said it tasted like a multi-purpose cleaner. Coupland’s cost 92¢ per bun.
Tasters' comments
“Minimally spiced.”
“Bitter taste.”
“Pretty average.”
2nd: Woolworths, pack of 6 for $6.80
Woolworths’ traditional hot cross bun came second in our tasting. It scored above average, earning 3.4/5. The bun had a good spice level and looked pretty attractive, with a shiny glaze on top. The fruit proved divisive, however, with some tasters questioning why it was crunchy, and others enjoying the texture. This brand was on the pricier side, at $1.13 per bun.
Tasters' comments
“Good hint of spice.”
“Very delicious.”
“Tastes like Woolworths’ ones.”
Best: New World, pack of 6 for $8.99
The best traditional hot cross bun in Aotearoa is New World’s. At least, according to our tasters, it is. Our tasters gave this bun a high score of 4.2/5. Not only was it packed with fruit, but it was also well spiced, not too dense and looked beautiful. It seems that, when it comes to traditional hot cross buns, the more you spend, the better the flavour, as this bun was also our most expensive at $1.50 per bun.
Tasters’ comments
“Looks like the posh ones.”
“Dark and sexy for a hot cross bun.”
“Great spice levels and lots of fruit.”
Chocolate hot cross buns
Worst: Yarrows, pack of 6 for $6.50
The worst chocolate hot cross bun in New Zealand is Yarrows’. It scored just 1.9/5, and tasters said, for a chocolate bun, it didn’t taste at all of chocolate. Many tasters said it was dry on the inside and looked confusingly identical to a traditional bun.
If you’re after a chocolate hot cross bun, we wouldn’t recommend this one, but if you dare to try, it’ll cost you $1.08 per bun.
Tasters’ comments
“The driest bun I’ve tried.”
“Yuck, the worst.”
“Although the chocolate is nice, the bun itself has no flavour.”
3rd: Pak’nSave, pack of 6 for $4.99
In third place was Pak’nSave’s chocolate hot cross bun, with a score of 2.7/5. This bun seemed to allude tasters’ senses, with several unable to tell that it was chocolate flavoured, instead calling it a decent traditional bun. Its cross went a bit awry, not coming up very clear or even on top of the bun. Where there was a cross, tasters said it was hard, chewy and unswallowable. This bun was the cheapest chocolate hot cross bun in our taste test, at 83¢ per bun.
Tasters’ comments
“Pretty ugly. The piping had no dignity.”
“Worst aftertaste of them all.”
“Could perhaps do with a bit of spice.”
2nd: Woolworths, pack of 6 for $6.80
Runner-up in the traditional category, Woolworths’ chocolate hot cross bun also came second. Our tasters said this bun was soft and not too dry, with a decent chocolate flavour. Like its traditional counterpart, this bun also had a very glossy top. Some tasters loved this, while others thought it made the bun look unappealing. This cost $1.13 per bun and scored 3.1/5.
Tasters’ comments
“Quite delicious flavour.”
“Surprisingly enjoyable.”
“Plain, too plain.”
Best: New World, pack of 6 for $8.99
The best chocolate hot cross bun for 2025 is New World’s. With a deep brown colour and rich chocolatey flavour, our tasters kept coming back for more. This bun was awarded a comparatively low score of 3.3/5, nearly a whole point less than its traditional counterpart. It’s likely the lower score reflected the general opinion of our tasters that chocolate doesn’t really belong in a hot cross bun. Despite this view, tasters described this bun as appealing, moist and decadent while not being overpowering.
If you’re after a chocolate hot cross bun that looks and tastes great, we recommend this one. It is one of the most expensive in our taste test, however, at $1.50 per bun.
Tasters’ comments
“Kinda good even if chocolate cross buns are wrong.”
“Dark and handsome!”
“The perfect chewy and bouncy texture.”
Wild card bun
Yarrows cinnamon jam donut hot cross bun, pack of 4 for $5.99
You’ll find a range of new-fangled flavours of hot cross bun in supermarkets these days. From Biscoff and peanut butter to apple and crème brûlée, the combinations stray further from tradition with each passing year. We decided to try one, Yarrows’ jam donut hot cross bun. Our verdict? Don’t bother.
Not only did this hot cross bun look unappealing, but the taste was even worse. According to our tasters, the jam missed the mark, and they described the bun as old and gluggy. Overall, tasters thought the bun was dry with way too much going on inside.
This bun tied with Yarrows’ chocolate hot cross bun as the worst-scoring bun in the entire taste test, with a pitiful score of 1.9/5. They also tied with New World for the most expensive, at $1.50 per bun.
Tasters’ comments
“Worst jam ever.”
“No. Just no!”
“May these hot cross buns never cross my path again.”
