Best-Rated Hot Cross Buns

See Our Ratings Methodology.

Most Satisfied Customers | Coles

Aussies have rated Coles as the top brand in Canstar Blue’s latest hot cross buns ratings, with the brand rated five stars for taste, variety & range, freshness, texture, packaging convenience and overall satisfaction.

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How we rate hot cross buns

Our review compares hot cross buns on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which hot cross buns they think is best!


Canstar Blue surveyed 1,724 Australians for their feedback on the supermarket branded hot cross buns they’ve purchased and consumed in the last three months.

  • The outcomes reported in these ratings are measured via accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics.


Respondents rate their satisfaction with their hot cross buns brand(s) from zero to ten, where zero is extremely dissatisfied and ten is extremely satisfied. Brand satisfaction was rated by respondents on the following criteria:
  • Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a hot cross buns brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria.
  • Value for money: the cost is reasonable for the quality and quantity of the hot cross buns.
  • Taste: the hot cross buns tasted authentic and matched the flavour description on the packaging.
  • Variety & range: the hot cross bun brand offered a variety of product options.
  • Freshness: the hot cross bun tasted and smelled fresh (i.e. wasn’t stale when purchased).
  • Texture: the hot cross bun was rich and had the expected consistency.
  • Packaging convenience: the hot cross bun packaging made it easy to open and store.

The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.

  • Overall satisfaction is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of all criteria.
  • When we cannot determine a clear winner from the criteria for the Overall satisfaction rating, we will then look at the other criteria measured in the rating.
    • The brand with the highest number of five-star ratings within the supporting criteria will become the five-star recipient in overall satisfaction, and thus win the award. If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared.

Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

  • Coles
  • Woolworths
  • IGA
  • ALDI
  • Foodland
  • Costco

Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.


Top Supermarket Hot Cross Bun Brand – Coles

Coles Hot Cross Buns

Stocking plenty of Easter goodies, Coles has a range of hot cross buns available, including fruit free, traditional fruit, chocolate, gluten-free, jalapeno & cheese, apple & cinnamon, raspberry & white chocolate, salted caramel and mini fruit buns available across Coles stores during the Easter months. Most are available in packs of six, with some special flavours are available in packs of three or four, meaning there’s not as many to share (if you were going to share in the first place!).

  • Coles was rated five stars for taste, variety & range, freshness, texture, packaging convenience and overall satisfaction, with four stars for value for money.

Australia’s favourite type of hot cross buns

We like big (hot cross) buns and we cannot lie, but which flavour is Australia’s favourite? Here’s what our survey respondents picked:

  • Traditional (with fruit): 54%
  • Chocolate: 25%
  • Apple and cinnamon: 9%
  • Fruitless: 8%
  • Coffee or mocha: 2%
  • Other flavours: 1%

While there are plenty of new and exciting flavours that supermarkets are trying out, it seems nothing can beat the classic. Here are some other fun facts we found out.

Are hot cross buns sold too early in supermarkets?

It’s the annual debate among shoppers when some say it’s too early for supermarkets to start selling hot cross buns in December and January (months before Easter, even from Boxing Day!) and others hit the stores as soon as they’re available. Our survey found:

  • 31% of shoppers think supermarkets sell hot cross buns too early
  • 27% bought hot cross buns as soon as they were available
  • 33% wish they were available to buy all year round

This controversy also appears to divide the generations. Two in five respondents (43%) aged 60-69 believe that supermarkets sell hot cross buns too early in the year, while only 18% of younger Aussies (aged 18 to 29) agree with that sentiment. However, 39% of young respondents aged under 30 said supermarkets should make hot cross buns available all year round.

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About our consumer experts


Dean Heckscher: Site Editor

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.

 

Meet the Editorial Team

 

Samantha Howse: Consumer Research Specialist

Sam Howse Research Specialist

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.

 

Meet the Research Team

Past Ratings

Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s hot cross buns ratings:

  • 2022: ALDI
  • 2021: Coles
  • 2020: Coles
  • 2019: Costco

 

 

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