7 Store-Bought Chocolate Croissants, Ranked Worst To Best

I've always been a butter croissant girl. Yes, I know there are an array of sweet versions of this iconic pastry, as there are many foods you can stuff inside a croissant, but they never called to me. Until my last backpacking trip across Europe. I found myself with friends at a pastry shop in Amsterdam, and after one bite of the viral crookie from Lourens, boy, did my opinion quickly change. While I can't fly back to get this sweet treat anytime soon, I can head to my local grocery store to find something to quell my sweet tooth. After analyzing the options for butter croissants, I decided to go the sweet route and do the same for store-bought chocolate croissants.

I found seven contenders to see if there were any possible options to satiate my need for a morning sweet treat. I have to say, there were some big surprises on this list that I will be purchasing again. Let's take a look at the top brands to see which chocolate croissants are worth the buy and which are an utter disappointment. If a sweet treat doesn't make you smile, find another.

For this taste test, I researched store-bought chocolate croissant options online and formulated a plan of action. I scoured the shelves of the top chain stores, like Aldi and Walmart, to ensure I found a solid sampling.

When it was time to taste test, I put each croissant in the microwave for no more than 10 seconds. Who wants a cold croissant? My assessment focused on the texture and taste of the croissant, along with the flavor profile of the chocolate interior. And, yes, the chocolate filling-to-croissant size ratio did play a part.

My first point of contention with 7 Days soft baked croissants is that the box contained six croissants and not seven. Seven croissants? Seven days of the week? I feel like this was a big miss for the brand, but it wasn't the reason they came in last place. 

Right off the bat, you can see the packaging image and the actual croissant did not match. There was not an overwhelming amount of chocolate flowing out of this croissant, but I will say, there was a lot in there — more than meets the eye from my picture. However, the chocolate was very milky and far too sweet. It tasted wildly processed with little natural cocoa to be found. What's more was the texture. As you can see from the picture, the inside of the "croissant" was literally bread. There was a light flakiness to the outside layer, but the inside felt and tasted like bakery bread. Don't look for lamentation here. 

Taste and texture both failed my assessment, which meant 7 Days had no shot for a higher placement. These were also hard to find, which meant I ended up purchasing them on Amazon — something I will never do again. With no positives to report, 7 Days earned its last place spot. This is definitely a food you should avoid.

Aldi has a cult-like following when it comes to its snacks, so I was surprised at how low I placed the store's chocolate croissants. The L'oven Fresh brand didn't hit the mark on this one, as taste and texture both had some low points.

Something was off about this croissant. While it didn't taste synthetic or processed, it didn't taste like a croissant. It's wild because there were layers on the inside that were laminated and moist, but the bread smell translated to the taste. This didn't give off croissant vibes in the flavor profile, with no notes of salt or butter to be found.

What I did like was the fact that the chocolate-to-bread ratio was solid. You got chocolate in every bite, and that chocolate was dark and rich. It was the tastiest part of the bite. I also loved the fact that each croissant is individually wrapped for on-the-go freshness. Be that as it may, these chocolate croissants were lackluster and didn't check all the boxes.

My 5th place pick was also disappointing, as Trader Joe's typically offers an incredible selection of snacks and bakery items. For me, its' chocolate croissants missed the mark, too. 

I really wanted to like these croissants, but every time I found a positive, a glaring negative stood in my way. For example, I loved how big these croissants were compared to most on the list, but this was another option where the croissant was more bread than pastry. While the chocolate was decent — sweet and milky — it wasn't a standout and couldn't overpower some weird unnatural flavors within each bite. Was it the dough? Was it the chocolate? I couldn't figure it out. 

I appreciated the fact that for such a large croissant, the chocolate ratio was almost perfect. However, that off-putting taste pushed these lower down the list. Plus, you only get two in each package. The only reason they made it to 5th is because they were more croissant leaning than the others. Don't judge a book by its cover here; these croissants look better than they taste, but apparently the Trader Joe's frozen chocolate croissants are a win. You'll have to be the judge of that.

Some days, Walmart truly surprises me, and today was one of those days. The Marketside brand offers a decent croissant; better than some of the bigger name brand items on this list.

The first thing I noticed was the chocolate-to-croissant ratio. For a mini croissant, they did not hold back on the quantity of chocolate inside. And, that chocolate itself was rich, sweet, and tasty. No notes there.

The reason Marketside didn't break into the top three was based on another oddity. While the dough tasted fine (quite neutral without forward-facing butter or salty notes) there was an off-putting smell to it. It was something I couldn't place, but it was unnatural for sure, just like Trader Joe's. I did go back in for another bite, and it was far more pleasant than TJ's. Therefore, Walmart slid ahead in the race, but I wouldn't buy either again if you asked me to.

Taking third place is Whole Foods with the freshest chocolate croissant thus far. These pastry items actually smelled like they were purchased at a local bakery. This one simple fact gave me a lot of hope.

While I was concerned about the chocolate ratio from the outside appearance, there is more than meets the eye inside. However, there were quite a lot of air pockets and hollow spots on the inside which took away from some of my bites. This wasn't the best lamination job, but at least some layers were present. 

The chocolate was nice and balanced. It wasn't too sweet or bitter, and it did fill out some of the hollow spaces. But, the winning aspect here was the croissant flavor. This was the first bite of the bunch where I could actually taste light notes of butter and salt. However, I wasn't impressed, especially since these four croissants cost almost $8. These chocolate croissants were good, but they weren't great.

Before this taste test, I had a theory about which croissants would take the top spots. When it comes to La Boulangère, I was totally right. You can find this brand everywhere, from Costco to Walmart, and it's clear why. At Costco, you can get a pack of these sweet treats for under $10. These are some darn good store-bought croissants.

The croissant had limited flakiness on the outside, but the inside layers shined. You'll find just the right amount of chocolate that's sweet and rich. Out of every brand, this is the one with the most chocolate by far. Every bite was great — no notes on ratio.

While the experience as such was positive, and I would totally buy these again, the reason they stayed in second place was due to flavor profile. While there was nothing off-putting in the dough, I didn't find those same notes of butter and salt that I'd hoped. This is a solid chocolate croissant, but there is one more brand that truly steals the show.

This first place winner truly came out of no where. If I had to guess where Target's Favorite Day brand ranked before I started, first place would not be it. This is the only croissant on the list that was frozen, which meant you had to cook them up yourself. You also have to proof these for at least nine hours, so buyer beware.

However, the wait is truly worth it once you take these out of the oven. These large and fluffy croissants have a solid, buttery flavor profile, and the chocolate ratio for such a big croissant was great. The chocolate was rich and deep, and I honestly appreciated the fact this option wasn't as milky as some of the others. The dark chocolate notes complemented the butter well, offering a stellar bite that made me want to keep eating.

While I was not sold on a frozen option, Favorite Day made me eat my words and then eat every croissant in the box. These croissants were fresh, tasted great, and offered the closest thing to bakery status out of the bunch. Eat them fresh out of the oven and enjoy with your morning coffee. Pro tip: Cut one in half and add a scoop of ice cream. You won't be sorry you did.