Lidl has long been a favourite of mine because it does exactly what it says on the tin: “Big on Quality, Lidl on Price.” While some of the fruit and veg items lack longevity, Lidl remains a reliable favourite—even with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Aldi just as close to my house.
Part of the weekly shop includes a browse of the bakery aisle for fresh bread and to pick up croissants for a weekend treat -particularly when Lidl Plus rewards me with a free item. Part of the appeal is the texture: crisp and flaky on the outside but pillowy soft inside. One buttery crescent alongside a bowl of Greek yoghurt, fruit and seeds is a small luxury on a sunny Sunday morning. But there is one snag: I often buy the croissants a day or two before eating them. Reheating them in my air fryer—even with a careful splash of water—never restores the just-baked magic; the outside turns a little leathery and the middle loses its cloud-like softness.
In fairness, an air fryer is a countertop convection oven, great at crisping, but no time machine for delicate laminated dough. I tried different temperatures and timings, but nothing matched the texture of fresh croissants.
Everything changed when I found the long-life croissants tucked away in the frozen aisle, because suddenly I could have fresh-baked pastry on demand—and you can’t beat that aroma.
They look small in the tray but bake up to something close to a full-sized bakery croissant, without a last-minute trip to the supermarket.
The result is golden, shatteringly flaky croissants with all the appeal of bakery ones, plus the bonus of price—an All Butter Croissant from the Lidl bakery is typically 59p, while frozen works out to about 35p each (£2.79 for 8), making the frozen option significantly cheaper per item.
The frozen croissants are easy to bake, given that the packaging includes both oven and air-fryer instructions. I’ve got an air fryer oven rather than a basket, so I go off-script: 180C, no preheat, middle shelf, 18 minutes.
Fellow croissant connoisseurs will be pleased to know that there is no difference in taste. The two baked products taste identical, though the frozen versions take the edge on freshness and texture.
When the listed ingredients for the fresh and frozen croissants are compared, the only clear difference is the addition of whey powder in the fresh bakery ones.
Surprisingly, the frozen version has a fairly basic list of ingredients, with no mention of vegetable oils or emulsifiers. The fresh croissants do list emulsifiers as an ingredient, correct of January 2024.
It’s not just croissants that come in frozen form, either. Shoppers can buy pain au chocolat for the same price as an 8-pack of croissants (£2.79).
Of course, Lidl isn’t alone in its fresh bakery offering. Several other retailers also sell fresh pastries.
For individual bakery items, Lidl beats all of the supermarkets on price:
Tesco
- Single All Butter Croissant: £1.20
- 2-pack: £1.75 (£0.88 each)
- 6-pack (Family Pack): £2.50 (£0.42 each)
- 8-pack: £2.25 (£0.28 each)
Sainsbury’s
- 2-pack: £1.75 (£0.88 each)
Asda
- 4-pack: £1.44 (£0.36 each)
- 10-pack: £2.72 (£0.27 each)
Morrisons
- 8-pack: £2.25 (£0.28 each)
Waitrose
- Single All Butter Croissant: £1.30
- 8-pack: £4.75 (£0.59 each)
Lidl
Single All Butter Croissant: £0.59