The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
You probably know that Costco's croissants are a popular product if you shop at the wholesale retailer.
Well, I compared the baked goods to grocery store versions at Walmart and Loblaws.
Canadians recently said that Kirkland Signature croissants are products you should always buy at Costco. But a few people said you shouldn't spend your money on the baked goods.
So, I decided to try the Costco product and compare it to versions from grocery stores in Canada.
Here's what I think of croissants from Costco Canada, Walmart Canada and Loblaws Canada, along with a ranking of which retailer is the best.
Costco croissants
Costco croissant.
This croissant from Costco is so light with pockets of air throughout the centre.
But despite the golden brown colour of the baked good, there isn't much flakiness like I expect from a croissant.
There is a slight buttery flavour, but not much taste to this croissant.
It's really big, almost too much to eat. Costco's Kirkland Signature croissants only come in a 12-pack, which is also too much. So, that's a minus, in my opinion.
Size: 825-gram pack of 12 croissants
Price: $7.99 ($0.66 per croissant and $0.96 per 100 grams)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Walmart croissants
Walmart croissant.
Walmart croissants, which are sold under the store's Your Fresh Market brand, are really dense but still a bit light.
There isn't as much airiness inside as you expect for a croissant, and just a bit of crunchy flakiness from the bake on the outside.
In my opinion, this croissant is really flavourful with a buttery and salty taste.
It's a bit small, though, the smallest of these croissants. So, it doesn't get a perfect score because of that.
Size: 270-gram pack of six croissants
Price: $4.24 ($0.70 per croissant and $1.57 per 100 grams)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Loblaws croissants
Loblaws croissant.
This croissant from Loblaws is crunchy and flaky outside but light and airy inside.
It's a bit dense, but there's still a lot of airiness. Basically, it's a balance between the denseness of Walmart's croissants and the airiness of Costco's croissants.
There is a buttery and salty taste, but it's not as flavourful as it could be, in my opinion.
It's a good size, though. Like with the texture, it's in between the Walmart and Costco products. So, that's a plus for me.
Size: 330-gram pack of six croissants
Price: $4.99 ($0.83 per croissant and $1.51 per 100 grams)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
RANKING
Walmart, Loblaws and Costco croissants.
In my opinion, all of these croissants are pretty tasty, considering they're grocery store baked goods and not from a pâtisserie.
But after tasting and comparing the three baked goods, there is a clear winner and a clear loser.
So, here's my ranking of croissants from Costco, Walmart and Loblaws stores in Canada:
- Walmart
- Loblaws
- Costco
Now, I don't think the Costco croissants are bad, even though I ranked them in last place.
I do like the Costco croissants, but when compared to the grocery store versions, the baked goods don't have much flavour.
Despite Costco being the cheapest product both per croissant and per 100 grams, there are just too many in the pack because each croissant is quite big.
In my opinion, it's not worth buying again.
Walmart croissants have the best flavour, which earned it the top spot, but the Loblaws baked goods are a really close second.
I think I'll buy the Walmart croissants again whenever I'm at the retailer, even though it's the most expensive per 100 grams.
Since I shop at a Loblaw-owned grocery store each week, I just might have to add these croissants to my grocery list!
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.