The Best Hot Cross Buns In Auckland For Easter 2024

These are some of our favourite Auckland hot cross buns this Easter.

Hot cross bun season seems to arrive earlier and earlier every year, and who could blame bakeries for stocking cabinets in February when it’s a highlight of the culinary calendar for some? With Easter on the horizon, the Viva team have been taste-testing some of Auckland’s best hot cross buns, canvassing their fruit and spice levels, texture, aroma and taste, and loading them liberally with butter.

Hot cross buns are subjective, and everyone has a preference when it comes to their favourite, whether they enjoy them toasted or fresh, with orange peel or without, packed with spices or just a touch. Some of us even *hate* raisins, and prefer a chocolate hot cross bun. The best hot cross buns this year came from some newer bakeries incorporating sourdough and locally grown fruits and spices, with the baking process a labour-intensive multi-day event. It’s this attention to detail that proved delicious on the plate.

Here are some of Auckland’s best hot cross buns to try.

Knead On Benson

We are enamoured with Remuera bakery Knead On Benson’s hot cross buns, nicknamed The Big Softie, because of, you guessed it, their light and fluffy texture. Knead On Benson’s hot cross buns are beautifully presented, with six pert buns sitting atop graphic black and white tissue paper and snugly housed in a cardboard box with a sticker declaring them silver medal winners in BIANZ’s The Great NZ Hot Cross Bun Competition for 2024 (Daily Bread won gold). The spicy sweet aroma of these is strong and they don’t require toasting, just a liberal smear of lightly salted butter. Knead says its recipe is inspired by traditional Italian panettone, made with quality New Zealand ingredients like stone ground flour and locally grown citrus fruit. The recipe uses a sourdough starter, with sugar added “to curb any sourness and ensure the right balance of yeasts and bacteria to naturally leaven the dough”. It’s then enriched with free-range eggs and butter, a secret house blend of spices and dried fruit soaked in New Zealand dark rum. The piece de resistance is the jelly-like glaze made with vanilla, rum, citrus and spices.

Tasting notes: “As a general rule, I prefer my hot cross buns toasted (melted butter, caramelised raisins, satisfying crispiness). However, these are so delicate and soft that they demand to be eaten fresh, straight from the box. The glossy glaze is delicious too — adding just enough sweetness to a very cinnamon-y bun.” — Madeleine Crutchley, multimedia journalist

Price: $36 for six.

Beabea’s

One of a new wave of specialty bakeries opening in Auckland, Beabea’s was founded by Ben Eyres and Sarah Tabak, who met while working at Daily Bread and opened their own bakery in Westmere late last year. Known for their pink buns, which take two days to make and feature raspberry buttercream frosting piped onto a fruit bun, their hot cross buns are made using the same process, with a three-day sourdough and “multi-dough process”. “This is normally only reserved for the Italian Christmas bread, panettone. This method gives our buns their signature light, airy texture, despite being packed with butter and egg yolk.” With a spice blend of cinnamon, pimento, cardamom, white pepper (and a few other secret ingredients), Beabea’s is aiming “for a comforting warmth not a punch in the face”. The fruit is South African sultanas and house-made orange peel (apparently a labour of love to make), soaked to perfection and the glaze is a mix of Honest rum and tart apple, which provides “a touch of brightness we are pretty happy with,” say Ben and Sarah.

Tasting notes: “The texture of these buns is beyond the usual adjectives — fluffy and light and bouncy come as close as possible to an accurate description. The spices are pleasant, not too overwhelming but still warming, and the glaze adds just a hint of sweetness (though salty butter is exceptional for providing contrast).” — Madeleine Crutchley, multimedia journalist

Price: $4 each or $22 for a six pack.

Where to get them: 160 Garnett Road, Westmere.

Bread & Butter

Bread & Butter’s organic (except for the yeast) hot cross buns are made with a long ferment time of 12 hours, which means a less yeasty dough, subtle flavour, moist texture (their words) and easier digestibility. Isabel Pasch and her team bake between 25,000 and 30,000 of these award-winning buns every year, which are designed to be lightly toasted and slathered in butter. We acquiesced and found Bread & Butter’s buns to have a great texture, a light spice and truly plump raisins, a characteristic noted by most of the Viva team. Six freshly baked buns arrived drizzled in aromatic glaze, pooling in between each bun’s curves, which felt festive and generous. We’re told the buns contain raisins, cranberries, currants and apricots but the raisins rose to prominence. Lightly spiced, Bread & Butter’s buns are for those who prefer peel-free.

Price: $19.50 for six.

Where to get them: Find them at Bread & Butter store in Grey Lynn, at the Grey Lynn Farmers Markets and online. 34 Westmoreland St West, Grey Lynn.

Wild Wheat

Wild Wheat baker Andrew Fearnside, who started Wild Wheat more than 20 years ago and still bakes its bread, has been making these hot cross buns and refining the recipe for almost 25 years now, and it shows. He prefers a pull-apart bun, which is buns cooked together on a tray rather than individually, which increases the moisture and longevity of the finished product. Wild Wheat’s hot cross buns are generously packed with fruit, with just the right amount of spice. They’re possibly the fruitiest of the lot. The first impression comes from the most incredible aroma of vanilla and spice that emanates from these buns. They’re also notable for their dazzling glaze, some of which soaks into the bottom of the bun, leaving it extra moist and sweet. As well as raisins, sultanas and currants, the buns contained mixed peel, and are a beautiful dark golden brown, made with traditional sourdough starter.

Tasting notes: “These are the Rolls-Royce of hot cross buns, but priced like a Honda. Beautiful enjoyed fresh, with a generous amount of fruit and the stickiest, shiniest glaze. The sweet-spicy scent is all that a hot cross bun should be, and that’s before you’ve even toasted them.” — Johanna Thornton, deputy editor, lifestyle premium

Price: $2.50 each, or buy 11 and get 12.

Where to get them: Baked daily and available in-store at Wild Wheat’s six Auckland locations.

Ripe Deli

Ripe Deli’s flagship Richmond Rd store is known for its excellent cabinet food of salads, sandwiches and treats, and keeping locals’ freezers stocked with pies, lasagne and curries. They’re also partial to a hot cross bun, which they bake fresh every day during hot cross bun season. They’re deliciously fruity with currants and golden raisins, lightly spiced and drizzled in a golden butter and orange glaze. They’re baked a deep golden brown and topped with a confident cross. There is a subtle savoury undertone to these buns and the dough is on the firmer side. Ripe’s housemade brown and orange butter is the ideal accompaniment. For those looking for something less traditional, try Ripe’s saffron, currant and rosemary hot cross bun, without the cross.

Tasting notes: “What pronoun are hot-crossed buns? The Ripe Deli offering has an alpha male quality, substantial in its physique with a bold, spicy scent, ideal sustenance for the Easter bunny who takes a vigorous bounce round the block. It leaves the dried fruits — currants, sultanas, orange peel — to do the sweet-talking. You may want to forsake a chocolate egg or two to make room for this, especially if you slather it with Ripe’s deliciously salty whipped butter.” — Rebecca Barry Hill, senior writer

Price: $6.60 each.

Where to get them: 172/74 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn and 119 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn.

Mor

Previously an online “micro bakery”, Mor now has a storefront in Remuera, serving happy locals their fix of French-style pastries. The passion project of Kelsie Culpan and Laura Metcalf, who met at Auckland University of Technology before living in London and Melbourne, Mor has gone from strength to strength since. This will be their second year making hot cross buns and the team describe them as being packed with spices, orange zest and fruit that has been soaked in orange juice and black tea overnight, made using a lightly enriched dough. “Our buns are mixed with a small percentage of our croissant trimmings, which makes them lovely and soft, and also imparts flavour — alongside ground clove, mixed spice and lots of fresh orange zest.” After baking, the hot buns are brushed with a sugar syrup laced with vanilla, clove, star anise, orange and cinnamon quills. Mor offers a combination of spreads alongside their buns, for an additional cost, of salted whipped burnt butter and house-made apricot jam. We found Mor’s buns were better toasted and served with a good slab of butter.

Tasting notes: “Nice aroma of the bun, very gingerbready, but without overwhelming spice (I don’t like too much of it, personally). Good crunchy cross on top, and generous glazing. I made the mistake of eating this without butter or the kiss of a toaster. A grievous error on my part.” — Emma Gleason, deputy editor, lifestyle audience

Price: $5 each or $30 for six.

Where to get them: 158 Remuera Road, Remuera. Available for pre-order here.

Miann

Considering Miann Chocolate Factory is known for its chocolate, we thought it was wise to sample their chocolate hot cross buns, and we made a good decision. Miann specialises in desserts, gelato, macarons and craft chocolate, and if you dine in at one of its three locations you can experience the hot chocolate bun toasted with a scoop of gelato added to the middle. The dark chocolate chunks in these buns are huge, and there’s nary a raisin in sight. They’re made with Madagascar 72 per cent dark chocolate, a generous amount of candied citrus and apricot and a smattering of spices — cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spiced. These definitely benefit from being kissed by the toaster and slathered in butter, as there’s not a lot of fruit or glaze keeping these moist.

Tasting notes: “This is definitely one of the more decadent hot cross bun options available right now, so if you prefer to bypass traditional dried fruit, this Easter treat is a welcome alternative. When toasted, the chocolate melts, giving it a gorgeously gooey texture that isn’t overly intense.” — Dan Ahwa, fashion and creative director

Price: $5 each or $24 for a half dozen.

Where to get them: Available in-store and online. 14 McDonald St, Morningside. 35 Roukai Ln, Britomart. Ponsonby Central, Ponsonby.

La Petite Fourchette

La Petite Fourchette (which means little fork in French) is a French boulangerie/patisserie offering authentic, freshly baked croissants, baguettes, gateaux, macarons, eclairs and many more French treats, available to order online or instore at Wynyard Quarter or La Petite Fourchette’s sister bakery Copain in Ponsonby’s Mckelvie Street, where all the baking is done in-store daily and served fresh, including hot cross buns. For Easter, La Petite Fourchette and Copain are offering traditional and chocolate hot cross buns. Viva sampled the traditional buns, made with sourdough, raisins, cardamon, citrus zest and cinnamon. They’re very light and buttery, reminiscent of croissant pastry.

Tasting notes: “One of our welterweight competitors, these were light and buttery — almost croissant-like, which is fitting for this French bakery — and not overly rich. A nice option for morning tea if you don’t want to have a post-bun nap in the bathroom.” — Emma Gleason, deputy editor, lifestyle audience

Price: $19 for six or buy them individually for $3.50.

Where to get them: Available in-store at G02/85 Daldy St, Wynyard Quarter. 55 Mackelvie St, Grey Lynn.

Ima

It wouldn’t be a hot cross bun roundup without the inclusion of Ima, which has become synonymous with hot cross bun season for its handmade buns topped with a generous custard cross. Yael Shochat’s Ima Cuisine is a Middle Eastern restaurant and catering business the rest of the year, but come Easter, it’s a bun-making machine, baking them fresh each morning and heroing an ingredients list of hand-ground spices, currants and mixed peel, and dough sweetened with honey. The vanilla bean custard cross is its specialty, and keeps loyalists coming back year after year. The Ima team’s buns are available to order online now in packs of six or 12, with a cut-off of 9pm for next day pick up. The vegan hot cross bun is also back this year, made with a coconut cream cross. As usual, Ima’s hot cross buns hit the spot, and we found they were at their absolute best when heated briefly, rendering the dough light, fragrant and extra comforting. If you want to try your hand at making them yourself, find the recipe here.

Tasting notes: “Ima buns are near on iconic, a fan favourite for their real custard cross dotted with vanilla. I eat the top half fresh and the bottom half toasted: it’s an absolute win-win of a hot cross bun.” — Johanna Thornton, deputy editor, premium lifestyle

Price: $6.50 per bun or $39 for a pack of six or $72 for 12.

Where to get them: Online or 53 Fort St, Auckland. Contact info@imacuisine.co.nz or phone +64 9 377 5252.

Vaniye Patisserie

Sonia Haumonte and her husband Laurent opened Vaniye Patisserie in 2012 with a passion for French artisanal culinary heritage and the desire to introduce Aucklanders to beautiful French patisseries. Sophie trained and worked in France for several years in the fine patisserie sector and brings that knowledge to her French-style cakes, artisan chocolates, desserts, croissants and baguettes, which locals in Parnell line up for. “At Vaniyé it’s not just about the products, but also the preservation of exceptional artisan techniques and skills, the attention to the ingredients and their origins, the understanding of the impact on the environment, and the interest in personal development of our people,” says Sonia. This applies to the hot cross buns too, which are cut, weighed and rolled by hand one by one. Vaniye sells hot cross buns in packs of four and six, and the mix is “old fashioned-style”, made with rye flour that is dense, heavy and full of goodness. We enjoyed these toasted with lots of butter and noted the raisins were deliciously plump, and the presence of peel and currants. Vaniye Patisserie is currently making around 80 a day.

Tasting notes: “Yummm, I toasted and smothered mine in butter because it’s neurotic not to in my opinion. The bun was light and fluffy, not too dense, which I enjoyed. Flavour was okay, quite subtle but the fruit-to-bun ratio was very good.” — Annabel Dickson, fashion assistant

Price: Sold in packs of four and six for $21 and $33.

Where to get them: 1/7 Windsor St, Parnell. Phone +64 (0)204 179 1296.

Daily Bread

Taking out the BIANZ award for best hot cross buns in 2022, 2023, and 2024 Daily Bread’s are certainly award-winning, and unstoppable. Made with lievito madre sourdough that is long fermented, which has some traditionalists squirming, the bakery insists it makes their buns moist and springy. The flavour is lightly spiced and the fruit is rum-soaked fruit, with candied citrus peel and a sticky orange and cardamon glaze made from fresh Gisborne oranges. These buns are worth the accolades. An update on Daily Bread’s chocolate hot cross buns: the team won’t be baking them this year due to some supply chain disruptions for the Callebaut chocolate.

Price: $22 for a box of six.

Where to get them: Available in-store and online (for nationwide delivery) and also at selected retailers including Farro, New World and Foursquare in Tāmaki Makaurau.

Amano

Amano’s bakery is laden with freshly baked bread, pastries, slices and sandwiches and does a roaring trade in takeaway baked goods and coffee for the Britomart and downtown Auckland crowd. Housed inside the Amano restaurant space, its bakers favour a seasonal, locally sourced ethos, using high-quality ingredients like New Zealand butter, flour and fruit. For their hot cross buns, the Amano bakers have chosen a soft milk bun for their base dough. The end result is dark and sultry, with a strong aroma, spiced with cinnamon and mixed spice and filled with soaked fruit and mixed peel. They’re finished off with a citrus and cinnamon glaze. The dough has the perfect density, light and fluffy with enough body to enjoy it fresh. PSA: Amano is also doing chocolate hot cross buns this year.

Tasting notes: “The Amano bun pulls apart smoothly and has a super-light feel. By the colour of the dough, I assumed it would have quite a dark and intense flavour, but the spice levels are really pleasant. There’s no way I’d toast this one — it’s fresh and fluffy and needs nothing extra.” — Madeleine Crutchley, multimedia journalist

Price: $3 each or 6 for $15.

Where to get them: 66-68, Tyler St, Britomart Place.

Park Hyatt’s The Pantry

They were a hit last year and this year Park Hyatt’s The Pantry has brought back its twist on a hot cross bun with its brioche doughnut filled with vanilla custard, dotted with Earl Grey-soaked sultanas and currants and dusted with a powdered sugar cross. Executive pastry chef Callum Liddicoat felt like switching it up last year, after many years of making traditional buns and the punters loved it. Taste testers on the Viva team were all for this switch up in tradition, finding these hot cross doughnuts very naughty, light and delicious. For 2024, Callum and his team are baking traditional hot cross buns as well as the doughnut version, so customers can expect the best of both worlds.

Tasting notes: “This is a doughnut masquerading as a hot cross bun, but it would simply be egregious not to include it here. This hybrid baked good is dusted in icing sugar, and boasts a deep-fried crispiness to the outermost dough but a delectably soft interior. The raisins and spices are subtle but present, which all comes together in favour of a surprise centre: a silky custard filling that taste’s lush and homemade, and unspools like molten vanilla when you bite through. Decadent and dangerous.” — Julia Gessler, multimedia journalist

Price: $8 each.

Where to get them: Available in-store or online. 99 Halsey St, Auckland CBD.

Florets

Maya Handley’s exclusively sourdough bakery Florets is known for its organic, nutrient-filled loaves made with wholegrain flour. Fans of Floret’s dense and intensely sourdough bread will enjoy its hot cross buns, which are a fruit and housemade peel-studded version with a pleasing chewy texture, dark colouring and gingerbready aroma. “We think our buns are special as they are made with beautiful organic wheat flour grown and stone milled in Canterbury,” says Maya. They’re slowly leavened with sourdough culture and hydrated with blended whole oranges, which “gives them a satisfying rich texture and the acidity from the sourdough culture balances all the sweet fruit and spices nicely, while also pre-digesting sugars and breaking gluten to amino acids, making the buns easier to digest.”

Tasting notes: “I’m partial to anything Florets does, and these were my favourite buns. Dark and dense, these sourdough buns have that distinctive tang while being light-handed with the spices (just the way I like it). They’re made with organic stone-milled wheat flour — a signature ingredient that makes this bakery’s very fine bread rather special, I think — and the fruit is pre-soaked in early grey tea, so it’s not too fruity (again, my preference). Good fresh, and even better toasted with a slather of salted butter.” — Emma Gleason, deputy editor, lifestyle audience

Price: $6 each.

Where to get them: 596 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn.

Scratch

Scratch Bakery creates delicious baked goods for cafes and corporates around the city and its flagship city bakery is ground zero for its famous pies, cookies and coffee. Befitting a bakery of this scale, its hot cross buns are nine months in the making, with its dried fruits and citrus peel soaked in brandy and vanilla and turned and mixed every week until Easter. Once thoroughly infused and fragrant, the fruit mix is combined with Scratch’s hot cross bun dough and rested overnight for the flavours to develop further. Scratch’s traditional hot cross bun is a premium example of a classic bun, fairly flat, with a deep golden exterior, good amount of spice and well-distributed fruit. They are made in house daily and the team say they are great toasted or fresh.

Tasting notes: “Toasted and buttered, Scratch’s traditional hot cross bun was just right.” — Johanna Thornton, deputy editor, lifestyle premium

Price: $4.

Where to get them: 5 Graham St, Auckland CBD and online.

New World

Their claim to fame is having won The Spinoff’s hearts, ranking number one in its 2023 round-up of the best supermarket hot cross buns and we can see why they came out on top. These buns are a classic all-rounder, soft, lightly spiced, a scattering of sultanas. They toast beautifully, and being a supermarket bun, they’re relatively easier to access than specialty bakeries. Note: ingredients range from supermarket to supermarket so if the quality varies from the specific buns we sampled, our apologies.

Tasting notes: “I’m pleasantly surprised by these. A supermarket hot cross bun is usually a last resort, often flat and a little stale. But the New World version were unexpectedly good. Great toasted, and they lasted well for a few days without being put in the pantry.” — Stephanie Holmes, editor, premium lifestyle

Price: Prices vary between supermarkets.

Where to get them: New World stores nationwide.