Easter indulging isn’t just about chocolate but enjoying a fresh and delicious hot cross bun – or three.
The Easter treats are traditionally sweet, yeasted buns flavoured with spices and filled with dried fruit like raisins.
However, over the years, supermarket bakers have taken some creative liberties, straying from the classic recipe to come up with new, different and interesting flavours to try each year.
Supermarket bakery shelves have been filled with the Easter staple for the better part of 2026 in a range of varieties and standard flavours like chocolate chip, apple and cinnamon, and berry are still proving they’re solid favourites.
Sweet-toothed fans might be reaching for dessert-inspired versions of the seasonal snack, like M&S‘s Tiramisu or Red Velvet buns, Sainsbury’s carrot cake.
Meanwhile, those who prefer savoury flavours will be delighted with the cheesy varieties from Tesco or M&S.
But some brands have pushed the boat out further, cooking up experimental flavours like rhubarb and ginger, marmalade, brown butter and chai tea, and white chocolate and lemon.
Below, we’ve found the most decadent, kookiest and most intriguing hot cross buns to try if you want to shake up your Easter celebrations this year.
Supermarket bakers have taken some creative liberties, straying from the classic hot cross bun recipe to come up with new, different and interesting flavours to try each year
Brown Butter and Chai Tea Hot Cross Buns
Hot cross buns are often enjoyed alongside a hot cup of tea with a good smearing of butter, but you can get all those flavours combined in one with Tesco’s brown butter and Chai buns.
The buns have notes of apricot jam, brown butter and honey and are filled with dried fruits soaked in ‘the finest Chai tea’.
The offering has elicited mixed reactions from fans online, with one admitting to being ‘not sure’ about the buttery Chai buns.
Some were put off by the price, as the two-pack costs as much as a bag of four, and others were hung up on the irony of the use of ‘Chai tea’ on the label.
However, one keen taster on social media said they ‘felt super luxe and indulgent’.
‘I’m not normally one for a non-standard hot cross bun, but ooooooft,’ a second wrote, and another said: ‘I can confirm they taste like Chai’.
White Chocolate and Lemon Hot Cross Buns
Waitrose has brought back its white chocolate and lemon hot cross buns again this Easter, much to the delight of fans.
The bakery buy has white chocolate chunks with tangy lemon zest and is best served toasted and buttered.
Home chefs can also use them to create a ‘showstopper’ of a dessert by layering them into a trifle with custard, cream and lemon curd according to the Waitrose website.
The Easter offering has more than 250 reviews on the supermarket’s website with an average rating of four stars.
‘Those are my favourite hot cross buns, and I buy them every year around Easter. They are so moreish that I do not even need to spread any butter on it!’ one customer wrote.
Asda has its own, slightly cheaper version as well, using Belgian white chocolate and zingy Sicilian lemon.
Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns
It’s hard to imagine how shredded carrot could ever taste good in a hot cross bun; however, Sainsbury’s has somehow managed to make it work.
The limited-edition Carrot Cake Hot Cross Buns are filled with pieces of roasted carrot, white chocolate, crunchy pumpkin seeds and candied citrus peel pieces.
Shoppers were delighted by the addition to Sainsbury’s range, with one on social media commenting: ‘Stop! That combo exists?! *heads off to Sainsbury’s*’.
Another agreed: ‘Omg omg I wanna try’.
Many suggested trying the unique Easter buns with a dollop of cream cheese to add to the carrot cake experience.
Caramelised Biscuit Hot Cross Buns
One of the most decadent and highly anticipated hot cross buns this spring is Tesco’s caramelised biscuit variety.
Delicately spiced dough hugs an oozing caramelised biscuit centre and is topped with sweet biscuit crumbs.
Fans have been expressing their excitement to try the buns; however, their popularity means they are hard to find as the supermarket struggles to keep up with demand.
Foodies have also been coming up with creative ways to serve the biscuit buns, with one suggesting: ‘One of these. In half. Vanilla ice cream in the middle.’
Vegans and dairy-free people were also delighted to find that the indulgent buns are also free from milk and eggs, so are suitable for a variety of dietary restrictions.
But you’d better be quick to eat them as the lack of preservatives means they pass their best after just a day or two.
Rhubarb & Ginger Hot Cross Buns
Together, rhubarb and ginger are a perfect culinary pairing, used in a range of desserts and sweet treats.
Now Sainsbury’s has given the complementary flavours an Easter twist with its limited-edition ginger rhubarb hot cross buns.
The bread is made with sourdough starter and enriched with pieces of tangy, sugar-infused rhubarb and crystallised stem ginger.
Drops of beetroot juice give the dough a playful pink tinge but don’t impede on the overall flavour, and soaked sultanas call back to the familiar hot cross bun taste.
Tiramisu Hot Cross Buns
Marks and Spencer’s delicious Tiramisu hot cross buns are sure to be a bank holiday, afternoon tea hero.
Putting an ‘indulgent twist’ on the popular dessert, the tiramisu buns are infused with coffee, enriched with creamy mascarpone and filled with Belgian dark chocolate chips.
Bakers at M&S suggested using the buns in place of traditional sponge fingers when making a tiramisu at home.
‘Just tried and can confirm they taste amazing, and I’m not a big hot cross bun lover usually,’ one shopper said online.
‘These are ELITE. Had half a pack at lunch,’ another said.
Orange Marmalade Hot Cross Buns
Marmalade appears to be a popular Easter flavour; Hotel Chocolat released a Marmalade on Toast Easter sandwich this year, and Sainsbury’s has now come up with its own offering.
The retailer’s Orange Marmalade Hot Cross Buns have been enhanced with Seville orange marmalade, citrus zest and candied orange peel.
Customers joked that the buns are a perfect ‘snack for Paddington’ while others were keen to sample the sweet, zesty flavour.
‘Paddington Bear approves of these hot cross buns! Truthfully, though, these sound amazing. I’ll have to give them a try,’ one shopper said online.
Cheddar and Red Leicester Hot Cross Buns
Those not so keen on sweet treats can still get involved in the Easter fun with the savoury cheesy hot cross buns that have risen to prominence over the past few years.
Both Tesco and M&S have released the less conventional cheddar and red Leicester buns this Easter.
M&S’s golden, buttery buns are loaded with mature farmhouse cheddar and red Leicester cheeses.
Similarly, Tesco’s cheesy snacks have chunks of extra mature cheddar and red Leicester for a burst of savoury in every bite.
Customers have got creative with their serving styles: one said she eats the cheesy buns like a sandwich with bacon and a fried egg in the middle.
‘These are yum, not really a hot cross but as you know it, more like a cheese muffin, but soooo much lighter!’ one M&S reviewer said.
‘Of course, toasted with butter, but I read a review below that gave a great tip: 20-30 seconds in the microwave, and they come out so fluffy and light, I’m a fan of that cheesy denseness and again with butter!’
