The best hot cross buns this Easter

Hot cross bun season is officially upon us, so why wait until Easter to sample the very best hot cross buns on the market? Whether you’re going traditional with something soft, spiced and fruity, indulging in chocolate or fancy a cheesy, savoury bun, our expert product developers have pulled out all the stops with this year’s range. Read our guide to the hot cross buns you need to try this Easter, plus lots of irresistible recipe and topping ideas.

Senior Food Editor

Heather Taylor

What are the best types of hot cross buns?

At M&S, we take our buns seriously. After all, we sell 1.1 million packs of buns every year (that’s one every two seconds) and they're baked 24-7 to keep up with demand. Our product developers tried hundreds of recipes in their quest to create this year’s bun-tiful new line up. There’s an elevated version of our classic, fruit-filled bun, moreish cheese-loaded hot cross buns, ridiculously indulgent chocolate-studded hot cross buns and more.

First introduced in 1975, our hot cross buns became an instant bestseller, and this year marks 50 years since they were launched. There's something for everyone in this year's range, so keep reading to discover what's new.

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The best new hot cross buns to try

Our Dippy Egg Filled Hot Cross Buns are here, and Easter will never be the same again. In a high-street first, we've created an epic chocolatey filled bun that looks like a dippy egg. These soft, rich, cocoa buns have an irresistible yellow and white chocolate filling. There's no need to toast – simply tear and devour.

The best traditional hot cross buns

Our bestselling Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns are the OG, and for good reason. They're rich, aromatic and packed full of juicy fruits, including sultanas and Vostizza currants, mixed peel and our exclusive-recipe spice blend. M&S product developer Sandy says: “Our buns are packed with carefully selected juicy fruit and follow a unique recipe to ensure the fruit remains intact and plump before being carefully baked, creating a moreish, soft and fluffy texture.” How do you eat yours? We like it toasted – under the grill rather than the toaster, so it remains perfectly plump – and served with lashings of Collection Cornish Gold Butter.

Bring on the buns

The best chocolate hot cross buns

Chocoholics, listen up. Made with a rich, dark chocolate dough and studded with milk and dark chocolate chunks, our Extremely Chocolatey Hot Cross Buns are a brilliant alternative for anyone who isn't a fan of the traditional fruity versions – no raisins here. Try turning them into a super-quick dessert by toasting, then filling them with vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit.

I should cocoa

The best fruity hot cross buns

Want to branch out from the traditional? Give our Juicy Blueberry Hot Cross Buns a go. They’re packed with sweet-but-tart blueberries, juicy Vostizza currants and a hint of fragrant cardamom. We love them spread with cream cheese and lemon curd, for a blueberry hot cross bun cheesecake vibe, or made into French toast by pan-frying in beaten egg and served with crispy bacon and maple syrup.

I'm team blueberry

The best savoury hot cross buns

We’re bringing back our much-loved Extremely Cheesy Hot Cross Buns, which proved a hit last Easter. These soft, golden buns are loaded with extra mature Barber’s farmhouse cheddar and studded with smooth red Leicester cheese chunks. Try them served with crispy bacon, runny, golden-yolked fried eggs and your go-to hot sauce for an epic Easter brunch.

Nice and cheesy

The best filled hot cross buns

We're breaking the mould with these zingy new buns on the block. These fluffy buns, made with candied Sicilian lemon peel, have a gooey surprise in the middle. They're filled with a smooth, sharp lemon curd made with Sicilian lemon juice and Sicilian lemon oil.

These soft buns come ready to eat – there's no need to toast, so just pop the kettle on and dig in.

See the buns

The best vegan hot cross buns

Going vegan should never mean missing out on getting your bun fix. Our Plant Kitchen Vegan Hot Cross Buns are packed full of juicy sultanas, raisins and mixed peel, and flavoured with our signature spice blend. Or try our Bramley Apple Hot Cross Buns – these sweet, spiced buns are filled with semi-candied British apples, sultanas and a hint of cinnamon, and just happen to be vegan. Think of them like an apple crumble in hot cross bun form. They’re lovely spread with our Maple Butter and served with sticky stewed apple and a sprinkling of toasted hazelnuts.

Plant-based perfection

The best gluten-free hot cross buns

We’ve carefully tested our award-winning Made Without Wheat Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns to ensure they have the fluffy texture and rich flavour that makes hot cross buns so irresistible, meaning no-one has to miss out. They’re packed full of juicy fruit, orange peel and, of course, our unique, top-secret spice blend. They're heaven when toasted and spread with butter and a dollop of jam.

Explore our gluten-free range

How to use up leftover hot cross buns

Although we can’t argue with enjoying them simply toasted with butter, hot cross buns also lend themselves to all sorts of delicious recipes. Try them in an easy, please-all bun and butter pudding, a pull-out-all-the-stops Easter hot cross bun trifle, savoury pulled pork hot cross buns, an indulgent hot cross bun French toast and more. Browse our best hot cross bun recipes now.

Recipe ideas, here

These are not just hot cross buns...

These are very-best-in-the-business M&S hot cross buns. From the traditional to this year's must-try new flavours, we've got an a-bun-dance of flavours for you to try, plus recipe ideas and serving suggestions galore. Why would you go anywhere else for your HXB this Easter? Discover our full Easter range in store, and start planning your perfect Easter feast with our celebratory Easter recipe collection.

Easter recipe ideas, here

Must-try hot cross buns