With the influx of vegan croissants that are readily available, I thought it was only right to try out all of those that I could find and compare. I picked one up from Costa, Pret, Caffe Nero and 200 Degrees. I also noted how the coffee shops served and stored the croissants. So here goes...
First up, is the one that has been around before them all. The accidentally Vegan Blueberry Croissant from 200 Degrees**, costing £1.85. This is wholewheat, has seeds on top and is amazing heated up with a cup of coffee. It's not dry, it's the perfect size, the jam is beautifully tart and thick. This is why it's been my go-to for a couple of years now. Especially when I was working next to the coffee shop on Colmore Row in Birmingham. In this instance, it seemed that is was a little under baked and lacking in jam but this has never happened before and I'd still has this again. (**This croissant was gifted to me in this instance, as they liked previous images I have taken of the croissant. As always, my views are my own and this does not alter my opinion). This is an independent coffee shop but they do have branches scattered around the UK. This is the option that I will compare the rest to. Please note that the croissant does have eggs, milk and gluten listed in it's allergens, as there is a risk of cross contamination. However, a separate tong is used to serve and it is stored in a covered wooden plank.
Next up, the Vegan Strawberry Croissant that retails at £1.95 from Costa. This one was really lacking flavour, as the jam had no depth and there was hardly any of it. However, it was a good size and was flaky, yet not dry. I liked the pink colour too. Would I have this one again? Probably not. On the plus side, all the vegan options were stored on one side of the counter and had its own tong to serve with. There is also a note in the particular store I went to, Birmingham Grand Central, that they cannot guarantee there won't be cross contamination.
Third in this review is Pret's Vegan Berry Croissant, which retails at £1.70. The cheapest of the four options. I tried this out on the day it was released and it was amazing. The jam was a beautifully thick mix of berry compote, it was moist, sweet, flaky and crispy. This instance was taken a handful of days later and it was very different. It was dry and hard. I reckon that it had been sitting in the container for a while. This option was so hard to find, as all two stores in town had sold out. I think it's more of danish and I miss having those. I wouldn't put it in the same category as the 200 Degrees one but I would highly rate it and would have it again, but I would ask how fresh it was next time. The croissants are served in their own tray but in close proximity to non-vegan options and with wheat listed as an allergen, as well as tree nuts, sesame, eggs, milk and soya as potential allergens, due to cross contamination.
Last up, it's the Vegan Raspberry Croissant from Caffe Nero. This option retails at £1.95 and had wheat and spelt (gluten) listed as allergens. They stored the vegan options in separate containers or on one side. They are meant to use different tongs but I watched the lady use the same as she used on other non-vegan items. Regardless, this was tasty, flaky, sticky, contained good thick strawberry jam, moist and a good size. This one I would also have again too.
It's great to see so many great new vegan options on the market. My favorites are the croissants from 200 Degrees and the danish from Pret. Costa, you've got some work to do!
What's your favourite vegan croissant? Tweet me, IG me or FB me at @tofutasha.
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