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Best Cheap Hot Cross Buns 2026: The Tastiest Bargains in Supermarkets Right Now
Vicky Parry
17th Mar 2026
The Best Hot Cross Bun Deals Right Now in 2026 – Cheap Classics, Luxury Picks and the Best Weird Flavours
You do not need to spend much money to get a genuinely good hot cross bun this year. Some of the best-value packs on shelves right now come in at around 16p to 30p per bun, while a few pricier “luxury” options are really only worth it if you want a proper Easter treat.
Hot cross bun season is one of those lovely times of year when a humble supermarket staple suddenly becomes a serious point of debate. Some people want a proper traditional bun: soft, fruity, nicely spiced and excellent with salted butter. Others are after something a bit more chaotic, whether that means lemon curd, chocolate, salted caramel or even cheese.
So we’ve gone through the live hot cross bun deals available now in 2026 and pulled together the best of both worlds: the cheapest and best classic hot cross buns, plus the most tempting rogue flavours if you fancy branching out a bit. The range this year is particularly strong, with budget own-label packs from Aldi, Asda and Iceland sitting alongside premium and novelty lines from M&S and Sainsbury’s.
The best budget classic hot cross buns right now
If your priority is getting the best value without ending up with a dry, disappointing bun, these are the strongest contenders live now.
1. Asda – The Bakery 6 Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1 for 6 (around 16.7p each)
Why it stands out: This is one of the sharpest straightforward prices we found among the big supermarkets, and Asda is also backing its Easter bakery range with Rollback pricing this season.
Vicky says: At this price, these are exactly what a budget bun should be: affordable enough to chuck into the trolley without thinking twice, but still good enough to toast and enjoy with butter rather than feel like a compromise.
2. Aldi – Village Bakery Hot Cross Buns
Price: 95p for 6 (about 16p each)
Why it stands out: Aldi’s 2026 hot cross bun range starts very low, and its classic Village Bakery pack is one of the cheapest named options live now. Aldi’s hot cross bun page also shows several stronger “upgrade” options if you want to trade up without spending silly money.
Vicky says: Aldi is very often where the “cheap but still actually enjoyable” sweet spot lives, and this feels like one of those cases. This is the sort of bun that makes sense for families, packed lunches and anyone who wants Easter food without premium-shop prices.
3. Iceland – The Daily Bakery 6 Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.35 for 6 (about 23p each)
Why it stands out: Iceland also offers a decent-value entry-level pack, but where it becomes more interesting is that its luxury buns are still not wildly expensive.
Vicky says: If you are already shopping at Iceland, this is a perfectly respectable cheap pick. I like that the jump from basic to luxury is not huge, so you can decide whether you want function or a bit of Easter indulgence.
4. Lidl – Rowan Hill 6 Hot Cross Buns
Price: Listed in Lidl’s bakery range; store pricing can vary, so check in branch. Lidl’s premium Deluxe range is also live now.
Why it stands out: Lidl’s classic and Deluxe lines both appear in its current 2026 bakery range, and independent taste testing rated Lidl Deluxe Hot Cross Buns among the strongest traditional performers this year.
Vicky says: Lidl is one of those shops where I’d happily take a punt even when I haven’t seen the exact ticket online, because the bakery quality is often genuinely solid. If you see the Deluxe pack, that is the one I’d lean towards.
5. Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Price: Now £1.50 for 4, down from £1.80 at the time checked (about 38p each)
Why it stands out: Morrisons’ premium line is currently on offer, which makes it much more competitive than usual. Independent testing from Which? placed Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns among the top-scoring traditional buns this year.
Vicky says: This is one of those examples where a promotion makes a premium line suddenly make sense. At full price I might hesitate; at £1.50, it starts to feel like a proper treat that is still reasonable.
6. Iceland Luxury 4 Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.80 for 4 (45p each)
Why it stands out: Saga’s 2026 taste test named these its best-in-test hot cross buns, praising their fruit and spice, while Which? also scored them among the top traditional options.
Vicky says: If you want the classic hot cross bun experience done properly without heading straight to a posher food hall, Iceland looks very convincing this year.
7. Aldi – Specially Selected Luxury Hot Cross Buns
Price: £1.19 for 4 (about 30p each)
Why it stands out: This is one of the cheapest “luxury” labelled buns we found. Which? scored Aldi’s Specially Selected Luxury Fruited Hot Cross Buns at 70%, putting them just behind the leaders.
Vicky says: Calling something “luxury” at £1.19 sounds cheeky, but honestly this is exactly the kind of thing Aldi gets right. It feels like a very low-risk upgrade.
What about Sainsbury’s, M&S and Greggs?
Sainsbury’s has a big 2026 range live now, especially in Taste the Difference flavours, but its site is currently surfacing loyalty-linked and dynamic pricing more than plain category pricing. Its hot cross bun pages clearly show products including Chocolate & Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate & Cherry, Apple & Cinnamon and Orange Marmalade, with several of those listed at £1.50 on Nectar when checked.
M&S has one of the broadest and most inventive ranges on sale right now, including Luxury, Rich & Fruity, Mini Millionaire’s, Extremely Lemony Curd Filled, Granny Smith Apple and Red Velvet Filled buns. The individual product pages we checked confirm the products are live, though pricing is less visible in search snippets than with some rivals.
Greggs is a bit harder to include in a strict price comparison because its national site is not currently surfacing a clearly listed 2026 hot cross bun product in the same way supermarkets are. So I would mention Greggs in copy, but I would not rank it against the supermarket packs without a local store check first.
One Stop is interesting because it is running a free Tesco Hot Cross Buns 6’s giveaway on 5 April 2026, subject to availability and store limits, which is worth a mention in the article as a fun convenience-store angle. I could not verify a broader 2026 One Stop hot cross bun range page beyond that promo.
I could not verify a live national 2026 hot cross bun product page for Costcutter, so I would leave it out of the ranked section rather than pad the piece with guesswork.
The best “best of the rest” hot cross bun flavours in 2026
This is where 2026 gets fun. If classic buns are your baseline, the limited-edition and dessert-style flavours this year are properly strong.
Asda: Cherry Bakewell or Lemon & White Chocolate
Asda has made a real push on flavoured buns this year, with Cherry Bakewell, Salted Caramel & Chocolate, and Lemon & White Chocolate all highlighted in its 2026 coverage, with flavoured 4-packs at £1.40 on Rollback when checked.
Vicky says: Cherry Bakewell sounds like the sort of thing that could go wrong very quickly, but actually it feels right for hot cross bun season: sweet, nostalgic and just a bit playful.
Sainsbury’s: Double Chocolate & Cherry, Apple & Cinnamon, Orange Marmalade or Chocolate & Salted Caramel
Sainsbury’s current 2026 range includes all of these variants, with several showing Nectar pricing at £1.50 when checked.
Vicky says: Sainsbury’s really feels like the shop for people who want a traditional bun but are also tempted by something a bit extra. Apple & cinnamon sounds especially good for breakfast, while chocolate and salted caramel is more of an afternoon cup-of-tea bun.
Aldi: Rhubarb & Custard or Chocolate Brioche
Aldi’s current hot cross bun range includes Specially Selected Rhubarb & Custard Hot Cross Buns at £1.19 for 4 and Chocolate Brioche Hot Cross Buns at £1.69 for 6.
Vicky says: Rhubarb & custard is exactly the kind of rogue Easter flavour I can get behind: very British, a little bit retro and much more spring-like than endless chocolate overload.
Iceland: Extremely Chocolatey
Iceland has both Luxury Extra Fruity and Luxury Extremely Chocolatey hot cross buns live now at £1.80 for 4.
Vicky says: This is one for anyone who basically wants a dessert disguised as breakfast. It is not remotely traditional, but that rather is the point.
M&S: Extremely Lemony Curd Filled, Mini Millionaire’s, Red Velvet Filled or Granny Smith Apple
M&S has one of the boldest hot cross bun line-ups of the season, with its 2026 range pages showing all of these products live now. Its editorial content particularly pushes the Extremely Lemony Curd Filled buns and Mini Millionaire’s as standout Easter picks. :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24}
Vicky says: M&S is absolutely leaning into hot cross bun theatre this year and, to be fair, it looks delicious. The lemon curd one sounds like the most genuinely spring-like option; the millionaire’s version sounds like a full-blown snacky indulgence.
Lidl: Cheesy Hot Cross Buns
Lidl is currently listing Deluxe 4 Cheesy Hot Cross Buns in store now, and the product carries a Good Housekeeping Institute Taste Approved 2026 badge on the listing.
Vicky says: I know cheese in a hot cross bun sounds faintly unhinged, but savoury hot cross buns have really found their audience. I would absolutely toast these and go in with too much butter.
So which hot cross buns are actually the best buys?
If you want the cheapest straightforward classic, Aldi and Asda are very hard to beat on price right now, with packs coming in at roughly 16p per bun.
If you want the best-value premium traditional bun, Aldi Specially Selected Luxury and Morrisons The Best are both persuasive, especially with Morrisons currently on offer.
If you want the best reviewed classic bun overall from what has been independently taste-tested this year, Iceland Luxury Extra Fruity has a strong case, with Saga naming it best in test and Which? placing it among the leaders.
If you want the most fun flavour range, M&S and Sainsbury’s are the two that really look like they are trying to tempt people away from plain fruit buns this Easter.
Vicky Parry’s final word: My own budget pick would be Aldi or Asda for a classic pack you can cheerfully toast every morning without thinking about the cost. But if I were buying one “for research”, I’d be very tempted by either M&S Extremely Lemony Curd Filled or Aldi’s Rhubarb & Custard, because hot cross bun season should be at least a little bit silly.
Quick list: best hot cross bun deals live now
- Cheapest classic: Aldi Village Bakery Hot Cross Buns – 95p for 6 :contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}
- Best cheap supermarket classic: Asda The Bakery 6 Hot Cross Buns – £1 for 6
- Best value premium classic: Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Hot Cross Buns – £1.19 for 4
- Best reviewed traditional bun: Iceland Luxury 4 Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns – £1.80 for 4
- Best offer on a premium bun: Morrisons The Best Extra Fruity Hot Cross Buns – now £1.50 for 4
- Best rogue flavour at Aldi: Rhubarb & Custard – £1.19
- Best rogue flavour at Asda: Cherry Bakewell or Lemon & White Chocolate – £1.40 this week
- Best rogue flavour at Sainsbury’s: Apple & Cinnamon or Chocolate & Salted Caramel – £2
- Best rogue flavour at M&S: Extremely Lemony Curd Filled – £3.00 0n Ocado
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