Welcome to Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants review 2.0. It should actually be considered 3.0 as I never got a chance to try the original mini croissants. But since publishing this more than a year ago, some very passionate fans of the old product have come out to share their thoughts. And I'm happy to report this product is back and improved from the ones in a bag.
Review
If you are a fan of Trader Joe's Croissants, then you might have been disappointed by any change in the product and its formulation. For some reason, they've been tinkering with the mini croissants but not the almond or chocolate ones.
However, I felt the need to update this review because when I walked past the croissant section I noticed the bag was gone and there were croissants in different packaging. Usually, when there is updated packaging it means there has been a change.
Now, like the croissants in a bag, these do not require any overnight proofing. But what I can tell you is these are much improved over the ones in a bag. They are flakier and taste a lot less like Pillsbury crescent rolls and more like the much-loved croissants.
These cooked up with all the layers you could hope for. Now, again, I never tried the original Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants that were changed more than a year ago. However, that is what the comments section is for.
Overall
Would I buy this new box of Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants again? Yes, I would buy this box again. It seemed pretty solid this time around. But again, I didn't try the originals.
Product Photos
The box of Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants:
Calories and ingredients
Directions
Out of the box you get:
Out of the oven, you get:
Previous Review
All comments below refer to an earlier product prior to 11/19/19
The pros: Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants are new and replace the frozen ones you have to proof. Don't worry though, the Chocolate and Almond croissants are still in the frozen aisle.
The cons: If you imagined (like I did) that these would be about the size of say a crescent roll, then you will be surprised by how much they puff up. This bag is not resealable. They are made in Belgium.
The verdict:
I love a good croissant. So much so that a fellow friend and I decided to take a croissant-making class at Sur La Table a day or two before my wedding.
Yup, nothing says I don't need to fit into my clothes anymore, like learning to make buttery pastries.
So let's start off with a couple of things that are worth noting. This is a new product. Trader Joe's previously offered boxed variety with the same name that was just plain croissants. Those required time. Overnight + bake time. While the chocolate and almond croissants are still there, the plain ones have not been there the last few times I stopped into my local TJs.
Now, the chocolate ones are near perfection. The only downside is you can't just pop them in the oven. You have to wait for them to rise.
The almond ones are a close second, but they frequently leak their filling all over the cookie sheet. Also, they would be prettier if they mentioned the importance of an egg wash. In terms of taste, they are on point too.
These croissants are for those of us who fail to plan. I know I'll need to eat, but often I fail to plan. If you have about 25 minutes, then you might be pleasantly surprised by how good these are for something coming out of a bag.
Let's start off with the price. For $3.99 you are getting 8 not so mini but not full-sized pastries. Go into any French bakery and that might get you two if you are lucky.
Because of the ridiculously high heat here in NY, these were pretty much fully defrosted for me by the time I brought them home. So while I did not leave them out for 30 minutes, they did endure a shopping trip, a 25-minute car ride in 90-degree heat, plus putting the groceries away.
About 25-minute later I had golden brown pastries. I pushed it to the 30 minutes to ensure that they weren't quite as light as the ones on the picture on the bag.
You see, when it comes to croissants you want a bit of color. Without the color, it means you might be biting into mush. You want flaky layers. If I had let them stay in the oven a few more minutes I probably could have added to the layering.
But the outside was crisp and the inside light and tender.
For something that wasn't full-sized, it was pretty good. For something that does not require overnight proofing, they are pretty good.
Best of all these are less than half the calories of the chocolate or almond croissants and are a touch easier to make. It's like Trader Joe's understands just how lazy I am.
Don't get me wrong, those chocolate and almond ones are worth the time. But if you are looking for an upgrade to your Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, then you should give these a try.
Here is the visual rundown of what you get if you buy this product:
The bag of Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants:
The nutritional information:
The ingredients:
How to prepare:
How Trader Joe's describes these:
After being cooked you get:
Would I buy this again? Yes, I would buy Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants again. They were easy, peasy and tasted pretty good. Not French Bakery amazing, but darn good out of the bag.
Want to see more items I've reviewed from Trader Joe's? Click on Thoughts & Reviews of Trader Joe's for a searchable list.
Did you try it? Let me know what you think in the comments section!
The Bottom Line
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Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants
Product Name: Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants
Product Description: Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants are the third variation in the last two years of this classic.
Price: $4.49
Currency: USD
Availability: InStoreOnly
Summary
Trader Joe's 8 Mini Croissants are now the third variety of mini croissants we've seen and the second variety that requires no proofing
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Taste
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Value
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Worthy of Repurchasing
Pros
- These are an improvement over the previous ones in a bag
- The directions are on point
- They are light and airy tasting
Cons
- I still prefer the almond and chocolate croissants
- Proofing good bread is always worth the time for me
Marie Luce says
I agree with previous posters, the new ones are terrible. It is like eating a piece of bread with no taste, very disappointing. I cooked them this morning and they are still sitting on the table. I am french and use to buy my croissants from a small bakery in Paris (winner of best croissants in Paris) and the TJ ones were pretty darn close to that experience… we use to make them the TJ ones every sunday morning and it was a wonderful ritual… PLEASE bring back the old ones!!!
becomebetty says
Hey Marie! Like I said earlier, I never had the old ones. Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and share your thoughts and again, I left a link in one of the comments, please reach out directly to Trader Joe's to let them know what you think.
Margaret says
The new ones suck, just glorified crescent rolls and are nothing like the old ones in the box. The world doesn’t need “fast” croissants, just good ones. If people don’t have time to proof then they should buy the already baked ones or get a tube of crescent rolls from Kroger. I dearly miss the box ones as they were perfection.
MKP says
I agree with many previous commenters...The new ones are barely better than Pillsbury Crescent Rolls! My weekend brunches are suffering from this sad development from TJs. :-((((
MKP says
Yes totally agree… we will need to start a petition or something…
MJR says
I was wondering if I was nuts, that these are a whole different product. They have no taste to them at all. They are not flaky. I have tried them twice just to see if maybe it was a bad batch. I would gladly pay more for the quality of the old ones. Trader Joes bring them back.
Linda Danylyshyn says
I LOVE THEM❤️. I always have a bag in my freezer. Just the right size.
becomebetty says
Hey Linda! Thanks for sharing, this has been a super controversial item that not everyone loves the changes that were made to the original recipe.
MKP says
Exactly! Apparently they don’t care.
CK says
I went to France with a friend for two weeks last summer and I had fallen in love with butter croissants; and so did my friend! Not long after I came back I started looking for good flaky butter croissants. So far I could found only a few bakeries that come close to what I can remember I had in France. I haven't tried TJ's previous frozen croissants but I love these mini croissants for sure. Unlike the Pillsbury pastry these don't have the bitter yeast taste. TJ's simply taste light and good plus they are not very oily. My two teenager boys like them. I told my friend about these croissants she said they are good too. I had tried a few other brands of frozen butter croissants which require proofing ahead of time. They taste like bread and bland to me. The TJ mini croissants from Belgium are very convenient and a bag of eight comes at a good price. I have had these since August and found them sold out quickly at my local TJ. When that happens, I won't find them in other stores and it will take TJ weeks to restock them (I was told there was production delay) That tells me the mini frozen croissants must be pretty popular. I would now often keep a few bags in my freezer to prevent them from running out whenever I want to have a croissant and don't want to go to the bakery!
becomebetty says
Hey CK! I'm glad you shared your thoughts on this. I've never been to France, but I'm glad you can share how they compare. Thanks again for stopping by and sharing this!
CK says
I went to France with a friend for two weeks last summer and I had fallen in love with butter croissants; and so did my friend! Not long after I came back I started looking for good flaky butter croissants. So far I could found only a few bakeries that come close to what I can remember I had in France. I haven't tried TJ's previous frozen croissants but I love these mini croissants for sure. Unlike the Pillsbury pastry these don't have the bitter yeast taste. TJ's simply taste light and good plus they are not very oily. My two teenager boys like them. I told my friend about these croissants she said they are good too. I had tried a few other brands of frozen butter croissants which require proofing ahead of time. They taste like bread and bland to me. The TJ mini croissants from Belgium are very convenient and a bag of eight comes at a good price. I have had these since August and found them sold out quickly at my local TJ. When that happens, I won't find them in other stores and it will take TJ weeks to restock them (I was told there was production delay) That tells me the mini frozen croissants must be pretty popular. I would now often keep a few bags in my freezer to prevent them from running out whenever I want to have a croissant and don't want to go to the bakery!
Manny Fernandez says
The new croissants are like supermarket mass production type. They're tasteless. The old ones were fluffy and delicious! I will need to buy the croissants from William Sonoma.
becomebetty says
Hey Manny! Based on the comments here, you are not alone on your dislike of this product. Thanks for taking the time out of your day to share!