The best hot cross buns in Sydney in 2024

The fragrant HCBs from Black Star Pastry are a spicy, citrusy flavour bomb. This is a main event kind of bun, packed with mouth-tingling orange peel, zest and covered in a shiny coat of sweet, frankincense syrup. For the second year, Black Star Pastry has teamed up with chocolatier Koko Black for the hot cross bun's chocolate counterpart. Each bun is studded with smooth dark chocolate. Get yours from any of the outlets around Sydney, from Rosebery to the CBD to Moore Park to its Newtown store. And you can order online.

Time Out favourite Humble Bakery is upping their Easter game, offering three hot cross buns this year. If you’re a stickler for the OG, there’s a classic hot cross bad boy with spices, fruit and honey. For those with extra sweet teeth, there’s also a bun filled with sweet and creamy dulce de leche custard. Plus, they’re also selling a savoury option: the hot cross Reu-bun, filled with Porteño pastrami, horseradish cream, sauerkraut, pickles and Dijon mustard, on a spiced bun with no fruit. If you can’t decide, go to town and get all three. Check them out here. 

Clovelly Road's Tuga Pastries are bringing their signature Portuguese warmth to Easter baked goods this year. You can treat yourself to one, or a dozen, hot cross buns by heading in store. The traditional buns include a medley of raisins, sultanas and cranberries, with spices and cinnamon, plus lemon and orange peel. Or go for the chocolate hot cross buns, or the decadent Nutella babka, featuring chocolate, hazelnuts and Easter eggs. Yum.

Hop down to Double Bay and get your paws on their fresh HCB. Light, soft and fluffy, Baker Bleu's buns feature cinnamon-spiced orange and plump raisins. Add a thick layer of butter and you're G2G.

Do you like raisin toast? Of course you do. And what’s better than fruit toast? Hot cross loaves. Bourke Street's iteration is lighter and fluffier than your average bun, having more in common with a fruit bread than a sweet pastry. Big, juicy sultanas and scant orange peel complete the effect – you can also get them toasted and buttered on-site if you want a handheld snack in a hurry. Pick up in store or order online here. And, you can get your hands on their coveted hot cross buns every day.

This Easter, Newtown's Tokyo Lamington is offering a hot cross lamington of your dreams. Imagine a spiced classic sponge cake on the outside, filled with cinnamon vanilla cream and mixed fruit, dipped in white chocolate with a spice cookie crumb and a white chocolate cross on top. We'll take ten, please. If you want to mix it up, Tokyo Lamington also sells a mixed pack containing two yuzu hot cross buns, two lamington hot cross buns, and two hot cross lamingtons. Get around the action here.

Sonoma Bakery has teamed up with New Zealand’s killer choccie brand Whittaker’s Chocolate to create some pretty special buns. Think Sonoma’s spiced bun, but packed with Whittaker’s Chocolate, a touch of citrus, and a sweet glaze made up of Sonoma coffee and spices. They’re so good you probably won’t want to share. These goodies are available in-store, so get in quick.

Love hot cross buns and croissants? (Us too.) Enter, the hot cross cruffin, which you can find at Bar Mammoni in the Quay Quarter Lanes precinct. Buttery, sweet and crunchy, this Easter treat combines the best of both worlds with a flaky dough, tart goji berries and a creamy chocolate namelaka infused with cinnamon, star anise, cardamon, and nutmeg. Head in to Bar Mammoni to try one (or three).

If you've ever dreamt of a boozy hot cross bun, you're in luck. This year, purveyors of excellent breakfast The Grounds has teamed up with Benriach single malt Scotch whisky to create Scotch cross buns. These sweet treats take things to another level with whisky-soaked currants and raisins plus a Benriach whisky glaze. You can get your hands on them at The Grounds of Alexandria and The Grounds of the City venues. Check them out here.

You can get classic hot cross buns at Yves Scherrer's Clovelly patisserie, Madame and Yves. But really, we reckon you should bypass those and go straight for the hot cross brûlée bun. Spiced, sweet, and downright delicious, it’s a mash-up of a hot cross bun and crème brûlée, topped with a crunchy caramel toffee. Order them here.

We've veered away from the traditional hot cross bun again – but for good reason. These two local makers have put a seasonal spin on their care packages, fashioning the humble hot cross bun into crumpet form: the hot cross bunnies have the same warm, comforting spices, as well as a scattering of raisins and fragrant orange peel. Basically, they're the ideal base for a thick smear of hand-churned butter. You can find the bunnies online, and they'll deliver to your door all around NSW.  

Hot cross bun purists, look away. This Easter, the folks over at Kafe Kooks are serving a roti-based take on the traditional hot cross bun, called the 'hot cross bom'. Picture buttery roti layered with cinnamon sugar, chocolate, and sultanas, topped with a sugary dusting cross. It may not be exactly the same as the OG, but it sure tastes sweet. Available now until Easter, so hop on over to Ultimo.