Which supermarket sells the cheapest Easter eggs?
Easter Sunday is just around the corner (9 April) and however you celebrate, you’ll want to get the most for your money when it comes to buying chocolate.
With supermarket prices continuing to climb, it’s worth checking the price of the treats you want to put in your basket this year before you head to the supermarket, or place your online delivery.
Which? has analysed the prices of 19 popular branded Easter eggs and chocolate treats at some of the biggest supermarkets to uncover where you can buy them for less, whether you're an Aero, Creme Egg or Maltesers fan.
The cheapest Easter treats in our basket
We checked the price of 19 popular branded Easter eggs and chocolate treats, including the Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut Ultimate Chocolate Egg and Galaxy Minstrels Easter Egg, for two weeks, 3-17 March 2023.
We then calculated an average price for the time period to see how they compare across eight supermarkets including Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
Not all the Easter eggs and chocolate treats were available at all supermarkets during the period our analysis focused on, with discounters Aldi and Lidl stocking fewer branded products than traditional supermarkets. For items that were not stocked during our research, we have marked them with a dash (-) in our table below.
The analysis is based on independent data and includes discounts but not multi-buys. The cheapest average prices we found are bolded in the table.
| Product | Aldi | Asda | Lidl | Morrisons | Ocado | Sainsbury's | Tesco | Waitrose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Peppermint Mini Eggs (70g) | - | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | - | £1.25 | £1.25 |
| Cadbury 5 Creme Eggs (200g) | £1.99 | £2 | £2.39 | £2.25 | £2 | - | £2 | £2.50 |
| Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit and Nut Ultimate Chocolate Egg (532g) | £9.99 | £10 | - | £10 | £12 | £12 | £12 | £10 |
| Cadbury Milk Chocolate Mini Easter Eggs (80g) | - | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.33 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.50 |
| Cadbury Mini Creme Egg Chocolate Bag (78g) | - | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.25 | £1.50 |
| Cadbury Mini Eggs Chocolate Easter Egg (193.5g) | - | £3 | £2.99 | £2.83 | £3.67 | £3 | £3 | £4 |
| Cadbury Mini Eggs Large Family Chocolate Bag (296g) | £2.99 | £3.50 | £3.49 | £3.50 | £3.50 | £3.75 | £3.75 | £3.75 |
Discounters Aldi and Lidl were cheaper or the same price as the other supermarkets on nine of the eggs and treats, while Waitrose was only the cheapest or the same price as other retailers on one of the products we looked at – Aero Peppermint Mini Eggs (70g). In fact, Waitrose was the most expensive or joint most expensive for 14 of the products, followed by Morrisons, with eight items.
- Find out more: our guide to Easter supermarket food 2023
The biggest price differences
The biggest differences in average cost we found were for the Cadbury Mini Eggs Chocolate Easter Egg (193.5g) and Galaxy Minstrels Easter Egg (234g), with both being £1.17 (or 41%) more expensive at Waitrose compared to Morrisons.
If you’re looking to buy shareable bags of treats this Easter, our analysis found the Cadbury Mini Eggs Large Family Chocolate Bag (296g) was 25% more expensive at Waitrose compared to Aldi where it was the cheapest, and the Cadbury Mini Creme Egg Chocolate Bag (78g) was 20% pricier from Waitrose compared to the rest.
- Find out more: supermarket price comparison
Why do we have Easter eggs?
Eggs are an ancient symbol of new life and rebirth, and were associated with pagan festivals celebrating spring before being absorbed into Easter celebrations.
The practice of giving loved ones eggs as gifts is linked to pagan traditions and was then adopted by the Orthodox churches, before spreading into western Europe from there. People have given each other eggs at spring festivals to mark the season through history too.
Dr Michael Carter, senior properties historian at English Heritage, told Which?: ‘Eggs have long been associated with Easter — the time of year when Christians commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Middle Ages, their consumption was banned during Lent [the 40-day period before Easter] until Easter Sunday.
'From at least the 19th century, eggs were specially decorated for Easter and were used in games, including rolling them down hillsides. Chocolate Easter eggs first emerged in the mid-19th century, and a century later, they were being mass produced, securing their key role in the Easter we now know and love.’
- Find out more: the best hot cross buns for Easter 2023
