National Croissant Day

National Croissant Day History

National Croissant Day celebrates one of the world’s most famous breakfast meals. The croissant is a crescent shaped pastry made from yeast-leavened dough. The dough is layered with butter then rolled and folded several times over. Although most people believe that the croissant was invented in France, its actual birthplace is Vienna, Austria. The pastry spread in France around 1839 when Austrian Baker August Zang opened a Viennese bakery in Paris. Many different types of croissants were developed over the years, some more buttery, some less. Today, croissants are enjoyed by many all around the world.

National Croissant Day is observed annually on January 30th.

Top Facts for National Croissant Day in 2026

• The most historically significant fact regarding the origins of the croissant is that it is not originally French, but rather an evolution of the Austrian Kipferl, a crescent-shaped bread that dates back to at least the 13th century.
• A popular culinary legend suggests the pastry's shape was created in 1683 to celebrate the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vienna, with the crescent form intended to mock the symbol on the Ottoman flag.
• Many historical accounts attribute the introduction of the pastry to France to Marie Antoinette, who supposedly requested the Kipferl from royal bakers in 1770 because she was homesick for her native Austria.
• The transition of the croissant into its modern, flaky form began in 1839 when an Austrian officer named August Zang opened the Boulangerie Viennoise in Paris, introducing the city to Viennese baking techniques.
• The first known French recipe specifically using laminated puff pastry rather than a bready dough was recorded in 1915 by Sylvain Claudius Goy in the cookbook La Cuisine Anglo-Americaine.
• The croissant was officially designated as the French national product in 1920, cementing its status as a cornerstone of French gastronomic identity.
• Modern culinary trends have led to highly searched creative hybrids such as the Cronut, a croissant-doughnut cross created by Dominique Ansel in 2013, and the more recent crookie, which combines a croissant with chocolate chip cookie dough.
• Internet culture has kept the pastry in the digital spotlight through viral sensations like the dropped my croissant Vine and the massive, 15-inch croissants produced by Philippe Conticini in Paris.
• The technical complexity of the pastry lies in a process called lamination, where dough and butter are repeatedly folded to create a traditional structure that can contain up to 81 distinct layers.
• Global variations of the pastry include the Italian cornetto, which is typically softer and sweeter, and the San Martino croissants of Poland, which are traditionally glazed and topped with nuts.

In the News and Trending in the US for National Croissant Day

Top things to do in the US for National Croissant Day

• Visit a bakery and try some delicious croissants. There are sweeter pastries and some with ham or cheese in them. The bakery may even have a special deal that they're offering in celebration of National Croissant Day.
• Explore croissant recipes. There are recipes for sweeter dessert croissants and there are some that make breakfast well worth it.
• Watch a baking show like the The Great British Bake Off. See what innovations and sweets competitors can whip up in this exciting baking competition.