A food trend created by Magnum has gone viral, with shoppers around the globe placing a Magnum ice cream inside a croissant.
The ‘Magnum croissant’ recipe, which was originally created by the ice cream brand in 2023, took off on social media in July and August.
The food hack sees shoppers slice off one end of a croissant before sandwiching a Magnum ice cream inside.
Magnum said the recipe was inspired by the viral ‘crunchy croissant sandwich’ trend, which saw consumers flatten croissants and use them in place of traditional sandwich bread.
The original recipe consisted of a Magnum Classic ice cream placed inside a freshly baked croissant. Since then, the brand has introduced new variations such as the Magnum Pistachio Croissant (see below).
The “simple yet satisfying hack” had recently gained traction across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, said Magnum, with “fans rushing to share their verdicts and recreate the Magnum croissant at home”.
On Instagram and YouTube, content relating to the Magnum croissant generated more than 8.1 million views and 309,000 engagements in the four weeks to 11 August, according to social listening platform Talkwalker.
One of the biggest spikes came on 31 July, when content relating to the trend generated more than six million views in a single day.
The strong interaction demonstrated the growing consumer appetite for “elevated yet easy-to-recreate bakery-inspired indulgences”, said Shannon Lennon-Smith, marketing manager at Magnum UK.
On 16 August, Magnum UK&I posted a video to Instagram demonstrating how to make a Magnum Croissant. By the time of writing, the video had racked up more than 1.4 million views.
Much of the buzz has been driven by organic influencer content. A TikTok video from content creator couple Lisa and Tom Medcalf (@mrandmrsmedcalf) had amassed six million views by the time of publication, while posts from @Lifewiththemancs and @Coatsey had generated more than 900,000 and 870,000 views respectively.
@mrandmrsmedcalf The saga continues🤭🤣🤣 #viral #mrandmrsmedcalf #tastetest #fypppppppppppppp ♬ original sound - ✨mrandmrsmedcalf✨
While in Dubai, bakery Flaky Pastry celebrated its fourth anniversary this month by giving away free Magnum croissants.
@timeoutdubai And you don’t have to buy anything. Flaky Pastry is giving away free Magnum croissants to celebrate its fourth birthday. All you have to do is just show up. Head to the Downtown branch on Tues Aug 18 or Creek Harbour on Thu Aug 20 to claim your freebie. See you there? #dubai #magnumcroissant ♬ original sound - Emily
In the four weeks to 15 August, Magnum’s value sales increased by 34.6% year on year, according to NIQ data.
While it was “difficult to isolate the precise sales impact of any single cultural moment”, the performance reflected “exceptional summer weather, an ATL campaign and heightened consumer engagement from brand moments such as the Magnum croissant trend”, Lennon-Smith told The Grocer.
The craze follows a series of bakery-inspired initiatives from the brand. In 2025, it opened a bakery in Cannes that serves creations including the Magnum croissant, shakes and bonbon macarons.
Earlier this year, it partnered with east London cinnamon roll brand Roll Boys to launch bite-sized bonbons.
Lennon-Smith added: “We’re seeing consumers increasingly seek out trending treats and food experiences that feel exciting, easy to recreate, unexpected and worth sharing.
“That’s something we’ve been exploring as a brand for some time, whether through the launch of the Magnum Bakery in Cannes in 2025 or our recent collaboration with Roll Boys back in spring.”
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