If you've typed "best baking mix New Zealand" into Google lately, you've probably ended up with a mixed bag of supermarket options and a few local brands you may or may not have heard of. We've been in the baking mix world since 2020, so we thought it was time to write the honest guide we wish had existed when we started.
Why we started Secret Kiwi Kitchen — and why it matters
Here's the thing that drove us a little crazy before we launched: walk down the baking mix aisle in any NZ supermarket and most of what you'd find was imported. Shipped from overseas, packed with preservatives and stabilisers to survive the journey, and sold in a country that produces some of the best dairy in the world and grows GMO-free wheat right here at home.
We thought that was nuts. New Zealand milk powder is genuinely world-class. Our flour is clean. We have incredible local ingredients right under our noses, and yet Kiwi bakers were reaching for a box made in a factory overseas full of numbers and chemicals they couldn't pronounce.
That was the whole reason we started. Not just to make a great baking mix, but to make one that was actually made here, with ingredients you'd be proud to bake with. Buy local isn't just a slogan for us. It's why we exist.
What actually makes a great baking mix?
The question we always ask is: Does it taste like something your grandmother made, or does it taste like a mix? That's the bar. Clean ingredients, proper ratios, no weird aftertaste from artificial additives. Simple.
Here's what we look for:
- Real ingredients — not a string of numbers and stabilisers
- Foolproof results — it should work the first time, every time
- Flavour that punches — brownies should be fudgy, not cakey. Ginger crunch should actually taste like ginger
- NZ-made — supporting local producers matters, and local makers tend to care more about what goes in
The NZ baking mix landscape
New Zealand actually punches above its weight for artisan baking mixes. Here are the brands worth knowing about:
The Caker — Jordan Rondel's brand is genuinely beautiful, and the quality shows. It's more of a premium kit experience than an everyday pantry staple, think special occasion, birthday gift, or when you really want to treat someone. The price point reflects that, but if you're giving a gift to a baker, it's worth the splurge.
Hunter Gatherer Gourmet — the go-to if you're grain-free, dairy-free or paleo. Certified gluten-free, made with almond and tapioca flour, and no refined sugars. Great for people with dietary restrictions who don't want to compromise on taste.
Alternative Bread Co — if you're coeliac or strictly gluten-free, this is the most trusted NZ bread mix brand. Coeliac NZ accredited, multiple loaf varieties, dairy and soy free. Not a sweet baking mix, but essential to know about if bread is your thing.
Secret Kiwi Kitchen (that's us) — we launched in 2020 from a Devonport kitchen during Auckland's second lockdown, driven by that exact frustration of imported mixes full of unnecessary additives when we have the best ingredients in the world right here. NZ milk powder, GMO-free flour, real ingredients you can read on the label. We now stock in Briscoes, Woolworths, New World, Ballantynes, Farro Fresh, Milly's Kitchen, and Chef's Complements, along with many other independent retailers — and we've won lots of gold and silver awards in the Artisan Food Awards.
Our most popular mixes, honestly reviewed
Triple Fudge Brownie Mix — Dense, deeply chocolatey, fudgy in the middle. Judges at the Outstanding Food Producer Awards called it true to the packet and genuinely moist. One bowl, 30 minutes. Done.
Ginger Crunch Slice Mix — Our newest hero. All you need is butter and golden syrup. Tastes like the ginger crunch from the school tuck shop, but better. Featured in Your Home and Garden and inWoman's Weekly, and coming to Woolworths nationwide.
White Chocolate Blondie Mix — Rich, buttery, chewy edges, soft centre. The one people come back for.
Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix — FMCG Product of the Year nominee and gold award winner at the Artisan Food Awards. Real vanilla bean, touch of malt. The fluffiest pancakes you'll make from a packet. Works for waffles too.
Chocolate Cake & Cupcake Mix — Dutch-process cocoa and espresso powder. Makes 12 cupcakes or one 8-inch cake. The espresso doesn't make it taste like coffee — it just makes the chocolate taste more like chocolate. Old baker's trick.
So what's actually the best baking mix in New Zealand?
Depends on what you're making:
- For brownies: Secret Kiwi Kitchen Triple Fudge Brownie Mix (we're biased, but so are the awards judges)
- For a premium gift or special occasion: The Caker — beautiful presentation, worth the splurge
- For gluten-free/grain-free: Hunter Gatherer Gourmet
- For coeliac-safe bread: Alternative Bread Co
- For a classic Kiwi slice: Secret Kiwi Kitchen Ginger Crunch Slice Mix — nothing else like it on the market
- For everyday pancakes: Secret Kiwi Kitchen Buttermilk Pancake Mix
The best part? Every option on this list is New Zealand-made. You don't have to choose between quality and buying local anymore, and honestly, you never should have had to.
Find us at secretkiwikitchen.com, or at Woolworths, Farro Fresh, Briscoes, and specialty food stores nationwide.
Secret Kiwi Kitchen is an award-winning New Zealand food company founded by cookbook author Lauren Lulu Taylor. Known for their award-winning clean baking mixes, spice blends and edible flowers. Secret Kiwi Kitchen products are stocked in stores across New Zealand, the Pacific, the USA and Canada.