This is the third and final post in our ALDI 101 series. But I have to be honest — I kind of don’t want this series to end!
I have been having so much fun reading your comments over email, tweets, Facebook, Instagram, and in the comment section below about Aldi! From those of you who have been longtime fans and have shared your great tips and favorite items, to those of you who may have never set foot in an Aldi but are considering giving it a try, it has been so cool to hear about each person’s unique experience with the store. I have to admit that a reader totally made my day when she shared that she ventured into an Aldi for the first time this week, and loved it. That is so cool!!!! :-)
Well after our first two posts — Why I Shop At Aldi and How To Shop At Aldi — today is the post that gets down to specifics on what to buy at Aldi. I feel like I should probably give a huge disclaimer that this post is based 100% on personal opinion. I have all of my own quirks and preferences, and as you will see below, there is a large section of the store (cereals, many non-organic meats, pet food, makeup, etc.) that I have not tried because those areas do not fall in my normal grocery shopping. And I’m sure there are plenty of items where our opinions may just simply differ! The pina colada popsicles that I adore just may not be your thing.
So please feel free to take this post with a a big grain of Aldi’s sea salt. ;) My hope is to offer a few starting points, and then hopefully you can try some new items and form your own opinions. To organize this post, I have included a few brief thoughts about each section of the store, and then a brief “to buy” and “not to buy” list of specifics. As always, I would love to have you share your thoughts on what you like to buy in the comments below.
This concludes our Aldi series! Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and I look forward to resuming regular recipe posting with you tomorrow!
Pantry Items
The pantry items are where I recommend people start at Aldi. Almost everything I’ve ever tried in this section is high-quality and consistently way cheaper than anyplace else. Granted, again, there is only one of most items to choose from. So you do not get the option of white whole wheat flour, unbleached or barley flour — there is usually bleached all-purpose flour, and that’s it. But this is an awesome section to stock your pantry, and even try a few of their specialty pantry items in the process.
What To Buy:
- baking essentials (flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, basic spices, condensed milk, etc.)
- real vanilla extract
- chocolate chips (semi-sweet, butterscotch,
- nuts for baking (pecan halves, walnuts, almonds, etc.)
- garlic vinagrette (with the garlic floating on the bottom!)
- Fit & Active light balsamic vinaigrette
- natural peanut butter
- clover honey
- breadcrumbs
- whole wheat pasta
- potato gnocchi
- strawberry light & crispy cereal bars
- granola
- oatmeal (any kind — there are lots of options!)
- rice
- dried beans
What Not To Buy:
The only iffy pantry item I have tried at Aldi is their chili powder, but I’m a bit of a spice snob. I think that you get what you pay for anytime you buy $1 spices at a grocery store. I’m also not a big cereal connoisseur, but I do know that their version of Cheerio’s does not taste exactly like the original. Just like at any grocery store, many of the cereals or granola bars are made with extra sugar, so be sure to check out the labels if you’re going for healthy.
Snacks and Sweets
There is actually a really wide variety of snacks and sweets to choose from at Aldi! I don’t usually let myself buy potato chips at the grocery store, but when most all of their chips are under $2, I have to admit that I have now sampled quite a few. And they are pretty much awesome. :)
What To Buy:
- dry-roasted almonds
- waffle bowls
- tortilla chips (restaurant-style, blue and multigrain varieties)
- sweet potato chips
- kettle chips (sea salt & vinegar and jalapeno are my favs)
- moser roth chili chocolate bars
- anise pizzelle cookies
- Haribo cola candy
- chocolate-covered coffee beans
What Not To Buy:
I don’t have any no-buys in this section. I will just mention that occasionally the lower prices equal lower serving sizes in some products. Again, to use chips as an example, often their bags are only about half full. So plan accordingly. (Or just use it as an excuse for portion control!) ;)
Dairy & Refrigerated Items
This is one category where it is “to each his own”. The majority of Aldi’s dairy products are not organic, although more and more organic options (and alternatives like almond milk!) are starting to pop up. The refrigerated section also seems to have a lot of variety and turnover, so while there may be marscapone and brie some months, they might not be there year-round. Still, my cart is always filled with lots of items from this section each time I go! And I always stock up on butter each time I’m there. It tastes great, and it is always so cheap!
What To Buy:
- BUTTER!
- fresh mozzarella balls
- hummus (roasted red pepper, garlic and cayenne are my three favorites)
- fresh salsas (I love the medium)
- marscapone
- soft cheeses (gorgonzola, blue, goat and feta are usually available)
- cream cheese (regular and reduced-fat)
- greek yogurt (often they have the Fage brand, and I also like their black cherry)
- original organic soymilk
- natural almond milk
- skim milk, 2% milk, whole milk, half and half, heavy cream (none are organic, but they are pretty good!)
- eggs
- cinnamon rolls
What Not To Buy:
Obviously if you are looking for organic, anything that is not marked as such is a no. I also think that many of their block cheeses are ok, but probably about worth what you pay for.
Produce
Ok, people, this has become my favorite section of Aldi! Trust me — there is some amazing produce to be found here at some of the best prices I’ve found. But here’s the deal…
You must be smart about choosing your produce. Just like at the normal grocery store, not every piece of produce is going to be perfectly ripe or at its peak season each time you visit. Case in point — Aldi can have incredible deals on avocadoes. (They are $0.19 each this week!) But if the avocado is wilted, or hard as a rock, it’s probably not a good day to buy it. The same goes for if you see any produce that looks super over- or under-ripe. If it looks iffy, you should probably wait until your next trip. Or you may need to eat it immediately, or wait a week for it to ripen if need be. But most of the time, I am completely impressed with their selection of ripe, affordable, delicious produce.
Most of their produce is also not organic, so just a heads-up if that is an important factor to you. Also many of their produce items (onions, zucchini, oranges, apples, kiwi, etc.) come in bags or in bulk. So there is not always the option to buy a single of some items.
Still, I always load up my cart with Aldi produce, so here are some of my favs!
What To Buy:
- pineapple
- lemons/limes
- baby carrots
- celery
- mushrooms
- green onions
- sweet mini peppers
- specialty lettuce
- berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
- zucchini and yellow squash
- kiwi
- pears
- mangoes
What Not To Buy:
Again, anything that looks iffy. I find that their roma tomatoes typically are not very ripe or flavorful. And I would also offer a special note on the bananas — they are awesome, but often they are over- or under-ripe, so you need to eat them in the proper timeframe.
Refrigerated Meats
As I said above, I prefer to buy most of my meat organic, so I haven’t tried tons of Aldi’s refrigerated meat options. But they have some killer deals on meats, especially in their weekly fresh meat special buys! Be sure to always check for those specials when they are published each Wednesday, as they tend to disappear quickly! A lot of the meat at Aldi is also seasonal, so be sure around the holidays to check out their hams and turkeys. They are amazing!
What To Buy:
- turkey bacon
- ground turkey
- thick peppered bacon
- spiral-cut ham
- turkeys
What Not To Buy:
Just a heads up that their cheapest bacon is really thin and not very lean. I would “splurge” and go for one of the thicker cuts, since that is practically the same price as the inexpensive bacon at the regular grocery store!
Canned/Jarred Goods
Thus far, I have had 100% positive experiences with the canned and jarred section at Aldi. They have a great selection of your basic canned fruits and veggies, and lots of canned sauces and such to choose from. And the prices are fantastic! Once again, I would caution to read the labels. Their canned peaches have a ton of sugar, as the generic canned peaches do at most stores. And some of their sauces and soups contain more processed ingredients than I prefer, as is common in many jarred sauces. But still, don’t be scared of any of the canned produce from Aldi — it’s awesome!
What To Buy:
- canned veggies
- canned fruits
- canned beans
- jarred marinara sauce
What Not To Buy:
Anything that you might be iffy about being overly-processed. (Look for some Gimme Some Oven recipes for easy alternatives to make soups homemade!) And again, keep an eye on the sugar content with canned fruits.
Frozen Foods
To be honest, this is a section that I don’t know a ton about. I usually stick with pretty straight “ingredients” in the frozen food section — frozen fruit, fish, veggies, etc. So if any of you have insights on more of the prepared frozen foods, would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
What To Buy:
- jumbo shrimp
- tilapia
- fruit popsicles (pina colada, lime and strawberry)
- moose tracks ice cream
- frozen berries (strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, etc.)
- edamame
- asparagus
What Not To Buy:
Any of their frozen shrimp that are not “jumbo” are tiny. I have also not been super impressed with their frozen salmon. Like most salmon in that price range in any grocery stores, it seems a little lacking in flavor. Also a heads-up that most of the frozen meats are not organic.
Beverages
Gah, I wish I had more experience here! I promise you guys I’m not a super health nut, but I also pretty much stick to water, tea, juices and coffee in life. So I have hardly any experience here when it comes to beverages. But my friends tell me that most of their options (like the Aldi brand of Crystal Light, teas and flavored sparkling waters) are pretty much identical to the originals. Here are a few that I have tried.
What To Buy:
- sparkling juice (I love all of them!)
- refrigerated 100% orange juice (go for the nicer of the two options for better flavor)
- Naked juice (when in stock)
- flavored sparkling water drinks
- iced tea
What Not To Buy:
I am definitely a big of a snob when it comes to my coffee. So I shy away from any of the bulk or super inexpensive coffee options, but I am sure they are comparable to their counterparts in the regular grocery store. I was also unimpressed by the cheap refrigerated orange juice — seemed to concentrate-y for me.
Alcoholic Drinks
First of all, it’s important to point out that wine and liquors are not available in all Aldi’s. I live in KC, and our Kansas stores are not allowed to carry alcoholic beverages, but most of the Missouri locations do. So this will depend on your state.
A reminder to all who are iffy about the cheap wine at Aldi — this store is owned by the same company that is the home of 2-buck-chuck, Trader Joe’s! So before you immediately write off the drink section, I would recommend you try a bottle or two. In my experience, you get what you pay for and a little bit more. The $3 wines taste maybe like a normal $5 wine. The Bailey’s knockoff isn’t precisely like Bailey’s, but it’s darn close and a great deal for a fraction of the price. But my favorite of all time is available seasonally, and I wish it was offered yearround — Aldi’s sangria! Oh man. I never knew that I would like sangria from a bottle, but this stuff is crazy good. And you get an enormous bottle for like $4. If you see it, you must try it.
What To Buy:
- SANGRIA! (seasonal)
- wines in the $5-10 range
- Bailey’s
What Not To Buy:
I think you get what you pay for with the super inexpensive budget wines — they are definitely hit and miss.
Household Items
For some reason, I held out on this section of Aldi for years, and now I have no idea why. They have some terrific household products at amazing discounts! Especially since I typically get annoyed at having to spend money on these things anyway, it’s awesome to have a more affordable option at Aldi. Two areas that I have not tried are their pet section and the makeup. Would love to have you chime in if you have experience with either of these!
What To Buy:
- disinfectant wipes
- plastic freezer and sandwich bags
- trash bags (they are thin, but they do the job)
- Crest toothpaste
- women’s razors
- pain relievers (ibuprofin, etc.)
- ultra soft & strong toilet paper
- paper towels and napkins
What Not To Buy:
You totally get what you pay for with the super cheap ($1 for 4 rolls) toilet paper. It is super thin and not very soft. But their thick TP is awesome!
My Top 10 Favorite Items At Aldi:
10. edamame
9. roasted red pepper hummus
8. fresh mozzarella balls
7. sangria
6. sea salt pita chips
5. pina colada popsicles
4. artichoke hearts
3. almond milk
2. butter
1. pineapple
Other ALDI 101 Articles:
I CAN’T BELIEVE THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR AVACADOS IN THE USA, IN AUSTRALIA YOU WILL PAY At LEAST 2 DOLLARS AT ALDI
lots of MSG in their products
Of course I can’t reflect on all stores with this one favorable part of shopping at Aldi’s but the “checking out” aspect is indeed a plus. I’m very impatient & used to work as a cashier decades ago when younger. We back then could get customers out faster than most stores today with bar codes when back then we had to key in every item & look for the pricing on each one. The Aldi clerks here where I live DON’T PLAY & they will run through your large grocery order in half the time the competitors do. I also love the compact size of the stores, I save money concentrating on what I need & not so much impulse buying. Helpful hint: purchase some handled fabric strong shopping bags for return visits & keep them in your car trunk. As for store items go, let me suggest the frozen Cornish hen baked & laced with garlic cloves/spices, fresh garlic/tomato sweet salsa, the gluten free baking mixes are great for my g/f who has celiac condition & 30% less than most competing brands, I purchase the combo of $1 bologna, hot dogs & processed sliced cheese for my dog as his treat & it’s safe consumption for your kids as well (although probably not that healthy). I found this blog searching for the “Specially Selected” brand of caramel wafer cookies which are off season (holiday stuff) which I’m addicted to! To end my long winded commentary, the frozen asparagus pan seared with select spices is wonderful along with the inexpensive butter they sell. Fresh mushrooms many times are almost 1/2 price of even discount competitors! Kirkwood chicken wings although a little pricey @ $8 are the best (IMO) on the market! The shank/butt portions of ham around the holidays are a must, great stuff. I could go on & on but needless to say, Aldi is my #1 destination for shopping & my only complaint is their one store here in my area is across town! Ha, at least gas pricing is down so now it doesn’t cut so much into budget going there 2-3 times weekly for those great deals! Enjoy,, Aldi rocks!!
Their natural bacon is fan-freaking-tastic! No nitrites. Lower in sodium. It is our ONLY bacon.
We just started shopping at Aldi last year. We love it! Our favorites are the 16 inch take and bake pizzas. We usually buy a cheese one and add our own toppings as we all like different things. We have come to like those pizzas better than most carry out pizzas. We love their snack crackers, chips, cheeses, breads, most cereals (a few we liked better than name brand, a few we didn’t care for at all). My boys love their breakfast foods- mini muffins, frozen waffles, breakfast sandwiches, etc. Their produce section is awesome and very affordable. We have liked everything we have tried in the frozen food section. And my husband LOVEWs the knock off Bailey’s for his coffee. He can get 2 bottles of that for the price of one bottle of the real thing. The few things we didn’t care for were spaghetti sauce (we love Ragu and we just can’t change that) and the canned raviolis, spaghettio’s type foods. Other than those few items, we love it! Grocery shopping became so much more affordable last year!
ALDI opened its doors here in Johnson City Tn – as a native German I was so looking forward to good German food items – what a disappointment – 0 , zero, null German products – no sausages no dumplings no baked goods – what a joke.
as someone who has shopped at Aldi for over 30 years, I am a little smug. The wonderful thing about Aldi is it’s ability to change product and yet keep the good stuff. My daughters also shop there and constantly try things I haven’t even seen. I am slowly eliminating processed food, so it is wonderful to see all the organic things they have added each week. My husband loves the donut store coffee style. He said it’s better than any name brand. I don’t care for the regular Cheerios, but the apple, honeynut, and other flavored styles are excellent. Their frozen chicken breasts, ground chuck, and pizzas are awesome. The frozen Texas toast is better than the name brand. The premium bacon and sausage are great. I buy all their sliced cheeses, and they are great as well. I am honestly trying to think of a product I wouldn’t buy and can’t. I tried couponing and spent hours each week only to pay the same prices I was already paying at Aldi. And I almost forgot, their generic soda is better than Faygo anyday.
For some reason, this post just crawled across my timeline yesterday. I read it eagerly and must say I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’m not much of a foodie; I’m a 64 year old widow, making it on Social Security. Shopping at Aldi is more or less a matter of survival with style for me. I just started my blog (at the above website) a couple of months ago, and one of my first “test” posts was about my Aldi experience. It’s remarkably similar to yours.
Stuff I buy there all the time: Crackers, oatmeal (they have steel-cut oats!!), real maple syrup, certain coffees (I enjoy their hazelnut). Milk, butter (real butter), eggs, extra-sharp Cheddar, wedges of Parmesan, cream cheese, low fat or nonfat yogurt. Chicken and lean ground beef, which I buy in quantity and break down into servings. I avoid a lot of their prepared frozen stuff, but I do buy popcorn shrimp when they have it. Toaster waffles. I also like their frozen steaks. Ice cream for a treat. “Everything” bagels. Their white bread is poor-ish, but their Italian loaf is good. Rice and pasta. Water pack tuna. Broth and stock to make my own soup. Canned soup for when I don’t make my own. Canned vegetables. Sugar–white, brown, and confectioners for special occasions like the holidays. Occasional canned fruit. Condiments such as mayo, mustard, and ketchup. Cleaning tools such as scrubbies and sponges. Window cleaner, which I use as an all-purpose spray. Acetaminophen–I take two each day, and I can get 100 of them in there for $1.99, a fraction of what I pay at the drugstore. We have a local produce store that is cheaper, but I do buy bananas and other staples at Aldi if I don’t want to make the side trip. In spring and summer, we get local veggies such as asparagus and mushrooms, for a song at Aldi.
Stuff I don’t buy: Dog food, fresh fish, and most produce. Baking supplies such as unbleached flour and yeast. Stuff where the brand name is a “must,” which for me includes cereal, coffee, and the occasional pack of Nathan’s hot dogs. We have a Shoppers Warehouse that sells ten paper products for ten dollars (paper towels, napkins, TP, waxed paper), so I buy those.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. By combining Aldi for most of my stuff with trips to a couple of other stores, I am able to survive on a soul-killing budget. I eat well, and I believe the food is wholesome. My family goes nuts over this–they seem to want to do everything in their power to dissuade me from going there, and I can’t quite fathom why. Our Aldi is full of young mothers and retirees. It seems a very sensible place to shop, and I intend to continue going there.
When is the best day to shop for produce? It always seems picked over when I go.
I just had my first shopping last night at Aldi’s. Wow! For what would be $200+ at my usual grocery store was $127 at Aldi’s. We have celiac disease in our family and have great need for gluten free products. I found GF: breakfast bars, chicken nuggets (too expensive to buy in health food stores!), pizza, “hot pockets”, pancakes, cookies, cake mix, pizza dough mix, brownie mix, cornbread mix! Gluten free eating just became affordable.