The Top 10 Things to Buy at Aldi During Your First Trip
If you’ve never been to Aldi before (or even if you have), it might help you to have a list of the 10 groceries that we think are among the best. Even though the stores are small (around 10,000 square feet of aisles, compared to the 40,000 square feet of traditional grocery stores), there are still a lot of products to check out. We’ve browsed the aisles and spent many hours taste tasting in order to get you this list.
That said, we now present you the 10 groceries that are always worth buying at Aldi, whether you’re going for your first time or your 50th.
1. Moser Roth Chocolates, $1.95 for 4.4 ounces
Aside from low prices, Aldi is probably most known for its chocolate. This Moser Roth stuff is real German chocolate, has won awards, and earned a cult following. In addition to being downright tasty, the packing is super smart: Each box contains five individually wrapped bars, so you can help yourself to a little at a time.
2. Specially Selected Aged Reserve White Cheddar, $2.49 for 10 ounces
Speaking of winning awards, this won the gold medal at the 2013 United States Cheese Championship. We love it with crackers, flatbreads, and apple slices.
Read more: A Ranking of the Best Cheeses at Aldi
3. Specially Selected German Roasted Coffee, $4.99 for one pound
People we’ve served this coffee to have thought it was fancy mail-order stuff. It’s not, though. Obviously! Our only complaint: the fact that the bag isn’t resealable.
Read more: The Best $5 You Can Spend at Aldi
4. Southern Grove Chili Lime Cashews, $5.19 for 10 ounces
You might expect to only find basic snacks at Aldi (like, regular cashews), so it might surprise you to learn that they stock all sorts of more creative options. If you’re feeling adventurous (and like spice), we love these hot-and-citrus-y cashews for solo snacking or dressing up a cheese board.
5. Mama Cozzi’s Take & Bake Pizzas, from $4.99 each
These pizzas are huge. Like, giant. And they’re usually around five or six bucks (depending on current sales or your toppings of choice). Special pies rotate in and out of the store on a weekly basis, but one thing remains consistent: A company exec told us they tend to fly off the shelves on Friday afternoons.
6. Belle Vie, $2.99 for 12 cans
Like LaCroix? Then you should try Belle Vie. It tastes nearly identical and is always just 25 cents per can, which is pretty darn good compared to LaCroix prices. Get the grapefruit.
7. SimplyNature Almond Butter, $4.49 for 12 ounces
The only ingredient in this jar: dry-roasted almonds. That’s nearly unheard of for cheap nut butter products. Not only is it inexpensive, but it’s also one of our favorite almond butters out there.
8. Avocados, $3.99 for four
Aldi has lots of organic produce options. You can get four organic avocados for just $3.99, which is a steal compared to other stores. Start with the softest one and, by the time you get to the last one, it’ll be ready to eat.
9. SimplyNature Seedtastic Whole-Grain Bread, $4.29 per loaf
Unofficially, this new product is Aldi’s response to the ever-popular Dave’s Killer Bread, which Kitchn editors happen to be obsessed with. We’ve tried it and it was pretty much spot-on.
10. Any bottle of wine
Okay, wine is not exactly an essential grocery item, but if your Aldi store carries wine and you like to imbibe, you really should shop this stuff. Most bottles are less than $10 and you can usually find an award-winner in there somewhere, too. The selection is always changing, too, so you’re bound to find something you like.
Got anything else to add?