15 hours Ago By [email protected] (Chelsea Falin)
Popular grocery store foods continue to cost more , so many people turn to discount supermarkets to save money where they can. Aldi, which originally opened in Germany in the 1960s, was the world's first discount grocer. You can now find these stores in about 40 American states.
Some states (including California, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) have over 100 Aldi locations within their borders. There's a good reason this chain continues to expand. They have a wide array of products just as good as name brand options but at a fraction of the cost.
Specifically, there are 15 hidden gem Aldi snacks that you've been overlooking and today, I'll share which ones they are so you know what to immediately add to your shopping list. I'm uniquely suited to guide you on your journey to affordable, delicious snacks thanks to my food industry background and my recent work sourcing, trying, reviewing, and ranking Aldi foods. I've ranked nine breads from Aldi store brands and ranked nine Aldi ground meats , just to name a few.
Ready to learn which must-have snacks I've discovered along the way? Let's get into it. 1. Baker's Treat Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins I've had great success with the Baker's Treat brand generally, but I'm especially fond of two of their products, with these chocolate chip muffins being one of them.
They're soft and sweet, with a battery profile interspersed with tiny chocolate chips granting textural interest. Smell is always important to me when choosing my foods, and these offer a light but intriguing baked goods scent. I like that these mini muffins are made without high fructose corn syrup, and the price point is fantastic.
Each box has five individual bags with about four little muffins in them for $3.05. A similar name brand product at my local grocery store, ShopRite, costs more than double that at $6.
23. Don't like chocolate chip muffins? Don't worry. Baker's Treat offers numerous other similar boxed snacks.
And if you keep a few quick sweet treats in your home at all times like me, choose Aldi's Baker's Treat over name brands as a reward for your taste buds and your wallet. 2. Baker's Treat Mini Brownies These mini brownies are another delicious Baker's Treat that deserve a shoutout.
Not only are they made with no high fructose corn syrup, but they also have zero grams of trans fat per serving. The flavor profile is predominantly decadent chocolate, with surprising light earthy notes and the faintest hint of creamy sweetness. They have a strong freshly baked smell, and a fantastic crumbed texture that I personally love in my brownies.
Truthfully, these are good as homemade chocolate brownies , in my opinion. Like the mini chocolate chip muffins, these are priced at about half the cost of name brand options for the same quality. If you want to create a fresh-out-of-the-oven vibe, place these on a plate with a damp napkin.
Pop them in the microwave for ten seconds at a time, until they're warm and soft. Usually, it takes me about 30 total seconds to get them to where I want them, but times might vary. 3.
Clancy's Cheese Puffs My kids are diehard cheese puff fans, so more often than not, you'll find a bag in our kitchen. This option from Clancy's is just as good as any name brand we've tried, and definitely better than other store brands. They're soft yet crunchy with a light, airy mouthfeel and are perfectly coated in a delicious cheese powder.
The cheese has a very bright, creamy flavor that not many other brands successfully achieve, and that fact alone made them my pantry's new mainstay. I like that these are made with real cheese, and that may be why the taste is so fresh and full-bodied. Oh, and these are certified to not have any synthetic colors, which is a big boon for those who try to avoid artificial dyes in their foods.
Another thing I like is the price. A big bag costs around two dollars and will last my family a few days. If you're not going to eat these within a week, I recommend putting individual servings into zippered plastic snack baggies after opening to keep the product fresh longer.
4. Clancy's Barbecue Chips To be perfectly honest, I'm not a big fan of barbecue chips — but they're a favorite of both of my kids, which is why I picked these up in the first place. I never intended to try them, but I'm honestly glad I did.
More often than not, I find that this flavor of clips tastes super artificial and dusty. However, that's not the case here and I'm happy to say I've finally found a barbecue chip I enjoy. These have a genuine charred barbecue taste with mild sweet notes that balance the hallmark light spice of this flavor.
Although every chip is generously covered in powder, it doesn't taste dusty — and it's perfectly crispy. I really like eating these with classic grilled foods like hot dogs or hamburgers. The flavor profile just feels meant for, well, a barbecue.
Pair these with creamy potato salad and everybody's favorite baked beans and you have an amazing meal embodying the tastes of summer. 5. Millville Blueberry Pastry Crisps Out of all of the Aldi snack products I tried, this one might be the big winner for me.
These Blueberry Pastry Crisps, which are made by the Aldi store brand Millville, are thicker than I thought they would be, which turned out to be a good thing — that thickness comes primarily from ample sweet blueberry filling. The crust is crispy with a nice give, featuring a predominately starchy profile with buttery notes and a light drizzle that adds extra sweetness. Oh, and the smell? A robust fruity scent that vaguely reminds me of blueberry pie.
I like that these pastry crisps are made without any synthetic colors or artificial sweeteners, and the price isn't bad, either. You get 12 individually wrapped crisps for less than three dollars. Although this makes a great snack at any time of the day, I especially like to have one for a quick breakfast when I'm in a rush or not hungry enough to eat a real meal.
6. Lunch Buddies Cinnamon Applesauce Cups Lunch Buddies isn't an Aldi-specific brand, but the discount grocer sure sells a lot of their products. Many of the offerings featured in this range make fantastic additions to school or work lunches in addition to being delicious snacks at any time of day.
These cinnamon applesauce cups aren't only as good as other store-bought applesauce brands , but they're the best of their kind I've ever had. The intense fruity flavor is balanced out with mild sweet tones and faint earthy notes, with a robust cinnamon over top. The consistency is smooth with a medium weight, and I really can't rave about this product enough.
The nutritional component of these applesauce cups weighed heavily in my decision to initially try them. You can fill all your vitamin C needs for the day with just one delicious serving. Plus, there are measurable amounts of vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium, too.
Not a bad deal for something that tastes so good. 7. Bake Shop Strawberry Cheese Danish The Bake Shop Strawberry Cheese Danish is a decadent pastry.
It's also one of my favorite baked goods at Aldi, and I really can't recommend it enough. It's soft and flaky, with a classic baked pastry taste streaked with rich buttery tones and creamy notes provided by the drizzled icing. The strawberry filling is sweet and fruity with a rich scent that nearly overpowers the starchy smells of the crust, which I personally love.
I like the price, too. Fresh baked goods tend to be expensive, especially when compared to boxed baked goods. However, this strip costs less than four dollars and I can get four to six servings out of it, depending on how big I cut them.
That more or less works out to less than a dollar a serving, which feels like an absolute steal. There's never a bad time to treat yourself, but I highly suggest pairing this strawberry cheese Danish with your morning coffee for a breakfast that feels like dessert. 8.
Lunch Buddies Chocolate Pudding Cups Here's another Lunch Buddies snack that you've been overlooking for way too long — and it also works well for school or work lunches in addition to an afternoon snack. These chocolate pudding cups are among the best I've ever tasted, featuring a rich, creamy chocolate flavor profile that really allows the dairy to shine through. Plus, there's no strange artificial tastes, which is a boon because many other chocolate pudding cups can lean a bit chemical-y in the flavor department.
The consistency is smooth but full-bodied and there's a lingering chocolate aftertaste I find enjoyable. These are made with real milk and have no preservatives, which is something I really like. Plus, there are only 100 calories in each serving, which makes this a lighter treat option.
Even better, a four-pack is only $1.25. Although these can be eaten at room temperature, I think they're better cold, so I suggest putting them in the fridge for a few hours before consuming.
9. Park Street Deli Classic Guacamole Mini Cups Singles If you're a big avocado fan, you need this Park Street Deli Classic Guacamole. These mini cups are already divided into single servings and individually sealed, which prevents browning.
(I don't know about you, but I know I hate when my homemade guacamole starts turning brown the day after it's made.) This is a simple, no-frills guacamole with a creamy, earthy taste that pairs well with almost anything. A smooth texture is interspersed with more solid pieces of avocado, adding textural interest and a little extra weight to the mouthfeel.
I personally prefer the spicy guacamole singles, which includes jalapeños and bell peppers — the kick here is light but flavorful. However, if you don't like spicy foods, they also have a standard version. Both options come with six cups holding 2 ounce servings.
I recommend using these to seriously upgrade your nachos alongside well-seasoned refried beans, diced white onion, and finely chopped fresh cilantro. 10. Simply Nature Wildberry Fruit Strips Don't let the name fool you — these Simply Nature Wildberry Fruit Strips are essentially high-quality fruit leather.
Frankly, I think that's amazing because quality fruit leather can often cost a pretty penny. These have a mild toughness, so they aren't as hard and chewy as some similar options, which is something I think makes them even better. A rich, concentrated fruity flavor dominates the taste with a mild sweetness and sharp tang.
The strong strawberry scent of the snack is absolutely heavenly, like walking through berry fields on a hot summer day. These strips are certified non-GMO and only have 50 calories each. Plus, there's zero saturated fat or sodium, making this hidden gem snack a good choice for people with certain dietary restrictions.
These are also another great Aldi deal, with 21 strips costing only $4.39, making each serving about 20 cents, which is a sweet deal. And since they don't melt easily, they're a great snack to keep in your purse or backpack when you need a quick energy boost.
11. Simply Nature Freeze Dried Fuji Apples I love freeze dried fruit for many reasons, but two stand out the most. First, they stay fresh and edible much longer, so they're perfect to keep in the pantry.
Second, the best ones offer a nice crisp and concentrated flavor. Thankfully, Simply Nature's Freeze Dried Fuji Apples are one of the best. The fresh crisp here is followed by a melt-in-your mouth softness, and the concentrated flavor is robustly fruity, with strong kicks of earthiness.
Being apples, these are also a healthier snack option and a good source of fiber, with no trans fat or sodium. The product is also verified as being non-GMO by the non-GMO project. Although I can eat these like potato chips by themselves, there are a number of ways to enjoy this apple snack.
I found them to be amazing in hot oatmeal, where I add them in with the packet or loose oats before pouring the boiling water over top. They lose their crunch this way, but merge with the hot cereal in a way that's pure bliss. 12.
liveGfree Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps If you've recently been diagnosed with Celiac or discovered you have gluten intolerance, you have likely realized that eating gluten-free isn't always easy. For one thing, at times it can seem like gluten is in almost everything. On top of that, a lot of gluten-free versions of foods are borderline inedible.
But I have a recommendation for you: Aldi's store brand, liveGfree, has Sweet Chili Brown Rice Crisps that will make you forget they're a gluten-free food. Opening the bag, you're greeted with a sweet scent with the slightest hint of spice. Texturally, these crisps are crunchy and solid but melt in your mouth easily once you start chewing.
The predominant taste profile is sweet chilis, but you catch fleeting hints of tomato, onion, garlic, and vinegar. It's a taste you don't want to miss out on. I recommend using these for gluten-free nachos or pairing them with the guacamole singles on this list for a quick and satisfying afternoon snack.
13. Breakfast Best Pancakes and Sausage On-A-Stick I know that technically these Pancakes and Sausage On-A-Stick from Breakfast Best are, well, a breakfast food. However, I justify their place on this list because my family eats them as snacks throughout the day.
After all, foods on a stick are conveniently portable and these only take a few minutes in the microwave, making them a quick choice to satiate your hunger. Once again, we have an amazing deal from Aldi — each box of 10 costs only $7.15, coming out to just over 70 cents a piece.
Once cooked, the outer layer is warm and soft with a battery flavor profile laced with heavy sweet notes and light buttery tones throughout. The sausage inside has a rich umami taste with mild spice notes, and the two parts combine to perfectly balance each other. You can dip these in syrup, if desired, although I find them sweet enough without.
14. Southern Grove Sweet and Salty Trail Mix On-The-Go I haven't seen many on-the-go trail mix options, although I may not have been looking hard enough. Still, this sweet and salty option from Southern Grove quickly found itself a regular place in my pantry.
The mix itself is unique, featuring perfectly salted peanuts, raisins, cocoa gems, and sunflower kernels. The sunflower seeds are a nice touch that I don't see in nearly enough options because they're my favorite part. During my taste test, I learned that cocoa gems are basically off-brand M&Ms — and they were honestly just as good.
These are a great snack to take along on your outdoor adventures. Pack a few of these in your backpack before hiking or biking — or tuck them away into your bag before heading to the beach, on the boat, or out camping. Not only are they portable, but they'll also provide great fuel for activity.
Each pack contains six grams of protein and two grams of fiber, along with notable amounts of calcium, iron, and potassium. 15. Savoritz Cheese Dip and Cracker Sticks As far as I'm concerned, the Cheese Dip and Cracker Sticks are a pantry essential.
These are a quick, easy, and tasty snack. Unfortunately, a number of other brands' versions of this snack taste like stale bread and heavily processed chemicals. Thankfully, this option from Savoritz is one of the good ones and it tastes exactly like you'd expect it, too — with crisp, starchy breadsticks and rich, creamy cheese dip.
There's a slight artificial aftertaste, but it isn't enough to detract from the overall experience. I especially like putting these in my kid's lunch boxes because they're a filling and fun snack. However, I also enjoy them during my lunch break; you can never be too old for these.
These cheese dip and cracker sticks go nicely with an apple or some fresh berries. Oh, and if you're looking for more great snack ideas, check out this ranking of Great Value packaged snacks or this listing of the best Trader Joe's items under $5 ..
