If you’ve been following along with me for awhile, you probably know that I am a huge fan of Trader Joe’s and Costco. (You can see my Trader Joe favorites HERE and my Costco favorites HERE.) But — an admitted late-comer — a new Aldi store was recently built in our area and I started out slowly, dipping my toe in, to try the Aldi shopping experience. While we aren’t Aldi fanatics, we are definite fans with an extreme appreciation of a lot of its offerings and today, I’m sharing our top family Aldi favorites and must-buys on our regular Aldi shopping list.
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I have friends that rave about Aldi and who exclusively shop there. On the other hand, some folks are not a fan of the warehouse-like layout, having to pay (loan) a quarter to use a shopping cart and the need to bring your own shopping bags (and bag your own groceries.)
But we quickly found some great benefits to shopping at Aldi.
- I would say the number one benefit is the price/value of every day items. For the last several years, we’ve been more intentional in planning our grocery shopping to eliminate waste, overages and costs. I was so passionate about streamlining our grocery shopping habits, I even wrote a post about it, HERE.
- We are big produce consumers and we have found that the Aldi produce — at least in our area and compared to our local Publix — is superb! Most importantly, the produce we purchase at Aldi stays fresh for days after we purchase it, and the same can not always be said for the produce purchased at a major grocery store that is closer in distance to our house. Secondly, the produce prices are typically a dollar or more less!
- We have tried (and love) many Aldi-brand items and can’t detect a difference between those and the name brand versions. Again, the price is a benefit.
- The entire family enjoys the shopping experience! We love to shop at Aldi on our way home from church on Sundays, since it’s on the way. Eliza has her own small tote bag and we have all found some faves that we love. Of course, my favorite Scout market totes also come along and are perfect for grocery packing. It’s also handy to have a trunk organizer like this one in your car, to corral small bags and larger single items.
When we shop at Aldi, we each are on the hunt for the favorites we have found. Some of these are enjoyed by all of us and some are specific to our own preferences. And on weeks that don’t require specific packaged goods, I love being able to limit our weekly run to an Aldi trip for the essentials and fresh food re-stock.
Kelley Nan’s Aldi Favorites
My favorites can mostly be found in the produce, bread and refrigerated sections of the store. But I’m also always on the look out for items that I know my family will love. My personal favorites include:
- Tri-color bell peppers (An entire package of three peppers is about the same price as a single red, orange or yellow bell pepper in other stores.)
- Salad kits — specifically, the Asian chopped salad kit. I love getting these and splitting them between two lunches and adding grilled chicken.
- Red onions (A bag of five red onions was $2.15 on my last trip and is perfect to make THIS Red Pickled Onion recipe.
- Sweet potatoes (I love these roasted, along with the red onions and peppers.)
- ALL the veggies — deals on produce like packages of zucchini can’t be beat.
- Bananas — the price is good but the longevity (specifically with the organic) is incredible.
- Bagel Skinnys (only 130 calendars per bagel) — this is how I eat my avocado toast now and I love smearing each side with cream cheese for Eliza (great taste but without all that bread).
- Spinach Artichoke Tzatziki Dip (a recent find that is delicious!)
- Panera Bread broccoli cheddar soup — I love the small portion!
- Simply Nature Coconut Cashew Crisps — the Caramel is my favorite! These are fabulous to satisfy a sweet tooth.
- Blocks of cheese. No other statement required 😉
- Clancy’s pub-style seasoned pretzels — these mini twists remind me of Dot’s!
- Lesser Evil snacks — especially the space balls for Eliza!
Dave’s Aldi Favorites
Dave is definitely a snacker, but he loves fresh fruit too. He’s always on the look out for snacks that he likes and items that he can pack for his lunches at work. Some of Dave’s favorites are:
- Jalapeno peppers (A pack of five large peppers is only 75 cents!)
- Pre-made chef salad bowls
- Aldi brand “Nutter Butter” cookies
- Roasted almonds
- Roasted sunflower seeds
- Skirt steak (Dave grills this most weeks to make fajitas for his work lunches.)
- Coffee creamer (Dave was never a coffee drinker until our trip to Italy. Now he takes a coffee to work every day and dresses it up with the sweet cream creamer.)
- Miniature Blue Bell ice cream pints
Eliza’s Aldi Favorites
Some of Eliza’s food tastes change with her mood, but one of her constants is fresh fruit. All of our Aldi trips require a fruit stock up, since she eats fruit or berries with almost every meal. Also, Eliza typically takes her lunch and a snack to school every day so we are always on the look out for items that are portable and easy to pack. Eliza’s current Aldi favorites include:
- Berries of any and all types (Throughout the year, Aldi has a great selection of strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries.)
- Grapes
- Apples (We typically keep apples in our counter fruit bowl and I love that Eliza likes to help herself and eats her apples whole.)
- Clementines
- Cucumbers
- Sausage cheese snack packs
- Cheese sticks (These are perfect for school snacks and lunches.)
- Prepared macaroni & cheese
- Pretzel sticks
- Cinnamon apple straws
- Chomps turkey chomplings (when they have them)
Aldi Finds
There’s a lot of buzz on social media on the weekly Aldi Finds that are featured each week. If you’ve never been to Aldi, the Aldi Finds include a wide range of items from home decor to storage items to seasonal to kitchen tools to gifts. It’s a little like going on a treasure hunt and popular items sell out quickly. During our trips, we typically take a quick stroll down the double Aldi Find aisles. I’ve come away with the perfect berry colander/storage container, a small ceramic fry pan and an all around garden tool. Dave and Eliza also enjoy perusing this section too!
Aldi Items We Plan To Try
When we grocery shop, we really try to limit ourselves to what we currently need for meal planning. Of course, our current pantry, freezer and refrigerator storage situation is taken into account too. We have spotted some additional Aldi items we’d like to try when the need arises, including:
- Cucumber Dill Tzatziki Dip (This was highly recommended by a reader.)
- Ice cream treats (Dave and Eliza are both ice cream fans and we’ve seen some fun choices. I’ve also made note that this is a great place to get individual ice cream cups for parties.)
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (There’s lots of buzz about how delicious this pie is and I’ve only seen it once at our store.)
- Plants (The price of plants and flowers is great when they are available…and fresh.)
Items I’d Love To Find At Aldi
I have definitely become “one of those” shoppers that has to visit several different grocery stores to purchase all of the food items that we cook, serve and eat. (But I try to space out trips to different stores and try not to go to more than one grocery store in a single day…or even in two days in a row.) Aldi has a posted sign that states, “If you see it, get it,” because it may be gone on your next visit. They do seem to change some items out and also add new items to the shelves frequently. Some of the grocery items I’d love to find at Aldi in the future include:
- Individually packaged cottage cheese cups
- Larger variety of salad kits (My favorites these days are the dill and Nashville hot varieties and I’ve yet to find those at Aldi.)
- Frozen spinach (As mentioned, I love Aldi’s fresh produce, but wish they had spinach in their freezer section.)
- Olipop (Aldi does carry some varieties of Poppi.)
- More toiletries and personal items (as a matter of convenience)
We’ve been Aldi shoppers for about a year now with a lot more discovering to do. If you have Aldi faves not on our list, please drop them in the comment section so we can check them out!
I got a ham @ ALDIs & it’s really good. I buy several things there. They are definitely cheaper than other stores but they don’t have everything I want.
Hi Dianne, Thanks for taking the time to stop by and I’ve heard that the hams from Aldi are great! I agree that their value is a definite benefit.
Aldi’s Mama Cozi’s cauliflower crust pizzas are excellent, found in the refrigerated section. 😊
I appreciate your note, Summer, and it’s good to know about a new product to try!
I love Aldi’s…this post was helpful. My daughter loves fresh fruit too. I do plan to try ice cream flavors…any recommendations?
I am so happy to know this post was helpful to you, Lily! Dave is a huge fan of Blue Bell ice cream and you really can’t go wrong with any of their flavors. We’ve not yet tried any of the Aldi ice cream treats, but plan to do so this summer.
I am a big Aldi fan. Try their canned goods. I find them packed with the fruit or vegetables, tomatoes, rather than half liquid like name brands at regular grocery stores. I love their salsa. Meat is quality and much cheaper than other stores. Milk is about a dollar cheaper and just as quality as Costco and other stores. Peanut butter and jelly are cheaper and good quality. Aldi is great!!!
Thank you for taking the time to stop by and for your recommendations. Every time I visit Aldi, I find another item to try! I’ve been very pleased with Aldi’s quality and prices.