Wonder what to buy at Aldi to save money on your grocery bill? Here are my 30 favorite things that I almost always buy at Aldi.
I’m a huge Aldi fan and am constantly telling people about how they can save so much money on groceries by shopping there! I mean seriously…you can easily save 25% off what you’d pay at a regular grocery store!
Today I’m finally getting around to sharing with you my favorite items to buy at Aldi. I’ve had quite a few of you wonder what I regularly buy there, especially when you find out that we have a $225/mo. grocery budget. Well, here’s my list of the best things to buy at Aldi!
The truth is though, that almost everything that Aldi sells is great quality and will beat the price of what you’d pay anywhere else. But of course we all have favorites, right? So that’s what I’m sharing with you.
And if you aren’t already an Aldi shopper, hopefully this will convince you to give it a try and save big! 🙂
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What to Buy at Aldi: My Favorites
1. Spices
You aren’t going to find every spice or herb that you need at Aldi, but they do carry pretty much all the most common ones. And you can’t beat the price! Between Aldi and Mimi’s spices from ShopRite, I’ve been able to get almost all the spices and herbs that I need for around $1. So much cheaper than most brands!
2. Mayonnaise
I used to be a mayo brand snob and would only buy Kraft. But the Aldi mayonnaise tastes so similar that I’ve switched to exclusively using it!
3. Ketchup and Mustard
I love Aldi’s organic ketchup! It doesn’t contain any high fructose corn syrup like most ketchup brands and has an excellent flavor. I always grab mustard at Aldi too!
Check out my Cheeseburger Casserole– it’s one of our favorite recipes that uses both ketchup and mustard!
4. Ranch Dressing
We eat a lot of homemade Mexican Salad Dressing around here, but the children still love using Ranch sometimes and I also have a few recipes that call for Ranch dressing as well, so we still buy a decent amount of Aldi Ranch dressing.
5. Salsa
We love Newman’s Own salsa, but when I can’t get a good deal on it, we use Aldi’s brand. It’s quite tasty and the price is great!
Favorite recipes that use salsa: Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken and Salsa Ranch Chicken Wraps.
6. Corn & Tortilla Chips
In my opinion, Aldi’s corn chips taste just as good as any name brand…and of course, they’re half the price too, which makes them taste even better! 😉
I also like to get tortilla chips at Aldi. They have both rounds and restaurant style.
7. Potato Chips
We’re big fans of kettle cooked potato chips and the Aldi brand ones are so good! And of course, you can’t beat that price!
8. Crackers
Aldi’s Saltines and Graham Crackers are just as good as their more expensive name brand counterparts! In fact, I think the Saltines taste better than any other brand that I’ve had.
Related kitchen hack: My favorite mess-free way to crush crackers to make graham cracker crumbs!
9. Heavy Whipping Cream
You seriously can’t beat the price of this! I love using it to make Homemade Whipped Cream and thanks to Aldi’s pricing, it makes it about the same price or cheaper than CoolWhip (and of course way healthier!).
10. Sour Cream
We’re big sour cream fans and use a lot of it! Our favorite is DairyPure sour cream and it’s rBGH free, which I love! But since I can’t always find it on sale for a good price, I’m grateful for the consistently low price of Aldi’s brand. And it tastes quite good too!
11. Cream Cheese
I never buy any other brand of cream cheese because Aldi’s is just that good and better priced than anywhere else! I even use it to make my Decadent Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake and it turns out great.
12. Cottage Cheese
Again, great quality and way lower priced than anywhere else! And it’s so incredibly delicious in my 5 Minute Mandarin Orange Jello Salad.
13. Butter
I’m a butter lover. Yum! And Aldi almost always has the best price on butter. The price varies a bit, and often it’s closer to $3, but when it drops to $2.29 like it is now, I stock up and freeze a bunch to hopefully hold me through till their next good price drop.
14. Milk
I buy milk at Aldi as much as possible, not just because of the great low price but also because their milk is rBGH free (free of artificial growth hormones).
They also have a great price on almond milk if you prefer that.
Best things to buy at Aldi
15. Shredded Parmesan Cheese
You seriously can’t beat the price of this cheese! And the quality has always been great.
16. Eggs
I’m sure a lot of you are gasping at that egg price and thinking that it isn’t a good price at all. But that’s the reality of living in Pennsylvania. There’s a state minimum for how cheap eggs and milk can be and this really is the best price around! Barring a rare amazing sale at one of our local grocery stores, Aldi is the cheapest place that I’ve found to buy eggs.
17. Canola Oil
Occasionally I can get the big gallon jugs of oil on an incredible sale at ShopRite for a better price than Aldi, but 95% of the time, this is the oil I buy.
I also recently heard that their coconut oil is really good but I haven’t needed to buy more since then. I want to give it a try soon though!
18. Real Vanilla
I only buy real vanilla and so far, Aldi has been the cheapest place to find it. I’ve found that with real vanilla I can often use just half the amount of vanilla called for and still get the same amount of flavor as what I did when I used vanilla extract. This isn’t always true, but as a general rule, it seems to work.
19. Chocolate Chips
My go-to spot for milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips. And they even recently started carrying the mini semi-sweet chips too!
One of my favorite chocolate chip recipes are these chewy Blonde Brownies. So good! They’re like a chocolate cookie but in bar form.
20. Sugar, Brown Sugar, Confectioner’s Sugar
My main store for all of my sugar except raw, which I can get cheaper at a bulk food store close to where my in-law’s live. (I stock up when we go!) Sometimes store brand sugar and brown sugar can be a bit hard and sort of chunky, but I’ve never had issues with the Aldi brand.
21. Bean (canned and dry)
I love Aldi beans! I mostly buy the canned ones since it’s actually cheaper to buy them that way than to cook up my own from the dry beans. But I’ve used their dry beans some too (mostly to make homemade refried beans) and they’ve always been great.
22. Jasmine Rice
Aldi’s price on Jasmine Rice is great! And it’s so handy being able to get it in a large bag that reseals easily.
23. Canned Salmon
Aldi is a great place to get inexpensive seafood! Their prices beat anywhere else every time. We love their canned salmon and I occasionally buy canned tuna or frozen tilapia there a well.
24. Tortillas
I used to have problems with Aldi brand tortillas being a little tough and hard to “wrap” things. But more recently they seem to be softer again like they were when I first started shopping at Aldi.
25. Hamburger/Hot Dog Rolls
Again, cheaper than you’ll find anywhere else and they’re always soft and delicious!
26. Frozen Veggies
I can’t believe this, but I only recently thought to give Aldi’s frozen produce a try. And I’ve been so impressed! It’s cheaper than what I can typically find other brands on sale (Aldi’s bags are 16 oz, most other brands are smaller than that) and the taste and quality are better than other brands too, in my opinion.
And I tend to be picky about frozen veggies, probably because I have frozen a lot of homegrown produce myself in the past, including green beans, and am used to good quality frozen veggies.
27. Fresh Produce
Now I’ll admit, sometimes the quality of the fresh produce at some Aldi locations isn’t that great. But some of the stores that I’ve shopped at have consistently had good quality fruits and veggies. I don’t know what makes the difference.
But you can’t really beat the Aldi prices- especially if you watch their sales! I get the majority of my fresh produce there.
28. Salad Mix
I often buy heads of delicious leaf lettuce at ShopRite for $1.99/lb. but sometimes I want something different or the quality of lettuce at ShopRite is not that great that week and then I’ll buy Aldi’s salad mix. I love it and it stays fresh longer than some other brands that I’ve tried in the past. And for about half the price of anywhere else? Well, you can’t really go wrong!
29. Trash Bags
We’re cheapies when it comes to trash bags. Our theory is that it’s going to get thrown out anyway, so why spend a lot of money on it? We’ve had great experiences with Aldi trash bags though, so maybe that’s why I don’t mind off brand bags.
30. Tissues
We go through so many tissues! I have no idea why, but it’s crazy. I sometimes can find the Kleenex or Puffs brands cheaper with a sale and coupon somewhere else, but Aldi is where I get my main supply. They’re definitely comparable to the regular Kleenex or Puffs.
What are your favorite things to buy at Aldi? Let me know in the comments!
I cannot agree with the tortillas! lol I buy them if I am just going to make quesadillas for the kids.. but they are just too thick and rubbery for taco night!
Their box of trash bags is a great price and I have never had any issues with strength.. The plastic storage and freezer bags are great.. I actually wrote a complaint when they stopped selling the snack sized bags last year.
I do not like the *ritz style* or *saltine*crackers.. they always seem stale to me.. but I always buy their oyster crackers, chips and pretzels….
Oh dear…sounds like the tortillas that you get are like the ones that we used to buy from Aldi. It honestly seems like the supplier for them changed in our area because they really are different than they used to be. Maybe they’ll eventually change for you too. I hope! And funny that you don’t like the Saltines….my kids turn up their noses if I happen to get another brand somewhere. I do agree with the “Ritz” cracker though…that and Oreos are one thing that I think you just have to get the name brand to taste right. Thanks for sharing! It’s always so fun to hear what other people enjoy or don’t like from Aldi!
Love the 12oz Sea scallops. In frozen for $9.99
Breaded Cod fillets $4.99
Yogurt 100 cal greek strawberry $ .69
Indian sauces $1.99 Korma, Butter Chicken, Tikka Masala.
Vidalia onions $1.59
Shredded beef $5.79 for cheese steak sandwiches
Chicken Breasts $1.89/lb.
So many great products and prices! I usually make my own Indian style sauces, but I’m tucking away the fact that Aldi has good ones for future use! I love using things like that when we go on vacation and want to do homemade meals but keep it simple and even use them occasionally as a fall back quick meal in a busy week!
Cold Cereal is great and much cheaper than anywhere else. I also am a cheese snob/cheeseaholic, and Aldi cheeses are The Bomb! Also love their chocolate bars. I lived in Germany for 10 years, and shopped at Aldi there, so I am a long term fan, and was so pleased when a store opened near me here in eastern NC.
We usually eat Homemade Granola or Homemade Baked Oatmeal for our breakfasts, but the few times that I’ve bought Aldi cereal, I was impressed. You can’t beat the price and it tasted really good too! Fellow cheese lover and long time Aldi fan here too. I discovered Aldi right after we were married 11 years ago and I immediately loved it!
I can’t seem to get behind their cold cereals unless they’re carrying a name brand! I think it stems from the time I bought Aldis brand
Cheerios. I don’t put sugar on my cereal and eating their Cheerios was like dry dog food to ms! Lol! Maybe I should give a few other kinds a try again.
Too funny- don’t think I’ll be able too look at Aldi Cheerios the same again. I’m going to always see dog food! 🙂 I’d definitely give their cereal a try again and see what you think, though. Remember, their products have a double money back guarantee so you can always return it if you truly don’t like it.
Agree about the chocolate bars! I like to get the five pack of the smaller dark chocolate ones. I don’t eat them often so they last quote a while. I spread peanut butter on them.
I love dark chocolate! And your idea of spreading peanut butter on them? Genius!
Our local Aldi was put in about 7 years ago. I have loved it since I became a wife and mother. I buy many of the same things you buy and it astonishes me when I meet people or even family members who have never been there. My husband tells people all the time that it is a great place to shop. My grocery budget is a bit more than yours ($350/mnth for a family of 4) but honestly if I shopped at Aldi every week instead of going somewhere closer for convenience, I could likely bring it down even more. Your post inspired my new year’s resolution and it’s only November. I’m going to shop at Aldi every week and bring my grocery budget down even further for the new year.
Yes, I’m always telling people about Aldi’s awesomeness! And I get the convenience thing. 🙂 Sometimes when you’re a busy mom that is important too. But I love your New Year’s resolution. It will be fun to see how much it saves you!
We like the Molina raw cane sugar it was only a dollar eighty five and great in fudge
That does seem like a great price compared to regular grocery stores! I’m fortunate enough to be able to get raw sugar for super cheap at a bulk food store where we used to live. I like to stock up when we’re back in the area because it’s less than half price what I’d pay elsewhere! And fudge? That sounds good! 🙂
We have been paying 39 to 49 cents for eggs and 1.37 for milk. I love that! I recently got bread bogo which was the first time I had seen that. 99 cents for carrots, celery, 69 onions and 1.50 for 10 lbs potatoes. Aldis rocks my world.
Those prices make me wide eyed! Incredible. The vegetable prices are closer to what I see here though, although still a bit cheaper.
I love Aldi’s, Hubby loves “selling” the cart, lol, especially since he is a retired automobile dealer principal. We like the breakfast sausage at $1.99! Good stuff! Eggs are always a great value! The Maple Leaf Cookies are fabulous!! Canned pumpkin is less than half compared to Competitors! I only wish I could get every item on my list at Aldi’s unfortunately I generally have to make another stop! But I love the quality of every product I’ve bought at Aldi; Most of which I prefer over name brands!!!
I actually never tried their breakfast sausage, believe it or not. Now you make me want to get some! And yes, I always stock up on their canned pumpkin each fall too. SO much cheaper than anywhere else. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind not needing to go to multiple stores either, but hey, for the money we save, I think it’s worth it! 🙂
The frozen fish and shrimp are great buy and very good quality
Coffee is also good and good price
And of course delicious europium chocolates
Good
Yes, I love their fish too! We don’t buy it often but the price can’t be beat. And good to know about the coffee. Our favorite brand typically is on sale often enough that it’s made sense to always buy it, but we’re getting low and there hasn’t been a good sale and I was wondering how Aldi coffee was!
The coffee is great ,also love the fat free French vanilla coffee cream ,can’t beat the price at 1.79 for 32 ounces
Yes, their coffee is quite good! And I love that they have fair trade options too.
Frozen wild-caught salmon for under $4.00 per pound. Compare THAT to competitor’s prices!
I have never tried their salmon, but I’ve heard it’s good!
I am just starting to use Aldi. I just don’t understand how they can sell their food at such low prices. I get the idea of fewer employees to save on costs. I have really liked everything I have purchased there, especially the cheeses at Christmastime.
It’s amazing, right?! I think they can do it because they have so many cost saving methods in place…the stores aren’t “fancy”, they charge for bags and do the quarters in the cart, their smaller selection makes it easier for employees to quickly stock shelves etc.
When it’s in season, their hot fudge is the absolute best! The store brand Velveeta is one of our favorite staples.
Unfortunately, our store has less than desirable produce and some of their meat prices are high, in my opinion.
Great price on very nice patio cushions in the summer.
I just think Aldi is a fun place to shop!
I haven’t ever seen the hot fudge. Sounds delicious! And yes, I definitely agree that some stores have better produce than others. I have 3 nearby and I’ve learned to shop at a certain one as much as possible because it just tends to have nicer produce. As for the meat prices, I watch the sales- that’s pretty much the only way I’ll buy meat anyway. If I do that, I can often do fairly well there. And I totally agree with your final sentence! 😉
.99 blueberries, 1.19 fresh mushrooms, 2.99 bags of oranges and apples, .59 avocado, 1.29 Apple cider vinegar with the mother,. 99 tomato juice, .89 epoca probiotics (6 pack), butterball turkey and Kirkwood chicken, .49 canned corn, green beans, carrots, peas, .79 frozen vegetables, .99 baguettes, 2.29 Moscato winking owl, 1.19 tortellini, 1.99 5 lb. Potatoes, 1.69 liquid coffee creamer. 1.29 pound cake (freeze great)….and from time to time we spurge on lobster tails! I love aldis!!!
Great list! I didn’t realize that Aldi had apple cider vinegar with the mother. Definitely need to look into that!
I love Aldi’s Generic chili with beans with a can of their fire roasted diced tomatoes added to it and chili seasoning, to taste, from their pre mixed packets for chili or with a dash of cinnamon for over spaghetti Cincinnati chili style.
Thanks for those recommendations, Jenn! I don’t think I’ve tried either Aldi’s chili beans or their fire roasted tomatoes before. But I can totally believe those things would make a good chili! And cinnamon in chili? That’s a new one!
I saw this ‘recipe’ bought the ingredients, could not remember how I was to assemble…finally remembered where I saw it…thank you , making it tonight…
Just found your site, and I LOVE it! Thank you!
Aw, thanks, Amber! Glad to have you join us!
Almond milk for $1.99 compared to $3-$4 at other stores. For a dairy free family that goes through lots of almond milk this is essential and I refuse to buy it anywhere else!
That’s some major savings on the almond milk! Wow!
Their bratwurst is delicious!
Don’t think I even knew they carried bratwurst! That’s good to know!
The Aldi’s brand of nutrigrain bars. I CAN’T STAND actual Nutrigrain bars because they leave a bad taste in my mouth, and since my daughter is dye sensitive, I hate that they have dye. Aldi’s brand tastes great (we love the strawberry the best followed by the Apple ones) and, of course, is dye free! I sometimes run in just to buy these since we don’t have one near us. I buy at least four boxes at a time. I think they are $1.79.
I love that so many of Aldi’s foods are dye free! And thanks for the Nutrigrain bar tip. That’s much cheaper than the actual brand, for sure!
I’m going to have to take another look at Aldi after reading this. i went to one years ago that had a smell. i couldn’t get over it so I made a U-turn. I’m going to try again because we’re in a different state now and I love a deal.
I’ve been shopping at Aldi for about 12 years and the stores that I’ve shopped at have all been clean and nice. I have heard though that years ago (before the time I shopped there) that they did used to be a little more dingy and dirty, so maybe that’s when you tried them out? But yes, definitely give them a try again! If you enjoy saving money and don’t mind trying store brands (and Aldi’s is good!) I think you’ll love them!
I just found your article. I have celiac disease and I am always searching for decent gluten free breads. Aldi’s Gluten Free White Bread and their Cinnamon Raisin bagels are the best I have ever found. The white bread was so amazing that I made a sandwich for my husband, who can eat everything, and he never knew it was gluten free. I am thrilled!!
Good to know, Melissa! I hope some other gluten free readers can benefit from her comment!
I buy a lot of the products you mentioned. I also buy the bags of almonds, sunflower seeds and pistachios and make up trail mix for my husband’s lunch. Also raisins for the trail mix.
Great idea, Cathy! And making your own is cheaper than buying it pre-made, I’m sure!
Tilapia is the worst fish you can eat. It’s not even a real fish. Not trying to be ugly, but thought you should know.
Thanks for sharing, Cherie!
Have been Aldi afficianodo since days of Carter malaise high inflation. My issue is “special and seasonal” like Angel Food. Cake mix that is absolutely so easey and excellent low fat diet friendly. And since its holiday cooking.time vanilla needs resupply in my cabinet its not on the shelf here. Last complaint is. Aldi retail prices often less than what small convenience shops and institutions pay so they use Aldis as their wholesale.supplier and clear the shelves of.bread,milk and sale items.
Yes, I live in a busy city and lately I’ve had trouble with Aldi not having things in stock too, which is frustrating. As for the little stores using Aldi as a supplier…I agree it’s annoying. And Aldi around here has limited the amounts of certain products per customer for that very reason. But then that’s kind of annoying for someone like me who has a bigger family and actually likes to purchase larger quantities just to stock up. Not sure there’s really a good solution for the problem!
I love Aldi for all the beautiful Christmas stollen and cookies. The crackers take me back in time when crackers tasted great and spread some braunschweiger on them with Swiss cheese…….awesome. Thank Aldi for coming to America ❤️😋
I love trying some of their treats this time of year too, Rose!
The fit and active cereal with strawberries is superior to its Special K counterpart. The crunchy granola raisin bran is as good as Kellogg’s version.Both are much better priced as well. I am so happy that Aldi is coming to this part of the country in southeast West Virginia finally. I had 5 stores within 25 miles of me in Michigan. I have driven over 120 miles round trip to shop the closest Aldi store in the Charleston area.
Thanks for sharing about the cereal! We don’t eat a lot of cereal and I can get what we need with coupons and pay less for it than what I would at Aldi. But I know most people don’t coupon and am grateful for the tip. Happy for you that you have an Aldi coming soon! I understand your joy! 🙂
Love my Aldis ..their cake and bread mixes are wonderful. The Frozen Speciality Pizzas for $3.99 are a bargain and really good. The cooked pulled pork $3.99 and cooked Spare Ribs are delicious.
I’m and avid Aldis shopper ..at least 2xs a week. I find the quality of 95% of the food products and the cost is worth the the few items I tried and didn’t like is no different than buying them from a larger grocery store for 2x the cost.
So if you haven’t tried them yet….don’t hesitate and while your there be sure to treat yourself to any of their chocolate items…the chocolate is the best….as well as any of their snacks
Yes, their pizzas are quite good! And I love your perspective about the few items you tried and weren’t crazy about. So true!
My diet is gluten free, dairy free and soy free. I love their can tuna, and oven roasted turkey breast. I also purchase their Country Style Chicken Breakfast Sausage. Their GF pretzels and Black Sesame Brown Rice Crisps are delicious. Ill have to try some of their other snacks and items after reading your blog. Thanks!
Thanks for this list! I didn’t realize they had GF pretzels. Glad to know that as we have lots of friends that are on GF diets and those will come in handy for snacks.
They have the best chedder cheese pop corn. There bland but it’s a specialty item and they don’t always have it. Got to get it fast when they have it
I’ll have to watch for that! Don’t think I’ve ever seen it before there.
Aldi has a lot of Keto-friendly products. You always have to read labels though, of course. Their chia seeds are a huge bargain, as is their coconut oil. I’ve honestly never had a problem with the produce at my local store. They also offer organic goods at great prices.
Thanks for your input! Good to know about the Keto-friendly products! And never thought to look for chia seeds there.
Aldi’ has the best tasting white milk buying the product on a regular basis. Cheeses are fresh unlike other grocery stores. Their applesauce is superior as well. Brioche is fabulous! Never tried the meats, although after this reading material, I plan to give it a try. Pork loins are very reasonable and quite tasty and tender. By far – hands down on the products purchased.
I love Aldi’s dairy products too! And after reading your comment I realized that I’m not sure I ever bought any pork loins there. Not sure why, but I often end up buying them at other stores when they are on sale. But now you are making me think I should check Aldi’s out!
I have just discovered Aldi’s and am very impressed with my savings. I love to buy their flat bread, pizza sauce, pepperoni (the best I have ever tasted) and cheese to make an inexpensive pizza at home, which tastes better than store bought. I am so addicted to “Cheese It’s) but found Aldo’s brand at $1.39 a box tastes exactly the same. I’m serious, the same!!
I actually have been wanting to try their flatbread so good to know it’s decent! And I didn’t realize that they carry pepperoni. I’ll have to look for it!
Their Cheeze It’s were one thing that I tried years ago and hadn’t thought they tasted quite like the “real” thing. Sounds like I should give them another try! I know they change their products from time to time and it’s entirely possible that I’d love them now. Thanks for sharing!
Aldi’s creamer(hazelnut) is the cat’s meow!! Other national brands are too sweet w/too heavy of a taste. Serve it up w/triple chocolate cream cake, then exercise for an hour!! Bon appetite.
Oh yum! I’m all for desserts that call for an hour of excerise. 🙂
Love that Aldi’s. It’s my go-to groecery and I’m a food pro. I develop recipes and find Aldi has most everything i need. I praise them to the skies.
They just can’t be beat as far as prices and quality you get for that price!
I love Aldi, my wife doesn’t like me doing the shopping because I always end up coming home with everything we don’t need 😀 I’m going to show her your list and hope I can bag a few goodies off it.
Gotta make that list and stick to it, Edd! 😉 Seriously though, Aldi has so many great products I can understand the urge to buy extra.
We love Aldi’s mattresses!! We bought 3. One for home, one for camper, one for our condo in Arizona !!
Aldi has mattresses? Interesting! I don’t think I’ve ever seen them there, but good to know! I just love watching for things like that in their Special Buys section.