Aldi Key Lime Cheesecake Review
Author’s Note: Not a paid review. These are my own tart opinions. I have no affiliation with Aldi.
A soft pie with a soggy bottom.
I didn’t enjoy my first bite of this Key Lime Cheesecake. But, it grew on me. By my fourth slice, I was pretty sure I liked it. And now, 6-slices in, I’m certain it is yummy. I have no idea what that means, but that’s how it went down. Witchcraft, maybe?
Texture
My initial impression was that the cheesecake was far, far too soft. It’s not as bad as the “weird pudding” of this other Belmont/ Aldi cheesecake, but it’s pretty dang soft. It sort of reminds me of a “no bake” cheesecake texture. It doesn’t have a dense cheesiness or rich cream cheese taste. It’s the type of texture I’d want to eat with a spoon, out of a parfait dish, rather than as a slice.
Layers & Flavors
This pie has two distinct layers, plus the crust. The top is sour-cream smoothness with very little sweetness and no tartness. Underneath is the body of the cheesecake, which is more of a whipped texture, and has a strong, zingy, citrus brightness. It’s lightly sweet, which I prefer. If you eat the layers together, you get a pleasant harmony of tart and smooth.
The ingredients list a combination of real key lime juice, lime oil, and powdered lime juice. Plus “natural flavor.” Compared to Costco’s Key Lime Pie, this dessert has a slightly more vague “citrus” taste. It’s yummy, just more “lime” than “key lime.”
Crust
If my complaint about Costco’s key lime pie crust was that it was too crumbly and dry, I have the opposite gripe here. Alid’s crust is SO wet, it’s like a soggy bog. I had some kind of liquid running out of mine onto the cardboard underneath. It’s a thin crust on the bottom, but thicker on the sides.
The crust has a hearty taste that reminds me of a waterlogged oatmeal cookie. There’s no oatmeal in the ingredients, however, but there is whole wheat. It’s a sweet crust, but has no discernable spice. I don’t hate it. But I felt an urge to blot up the excess liquid before serving.
Appearance
The top is garnished with a sparse sprinkling of brownish granules. Probably fine crust-crumbs, but I’m not certain. My pie had some oozing of the filling onto the back edges of the crust.
Size-wise, this dessert strikes a nice balance between the gargantuan Costco desserts, and the miserly, mini-size of most grocery store pies. I measured mine at 9 inches at the widest point. It’s the right size for a dinner party or family gathering of 12 people or fewer.
Ingredients
Here is my best attempt at typing out the ingredients, from the label:
- Milk
- Sugar
- Cream
- Wheat Flour
- Whole Wheat Flour
- Egg
- Palm Oil
- Water
- Soybean Oil
- Less than 2% of: Nonfat Dry Milk, Modified Food Starch, Molasses, Key Lime Juice, Salt, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Cheese Culture, Citric Acid, Sodium Phosphate, Carob Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Enzyme, Malted Barley Flour, Lime Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Honey, Soy Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Lime Juice Powder, Mono- and Diglycerides, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Beta Carotene (color), Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3.
Nutrition Facts
A serving is one slice and contains 300 calories. There are 17 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein. Surprisingly, there are only 22 grams of sugar (20 grams “added sugar”) per slice. You also get 1 gram of fiber, and 10% your daily value of sodium.
Thawing Instructions
This is a frozen product, so it needs to thaw under refrigeration before serving. Which means planning ahead at least 8 hours. I thawed mine overnight. There’s a plastic wrap and a cardboard collar protecting the cheesecake. The bottom has a corrugated cardboard circle. I placed mine on a large plate to give it stability. Since this doesn’t come in a resealable bakery box, I very gingerly wrapped mine in saran wrap for storage.
Price and Servings
The 2.5 pound cheesecake cost $13 at my local Aldi. Since there are 12 servings, each slice costs $1.08.
Aldi also sells a similar “patriotic” themed frozen cheesecake sampler.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my cheesecake allowed almost a year to consume. After thawing, the label says to eat within 7 days.
Dramatic Conclusion
If super-soft cheesecakes are your jam, you’ll probably love this. I enjoyed the light sweetness and sophistication of two layers with complementary flavors. When serving to guests, I would add an additional garnish to enhance the appearance after plating. A thin slice of lime might be just the ticket.
The End.
More Reviews You Might Like (or Hate)
Check out these other cheesecake reviews I’ve written. Or don’t. No one will make you do it.
