What I buy at Aldi as a single person on a budget

Author’s Note: Guess what? It’s my 200th review on this site! As per always, this is not paid or sponsored in any way. These are my own weird little opinions. I have no affiliation with Aldi.

Stretching a grocery budget to eat well and save money at Aldi.

Are you poor, like I am? I previously wrote this guide to what I buy on a $50/week budget at Costco. There are some things I unequivocally prefer to buy at Aldi — both for price and quality.

This isn’t an ultimate guide, or a complete guide, or whatever. It’s just my own quirky list of favorites. And here they are:

1. Produce

For me, Aldi is the most economical source of fresh vegetables and fruit. While the selection is not especially diverse, I can usually find most of the stuff I need. The caveat is that sometimes I have to buy a whole package of something, rather than a single piece. Example: fresh ginger. I typically have to buy an entire bundle of it at Aldi, rather paying by the pound to buy the exact amount I need at Publix.

Likewise, at my Aldi, it is not possible to buy an individual onion, or an individual potato. I can only buy these in large bags. So, if you only need one for your recipe, you’ll be spending more than you wanted.

The good news is, for common vegetables, the savings are significant. For example, I recently bought carrots in 2-pound bags for $1.29 each (65 cents per pound), and a 10-pound bag of potatoes for $3 (30 cents per pound). That’s pretty much the lowest I’ve found anywhere. For that price, I will gladly schedule a marathon potato-eating session.

Bagged vegetables I regularly buy are: Celery, Zucchini, Artisan Lettuce, Parsley, Green Onions, Yellow Onions, Red Onions, and of course — Carrots and Potatoes.

Some items you CAN find individually are Avocados and Mangoes (as low at 65 cents each), Pineapples (seasonally for $1.69), Cucumbers (sometimes 59 cents) or Watermelon (summertime around $4.50 each).

Everything you see on the table below cost just over $30 in May 2025:

Frozen Vegetables

I regularly buy bagged frozen peas and frozen corn from Aldi; they cost about 97 cents for 12 ounces. I use the frozen corn in chowders and soups, and I add the frozen peas to creamy pastas. I have no complaints about the freshness or quality.

However, for frozen broccoli or cauliflower, I vastly prefer Costco’s Normandy Blend.

Aldi typically offers both organic and conventional frozen vegetables, although only a few options of each are available. Just the most popular veggies.

Hash Browns

For potato lovers, Aldi’s frozen hash brown patties are bliss. They’re a bit like a McDonalds hash brown. But they don’t have to be breakfast food — I enjoy them as substitutes for tater tots or french fries. They cost about $5 for 20 patties. Here’s my silly review, if you want to know more.

2. Dry and Canned Goods

Here are some dry goods items with which I’ve had great experiences:

Bronze-Cut Pasta

Pretty much every Aldi shopping guide is going to tell you to buy their pasta. And they’re not wrong. This is the best dry/bagged pasta I’ve ever had. It has a sweeter, more flavorful taste. In fact, it’s so dang good, I tend to over-indulge when I’ve cooked a pot. Almost addictingly good.

The pasta is imported from Italy, and made from durum semolina wheat. The “bronze cut” method is supposed to leave more jaggedy edges on the noodles that help grab sauce. Sauce grabbers! Get in my belly.

But mostly it’s the flavor, for me. Try it, and I don’t think you’ll go back. Currently, a 1-pound bag of the Priano (Aldi store-brand) dry pasta is around $2. While not the cheapest option for dry pasta, the quality makes it worthwhile. They also have a new Tri-Color Rotini (colored with spinach and tomato) which is excellent.

Filled Pasta

Aldi sells a few different kinds of “filled” pasta: tortellini and ravioli. There are refrigerated options in the prepared meals section. BUT, if you wanna really save money (that’s why you’re here, right?), you might try these dried versions, which are hidden in the canned/bean/rice aisle.

This imported Italian pasta costs $1.79 for 8.8 ounces, which cooks up to about a pound of pasta after boiling. I wouldn’t exactly rave about the quality or taste, but it’s solid for the price. I preferred the Mushroom Tortelloni over the Spinach Ravioli; check out my review for why.

Pesto

I was surprised to find these little jars of imported Italian pesto for just $2.19. The ingredients are impressive, and the flavor is outstanding. Best of all, this is thick pesto that stretches a long way. The smaller jars are the perfect size for single people, especially since pesto doesn’t have a long shelf life after opening. Here’s my review of the sundried tomato “Pesto Rosso” (not pictured).

Cornbread Stuffing Mix

If you like Stove Top stuffing, but you hate spending money on it, I have good news: Aldi offers a comparable product for just 89 cents. I wrote a separate review of the cornbread stuffing here. It turned out at least as good as the name brand version. Yes, I “enhance” my stuffing with copious amounts of fresh celery and onion.

I also tried Aldi’s Hawaiian Stuffing mix, and although it was tasty, I couldn’t get past the added sucralose. Sorry-not-sorry.

Canned Herring Filets

For a quick, fishy meal, these are a great value. I wrote a review of the Curry Pineapple Sauce Canned Herring. Essentially, you get sizable planks of white fish in a savory-sweet sauce, with a couple bits of fruit. It tastes best poured over hot rice or vegetables, but you can also eat it directly from the can at room temperature.

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed the quality has gone down somewhat recently — instead of the thick, white fish meat, I’ve gotten stiff, gray, thin pieces of old-tasting fish. I’m hoping this is a fluke and not the new status quo. Lots of us love this fish, Aldi, so please don’t make us cry.

Baking Supplies

I don’t personally buy flour or sugar at Aldi. I am brand-loyal to King Arthur Flour and Dixie Crystals Sugar. And Aldi doesn’t sell those brands. It’s worthwhile for me to buy all my baking items in bulk at Costco instead. Or, a sweet BOGO sale at Publix.

Stuff you can find in the baking aisle at Aldi include: powdered sugar, brown sugar, evaporated and sweetened condensed milks, baking soda and baking powder, active and instant yeasts, corn starch, corn syrup, etc. Oddly, there is no molasses.

3. Condiments

I buy condiments from Aldi, like mustard, olives, jams, jellies, marmalades, and sauces. They have a surprisingly robust variety of store-brand options, and lots of fun flavor combinations. This is where Aldi offers both high quality and significant value.

Mustards

Mustard is my favorite condiment in the world, and I regularly buy all three of these Burman store-brand mustards from Aldi. For $1.39 each, these 12-ounce bottles are a nearly-unbeatable bargain. The ingredients are clean and straightforward, too. Example: the “Spicy Brown Mustard” is just Vinegar, Water, Mustard Seed, Salt, and Turmeric.

(The Blood Orange Hot Sauce was “meh.”)

BBQ Sauce

I haven’t had time to write a review of this sauce yet, but holy cow! This Burman Kansas City BBQ Sauce is bursting with satisfying flavor, rather than just cloying, syrupy sweetness. You know. Yes, it’s better than Kinder’s! Fight me.

It’s made with a combination of molasses, apple cider vinegar, celery seed, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove, hickory smoke flavor, and more. Best of all, it doesn’t have corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup; the first ingredient is tomato puree. It comes in a glass bottle, too. It’s more expensive than other Aldi BBQ sauces, at $3.85 per bottle. But worth it.

Jams

I’ve tried a number of Aldi jams and preserves. They were all “very good.” Except this Blackberry Fruit Spread, which had seeds like iron pellets, and broke one of my teeth. I don’t mean there were a few unusually hard seeds — they were all unchewable. The only way I could eat the jam was by spitting the seeds out into a napkin. How uncouth. No one wants to eat jam that way.

After breaking the tooth, I gave up. Not sure what bionic blackberry plant these came from, but I have never in my life had berry seeds like that. It was like the Terminator of fruit jams. Bah!

Anyway. Aldi’s jams have concentrated, natural fruit flavor, and pretty awesome ingredients. For example, the ingredients in the Apricot Preserves are: Sugar, Apricots, Citric Acid, Pectin. And the 18 ounce jar cost just $2.45.

Olives

I’ve tried two different Aldi olives so far — the Kalamata Greek Olives ($2.19), and the Jalapeno-Stuffed Olives ($2.79). They were both a great value, but the Jalapeno olives were much better texture and flavor than the Kalamata (read my review here).

Although I wouldn’t choose these olives over other brands for taste alone, the value makes them worthwhile. They also have impressively clean ingredients. The Kalamata ingredients are: Olives, Water, Sea Salt, and Red Wine Vinegar. That’s it!

Charcuterie

For novelty items, Aldi really shines. In fact, Aldi has an entire Charcuterie section, with a tempting array of specialty items, like stuffed peppers, preserved meats, seasoned nuts, and fancy crackers. While these items are not dirt-cheap, they’re fairly priced for the quality. Most items are in the $3-5 range. Since I’m on a tight budget, I don’t purchase many things from this region of the store. It adds up quickly! But, for fancy-pants entertaining, this is a great find.

Spices

Aldi offers inexpensive herbs/spices (as low as $1.09 per bottle). BUT, generally just the most crowd-pleasing options. There are some fun, convenient spice mixtures available; I tried the “Everything Bagel” seasoning, and liked it. However, for single herbs, it will be hit or miss. It’s sadly not a one-stop-shop for getting everything you need for your recipes. One of the herbs I can never find at my local Aldi is dried Thyme.

But, if you find the exact thing you need, it’s an awesome value! And, there are a few organic options, too.

4. Cheeses

For being a smaller grocery, Aldi offers a quirky selection of specialty cheeses. The best part is that these are available in small packages (and therefore a lower price). I love being able to try something new, without much investment. Many of these cheeses are imported, and there are a number of sophisticated, flavored options. You can feel like a high-brow, while being a low-brow.

Sadly, there is nowhere near the range of cheese-products that Publix or The Fresh Market has. But, it’s enough that I’ll probably never be able to try one of everything. I can die trying, though.

Some of the Aldi cheeses I’ve tried (and enjoyed) are: Double-Smoked Cheddar ($3.69/7 ounces), English Truffle Cheddar ($4.5/5.3 ounces), and this cheesy Mexicali Dip ($3.5/10 ounces). I’ve reviewed each of those separately.

Like other products, Aldi rotates specialty cheeses on a seasonal basis. You can usually get an idea of what is available from checking their Seasonal Items page.

Aldi also sells name-brand cheese, so if you are brand-loyal, you don’t always have to sacrifice that. I buy Athenos Feta Cheese from Aldi for my salads. But the most significant savings will be with their store-brand cheeses.

5. Meats

Aldi offers both packaged fresh meats, and frozen bags of popular items, like fish fillets and chicken breasts. Whereas full-service groceries typically have a staffed meat counter, the Aldi in my area only have shelves of pre-packed products. Hmmph!

For this reason, I tend to stick to the frozen stuff. Plus, it’s often cheaper anyway. My advice is to check the labels carefully, as some products are from China (such as the flounder mentioned below). Here’s what I buy:

Frozen Chicken Breasts

I actually enjoyed Aldi’s store brand “Kirkwood” frozen Chicken Breasts a lot; they had a great texture and flavor. In fact, I liked these WAY better than Costco’s frozen chicken breasts, PLUS, they are cheaper! And a bigger bag than Costco. How is that possible? I wrote a full review of them here, with cooking suggestions. These are available in a huge 8-pound bag for $18. This is definitely an item I would purchase again.

Crab Cakes

I’ve also tried Aldi’s store-brand “Fremont Fish Market” Flounder Filets, and their “premium” Specially Selected frozen Crab Cakes (which I also reviewed here). The flounder was OK, but the crab cakes vastly exceeded my expectations. I have purchased them several more times — they were excellent, even if a bit of a splurge! Fresh tasting, and full of flavor. They’re as good as brands that cost twice as much. A package of 2 crab cakes currently runs about $6.

Chipotle Salmon Burgers

I liked these better than the name-brand Trident Salmon Burgers that I get from Costco. Aldi’s Fremont Salmon Burgers rendition has a more natural fish texture, and better flavors — although, they’re really not spicy or particularly rich in seasonings. They cost about $6 for 4 burgers. There’s also a Teriyaki version, if that’s your jam.

6. “Bakery”

The Aldi(s) in my area don’t have an in-store Bakery, per se. There’s a single shelf with boxes of sad-looking, pre-packaged baked items. I believe these arrive at the store frozen, and are thawed prior to sale.

I’m not gonna lie — these look horribly unappealing (to me). I’ve been baking my whole life, so maybe I am hard to please. The packaging and placement makes the products look like the mass-produced horrors I wouldn’t want to eat. Like, ever. I have to give myself a little pep talk to work up the courage to buy something from this area.

Take-and-Bake Italian Bread

This bread is scandalously good. It does have to be re-baked at home, but it’s worth it, trust me. It has a beautiful crisp crust, and hearty-but-soft interior. And it looks completely artisanal. If you want to feast your eyes on more pictures (and read the ingredients), here’s my awe-struck review of Aldi’s Italian Bread. It costs about $4 for a 1 pound loaf. If you only buy one Aldi bakery item, buy this one!

Butter Bars

Yes, these bars are made with butter. And yes, they’re incredible. It’s a like a tender lemon bar, but with a warm butter flavor. The crust is soft and cake-like, with a slight butterscotch flavor. It reminds me of a St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake. They’re sweet, but not sickening. Here’s my full review of the Aldi Butter Bars. They’re a bit on the spendy side, at $5.29 for 8 bars.

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies

Surprisingly wholesome, these cookies have a hearty oatmeal base that is just the right balance of crisp and soft. They’re FULL of tangy-sweet cranberry fruit. Not too sweet. Just right. These taste like an upscale bakery item. Yes, I wrote a full review of these Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies, which have not-as-terrible-as-I-expected ingredients. They’ve recently increased in price to $3.95 for 10 cookies. Filthy inflation! We hates it.

Ciabatta Rolls

I haven’t had time to write a review of these yet. But, dad-gum-it, Aldi! Why are these so good? Why?! They have a perfect chewy-soft texture, and a slightly tangy, yeasty flavor. They taste like an artisanal bread product. Best of all, mine stayed impressively fresh in my refrigerator for more than a week and a half. They’re pre-sliced, and the perfect size for burgers and sandwiches. $3.75 for 6 rolls.

7. Imported Seasonal Foods

Ok, this is where Aldi REALLY shines! Most of the imported specialty foods are from Germany, but there are also some from Italy, Greece, France, Belgium, and England. Aldi typically offers these on a seasonal rotating basis, but it’s not exactly the same timeframe every year. I always check the online ads to see what is there.

Here are my favorites, so far:

Strudels

Aldi has two different brands of frozen strudels, which appear at different times of the year, but all of them are good. You can get Apple, Apple Mascarpone, Cherry Mascarpone, or Fruits of the Forest flavors. Sometimes, there are savory strudels, too. They all feature flakey-tender crusts, and bake directly from frozen. Click the links to read the individual reviews. My favorite so far is the Cherry Mascarpone, which costs $4.

Frozen Cakes

Aldi offers a few different brands of seasonal frozen cakes, which thaw out to taste pretty dang amazing. I’ve been impressed so far by the quality textures, and real cream in the ingredients. The ones I like best are imported from Germany, including: Donauwelle, Strawberry Cream Cake, and Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake (pictured above). These range in price from $4-9.

Cherry Frangipane Tart

You have to bake these tarts, but they’re worth it. The base is a tender, light, almond-flour cake, with a jammy layer of tart Morello cherries, tucked in a super-crispy crust. They’re suitable for a fancy brunch, tea-time, or even dessert. A 12-ounce Cherry Frangipane Tart will set you back just $4. Aldi also sells an apple version. But the cherry is better! Trust the random person on the internet!

8. Candy and Sweets

Aldi has excellent chocolate. Facts. You won’t be sacrificing quality or flavor. This is true for both the chocolate bars, as well as the bagged baking chocolate morsels. In fact, I wrote an entire review of their Baker’s Corner Dark Chocolate Morsels here. Sadly, these have jumped ridiculously in price from $1.49 to almost $4 per bag. Boo.

Overall, there’s a decent range of options. It’s not a HUGE variety, but you can find dark, milk, white, and flavored chocolate bars, as well as truffles, caramels, and chocolate-covered nuts or fruits. There are some novelty items. And lots of seasonal treats, too. Such as this smug-faced Strawberry Easter Bunny, which I adored.

The nice thing about buying chocolate or sweets from Aldi is that you can try a small amount for very little investment. One of my go-to “basics” are these German Schogetten bars, which cost $1.69 each. I prefer the dark chocolate version. Smooth, crisp, and flavorful.

Or these Belgian Mixed Berry Chocolate Bars, which are made with real freeze-dried fruit. For $1.39, you can’t go wrong.

But, the very best Aldi chocolate I’ve tried (to date) is this Dark Chocolate Orange Mousse Bar. It’s dark to the point of bitterness, but the tangy orange filling and velvety chocolate mousse provide just enough sweetness. It’s a bit more pricey at $3.85.

9. Eggs and Dairy

Aldi has competitively priced free-range, cage-free, or organic eggs — but usually just one or two brands at a time. Unlike Costco, Aldi typically sell these in 1-dozen boxes (rather than 2-dozen, or 5-dozen! Ha!).

There’s a shockingly narrow range of milk brands, and heavy cream is hit-or-miss at my store, with only one brand sporadically available. It feels like shopping at a gas station, honestly. If you don’t want to drive to two different grocery stores in one day, the uncertainty of this is aggravating.

I don’t personally buy Aldi-branded cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream — or other dairy products. I can almost always get my favorite brands cheaper at a Publix BOGO sale, and the store-brand quality has mixed feedback from the hive-mind online. I’m picky about the taste and texture of my dairy, and I’d rather not risk it. There are plenty of people who enjoy these products, however.

I HAVE tried Aldi’s store-brand grass-fed Irish butter, and I liked it a lot. It’s $4 for 8 ounces. I would probably buy this if I wasn’t already buying grass-fed New Zealand butter from Costco.

10. Pre-Made Meals

Although I’ve tried several prepared meals from Aldi, there are only a few I’m really excited about so far:

Mama Cozzi’s Take and Bake Pizza

I REALLY liked the thin-crust Mama Cozzi’s Take and Bake Pizza — in fact, I raved about it in this review. However, I bought a regular-crust pizza from the same brand later, and it was borderline awful. I also have noticed a decline in quality of the thin crust pizza that distresses me. So, this one may be hit-or-miss. It’s less than $8 for a 16 inch pizza.

Cheese Truffle Knopfli

I loooooved the Cheese Truffle Knopfli frozen meal; it’s made with real truffles and quality cheese. It’s like a much more sophisticated mac & cheese. But sadly, it’s only available once or twice a year as a “German Week” offering. While it’s more expensive per serving than many other Aldi foods (about $5 per bag), for a gourmet splurge, it’s well worth it.

British Fish and Chips

I did enjoy Aldi’s British Fish and Chips frozen meal, although it needed salt & sauce. It’s imported from the UK, and comes with a generous breaded haddock portion, and a pile of crisp french fries. It’s not as budget-friendly per serving, at $5.49 for a single meal. But it’s a bargain compared to ordering take-out.

Grab-and-Go Calzone

A super-budget meal option is the Mama Cozzi’s Calzone, which costs just $2.55. It’s no-where near the quality of a pizza parlor, but much better than I expected for a grab-and-go product. You will need to buy marinara sauce separately, however.

11. Holiday Stuff

I think the holidays are the most exciting time to shop at Aldi. This is when you’ll find a wider array of imported cookies, chocolates, and other goodies. I’ve tried several of these, and they mostly exceeded my expectations. Here are my favorites:

Fudge Covered Peppermint Creme Cookies

These little dudes went viral last year, and for a good reason. They’re absurdly flavorful, and have sophisticated texture contrasts. It’s like two thin mint cookies getting married and having a pink cream-center baby. With a crunchy peppermint candy garnish. They’re not cheap, at $3.59 for a slim 8.25 ounce box. Read my silly review here.

Soft Gingerbread

This authentic “Lebkuchen” is imported from Germany and flavored with spices, dried orange peel, figs, apricots, and nuts. Half are iced, and half are chocolate coated. I raved about the intoxicating flavor, and I scarfed all six pillowy-soft cookies in just a few days. These are $3 for 7.05 ounces. Here’s the full review.

Butter Spekulatius

Unlike most shoppers (including my own sister), I didn’t like Aldi’s regular spiced spekulatius cookies. Maybe I got a bad batch? HOWEVER, I did enjoy these Butter Spekulatius. They have an intense butter flavor, and a tender-crisp texture. You get a man-shaped cookie, and a woman-shaped cookie. I wrote a teeny-tiny story about their cookie marriage, and someone winning the lottery in my weird little review.

12. Household Supplies

Yes, Aldi sells household supplies, like toilet paper, cleaning products, detergents, and kitchen sundries. Costco typically offers a better value for bulk garbage bags and parchment paper and paper towels, so I don’t purchase much here. But, it’s available. Most of the bare-bones-basics are covered.

I do sometimes buy the Aldi-brand zip-lock storage bags (available as gallon, quart, sandwich, or snack), which have been decent quality so far. And I’ve bought a couple foaming hand soaps, which I liked. Coffee filters are a great price. I used to buy their store-brand napkins, because they were a good price and quality, but they’ve changed to “very poor quality” and a not-as-tempting price. So, no thanks.

The only thing worse than poor quality is poor-quality-that-used-to-be-good-quality. Hmmph!

13. The Aldi “Aisle of Shame”

If you’re new to Aldi, there’s a center aisle affectionately referred to as “The Aisle of Shame.” This is where you will find a quickly-rotating assortment of household goods. It changes weekly, although some items disappear in hours. Products range from small appliances, like air fryers or air conditioners, to door mats and decorative knick-knacks. You’ll find dishes, candles, and even garden supplies. There are also random clothing items, which are strangely popular. Apparently, some of these items are “dupes” of more mainstream brands. I’m too uncool to recognize the dupes.

The few Aisle of Shame items I’ve purchased were “not bad.” I got a kitchen garbage can ($12.99), which was exactly what I was looking for, and has held up nicely over the past year. I bought a front door mat ($9.99), which is amazingly sturdy — and has a simple, but elegant design.

I also bought one of those wildly popular enameled cast-iron dutch ovens (around $20), and honestly, it’s just collecting dust in my kitchen. But other people seem to love them. I also tried a few garden items, which were a bit more wonky, and didn’t work out for me.

There’s great stuff, and there’s ridiculous stuff, and it’s hard to know which you’ll be getting. If you love a surprise, and have money to burn, you may enjoy The Aisle of Shame.

So, why shop at Aldi?

Oddly, I often think of Aldi as a smaller (and free) version of Costco. Like Costco, Aldi tends to offer a narrower selection of items — usually the most popular/necessary items. And, like Costco, Aldi stocks items in a more casual manner — often in the cardboard bins they shipped in. The items are arranged (or just dumped somewhere) with functionality in mind, not aesthetics. It’s more of a jumbled treasure hunt than a curated experience. Also, Aldi doesn’t provide free grocery bags (neither does Costco). Products at both locations are offered on a limited-time basis. Both Aldi and Costco provide a bare-bones shopping experience.

Twice as Nice Return Policy

Aldi does offer a generous return policy — in fact, many of their products have the “Twice as Nice” logo, which promises to both return your money AND replace the product. I had to return a defective garden spray wand, but I only got the money refunded. So it doesn’t apply to every item.

Free from certain ingredients

Aldi has committed to avoid synthetic colors, added trans fat, and added MSG in their store-branded products. I think this is a great start, but as you have probably noticed from my reviews, there are still plenty of “undesirables” left in many foods. That may include: artificial flavors, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, titanium dioxide, cottonseed or soybean oil, and assorted nonsense.

But, I am also full of assorted nonsense. So.

My top 5 tips for shopping at Aldi:

1. Check the Aldi Weekly Ad online, as well as the “Upcoming Aldi Finds,” and the “Seasonal Products.” New ads are released Wednesdays. In my stores, the “Upcoming Finds” are often already available.
2. Bring your own shopping bags. Aldi doesn’t provide bags for free. I like an insulated zippered bag, so that I can browse without worrying that my groceries are melting.
3. Bring a quarter to “rent” a shopping cart. Return the cart, and get your quarter back!
4. Products are rotated in and out, so if you have a strong interest in a product, it’s best to buy it when you can. You may not see it again for 6 months or even a year. Or never.
5. Not everything is cheaper at Aldi. Name brand products may be less expensive elsewhere.

Happy shopping! May the odds be ever in your favor.

The End.