ALDI Favorites: What I Love, What I Buy

Today starts a 3-month series on grocery store favorites!

ALDI has long been a mainstay for our family and today I'm sharing my latest loves.

If you've been around for even just a minute, let along the 11+ years I've been food blogging, then you know without a doubt my love for ALDI.

In fact, in 2015, ALDI noticed and sent me on an all expenses paid trip to their Chicago headquarters for 2 days of fun and behind the scenes action. You can read about that trip HERE. It met friends there that I still keep in touch with today. Such a fun experience!

Ever since our kids were just babies, I've been shopping at ALDI. Back then due to saving money on our grocery bill {that's still the case at times}, but now it's often because I just love their products! This month three Iowa bloggers and I are partnering together to share our ALDI favorites - and stay tuned as next month is Costco and in June it's Trader Joe's!

Be sure to check out my friends who are doing the same:

Stacy at The Daily Dietitian

Sarah at The Haute Homemaker

Hilary at H.Prall & Co

I recently did a big grocery haul at ALDI and snapped some photos of my favorites that are a MUST at our house currently. A worker asked if I was videotaping for something {I lied and said I was shopping for a friend and she needed to see some things....}. 

Sometimes being a food blogger can be embarrassing. So let's get started! Here are my current {as of Spring 2021} ALDI favorites.

Butter

ALDI has the best price on butter. I stock up on this stuff during the holidays when baking is on overdrive. I always buy unsalted butter {that way I can control the salt in the dish} and ALDI's brand has never steered me wrong.

Specialty Chocolates

Since ALDI started in Germany, their European chocolates are delicious. I snag a container of their fun chocolates each time I'm there {in this case their Dark Chocolate Coconut Almonds}. I keep them on hand to gift to friends - often my neighbor who helps transport my kids to school. They are a great sweet treat!

Corn Tortillas

We eat a TON of corn tortillas - especially my husband. Whether in breakfast tacos or our weekly Mexican night. Their authentic taste is so good! They are also good cut into triangles, sprayed with cooking spray and cooked in the air fryer for some quick tortilla chips.

Minced Garlic

In my opinion you can never have too much garlic, but peeling and chopping it is a PAIN. I love their squeeze bottles of minced garlic. It makes it so easy when needing garlic for a dish. It stays in the fridge fresh until the next use.

Barbecue Sauce

ALDI's Burnman's brand always has the most delicious varieties of barbecue sauce! Texas, Memphis, Kansas City and Carolina sauces were this months specialties. My kids love anything barbecue, so I'm always grabbing a bottle to make sure we have enough on hand.

Aged White Cheddar Cheese

My favorite hard cheese! This aged white cheddar has never steered me wrong. I always have a block in our fridge. Lately I've been slicing it up to bring along to long days at the ballpark with a variety of crackers and fruit. It's super sharp and tangy, yet a bit creamy too.

Protein Pancake & Waffle Mix

Now, I often make my own homemade mix, but on crazy days I like having this mix around that not only tastes good, but is amped up with extra fiber and protein. It also has a recipe on the box for yummy muffins! My kids love those - I'll often add some mini chocolate chips to the batter to jazz them up.

Mini Avocados

Who knew, right? I always buy these because sometimes I feel I waste the bigger avocados. They are smaller and great for avocado toast with a fried egg on top {one of my daughter's favorites}. Also great for a small batch of guacamole!

Pork Sausage

I love grabbing these packages of ground pork sausage and having it on hand in the freezer. We'll eat it in my Amish Breakfast Casserole, in spaghetti or my super popular Cheesy Sausage Tortellini Bake. They have mild and spicy varieties, so depending on your mood - either is great!

Chicken, Beef or Veggie Broth

Not all of us are Laura Ingalls and have time to make our own homemade broth, so I always recommend ALDI's organic versions that taste fresh off the farm. In the winter I'm often buying a few cartons of these for my Chicken Noodle Chowder or my Cheese Tortellini Minestrone Soup. It's also good to have on hand when cooking roasts in the slow cooker.

Mexican Street Corn Dip

Have you had this dip yet? It's great with a Frito chip to eat as dip and even better slathered on a grilled burger. Creamy, slightly spicy and full of juicy corn. When I don't have time to make my Jalapeno Corn Frito Salad, it's a good stand by.

Almond Milk Coffee Creamer

Now, I buy and drink all kinds of dairy - I just happen to love this almond milk version! It comes in a Sweet Cream and Caramel and both are delicious. Each morning of mine starts with hot coffee and I'm not adult enough to drink it black. I always need a bit of creamer!

Whole Coffee Beans

What's coffee creamer without coffee? I first had this version at a friend's house. Now, I subscribe to a coffee service {this one...it's amazing}, but I always like to have a back up in my cupboard in case I run out. I buy my coffee in whole bean, but it comes already ground as well.

Mama Cozzi's Fresh Pizzas

What family doesn't love pizza? I love ALDI's fresh take-n-bake pizza section. This Chicken Flatbread Southwest Style version is incredibly tasty. My kids love anything with meat or cheese. Their XL pizzas are huge and can feed a crowd quickly for only around $5.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Pieces for Baking

Again, chocolate! I do a lot of baking and good chocolate can make or break a cookie or bar. These Belgian baking pieces are fabulous in my famous chocolate chip cookies and my 5 Ingredient Million Dollar Bars. They are rich and decadent and because of that I've found you don't need to use quite as many as a regular chocolate chip.

Limes

Yep, I'm a lime lover. I especially always have a bag on hand {check out that price!} when the whether starts to warm up. I love nothing better than a chilled cocktail on my back deck. These moscow mules are always a hit - and when in doubt I mix up sparkling water and fresh lime with a splash of gin or vodka.

White Cheddar Puffs

My kids are 11, 10 and almost 7 and they EAT ALL THE TIME. They often prefer snacks over meals {sigh} so I have quite a few on hand. I recently bought this white cheddar puffy popcorn in individual bags so we'd have them on hand for sports tournaments. We all loved them.

Pesto

Yes, homemade pesto is easy to make {I have a whole post on how to make it here}, but often we don't have time or a fresh basil plant in our backyard. Guess what? Jarred pesto is just as good! Drop a few spoonfuls onto hot pasta with some fresh Parmesan or slather some on a grilled sandwich.

Wine Seltzers

Again, we are gearing towards warmer weather and nothing is more refreshing than a wine seltzer! If you like a little bubbly, then you'll enjoy these. My store had the peach variety, but I've also seen watermelon. Treat yourself ladies!

What do you think of my ALDI favorites? Did you find some that are new to you? Ones you are dying to try? Are there any here that you've been buying for years?

I'd love to hear ALL your thoughts.

And remember - next month is Costco and shortly after that it's Trader Joe's. More fun to come! Tag me on social media {@sweetsavoryeats} when sharing, I'll be sure to share the love.