12 Pantry Staples You Should Pick Up At Aldi
Aldi is a German-based grocery chain with over 2,100 locations across 38 states in the United States (per Aldi). If there isn't one near you, there probably will be soon. Aldi planned to open 150 stores in 2022, making it the third-largest grocery retailer in the U.S. based on the number of stores.
Shopping at Aldi is a little bit different than shopping at your average grocery store. This discount grocer keeps prices low by making you DIY. If you want to use a cart, bring a quarter to check one out — they're locked, and only a quarter unlocks it. You get it back when you return the cart. Aldi does not provide bags, so make sure to bring your own, and plan to bag your groceries, as the employees won't do it for you.
Another way that Aldi keeps prices low is by offering a limited variety of products. In general, there is just one version of any product. While this might seem limiting, it's not. Without a dizzying array of choices, you can get in and out of Aldi quickly, but still find what you're looking for. Although, if you are fussy about brand names, Aldi might not be for you. In general, Aldi only offers its house brands, although it does carry a few name brands for certain products.
When it comes to pantry staples, Aldi's got you covered. From granola to Greek olives, there are lots of pantry supplies you should always buy at Aldi.
Baking supplies
Aldi is a great place for basics like baking supplies. After all, sugar is sugar — there's not a big difference between Domino sugar and any other brand, so why pay more for the label? Aldi has all your baking basics, including flour, sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. You can also find canned evaporated milk, cocoa powder, marshmallows, and pudding mix. Most stores also carry sweetened, shredded coconut around the holidays.
Aldi also carries several types of chocolate chips, so if you are a chocoholic, you are in luck. Aldi's Baker's Corner line of chocolate chips includes semi-sweet chocolate chips and mini chocolate chips, as well as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and butterscotch chips. Chocolate snobs may prefer the chocolate chunks –available in Premium chocolate, Belgian semi-sweet chocolate, and Belgian dark chocolate — from its Specialty Select line. Any of these chocolate chips or chunks work well in this recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
Aldi does not typically carry a variety of flour, so you probably won't find whole wheat flour or gluten-free flour (although it does carry gluten-free baking mixes). It sometimes carries alternative flour like almond flour or coconut flour, but it's hit or miss. If you have a specific dietary need for these flours or want to try out a certain recipe, go ahead and try Walmart or your local grocery store.
Baking mixes
If baking from scratch is not your thing, Aldi's got your back. Aldi carries several boxed mixes that are high in quality but low in price, cheaper per ounce than what you will typically find at Dollar Tree, Walmart, or your local grocer.
For breakfast, you can try Aunt Maple's Buttermilk Pancake mix. Just add water, and you are ready to make pancakes or waffles. Aldi also offers Baker's Corner All Purpose Baking Mix, its version of Bisquick, which you can use for everything from pancakes to biscuits to upside-down cake and cobbler. Aldi also sells its own muffin mix in two flavors — blueberry and double chocolate — as well as the brand name Jiffy Corn Muffin mix.
Aldi is also a great place to pick up boxed mixes for dessert. It has a great selection of mixes for cakes, cookies, and brownies (and honestly, there's arguably hardly a difference between brownies made from scratch and brownies made from a box). You can always make a cake from one of Aldi's boxed mixes and frost it with Baker's Corner Frosting, available in cream cheese, chocolate, or vanilla, or you can doctor a cake mix for a semi-homemade treat. There's a lot you can do with boxed cake mixes, like making Tres leches mini cakes or a confetti party roll. Go ahead and let your guests think you spent hours in the kitchen — your secret is safe with us.
Cereal
The cereal aisle at Aldi might not be as large and varied as the one at your regular grocery store, but it has whatever you need, all at low prices. It has everything from breakfast cereal to oatmeal, granola, and more.
When it comes to cold cereal, Aldi has a broad selection of its own versions of household favorites. You can always find its house versions of Rice Crispies, Corn and Rice Chex, Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Life, and Raisin Bran. It also offers Aldi versions of kids' favorites. Instead of Cocoa Puffs, try Cocoa Rice, or Fruit Rounds instead of Fruit Loops. Aldi does offer some brand-name cereals like Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but in general, the prices aren't great for these products.
You might be skeptical about trying an off-brand version of your favorite cereal. Aldi gets it, which is why it offers a Twice as Nice guarantee. If you try an Aldi brand but just don't like it, bring back the unused portion with your receipt, and Aldi will refund your money and replace the product.
Aldi is also a great place to pick up breakfast basics like grits, granola, and oatmeal. The oatmeal selection includes rolled oats, quick oats, and steel-cut oats, as well as variety boxes of instant oatmeal packets, all at considerably lower prices than other grocery retailers.
Coffee
What would the morning be without coffee? We don't want to find out. Aldi is a great place for coffee lovers to stock up on coffee grounds, K-cups, and more.
For your basic coffee needs, try Aldi's Beaumont line of coffee grounds, available in three varieties: 100% Colombian, Classic Roast, and Decaf Classic Roast. Another popular line is its Barissimo coffee grounds, which is a higher-end line (think Aldi's take on Starbucks for at-home brewing). We're partial to its Specialty Selected German Roast, which has a robust flavor at a very reasonable price. And for the espresso lovers out there, you can pick up Café Bustelo espresso grounds, the only brand-name coffee product Aldi regularly stocks.
Not everyone likes to brew a full pot of coffee every morning. For people who want to make just one cup at a time, Aldi offers K-cups in several varieties, including breakfast blend, French vanilla, and blonde roast. If you try to stick to an organic diet, try Aldi's Simply Nature coffee, available in both whole beans and K-cups.
You can even pick up instant coffee in both regular and decaf at Aldi. We wouldn't drink it, but it's great for adding a subtle coffee flavor to baked goods like brownies and chocolate cake.
Olives
The olive lovers out there will be thrilled with the selection of olives at Aldi. Not only do they carry the standard black olives, but they also have a variety of gourmet olives. You can find Spanish Manzanilla olives, Kalamata olives, and Specialty Selected Stuffed Queen olives. The stuffed olives come in varieties such as feta-stuffed, blue cheese-stuffed, and jalapeno-stuffed. These varieties make a perfect appetizer — just add toothpicks.
Olives make a great snack food and provide several health benefits (per Healthline). The fat in olives is mostly oleic acid, which may reduce inflammation and decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, iron, calcium, and copper. Olives cured in brine tend to be high in sodium, so watch your intake if you are concerned about your sodium consumption.
Olives are delicious on their own, but they also work well in recipes. Black olives are great tossed on pizza or in tacos, but that's not all you can do with them. You can use black olives to make olive tapenade, an olive-based spread that is perfect on crackers or toast. This is a great appetizer (or mid-afternoon snack all by yourself), and you can also use a few tablespoons to boost the flavor of egg salad, tuna salad, or hummus. Black olives also add punch to pasta in this recipe for penne with black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and spinach.
Mustard
Mustard might seem like a funny item to single out at any store, but Aldi carries such a wide variety at such low prices that we pick up a few every time we swing by. Aldi always has the basics — yellow, Dijon, and brown mustard — but at certain times of the year, you can find more unusual varieties. In the fall, Aldi traditionally offers several German products in honor of Octoberfest. Its Deutsche Küche includes Bavarian Sweet Mustard, Whole Grain Mustard, and Beer Mustard (great for giant pretzel dip). Once the German varieties sell out, they are gone until the following year, so grab them while you can.
Mustard is great on sandwiches, but don't limit yourself. This versatile condiment can do so much more. Use it to make mustard dressing, perfect on a bed of field greens or in a salad with roasted beets, chopped apples, and pecans. You can also try it in a main course dish like this honey mustard chicken and vegetable kabobs.
Chips and pretzels
Who doesn't love chips? They are salty, addictive, and maybe not all that healthy but they are so good. At Aldi, you can pick up just about any flavor of potato or tortilla chip, and at very low prices. It's a win-win.
Aldi's in-house brand of chips is called Clancy's, and it includes Aldi's take on wavy and rippled potato chips in several flavors. They even offer baked potato chips in original and barbecue flavors. You can also find Aldi's version of tortilla chips, Doritos, and Fritos (our personal fave). And if you have school-aged kids, or want an easy way to control your portion sizes, you can pick up Clancy's 18-pack of snack-sized chips in a variety of flavors.
If you are looking for healthier snack food, Aldi carries several varieties of pretzels, which are just salty as chips but without the fat. Aldi carries regular pretzels in twists and sticks, but it also has giant pretzel rods, pretzel thins, and peanut-butter stuffed pretzels (not exactly a low-fat food, but definitely delicious). The unit price of pretzels at Aldi is lower than what you'll find at most other grocers.
Nuts
Nuts are a healthy, satiating snack that provides several health benefits (per Healthline). While nutritional values vary from nut to nut, they are generally high in fat and low in carbohydrates. Research has shown that nuts may improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels, aid in weight loss, and reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke. Nuts are high in fiber and fit into vegan, vegetarian, and keto diets, and Aldi is a great place to stock up on them.
Not only does Aldi have a wide variety of nuts, but they are all very reasonably priced — which is important because nuts are kind of expensive. Aldi generally has the lowest price for peanuts, which come in unsalted, salted, or honey roasted. Its prices for other nuts are also competitive, and there are a lot of choices. Aldi sells shelled pistachios and salted macadamias, as well as salted and unsalted cashews and almonds. You can also find flavored nuts like coconut cashews and chocolate almonds. If you are planning to entertain or just like variety, pick up mixed roasted nuts, both salted and unsalted, or an organic mix of raw almonds, pecans, and pistachios or raw cashews, walnuts, or macadamias.
Aldi keeps its nuts for snacking near the pretzels, chips, and dried fruit, but you can also find nuts in the baking section. Aldi typically stocks walnuts and pecans near the flour, sugar, and other baking staples. Pick up some walnuts and try these carrot walnut cookies.
Snack foods
In addition to chips, pretzels, and nuts, Aldi has pretty much any snack food you can think of, from sweet to savory. You'll find Aldi versions of many mainstream snacks like Nature Valley granola bars and Nilla wafers, as well as some name-brand items.
For those of you with a sweet tooth, Aldi has house-brand versions of every Little Debbie and Hostess snack cake or packaged cookie that exists, from cupcakes and Swiss rolls to Chips Ahoy! cookies and animal crackers. If you are picky about the brand, you can find genuine Twinkies and Oreos at Aldi. But most Aldi versions stand up to their name-brand counterparts, and the truth is, sometimes the brand really doesn't matter. If you need vanilla wafer cookies to make a recipe like no-cook banana pudding, where the cookies are buried and soaked in pudding, off-brand works just fine.
If you prefer a savory snack, you'll find plenty of choices at Aldi. Its house brand for crackers is Savoritz, and it includes Aldi's version of Ritz crackers (of course), Cheez-Its, Goldfish, Tollhouse crackers, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, and more. It also has some Aldi originals like Parmesan Crisps and brand-name crackers like genuine Cheez-Its and Chex Mix. Name-brand snacks tend to be pricey at Aldi, but the house brand prices can't be beaten.
Seasonal food items
Whatever the season, Aldi stocks a dizzying array of seasonal items that are not only well-priced but are often unusual, which makes finding them a little more enjoyable. For example, at Christmastime, Aldi carries Christmas candy like Santa-shaped chocolates and candy canes, but it also has Christmas pretzels. Not your standard holiday fare, but still fun. And shoppers come in every year to pick up the chocolate-filled Advent calendars that are beloved by many, but increasingly difficult to find.
Aldi also goes all out for other holidays like Easter and Halloween, carrying jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, and Halloween candy. You can also find items like holiday-themed baking mixes and sprinkles, such as pastel sprinkles for Easter and black and orange sprinkles at Halloween. The prices are good to start with, but keep an eye out after the holidays. Aldi wants to clear these holiday items from the store to make room for the next one, so these items are typically marked down by 75% or more.
Ethnic foods
One thing Aldi junkies look forward to is the rotating ethnic foods that pop up in stores, only to disappear a few weeks later. Some items, like Chinese food near Chinese New Year or German food around Octoberfest, rotate seasonally, while others pop up for seemingly no rhyme or reason. We've seen Indian simmer sauces like Korma, Tikka Masala, and Butter Chicken; Asian items like ramen and pho bowls; and German specialties like Orange or Raspberry Jaffe Cakes (a type of cookie), potato soup in a jar, and sauerkraut. Finding these special items, and scooping them up before time runs out, is part of the fun of shopping at Aldi.
Some of these items, like the cookies or the soup, can be served on their own, while others are meant to be part of a recipe. You can use the Indian simmer sauces to simmer vegetables with meat or tofu, then serve over rice. We love sauerkraut and it makes a great side dish along with meat and potatoes, but you can also incorporate it into other dishes. Nothing could be easier than this slow cooker version of apples and sauerkraut, a traditional Eastern European dish. It only requires about 10 minutes of prep work followed by a day in the slow cooker to make this tasty side dish.
Gluten-free foods
According to the Mayo Clinic, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine. When people with celiac disease consume gluten, they trigger an immune response that attacks the small intestine. In the short term, they may experience bloating, diarrhea, and fatigue, but over time, they can become malnourished and experience extreme weight loss. While there is no cure for celiac disease, avoiding gluten eliminates all symptoms.
Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and certain other grains, which makes everyday foods such as bread, cereal, and crackers off-limits to people with celiac. Even oats, which should be gluten-free, are frequently contaminated with gluten because they are often processed in the same facilities as wheat. Many manufacturers now make gluten-free versions of popular foods that traditionally contain gluten.
Aldi offers its own in-house brand of gluten-free foods: LiveGfree. This line includes 17 different products, and many of them are pantry staples. You can buy LiveGFree bread, bagels, wraps, crackers, chips, cookies, pasta, baking mix, and boxed macaroni and cheese. Not only does Aldi offer a wide variety of gluten-free pantry staples, but they are typically priced lower than their counterparts at Walmart or major grocery retailers.
In addition, Aldi offers some gluten-free pantry staples that are not part of its LiveGfree line. For example, its Rice Squares and Corn Squares cereals, the Aldi versions of Rice Chex and Corn Chex, are both certified gluten-free.