Aldi's Breakfast Best Croissant Sandwiches Are An Outright Jimmy Dean Copycat
The frozen breakfast food market is big business. According to Statista, an estimated 91.6 million people in the United States will buy frozen breakfast entrées and sandwiches in 2024 as a quick way to start their day. It's no wonder that Aldi is looking to tap into this segment of the grocery market with its line of Breakfast Best products.
Aldi is competing in a division dominated by one of the biggest names in frozen breakfast foods: Jimmy Dean. The company — owned by the second-biggest seller of processed meat in the U.S., Tyson Foods– has ruled the breakfast protein market for decades. It started out selling sausage and now offers a wealth of breakfast options, from burritos and bowls to numerous types of sandwiches.
One of the most popular breakfast options is the croissant sandwich. Both Aldi and Jimmy Dean sell their own versions of this beloved handheld food, and Reddit users have noticed some striking similarities between the two breakfast sandwiches.
Similar ingredients and nutritional data
So how does Aldi's Breakfast Best brand croissant sandwich stack up to Jimmy Dean's sandwich? Both companies sell a version of this day starter that comes with sausage, egg, and cheese. At first glance, the two sandwiches look close to identical. Each features a scrambled egg patty and a slice of American cheese along with a breakfast sausage patty. And the similarities between them go beyond appearances. There are several common ingredients, too. Both egg patties include a mixture of whole eggs and nonfat milk as well as butter flavor. Each also has a slice of pasteurized processed American cheese with similar ingredients.
There are a few subtle differences between the two croissant sandwiches: Both contain enriched wheat flour and margarine, but Breakfast Best uses sugar, and Jimmy Dean uses high fructose corn syrup. The sausage patties differ as well: Breakfast Best is made with pork, while Jimmy Dean has a turkey sausage patty with soy protein concentrate.
Nutritionally speaking, the Aldi sandwich comes in at 410 calories with 13 grams of protein, and the original Jimmy Dean sandwich has 400 calories and 13 grams of protein. Both contain high levels of fat and salt, with Breakfast Best having 10 grams of saturated fat and 820 milligrams of sodium compared to Jimmy Dean's 10 grams of saturated fat and 610 milligrams of sodium. So, while there are some minor variations in the ingredients used, the two sandwiches are almost identical.
Aldi's sandwich tastes like Jimmy Dean
The real question is: How do they taste? Well, several Reddit users reported the flavor of these sandwiches was nearly the same. Aldi's Breakfast Best is "similar in quality to Jimmy Dean's," according to one user. Another gives the edge to Jimmy Dean, saying the Breakfast Best croissant sandwiches are "a little bit below them, but honestly not by much." One TikTok reviewer praised the taste of the Aldi sandwich, saying, "I love how the savoriness of the sausage contrasts with the sweetness of the croissant."
In addition to closely mirroring the croissant breakfast sandwich, Aldi has taken some inspiration from Jimmy Dean for some of its other Breakfast Best offerings. For instance, Aldi has its own biscuit breakfast sandwiches — just like Jimmy Dean. Both companies also produce an English muffin-based breakfast sandwich, too, and both are sometimes compared to the fast food breakfast classic, McDonald's Egg McMuffin. One reviewer even gave Aldi's take on the Egg McMuffin a higher grade than Jimmy Dean's.