5 HomeGoods Foods You Should Always Buy And 4 To Leave On The Shelf

HomeGoods is best known for its seasonal decor, kitchen organizational essentials, and fancy cookware that it sells at affordable prices. While it might not be the first store that comes to mind when it comes to grocery shopping, it actually has a surprisingly impressive collection of seasonal treats, uniquely flavored snacks, and condiments. However, not everything is worth adding to your cart. Some items offer incredible value, unique flavors, and high-quality ingredients at a fraction of what you'd pay at the grocery store, but others fall short in freshness.

With products sourced from all over the world, constantly rotating on the shelves, shopping at this eclectic store can sometimes feel like a treasure hunt, so it's helpful to know what to look for. We tracked down five HomeGoods food items you should always look for and four that you can leave on the shelf so that you can shop smarter and save money.

Whether it's a pumpkin spice latte in the fall, a peppermint mocha during the holidays, or an iced cold brew in the summertime, most of us like to treat ourselves to the occasional pick-me-up. But if you find yourself buying a specialty latte every day, it becomes incredibly pricey. With HomeGoods' wide selection of coffee syrups, however, you can upgrade your morning coffee right at home.

The store carries an impressive variety of syrups, flavors, and other coffee additions that step up your at-home coffee game. From exciting flavors like brown sugar cinnamon, lavender, and strawberry to your classics like vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut, there really is something for everyone. And if you're looking to experiment with new flavors in your daily caffeine dose, there are unique offerings, including English toffee and mojito mint. Many of HomeGoods' syrups are the Torani brand, which has been around for 100 years and is the same syrup used by 7 Brew.

The spice aisle may look awfully tempting if you're browsing the store, but you might want to avoid purchasing your spices or dry herbs here. There's no real way to tell how long the spices have been sitting on the shelves at HomeGoods, and what most people don't realize is that spices and dry herbs do actually expire. Spices typically have a shelf life of between one and four years, but it depends on the type of spice and the way that it's stored.

Spices lose their aroma and flavor over time, and this process can be expedited if they're improperly stored. If a spice has passed the best-by date, it likely won't make you sick, but it won't enhance the flavor of your food either. You may even notice that the color of spices will fade over time. Some dried herbs and ground spices will start to lose their potency after just 6 months of being dried, so you're better off buying fresh at the grocery store. If you're looking for a great selection of fresh spices, you might want to check out these spice blends from Trader Joe's.

One of the best finds at HomeGoods is its unique and diverse condiment selection. The store goes far beyond your Heinz ketchup and Hidden Valley ranch dressing to offer flavors from all over the world. It doesn't just have plain mayonnaise, but kimchi mayo and truffle mayo. There are tons of hidden treasures in the condiment and gourmet food aisle to help impress your dinner guests with upgraded, uniquely flavored meals. For those who are health-conscious, there are also some sugar-free options. 

One of the great hidden treasures in the condiments aisle at HomeGoods is the extensive collection of honeys. You can find honey from all over the world in this section, and it tends to be cheaper than at the grocery store. For instance, HomeGoods carries Mike's Hot Honey for just $8 compared to Target's price, which can be over $12. And, if you love hot honey, here are the best ways to cook with it. As an extra tip, the store tends to roll out more gourmet condiment options closer to the holidays, so be sure to stock up then.

The health foods section of the store is one that you may want to avoid. You'll notice that lots of products are labeled as "keto" or "organic" and are marketed as healthy foods; however, despite the labels and healthy marketing, these products are not always as nutritious as advertised. It's always a good idea to take a peek at the ingredient list to see if an item really is as healthy as it claims.

Additionally, some of these "health foods" are not as tasty as they may appear, either. For instance, a YouTube reviewer looked at a wide variety of foods from HomeGoods and found that some of the products that were plant-based or gluten-free had a "salty playdough taste." He explained after trying some plant-based peanut butter cacao snack balls, "There's almost no flavor there," noting that he seems to often find himself trying foods that taste like playdough. If you're looking for tasty, nutritious options, you might be better off at your regular grocery store.

Check out the pasta aisle for endless options of distinctively shaped and seasonal pasta products. There's a much more exciting variety compared to the regular grocery store, so this is a great way to upgrade your typical pasta dinners. You'll find the aisle lined with a colorful variety of green, red, and orange noodles. It has all your basics, including shells, angel hair, tortellini, and rigatoni, and many of these are actually made in Italy. To make matters even more impressive, the pasta is typically reasonably priced, with bags sold for as little as $5.

The real standouts come from the seasonal selection. The store carries seasonally-inspired options of various shapes and colors, like Valentine's Day pasta. There are fun options to spice up dinner for the kids as well, including pasta shaped like dinosaurs and the ABCs. And while you're at it, grab one of the many pasta sauces to go with it.

The coffee aisle may be alluring as you shop the aisles of HomeGoods, with tons of different coffee flavors and varieties. While the store is a great place to pick up your flavored syrups, you may want to steer clear of the coffee, and particularly the K-Cups for your Keurig. Ultimately, shoppers choose HomeGoods for its affordable prices, but when it comes to coffee, you aren't necessarily getting a better deal.

The cheapest K-Cups will likely be from store brands at discount stores like Aldi, which sells 12-count K-Cup packs for just over $5. These come in flavors ranging from French vanilla to hazelnut, at different roast levels, and from different sources, like Colombia. Aldi shoppers enjoy the midnight blend and the organic dark roast blend. The exception to the rule might be if you happen to find a steal at HomeGoods on clearance, but in most cases, you might want to get your coffee K-Cups at the regular grocery store.

Not all cooking oils are created equally, and some can be significantly higher quality than others. There are several things that impact an oil's quality, including its fat content, whether it's extra virgin and unrefined, and even how it is stored. HomeGoods has a large selection of cooking oils to choose from, and many of these are high-quality oils from Italy and Greece, sold at an extremely affordable price.

Look for extra virgin olive oils or cold-pressed oils for the highest quality. For instance, the Cretan Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil is a great find for about $17. It comes in a dark bottle, which protects the oil from being exposed to the light. Light exposure can impact the flavors and degrade the oil rapidly, limiting its shelf life. Plus, HomeGoods carries more than your basic olive, coconut, and avocado oils. If you're willing to do a little digging, you can find oils infused with flavors like truffle, blood orange, and mushroom. Of course, you can also transform your basic grocery store oil by infusing it at home.

You always want to be aware of the sell-by date on food products, especially at places like HomeGoods. The store keeps prices low by purchasing products in large quantities, but this means that some products can end up sitting on the shelves for a long time. The sell-by date indicates how long a product should be displayed, and while it's not necessarily related to food safety, it can show whether a food product is still fresh, based on how long it's been displayed.

You might not get the fresh flavor you want from products with a looming sell-by date or a sell-by date that has passed. If you find a food product with a quickly approaching sell-by date, it's best to leave it on the shelf, as it might have been collecting dust there for quite some time. Plus, it's a good rule of thumb to keep an eye on this and other dates when purchasing groceries anywhere.

Some of the greatest treasures at homeGods can be found in the snack aisle, with imported snacks, sweets, and staples that you won't be able to find at the regular grocery store. Whether you have a sweet tooth or a salt craving, you can find fun new snacks for affordable prices. For shoppers with a sweet tooth, HomeGoods sells high-quality chocolates imported from Europe, gummies from Thailand, or pineapple shortbread cookies from the Honolulu Cookie Company in Hawaii. The store also carries a variety of Italian sweets, including biscotti and wafer cookies.

Additionally, the store carries some unique flavor options that can really spice up your snack rotation. Take the popcorn selection for example. Here, you'll find all your favorite staple flavors in addition to exciting offerings like salsa picante, everything bagel, and dill pickle. These snacks are typically extremely well-priced, especially considering many of them are imported from other countries, so it's well worth stopping by the snack aisle on your next visit.