Aldi is famous for low prices, but some of its best products don’t taste particularly “budget.” In fact, shoppers regularly rave about Aldi finds they think could pass for something from a specialty grocery store, fancy bakery, or restaurant.
A lot of those standouts come from the chain’s Specially Selected line, which focuses on premium-style cheeses, breads, pastas, desserts, and other gourmet foods. But there are plenty of surprises elsewhere in the store, too. Think frozen chicken good enough for a restaurant-style sandwich, peanut butter cups fans prefer to Reese’s, and a $5 tub of vanilla ice cream with a refreshingly short ingredient list.
Prices and availability vary by location, but these are 12 Aldi products shoppers say taste considerably more expensive than they actually are.
Specially Selected 1,000 Day Aged Gouda
Fancy cheese doesn’t necessarily require a fancy cheese-shop budget. Aldi’s Specially Selected 1,000 Day Aged Gouda costs around $4.75 for 5.3 ounces and delivers many of the qualities you’d expect from a long-aged specialty cheese. Aging gives Gouda a deeper, nutty and caramel-like flavor, along with those tiny crunchy crystals cheese lovers tend to appreciate. Aldi shoppers routinely praise the chain’s cheese selection, especially when putting together an inexpensive charcuterie board.
Specially Selected Premium Marinara
A jar of premium pasta sauce can get surprisingly expensive, which makes Aldi’s Specially Selected Marinara particularly appealing at roughly $4.29 to $4.39 for 24 ounces. Its ingredient list is also unusually straightforward: tomato pulp, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and spices. Shoppers have compared it favorably with much pricier jarred sauces, and the simple, tomato-forward recipe helps it taste less like a bargain substitute.
Specially Selected Brioche Buns
One of the easiest ways to make a homemade burger feel restaurant-worthy is to upgrade the bun. Aldi’s Specially Selected Brioche Buns cost about $3.99 for six, or roughly 66 cents apiece. Made with ingredients including whole eggs and butter, they’re richer and softer than your average hamburger bun. Use them for burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, or breakfast sandwiches and suddenly dinner looks a little more gastropub than discount grocery store.
Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Fillets
Aldi regulars probably know these better as “Red Bag Chicken.” The Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets have developed a devoted following among shoppers who use them to recreate fast-food-style chicken sandwiches at home. A 24-ounce bag runs around $8.25, and fans have specifically compared the fillets to Chick-fil-A-style chicken. Throw one on a toasted brioche or potato bun with pickles and you’ve got a pretty convincing restaurant-inspired meal without hitting the drive-thru.
Choceur Peanut Butter Cups
Mention Aldi’s Choceur Peanut Butter Cups around devoted shoppers and you’re likely to get some strong opinions. A 12-ounce bag costs around $5.49, and fans regularly argue that the Aldi version is actually better than Reese’s. Shoppers particularly praise the smoother peanut butter filling and rich-tasting chocolate. Some devotees even recommend keeping them in the refrigerator, assuming the bag survives long enough to make it there.
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Park Street Deli Cucumber Dill Tzatziki
Homemade tzatziki isn’t particularly complicated, but Aldi shoppers say this $3.29 shortcut is good enough that you may not bother making your own. Park Street Deli Cucumber Dill Tzatziki combines yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, and seasonings and can double as a dip, sandwich spread, or sauce. One recent Aldi shopper discussion even called it a “holy grail” product. Add it to chicken, naan, cucumber, tomato, and feta for an inexpensive Mediterranean-style meal.
Specially Selected Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon
Smoked salmon has a way of making breakfast feel significantly fancier. Aldi’s Specially Selected Cold Smoked Atlantic Salmon costs roughly $4.39 for a 3-ounce package and contains just Atlantic salmon, salt, sugar, and hardwood smoke. Add it to bagels with cream cheese and capers or arrange it alongside cheeses and crackers for brunch, and that relatively inexpensive Aldi haul starts looking much more upscale.
Specially Selected Wild Caught Ahi Tuna
Ahi tuna isn’t exactly the kind of ingredient you’d expect to find for just over $5 at a discount grocery store. Aldi’s Specially Selected Wild Caught Ahi Tuna costs about $5.35 for a 12-ounce package, making it an affordable starting point for seafood dinners, rice bowls, or seared tuna dishes, depending on the package preparation instructions. It’s the kind of freezer find that can make a weeknight dinner look much more ambitious than its grocery bill suggests.
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Specially Selected Premium Vanilla Ice Cream
Sometimes the ingredient list says more than the packaging. Aldi’s Specially Selected Premium Vanilla Ice Cream is made with cream, skim milk, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla extract — a remarkably straightforward lineup for a supermarket dessert. A 48-ounce container costs around $5.49, considerably less than buying multiple pints of many premium ice cream brands. Its rich, dense texture has helped it develop a following, and it’s an easy upgrade for pie, cobbler, sundaes, or an affogato.
Specially Selected Sliced Sourdough
Artisan-style bread can easily cost $6 or more per loaf, but Aldi’s Specially Selected Sliced Sourdough runs roughly $3.65 to $3.85 for 24 ounces. The round, bakery-style loaf looks a little more sophisticated than ordinary packaged sandwich bread and can make even basic meals feel upgraded. Toast it, turn it into grilled cheese, or slice it into crostini and pair it with some of Aldi’s specialty cheeses.
Specially Selected Macarons
A box of colorful French macarons tends to scream “expensive bakery,” which is precisely what makes Aldi’s version such a fun find. Specially Selected Macarons are listed around $4.99 per package when available, a fraction of what you could spend buying individual macarons from some pastry shops. They’re particularly handy when you’re entertaining: Put them on a dessert platter and nobody needs to know they came from the freezer aisle for about five bucks.
Specially Selected Stuffed Olives
You don’t need to spend a fortune at a specialty food shop to build an impressive charcuterie board. Aldi’s Specially Selected line offers stuffed olives in varieties including garlic, blue cheese, and jalapeño for around $2.99. Pair a jar with aged Gouda, crackers, smoked salmon, and a few other Aldi finds and you’ve got a spread that looks considerably more expensive than the individual ingredients suggest.
Aldi’s Best Bargains Don’t Always Look Cheap
The most impressive Aldi deals aren’t necessarily the absolute cheapest things in the store. Sometimes they’re products that deliver a premium experience for only a few dollars. Aged Gouda, smoked salmon, ahi tuna, sourdough, and stuffed olives can turn a basic grocery run into something resembling a specialty-food haul, while cult favorites like Red Bag Chicken and Choceur Peanut Butter Cups have inspired remarkably loyal fan bases.
Of course, Aldi prices and availability vary by location, so consider the prices here examples rather than guarantees. But that’s also part of the fun of shopping there: You never quite know which inexpensive find will end up tasting like it should have cost twice as much.
