Just because there are bargains to be found doesn’t mean a store won’t also have some real fancy groceries. Both Walmart and Target have all the typical everyday items and deals, but there are also some gems hidden among the white bread and frozen French fries. These luxurious, swanky foods are great for impressive entertaining, or just treating yourself to something special.
Related: 20 Surprisingly Expensive Products at Target
Note: Prices and availability are subject to change, especially as the COVID-19 crisis causes stock issues.
Lobster Tails with Butter
Price: $15 from Walmart Buy It Nothing says swanky like lobster. You can buy frozen lobster tails at Walmart, and they even come with butter included. Boil, steam, or bake them, then dunk the sweet meat in melted butter.
Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
Price: $35 from Walmart Buy It You might not think of vanilla extract as anything fancy, but this Nielson-Massey Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract is highly sought after. It regularly tops rankings of the best vanilla extract, with a flavor that’s “sweet, creamy and mellow.” Splurge on a bottle and see just how good your baked goods can be.
Related: 20 Must-Have Items Under $20 That Every Baker Should Have in the Kitchen
Spanish Saffron
Price: $16 from Walmart Buy ItWell known as the world’s most expensive spice, saffron is the bright-red stigma of a particular purple crocus flower. It can only be harvested by hand because it’s so delicate, which is what makes it so expensive. It’s an essential ingredient in dishes like Spanish paella and French bouillabaisse, giving its dishes a bright yellow color.
Black Capelin Caviar
Price: $4 from Walmart Buy ItCaviar is often a symbol of luxury and wealth, so it’s not something you’d expect to find at Walmart. But they do sell an inexpensive version made with capelin roe. It’s salty, so enjoy it sparingly on crackers, eggs, or with a meat-and-cheese tray.
White Truffle Salt
Price: $8 from Walmart Buy ItTruffles, a mushroom that grows wild underground, are an expensive delicacy. You can get truffle flavor in whatever you cook inexpensively with this truffle salt. It includes white truffles harvested in summer and known for their shallot-like flavor. Sprinkle it over popcorn, french fries, potatoes, or meats once they’re cooked.
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Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon
Price: $15 from Target Buy It Though some people consider it a special occasion food, salmon is great for you with an adundance of omega-3 fatty acids. This Alaskan sockeye salmon is wild caught and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as sustainable, so you can feel good about buying it.
Wild Caught Sea Scallops
Price: $20 from Target Buy ItLarge sea scallops command a high price in fancy restaurants, but they’re simple to prepare at home for a fraction of the price. Defrost them slowly in the refrigerator and then sear them quickly in a hot skillet to get a nice crust on them.
USDA Choice Angus Beef T-Bone Steak
Price: $11/lb from Target Buy ItNothing is better than a big t-bone steak on the grill. There are two different steak cuts joined by the bone in this cut — a strip steak and a tenderloin — so it’s a great combination of flavor and tenderness.
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Bourbon Barrel Aged Organic Maple Syrup
Price: $10 from Walmart Buy It Pure maple syrup that’s been aged in bourbon barrels is a luxurious way to enjoy breakfast. The syrup picks up notes of charred oak, graham cracker, and vanilla from the barrels, giving it a depth that plain maple syrup doesn’t have. It’s pricey, but a little goes a long way.
Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Price: $2 from Walmart Buy ItUsually reserved for the dessert menu at chic restaurants, molten chocolate lava cakes are indulgent treats. This pack of two cakes have chocolate fudge centers and are topped with fudge icing to gild the lily. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Related: Best Store-Bought Desserts From Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi
Uncured Bacon Jam
Price: $7 from Walmart Buy It You often see bacon jam as a topping on burgers at expensive restaurants and trendy food trucks, but it’s not really something people make themselves. So buy a jar of the sweet and savory condiment instead, made with bacon, onions, garlic, sugar and vinegar. Besides burgers, it’s great with cheese and crackers.
Irish Salted Butter
Price: $4 from Walmart Buy ItImported Irish butter is often sought out for its strong flavor and rich texture. Kerrygold is one of the most popular brands, and it’s made with only milk from grassfed cows, giving it a vivid yellow color. It’s got a higher butterfat content than American butters, making it super creamy.
Van Kaas Gouda Cheese Wedge
Price: $5 from Target Buy ItThis 7-ounce wedge of Gouda is imported from the Netherlands and coated in distinctive red wax. It’s got a light caramel color and a subtle flavor with “definite nutty peaks that complemented the fudgy texture.”
Himalayan Pink Salt
Price: $8 from Target Buy ItPink salt is a trendy seasoning that’s mined near the Himalayas in places like Pakistan. It gets its natural pink color from the trace minerals found in it, like magnesium and potassium. This jar has coarse crystals, so you can use it in a salt mill or as a finishing salt.
Creme Brulee
Price: $6 from Target Buy ItCreme brulee, with its cool custard and crackling caramel top, is an impressive dessert for a dinner party. This bourbon vanilla-flavored version comes frozen and in terra cotta ramekins for serving. Even when the dessert is gone, you have new serving dishes.
Super Fruit Syrup
Price: $12 from Target Buy ItMake pancakes, French toast, or even ice cream sundaes a little fancier with super fruit syrup. It’s made with cane sugar, marionberries, red raspberries and blueberries for a flavorful sweet/tart mix that’s less boring than typical maple syrup.
Blue Cheese Stuffed Greek Queen Olives
Price: $5 from Target Buy It Olives come stuffed with all kinds of things, but blue cheese is one of the more unusual and delicious variations. These olives are imported from Greece and stuffed with creamy, tangy blue cheese. They’re great to dress up martinis or bloody marys.
Jumbo Chocolate Caramel Stroopwafels
Price: $4 from Walmart Buy ItStroopwafels are a Dutch treat made up of two waffled wafer cookies sandwiched together with caramel or other filling. This version includes chocolate waffles for a little more decadence. They’re perfect if you rest the big discs on top of your coffee mug to warm a little from the drink’s steam before eating.
Burrata Lemon Zest Herb Ravioli
Price: $4 from Target Buy It Burrata, a type of fresh mozzarella stuffed with curds and cream, is a trendy cheese right now. It gets stuffed into these gorgeous, yellow-striped, fresh ravioli along with four other cheeses, lemon, and basil. Serve them with a light tomato sauce to let their creamy texture shine.
White and Dark Chocolate Frozen Whole Raspberries
Price: $6 from Target Buy ItFresh fruit is a great healthy dessert, but sometimes you need a little more. This frozen dessert (or let’s face it, snack) is made of whole raspberries covered in a layer of white and dark chocolate. It makes the fruit a little more special while still being good for you.
Madeleines
Price: $8 from Target Buy ItA traditional treat from northeastern France, madeleines are small sponge cakes baked in shell shaped pans. The version from Target’s bakery is about the size of a large cookie, and isn’t too sweet so you can indulge in a couple.
Dark Chocolate Espresso Trail Mix
Price: $5 from Target Buy ItTrail mix doesn’t normally conjure up thoughts of anything fancy, but this dark chocolate and espresso version is one of the most decadent you can get. It’s a mix of chocolate-covered and praline almonds, chocolate-covered coffee beans, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and mocha-flavored pecans.
Wine Infused Salame, Cheese and Crackers
Price: $3 from Target Buy It Have you ever secretly coveted your kid’s Lunchables? HIllshire makes sophisticated, single-serving meat-and-cheese snacks for adults now, like this one with wine-infused salame, sharp white cheddar, and crispy toasted crackers.
Related: We Tried the Walmart and Target Wines, and These Are the Best
Black Creek Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese
Price: $5 from Target Buy ItA firm, sharp cheese is essential on a cheese plate, and this Black Creek cheddar from Wisconsin fits the bill. It’s aged for three years, giving it a mouth-puckering, sharp bite without making it crumbly.
Extra Dark Chocolate Bar
Price: $3 from TargetBuy It Dark chocolate isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a real fan, then this Lindt bar is for you. At a super high 85% cocoa, it’s got a strong, bitter chocolate flavor. One bar will last you a long time since it’s so intense.
Elderflower Tonic Water
Price: $5 from Target Buy It Elderflowers are tiny, white flowers used primarily in Europe to flavor sweetened drinks. Here, elderflower essential oil is used to balance the bitterness of quinine in tonic water. Use it to mix a gin and tonic for a more well-rounded drink. It comes in a 4-pack of bottles, so what you don’t use stays fizzy longer.
Greek Mix Pitted Olives
Price: $5 from Target Buy ItOlives are great with cheese or charcuterie platters, antipasto, or just as a snack. This mixture of pitted olives contains plump green and purple varieties so it’s a colorful mix of flavors and textures.
Lemon Curd
Price: $4 from Walmart Buy It Full of bright, tart, citrus flavor, lemon curd is a thick, smooth and creamy custard made with lemons, eggs, and butter. While it’s great spread thinly on toast or dolloped on crepes, you can also put it in a tart or pie shell as an easy filling.
Blueberry Goat Cheese
Price: $3 from Walmart Buy ItGoat cheese is creamy, spreadable, and very tangy. That tartness is tempered by rolling the delicate cheese log in wild blueberries, which lend their sweetness and purple hue to the cheese. Spread it on a bagel or stuff it into thick cut pork chops.
