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Shopping / Kitchen & Groceries

New to Aldi? These 17 Items Are Worth Buying First

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Two shelves: on the left are boxes of Baker’s Corner Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix, and on the right are loaves of non-GMO everything sourdough bread—perfect finds if it’s your first time at ALDI.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

If you haven’t been to Aldi yet, we have to ask: What are you waiting for? With grocery prices rising and the ceiling nowhere in sight, the perfect time to visit the ever-affordable Aldi is now. And if you want to enter the endeavor well-informed, these are the items you’re going to want to fill your cart with your first time at Aldi.

Everything Sourdough Bread

Loaves of Everything Sourdough bread in clear plastic packaging with black and white labels, displayed in a cardboard box. The bread is labeled as non-GMO and features visible seeds and seasonings on the crust.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

There are a few different varieties of sourdough bread at Aldi, but the “everything” one is just next-level. As a base for avocado toast, it’s unparalleled.

German-Style Sauerkraut

Jars of Deutsche Küche German Style Sauerkraut are stacked on a store shelf in blue cardboard trays, with other jars of sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil nearby. The price label below reads $1.69.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

First of all: Aldi’s German roots open the door for a worth-the-buy outlook on sauerkraut, but the fact that you can get a jar for less than $2 skyrockets this to the top of the must-haves list.

Southern Grove Individual Packs of Trail Mix

Two boxes of Southern Grove trail mix—Sweet & Salty and Cranberry Nut—are on a store shelf. Each box contains 8 individual packs. A price tag below shows $2.99.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

Trail mix is a stalwart snack, but it often seems like it’s overpriced. Not at Aldi. Plus, the individual packs are wildly convenient.

Guacamole Singles

Boxes of Park Street Deli Guacamole Mini Cups in Spicy flavor are displayed on a grocery store shelf with a price tag showing $3.99. The packaging highlights that each box contains six mini cups.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

These are a game-changer. Bigger tubs of guacamole turn brown, but these individual portions mitigate that issue, and they’re cheap to boot.

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese in Marinade

A round container of marinated mozzarella cheese balls with a red, white, and green lid sits on a store shelf. A price tag below reads "$3.49 Emporium Selection Marinated Mozzarella Balls.
Rachel Schneider / Cheapism

Typically an item that Aldi features in the spring and summer months, the marinated mozzarella balls are insanely good. The marinade is garlicky and herby, and personally, we love tossing these on salads (pasta and lettuce alike).

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Crumbled Feta Cheese

Plastic tubs of Emporium Selection original and reduced fat feta crumbles are stacked in a purple display box on a store shelf. A price tag below reads $1.89 per 4-ounce container.

Feta cheese is another item that’s just cheaper at Aldi (that might just extend to every item on this list, if we’re being honest). For that reason, it’s the only place we’ll buy our feta.

Happy Farms Cheese (Sliced, Too!)

Several shelves display blocks of Happy Farms brand cheese, including sharp cheddar and mild cheddar varieties, packaged in blue and orange wrappers inside cardboard boxes in a refrigerated section. Price tags are visible below.

Aldi knows their cheeses, folks. There’s an affordable assortment, and while the specialty cheeses are worth exploring, the chunk cheese and sliced cheese belong in your cart every time.

Pizza Dough

A grocery store shelf displays several bags of Mama Cozzi's Original Pizza Dough in clear and red packaging. The price label below shows $1.19 per 16 oz package.

Pro tip: The jalapeno pizza dough is an iconic base for a Mexican-inspired pizza, especially if you grab a jar of nacho cheese from Aldi to use as the sauce.

Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets

A red bag of Kirkwood Breaded Chicken Breast Fillets sits on a store shelf, priced at $7.99. The bag shows an image of breaded chicken fillets with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Dubbed “red bag chicken” by Aldi addicts, the frozen breaded chicken breast fillets are a formidable dupe for the chicken in Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches.

Sparkling Frost

Bottles of Frost flavored sparkling water, mainly in orange and pink varieties, are displayed in blue cardboard trays on a grocery store shelf. The price tag below reads $0.59.

If you like sparkling waters, Aldi’s are among the most snappy and flavorful. They’re less than 60 cents apiece, making them a total steal.

Summit Energy Drinks

Cans of Summit Energy drinks in flavors like Berry Waves, Watermelon Waves, Orange Waves, and Peach Waves are displayed on a store shelf, with a price tag showing $1.19 each.

Energy drinks are expensive. There are no two ways about it. But not all of us can function without a caffeinated boost. Aldi’s Summit energy drinks sit somewhere between Alani and Celsius in terms of flavor and fizz, but with a much lower price point.

Scented Candles

A Kirkton House Mahogany Sandalwood 3-wick candle sits on a store shelf next to other candles. A price tag below shows $4.99. The candle has a marbled black and gold design on the label.

Move over, Marshalls and TJ Maxx: Aldi is the king of cheap candles. Our personal favorite is mahogany sandalwood.

Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix

A box of Baker’s Corner Chewy Fudge Brownie Mix displayed on a store shelf with other baking mixes nearby. The price tag below reads $1.45.

The brownie mix at Aldi is full of fudgy flavor and texture, and it’s less than $1.50 a box.

Baking Morsels

Packages of Baker’s Corner butterscotch and semi-sweet chocolate morsels are displayed in partially opened cardboard boxes on a store shelf. A price tag below shows the cost as $3.65.

Chocolate chips are increasingly expensive, but Aldi seems to have the lowest prices and a good selection, including milk chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips.

Brown Sugar

A bag of Baker's Pantry light brown premium sugar is on a store shelf, with some of the packaging torn and sugar spilling out. The price label is visible in the bottom right corner.

There is something about Aldi’s brown sugar. It’s almost … plush? The texture is seriously out of this world. It’s the only place we’ll buy brown sugar.

Chicken Broth

Cartons of chicken broth are stacked on a grocery store shelf, with the label "Broth Chicken" visible. The cartons are mostly in blue and yellow packaging, some in boxes, with a price tag above the shelf.

Aldi’s chicken broth is notoriously cheap and endlessly versatile. Add to cart.

Deluxe Shells & Cheddar

Boxes of Simply Nature Organic Deluxe Shells & White Cheddar and Deluxe Shells & Aged Cheddar are displayed on a grocery store shelf with a price tag of $2.99 below them.

If you’re looking for a simple side dish, Aldi’s deluxe shells (offered in aged cheddar and white cheddar varieties) are a great go-to.

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A package of Priano Spinach & Cheese Tortelloni, a blue Aldi 50th birthday keychain, and Barissimo Chocolate Coconut ground coffee with a tropical beach illustration—discover these new Aldi products April 15.
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Meet the Writer


Rachel Schneider

Rachel is a Michigan-based writer who has dabbled in a variety of subject matter throughout her career. As a mom of multiple young children, she tries to maintain a sustainable lifestyle for her family. She grows vegetables in her garden, gets her meat in bulk from local farmers, and cans fruits and vegetables with friends. Her kids have plenty of hand-me-downs in their closets, but her husband jokes that before long, they might need to invest in a new driveway thanks to the frequent visits from delivery trucks dropping off online purchases (she can’t pass up a good deal, after all). You can reach her at [email protected].

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