While working as a manager at Aldi from 2017 to 2021, I tried a lot of the budget grocer’s staples and limited-edition finds.
Although I’m no longer an employee, I still remember customer favorites and swear by picking up a lot of the same groceries.
Here are a few of my top Aldi recommendations.
Barissimo’s mocha iced coffee is delicious.
There are a lot of options for sweet, premade iced coffee, but Barissimo’s mocha is my top pick.
The Barissimo iced coffee checks all the boxes: sweet, chocolaty, caffeinated, and, most importantly, very cheap compared to its Starbucks competitor on the shelf above it.
You can usually grab a carton for under $5.
Choceur’s peanut-butter cups are perfectly sweet.
If you have a sweet tooth like me, Choceur’s peanut-butter cups are it.
They’re perfectly bite-sized with a creamy center, to the point where the satisfaction I get from the peanut butter bursting in my mouth should be studied.
To me, Choceur’s candy is light-years ahead of Reese’s. Plus, they’re already unwrapped in the bag, just waiting to be devoured and regretted later.
Each 12-ounce bag retails for about $5.50.
Specially Selected pita chips have the right amount of crunch.
I love eating dips, and I’ve tested a lot of different vessels, like tortilla chips, bagel chips, and pretzel crisps. My favorite, by far, has to be the Specially Selected pita chips, particularly the sea-salt flavor.
They’re the perfect size, texture, saltiness, and crunch for delivering your favorite dips, or just for snacking in general.
Although I haven’t spotted these on shelves in a while, I’m hopeful they may return.
Park Street Deli street-corn dip is tasty and perfect for snacking.
Park Street Deli street-corn dip is a delicious blend of cream-cheese spread, sour cream, onion, roasted corn, cotija, and other ingredients.
If you’re a fan of truly spicy elote, this might be a bit of a bust for you, and I’d recommend adding chili powder or Tajín to spice it up.
For my Midwestern taste buds, it’s just spicy enough, and I’m always tempted to eat a whole container by myself. I recommend pairing it with the Specially Selected pita chips.
Grab a 10-ounce container for $3.30.
Barissimo coffee creamers are morning-time staples.
Because I like my coffee sweet, all flavors of the Barissimo refrigerated coffee creamers are staples in both my extended family’s home and my own place.
Any flavor can be a hit, but I’m a fan of the vanilla sweet cream. Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal peppermint varieties, too. Additionally, Aldi offers sugar-free versions that don’t skimp on flavor.
I’ve seen most of these creamers sell for about $3.
The LiveGfree gluten-free white bread is a great buy.
I’m not someone who needs gluten-free bread, but let me tell you: In my time at Aldi, there’s no more consistent seller than a loaf from LiveGfree.
Customers would often tell me how much they adore the bread — which comes in both white and wheat flavors — and Aldi’s gluten-free options in general. The brand seems to have avoided the flavorless, coarse-textured pitfalls that gluten-free bread sometimes falls victim to.
I’ve seen loaves go for about $7 to $8.
Specially Selected brioche buns make any sandwich classier.
Brioche buns seem to cost a pretty penny no matter where you get them, but at Aldi, they tend to run at least $2 to $3 cheaper than at other stores.
The Specially Selected buns are big enough for even the largest burgers, durable enough to support sauces and spreads, and subtly sweet enough to add flavor to a sandwich.
You can often pick up a pack of six buns for under $5.
Burman’s ketchup seems to compete with top-rated competitors.
When it comes to ketchup, brand loyalty is important because everyone thinks they have a favorite that’s clearly different from other versions.
But while at Aldi and on TikTok promoting the store’s products, I have found most people can’t tell the difference between Burman’s ketchup and top competitors like Heinz and Kraft.
At a significantly lower price point, it makes dollars and sense to go with the product from Aldi. A 38-ounce bottle of Burman’s tomato ketchup costs just $2.
Winking Owl wine is a tried-and-true favorite.
If I had to crown a top Aldi product, it might be the Winking Owl wine.
Aldi’s domestic and international wines continually beat out more expensive bottles, topping the charts and winning awards for flavor.
Winking Owl offers a bottle of almost every type of grape, and the dirt-cheap price will make you do a double take.
I’ve made my self-professed wine-snob friends taste-test Winking Owl, and they always swear it tastes more like a $20 bottle than a $3 one. I’ve even seen customers buy whole cases to cater weddings.
If Aldi can’t sell wine in your state, it might be time for a road trip.
Each bottle is typically just $3 or $5.
Kirkwood’s breaded chicken-breast fillets are among my holy grails.
Kirkwood’s “red bag” chicken might be what people refer to as a holy-grail product at Aldi.
The thick-cut, breaded, and juicy chicken-breast portions instantly class up any sandwich. Think of a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich but better because you can eat it on Sundays, too.
When they’re ready to serve, they don’t taste like they were frozen chicken breasts.
These went out of stock for a few months a couple of years ago, and if I had a dollar for every customer who asked when they’d be back in stock, I could’ve retired from Aldi for good.
You can grab a 32-ounce bag of breaded chicken fillets for about $9.
Keep reading Aldi diaries like this one.
This story was originally published on January 12, 2023, and most recently updated on April 7, 2026.
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