The 13 Aldi Foods Fans Couldn't Get Enough Of In 2022

Aldi is a German-based grocery store that has gained a large and dedicated following here in the United States (via Readers Digest). Grocery stores can be a place of both drudgery and necessity. It can be hard to get people excited about ticking something off their to-do list, but Aldi does just that. The store boasts a no-frills experience, which includes no free bags and no fancy shelving (via Finance Buzz). In doing so, Aldi is able to keep its prices exceptionally low. That, combined with Aldi's practice of stocking predominantly in-house brand foods instead of higher priced name brands helps consumers save.

But do not be fooled by the lack of name brands, Aldi products are known for their quality. In fact, Aldi is so sure of its products' quality that it offers a "twice as nice" return policy, stating that if you return a product, the store will replace it and refund your money.

To showcase its best products, Aldi runs a fan favorite competition every year, where customers get to vote on their top products of the year (via Store Brands). Those who vote get entered to win a $1000 gift card or one of 10 $100 gift cards. Once voting is complete, Aldi releases the list of best products and places a heart-shaped logo by the item to make shopping even easier. To find out which products made the cut, read on.

Topping the list in the "Pantry Staple” category is Aldi's Simply Nature Organic extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is processed without the use of heat, making it less acidic and oftentimes better tasting than other olive oils (via Brightland). The benefits of extra virgin olive oil come at a price, though, and according to Oliveoil.com, extra virgin olive oil is often more expensive than other oils.

With the higher price, one should be able to count on quality, but that is not always the case. In the past, there have been controversies around olive oil being sold as "extra virgin," but after testing, they were found to not meet standards (via Olive Oil Times). However, Aldi proudly displays on their Simply Nature Organic extra virgin olive oil that it has been certified by the North American Olive Oil Association since 2016. So, keeping up with Aldi's promise of quality, you can purchase this product with confidence. Each bottle is 16.9 fluid ounces of pure extra virgin olive oil goodness.

One of the things Aldi is known for is offering a wide selection of fresh produce, and according to Finance Buzz, Aldi stocks its offerings daily. In fact, it makes up two-thirds of what customers buy. With inflation causing produce to go up by nearly 10% (via CNN), it is no wonder people are heading to the Aldi produce aisle.

Aldi does have an impressive selection of regular and rotating produce, but only one product can reign supreme. The votes are in, and the favorite for "Fresh Produce" is fresh strawberries. Strawberry sales have been on an incline for a while, growing over 15%, according to Produce Market Guide. They are a great source of nutrients like Vitamin C and make a fantastic snack. Aldi recommends strawberries on their own, to use as topping for desserts, or to mix in with yogurt. All delicious options! However, all good things have a season, and Aldi fresh strawberries are considered a seasonal produce, so get them while you can.

Finding a quality grocery store ravioli can be difficult. Sure, you can buy bland frozen ravioli, but why bother when Aldi offers such good options? In the "What's for Dinner?" category, Aldi brand Specialty Select Ravioli wins the title.

Aldi offers a range of foods that take minimal effort to complete the meal, but its ravioli makes for a delicious and easy dinner that is a cut above the rest. Specialty Select Ravioli comes in two primary flavors, with the first being a classic cheese ravioli that features a blend of five kinds of cheese encased in "traditional" egg pasta. The second is a spinach and mozzarella ravioli that combines wilted spinach with ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese in egg pasta. Visually, the spinach pasta is green on one side to make them easily distinguished.

Aldi does not stop there, though. It will occasionally come out with specialty flavors of some of its top products and create limited edition offerings referred to as "Aldi finds" (via Aldi). One previous incarnation of this was a shrimp and crab ravioli, which according to the Aldi blog Aldi Reviewer comes around every so often and is quite tasty. So keep an eye out for specials of this fan favorite.

Aldi's "Catch of the Day” win goes to their Fresh Atlantic Salmon. Though it's seen its fair share of headlines in recent years, and not always for the best reasons, it's still a fan favorite. In 2021 Aldi was hit with a seafood scandal as a class action lawsuit was filed against the product based on their claim of "Simple. Sustainable. Seafood" (via Classaction.org). The lawsuit claimed that the suppliers used unsustainable practices, which impacted the overall quality and sustainability of the salmon. The case has yet to move forward in court as of this article.

However, it's important to note that Aldi's salmon is Best Aquatic Practices certified. The organization looks at steps in the salmon harvesting process, from breeding eggs to the feed and plants used to grow the salmon before issuing certifications. On the salmon's product page, Aldi reiterates that sustainability is important to them and that includes their seafood. It also states that the salmon pairs well with almost anything to make for a great meal. With seafood inflation rates skyrocketing by nearly 17% in 2022, Aldi's is a great catch (via National Fisherman).

Who doesn't love a good pun? Aldi's next category is aptly titled "Meating Your Needs." This is to say, it's precisely the food that meat eaters need to complete their meals. The winner of this category is the Kirkwood Fresh Chicken Tenderloins. When you need an easy hit of protein or a meal to feed the whole family, chicken tenderloins are absolutely the way to go. With these tenderloins sold at Aldi, you can make homemade chicken tenders, a classic hit with children. Or, as Aldi mentions, they are excellent in a stir fry or as a topping for salads.

As they mention, chicken tenderloins are incredibly versatile and can be made in almost any way. But there are some things that set the Aldi chicken tenderloins apart, including the fact that no antibiotics are used in the production of meat. In addition, the package is also 99% fat-free and is comprised of skinless, boneless breast meat that is perfect for going from package to pan. Aldi touts its chicken as being all-natural and never frozen, and it's no wonder why Aldi customers find that this item "meats" their needs.

Cheese is one of life's greatest foods. While one might think of meat as the pinnacle of a charcuterie board since charcuterie literally means fancy meat board (via Merriam-Webster), we all know that nowadays these appetizer trays would be nothing without the cheese. The voters of Aldi agreed with this sentiment and voted Emporium Selection Aged Reserve White Cheddar as "Best of Boards" for 2022.

The Emporium Selection Aged Reserve White Cheddar is a hard white cheese from New York, and has been aged for over 12 months. The Daily Mail compared other aged products and Emporium Selection aged cheddar in a blind taste test and found that the brand easily beat out six other types of cheese, most of which were at a considerably higher price. So if you are looking for a cheese to fill your next board, or need a quality sharp cheddar at an affordable price, check out this cheese. You will not be sorry.

Mornings are a notoriously difficult part of the day, and sometimes just getting up and grabbing a bite to eat can be difficult. To help with that, Aldi has created the "Get Up & Go" category. This year's winner is actually a winner from previous years (via Aldi Reviewer), and it's the Specially Selected Indulgent Greek Yogurt, which comes in two flavors: Honey and Honey Vanilla.

The yogurt boasts many of the health benefits of traditional Greek yogurt, having just eight grams of fat per serving and containing seven grams of protein. Additionally, the Aldi fan blog Aldi Reviewer tried the yogurt and confirmed that it had a typical Greek yogurt thickness, without being gloopy. According to the package, the yogurt contains live active cultures, making it good for your taste buds and your gut. Overall this yogurt is delicious on its own as a yummy breakfast, or can be paired with fruit and granola.

It can be hard to find a store brand product that is just as good if not better than their name brand competitors. But, when it comes to white cheddar corn puffs, snack food Pirate's Booty had a hold on the market until Aldi came along. Winning the "Kiddy Cravings" category is the Simply Nature White Cheddar Puffs.

These puffs might not feature an alluring pirate chest full of golden corn cheddar treasure, but it does feature an adorable anthropomorphized leaf holding a cheddar puff. In addition, the treats are certified gluten-free, making them a good snack choice for any kids or adults with gluten sensitivities. Plus, they contain no added sugar. All this would be for not, though, if they did not taste good, which they do. Food blogger Bachelor on the Cheap gave them an excellent review, and Aldi fan blog Aldi Reviewer states that while they do not taste exactly the same as Pirate's Booty, their low cost and quality production make them a good buy, especially for kids.

2022 saw the return of another previous Fan Favorite (via Tiny Bean). This year, rounding out the "Hall of Fame" category is Aldi's Mama Cozzi's Pizza Kitchen Take and Bake Deli Pizza. Mama Cozzi's pizzas are 16-inch pies, coming in one of five flavors: Pepperoni, Five Cheese, Supreme, Thin Crust Mega Meat, and Sausage & Pepperoni. Like many good Aldi items, this product provides a lot of variety.

Sometimes a frozen pizza is just the ticket for an uncomplicated night in and a hot dinner on the table. With so many options out there, you may wonder what sets Mama Cozzi's pizzas apart from others. Well, as always, with Aldi brand things, it combines a great taste and low price. Food Blog I Ate Oklahoma raved about the mega meat and particularly loved the thin crust it had. While Aldi Reviewer tried the supreme and reported that even her kids came back for seconds. Both commented on the affordable price, and while it isn't exactly the same as getting a take-out pizza, the price is right, and you get a delicious piping hot pie out of your oven.

Everyone loves a good sparkling beverage, and while the winner of the next Aldi Fan Favorite category will not be available in every state due to differing alcohol laws, it is nonetheless worth a try if you can find it in an Aldi near you.

The winner of "Clink & Drink" is Giambellino Peach Bellini. This is a sparkling wine made with peach juice to give it a bright, fresh flavor, and is based on the peach bellini cocktail made from Prosecco and peaches.

Despite the Italian-sounding name, the wine in Giambellino Peach Bellini is not from Italy. Instead, it's from Aldi's home country of Germany. Each bottle is a standard 750 milliliters and contains a light 8% alcohol. Tastings reviewed the wine and gave it 92 points, making it an exceptional wine, and listed it as one of their favorite sparkling flavored wines of 2020. Other reviews noted that the price can not be beaten. So if you want to add some razzle and dazzle to your next event, this wine is a knockout.

For those looking for sparkle without the alcohol, do not fret; Aldi has you covered as well. From the category "Hydration Station," Aldi brand PurAqua Sparkling Flavored Water took the award. The water comes in four flavors: Black Cherry, Juicy Peach, Key Lime, and Strawberry, and as sparkling water sales continue to increase, it's nice to see Aldi getting in on some of the market (via Beverage Industry).

PurAqua is no stranger to winning the competition. In a blind taste test conducted by Clark, they pitted the Aldi brand's Belle Vie line of sparkling water against big-name brand Le Croix and other grocery store brand, Kroger. Their finding was that the PurAqua brand sparkling water was the best out of all three and was the cheapest. PurAqua is artificially flavored and made with aspartame, but as Aldi Reviewer notes, if you are looking for a sharable flavored sparkling water, it's a good option.

Aldi Fan Favorites are not just for the humans in the household, they are for our canine family members as well. This year's choice for "Pet Picks" are the Heat to Tail Dog Treats. These treats for our doggie friends come in Bacon Curls and Beef Sticks. Both bags boast that they are made with real bacon and beef, respectively, and contain no artificial colors or flavors, and serve as a good source of protein. Additionally, they are labeled as a product of the United States.

One reviewer for a listing for the teats on Amazon commented that they were their dogs' "favorite treats." Another commented that her animal loves them, and they are a perfect size, as well as being a softer treat that is not messy. Pet food reviewer Every Creature Counts mentioned that a possible downside to the treats might be that they contain grains and some other filler products in addition to meat. However, they note that these are treats, and the pets will likely love them.

Each bag contains 25 ounces of treats, and at those Aldi prices, you know you are getting a good deal. The Heart to Tail Dog Treats will make everyone in the family happy.

The final category is "Dynamic Duo," and this time, Aldi had a bit of a surprising twist. The two winners were fresh blueberries and Specially Selected Indulgent Greek Yogurt. As you will recall, the Specially Selected Indulgent Greek Yogurt also won the "Get up & Go" category, and according to iHeart, this is the first time a single product has won two categories. Again, this speaks to the quality of the yogurt and just how much buyers love it.

As we mentioned previously, the Specially Selected Indulgent Greek Yogurt pairs well with fruit, and that is exactly how fans voted for it. Their favorite pairing was with fresh Aldi blueberries. Aldi's fresh blueberries are organic and make a healthy breakfast pairing option. According to Healthline, blueberries contain some of the highest levels of nutrients of all berries and are chock full of antioxidants.

In addition to all of this, blueberries are delicious. To pick the best blueberries, Aldi says to look for blueberries that have a dusty blue color and are both firm and plump. This way, you can ensure you are getting the best possible blueberries for this dynamic duo.