Aldi's Pumpkin Maple Bisque Is An Early Welcome To Fall

We still have a few weeks until we officially need to start shifting into soup mode à la George Costanza — unless you shop at Aldi, that is. With just under a month until the official start of autumn on Saturday, September 23, the low-budget grocer has already begun tugging at the heartstrings of fall fanatics and soup lovers alike with the return of its beloved Specially Selected pumpkin maple bisque.

Available in 24-ounce jars for $3.89 each, this limited edition, gourmet heat-and-serve meal just hit shelves as part of the chain's lineup of Aldi finds for the week of August 23 through August 29. However, it isn't the first time it's made an appearance at the grocery store. Jen and Drew of the YouTube group Fein Dining awarded the bisque rating of 8.5 and 9 out of 10, respectively, after picking up a jar in 2021, and were particularly impressed by the complexity of its flavors. "It's a decadent, fall, autumnal party in your mouth. I love it. One of the best soups from a store that I've gotten," they said in their review.

Shoppers also raved about Aldi's fall soup lineup last year, with much of their praise going to the pumpkin maple bisque — it's no surprise that many were excited to see it reappear in 2023. "One of our family favorites, we stock up every time," one person wrote on Facebook.

Unfortunately, not everyone has been impressed with Aldi's Specially Selected pumpkin maple bisque. Some took issue with the sweetness of the dish, which is made even stronger than that of a traditional pumpkin or butternut squash soup due to the addition of maple syrup. However, if you aren't exactly crazy about the idea of a sweet soup but still want to taste-test this autumnal Aldi find, you could try incorporating bacon or roasted chickpeas to give it a nice, savory element that will also beef up its protein content. As with most soups, pairing a bowl of pumpkin maple bisque with a grilled cheese sandwich will transform it into the ultimate comfort meal, especially if it's made with goat cheese or gorgonzola, which can also help offset its sweeter flavor profile.

Several Aldi shoppers have also come up with other intriguing ways to kick this bisque up a notch. "I'm thinking of mixing it with coconut milk and curry paste to make a Thai pumpkin curry sauce," one Redditor said, while u/Ok_Basil_1944 said they heated it in the crockpot with carrots and potatoes: "It was very good. Sweet like everyone else said ... I'd definitely eat again," they wrote.