Aldi Brand Products That Are Better Than The Originals

Ever since its first store opened in the United States in 1976, the German-born Aldi grocery store has experienced steady growth, with Store Brands stating that it doubled in size between 2008 and 2018 and is on track to be the nation's third-largest grocery retailer by 2022. A large part of this steady and impressive growth can be traced to its cost-effective and high-quality private label brands, which often taste as good as (if not better than) well-known name brands. And it's for these reasons that Aldi was actually named Store Brand's 2019 Retailer of the Year. 

What you may not realize when walking through Aldi's aisles is that, according to Aisle of Shame, the grocery store offers more than 70 private labels of food alone (not including any non-food products the store sells). It's not like at Walmart where you know all Great Value items are Walmart's private label or at Costco where all Kirkland items are from the retail giant. Aldi products are listed under labels including but certainly not limited to Benton's, Millville, Lunch Buddies, Appleton Farms, Clancy's, Friendly Farms, Nature's Nectar, Simply Nature, and Breakfast Best. 

Essentially, when shopping at Aldi, you're shopping Aldi's private-label brands, which means you can often score awesome deals that taste as good as the name-brand competition. And people are putting Aldi foods to the test to see which products are really as good (or better than) the originals. Here are just a few of the store's best buys. 

When YouTuber Sopherina put Aldi's Corale Premium Baked Beans up against the Heinz version in a blind taste test, she proclaimed, "Exactly the same!" She ended up guessing wrong regarding which product was which, ultimately expressing surprise that she missed the mark. She went on to say that she preferred the Aldi version to the Heinz product (although that's a bit confusing for viewers if the two products tasted exactly the same). 

Regardless, due to the identical taste, it's obvious that the price difference between the Heinz and Corale brands sets Aldi's beans apart, given that Aldi's version sells for a little less than half the price of the Heinz product in the UK. Granted, it's not clear how well Corale beans might stack up against other popular name brands, like Bush's Baked Beans. But at the much lower price point, if the taste is close, they're certainly worth a try.

Can anything really beat the perfect salty/sweet/tomato-y/smooth flavor combination of the Heinz brand Tomato Ketchup? Heinz ketchup is found at practically all restaurants and fast food joints in the United States. Pantries and fridges across the nation house a bottle or two bottles of the name-brand condiment because it's ubiquitously known as the perfect hamburger or hot dog topping. 

But according to the blog Cheapism, Heinz ketchup can step aside because Burman's Tomato Ketchup tastes every bit as good (the website called it a "dead ringer") and costs less. And really, even the packaging is almost exactly the same as the Heinz brand. So if you're not the type of person to be overly committed to only eating name brands (and if you're reading this article, you're probably not), the next time you shop Aldi, pick up a bottle of the Burman's version. Chances are that you (and your family) won't be able to tell the difference.

YouTube channel But First, Coffee, run by Kallie Branciforte, did a pretty thorough comparison analysis and a blind taste test of Aldi's Nature's Nectar Fruit Punch and Capri Sun's Fruit Punch. Apparently, Aldi's version has a little less sugar per serving (always good if you're trying to keep your kids' sugar intake in check), although both versions only actually contain 10 percent fruit juice. Not exactly a stellar selling point, health-wise.

Regardless, if your kids are diehard Capri Sun fans, it might be time to consider making the switch to Aldi's less-expensive version. In the actual taste comparison, Branciforte said that the Nature's Nectar Fruit Punch had a slightly sweeter, less watery flavor, with more "fruit punch." She pointed out that the ingredients between the two products are practically identical, and with the cost savings of the Aldi brand, it just makes sense to give it a try.

Everyone knows that Kellogg's Eggo Waffles have been a frozen breakfast staple for decades. Just pop them in the toaster, and a minute or two later, you have crispy, warm waffles ready to top with whatever your heart desires. So, after decades of helping sleepy people wake up to a quick and hearty breakfast, how is it possible that, according to Cheapism, Aldi's Breakfast Best Waffles taste better than the original? 

While the taste-tester Saundra Latham's verdict was that the taste of the two products was "very similar," Latham actually preferred the Aldi brand, stating that it "had a lighter, crispier, more pleasant texture than the Eggos, which were chewier." Plus, the price comparison of the Breakfast Best Waffles versus the Eggo Waffles made it clear that you could score the store brand version for less than half the price of the name brand. The one thing that Latham said that Kellogg's did better was the overall appearance of the waffles — the Eggos were more uniform in shape and color — but if what your waffles taste like and how much they cost is more important to you than what they look like, go ahead and hit up Aldi for your next box of frozen waffles.

When YouTuber Mandy from Mandy in the Making and her son Cole did a blind taste-test of Aldi products versus name brands, they put the name brand Nabisco's Fig Newtons up against Benton's Fig Bars. Everything about the packaging and general appearance of the cookies is practically identical, but both Mandy and her son said they preferred the taste of the Aldi version due to its softer cookie exterior. As Mandy said, "If you like softer, it's better," although she admitted the fig filling of both products tasted almost identical. 

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the ingredients of Benton's Fig Bars and Nabisco's Fig Newtons are very similar, but the order of ingredients is different. This is important because, as the FDA states on its website, the order of ingredients indicates the predominance of the given ingredient in the product. In other words, ingredients listed first or second are present in higher amounts than those listed further down the line. Nabisco lists figs as its first ingredient, while Benton's brand lists figs third, after listing enriched bleached flour and high-fructose corn syrup. So, that might account for the difference in taste between the two products and why the crust of Benton's brand was preferred over that of Nabisco's.

When Kellogg's Fruit Loops were put to the test against Aldi's Millville Fruit Rounds, the taste-tester Saundra Latham from Cheapism looked at everything from the box's packaging to the color and size of the pieces of cereal to the taste of the two products to compare the name brand to the store brand. Both of these brightly colored cereal O brands feature a colorful avian mascot, so it's obvious Millville is trying to knock off the original. But in the end, it really all comes down to taste. And in that regard, Latham states that the Fruit Rounds are "very similar" to Fruit Loops, although they may be slightly less sweet than the original version.

The thing is, if you can barely taste the difference between the two kinds of cereal (and unless you're tasting them side by side, like Latham, you probably wouldn't notice a difference at all), there's no reason not to buy Aldi's version. This is especially true considering Latham calculated its cost to be almost one-third the price of Kellog's Fruit Loops. Talk about a good deal.

Whether you're a big believer in making homemade cookies (from a mix, of course), or you're the buy-'em-packaged type of "home baker," Aldi has you covered. In two separate Aldi vs. name brand comparison videos on the YouTube channel But First, Coffee, YouTuber Kallie Branciforte compared Aldi's Baker's Corner Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix to Betty Crocker's version and Aldi's Benton's Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to Nabisco's Chips Ahoy! Chewy cookies. In both comparison videos, Aldi's versions came out on top.

First, when comparing the chocolate chip cookie mixes, the Aldi Baker's Corner mix cost considerably less than the name-brand option. Then, when it came to the actual taste test, Branciforte incorrectly guessed which cookie was Betty Crocker, pointing out that the one she thought was Aldi had a "grainy" and "weird" texture. She was wrong! The Aldi version actually had the texture she called "smooth" and that she claimed was a better cookie. That's high praise for a private-label brand, considering how much less expensive it was. 

Then, when Branciforte compared the pre-made Aldi Benton's cookie to the Nabisco Chips Ahoy! cookie, she once again incorrectly guessed the two brands, assuming the Chips Ahoy! cookie was the one with a more "homemade cookie" flavor. It wasn't. The Aldi chocolate chip cookie came out on top, costing about a third less to buy. Clearly, Aldi knows how to make good cookies. 

If you're like Mandy from the YouTube channel Mandy in the Making and you've been eating the name-brand Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Bars for most of your life, you may be hesitant to switch over to a knock-off brand like Aldi's Millville Fruit & Grain Bars. But, if you're like Mandy, you may also be in for a surprise. When she and her son, Cole, put the two types of snack bars to a blind taste-test, both of them preferred the Aldi version to the original. 

Mandy, especially, was surprised, gasping, "Are you serious!?" after learning she'd chosen the Millville Fruit & Grain Bar as her preferred choice. Neither mom nor son explained exactly why they chose the Aldi brand over the Nutri-Grain bar, and after inspecting the ingredients and nutrition information of both brands (Millville and Kellogg's), they appear almost identical. It may simply come down to texture or the ratio of crust to filling. Either way, if you want to save a little money, go ahead and buy the Aldi version. 

When YouTuber Sopherina compared Heinz's canned spaghetti to the Aldi private-label Corale canned spaghetti, she started the video by pointing out that the Corale brand cost about a third as much as the name brand. If you eat a lot of canned spaghetti, those cost savings can add up. But a cheap buy means nothing if the taste is terrible, right? 

Unfortunately for both brands, Sopherina's praise was ... limited. While blindfolded and unsure of which was which, she said the Corale brand was okay and the Heinz version was "not nice," noting that it had a metalic flavor. Ultimately, she incorrectly guessed which brand was which, assuming that the slightly better-tasting Aldi version must be the name brand given the difference in flavor and taste. Fortunately for Aldi (and for wallets everywhere), the Corale Spaghetti got top marks. That said, it's unclear how Corale would stack up against other popular name-brand canned spaghetti, like Campbell's SpaghettiOs. It might be worth doing your own taste-test to find out. 

Kraft American cheese slices are practically a grilled cheese sandwich's best friend, right? And you're unlikely to find a turkey sandwich in a lunchbox complete without the country's favorite processed cheese. But processed cheese is processed cheese. Can Kraft's version really be any better than Aldi's Happy Farms Singles American cheese slices? 

According to Cheapism, it's not. After testing the two kinds of cheese side by side, reviewer Saundra Latham stated that the taste of Aldi version was a "dead ringer" for the original. The only real difference was that Aldi's Happy Farms Singles had a slightly brighter color and a somewhat thicker slice. In other words, you're actually getting a little more cheese with each slice when you choose Aldi's knock-off. 

Plus, the per-slice price of Aldi's American cheese was less than half the price of the name-brand favorite. Which begs the question again: Why, exactly, is it the favorite? In this case, grab the Happy Farms brand — it's your best bet. 

YouTube personality Sopherina didn't mince words when doing a blind taste-test of Aldi's Harvest Morn Crisp Rice cereal and Kellogg's Rice Crispies. After taking a bite from each bowl of cereal, she pointed to the bowl of Rice Crispies and said, "They taste like cardboard," before she pointed to the Harvest Morn Crisp Rice and said, "They taste like Rice Crispies."

So basically, Aldi's knock-off version of the real deal certainly defeated the original. Sopherina went on to say the Crisp Rice cereal had more flavor and even tasted like it might be healthier — all of which she stated while blindfolded and unable to see which product she was referring to. When her off-screen boyfriend broke the news to her about which product was which, she was legitimately surprised and pleased, especially given the fact that, ounce-for-ounce, the Harvest Morn Crisp Rice was less expensive than the name brand version. 

In a side-by-side taste test of Mott's 100 Percent Apple Juice and Aldi's private-label Nature's Nectar 100 Percent Apple Juice, taste-tester Saundra Latham of Cheapism stated that the two products tasted the same. On one hand, this shouldn't be too much of a surprise, right? If both products are, in fact, 100 percent apple juice, as long as the same type of apples are used for each juice, there shouldn't be too much of a difference in flavor from one product to another. That said, you'd think there would be something proprietary about a name brand's product ... something that sets it apart from other brands ... something other than just its label (which, in the case of Nature's Nectar, is also almost 100 percent similar to the Mott's label).

Regardless, Latham stated that the two products were so similar in smell, appearance, and flavor that she actually had to double-check to make sure she didn't try two cups of the same product. When she confirmed she had, in fact, tried both brands, she said she would "be silly" not to switch to Aldi's knock-off. Not only did it taste identical to the name brand, it cost about half as much per ounce.

Apparently, Aldi knows how to make good knock-off breakfast cereals. In addition to the company's off-brand wins in comparison to Fruit Loops and Rice Crispies, according to YouTube personality Kallie Branciforte from But First, Coffee, the Aldi Millville Raisin Bran also comes out ahead of the name-brand Kellogg's Raisin Bran in her blind taste-test. 

She first compared the ingredients and nutrition information, stating that the two products were practically identical — the only real difference was that the Millville serving size was slightly larger at one and one-quarter cups per serving rather than the one cup per serving of the Kellogg's brand. In the side-by-side blindfolded taste test, she had a hard time deciding which product might be the name brand, pointing out that the flavor was very similar. Ultimately, she incorrectly identified the name brand, assuming the Aldi version was Kellogg's. 

The big difference in her mind? She stated that the Kellogg's brand tasted a little staler, while the Millville version had a slightly crispier taste, although she also admitted that the staler-tasting cereal might just be an older or "bad box" of the cereal. Either way, if the flavors are almost identical, the cost savings of the Aldi brand makes it a better buy.