Which Aldi Foods Taste Like Name Brands — and Which Definitely Don't

With food prices going up, more shoppers seem to be heading to stores like Aldi in search of cheaper groceries. The discount chain is opening new stores nationwide and foot traffic has increased.

One of the first things newbies notice on their first trip to Aldi is how familiar some of its items appear. While most store brands imitate their name-brand rivals to some degree, Aldi has the practice down to a science. But beyond the copycat packaging, how do its products taste compared with the brands so many of us know and love? I set out to find out, and potentially save you some money along the way.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Without knowing which product was which, I rated how closely each Aldi product matched a corresponding name brand from Kroger on taste using a four-point scale:

• Nice try
• Somewhat similar
• Very similar
• Dead ringer

Once I rated the products for taste, I factored in the price difference to decide whether I would buy the Aldi product again.

Mott's can't be happy about how Aldi's Nature's Nectar Apple Juice parrots its product. It also can't be happy about how much cheaper it is: Aldi's juice was $2.35 versus $4.99 for the same size bottle of Mott's Apple Juice at Kroger. That's less than 2 cents an ounce for Aldi's brand and just over 4 cents an ounce for the name brand.

Appearance, taste, smell — nothing betrayed any difference between Aldi's apple juice and the familiar bottle of Mott's. In fact, I had to double-check that I didn't mistakenly test two glasses of the same juice.

Would I buy it again? I'd be silly not to.

While school's in, turkey sandwiches are a lunchbox staple, so any opportunity to save is a good one. Aldi charges $2.59 for a 9-ounce packet of its Lunch Mate Turkey breast, which comes in very similar packaging to Oscar Meyer's Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey. The Oscar Meyer brand was $3.99 at Kroger. That's 28 cents an ounce for the Aldi brand, and 44 cents an ounce for the name brand.

I suspected these would be close going in, and I was right. It was impossible to detect any difference in taste between the two, though Oscar Meyer's turkey did have a "meatier," rougher texture, while Aldi's turkey was smoother and more lunch-meat like.

Would I buy it again? I'm all for cheaper turkey sandwiches, so definitely.

Kraft has made an empire from these yellow slices of nebulous foodstuff, and for our money, we don't want anything else on our grilled cheese sandwiches. Except, perhaps, Aldi's cheaper version. Sixteen of its Happy Farms Singles cost $1.65, while Kraft's iconic American Singles cost us $3.79. That's 10 cents a slice at Aldi, and a whopping 24 cents a slice for the name brand at Kroger.

Unless you're offended by the brighter yellow or slightly thicker cut of Aldi's cheese slices, they taste just as gloriously processed as Kraft's ubiquitous singles. And whatever differences there were completely evaporated on a sandwich.

Would I buy again? No question.

Another perennial kid favorite, these little pouches are unfortunately pricey, making them only an occasional lunch-box treat. But buying at Aldi may mean they start making an appearance more frequently: There, the Baker's Treat brand is $2.55 for five pouches versus $3.99 for Hostess at Kroger. That's 51 cents a pouch at Aldi, and 80 cents a pouch for the name brand.

These definitely looked, smelled, and tasted eerily similar. I had to double-check after tasting to make sure I was eating both brands, not just one.

Would I buy them again? Definitely, much to my kids' delight.

That big red bottle doesn't have to come with a big price tag, especially during grilling season. A 38-ounce bottle of Aldi's Burman's brand ran us $1.35, or about 4 cents an ounce, while buying the same size bottle of Heinz at Kroger cost us $3.13, or about 8 cents an ounce.

I didn't expect there to be much of a difference here, and I was right. Color, consistency and taste were very similar between both brands. Why do people buy name-brand ketchup, again?

Would I buy it again? Absolutely.

A quick glance at a box of Millville Toaster Tarts might have you doing a double-take, as the similarity to Kellogg's Pop-Tarts is pretty uncanny. The price isn't similar, though: A 12-count box of Aldi's brand was $1.65, and the name brand was $2.99 at Kroger. That works out to just under 14 cents a pastry at Aldi, and 25 cents each for the name brand.

Interestingly, Aldi's Millville Toaster Tarts were a bit sweeter, with what seemed to be more cinnamon-sugar filling. In contrast, Kellogg's Pop-Tarts were a breadier — and I actually ended up preferring the Aldi brand.

Would I buy them again? Definitely, especially with the savings.

L'eggo my … Breakfast Best Homestyle Waffle? The slogan might not work well, but the unabashed packaging leaves no doubt that Aldi is gunning for Eggo with this frozen-food staple. Aldi's brand cost $1.35 for 10 waffles, or about 11 cents a waffle, while a 10-count package of Eggos at Kroger was $2.49, or 25 cents a waffle.

Aldi's Breakfast Best waffles look a little more raggedy around the edges than the uniform Eggos, but they taste almost exactly the same as their name-brand counterparts. Moreover, Aldi's brand had a lighter, crispier, more pleasant texture than the Eggos, which were chewier.

Would I buy them again? Yes — I actually preferred Aldi's waffles, and you can't beat the price.

Toucan Sam and Kellogg's Froot Loops have been cereal-aisle staples for as long as we can remember. It's unclear whether the avian mascot on Aldi's box of Millville Fruit Rounds has a name, but there's no mistaking what product he's supposed to evoke. At $1.45 for a 12-ounce box, Aldi's brand is about 12 cents an ounce, while we paid $3.54 for a 10.1-ounce box of Froot Loops at Kroger, or 35 cents an ounce.

Other than price, the biggest difference here is appearance: Aldi's Fruit Rounds aren't as brightly colored as the name brand. But the taste is almost dead on, especially in milk, though Kellogg's Froot Loops may be just a touch sweeter.

Would I buy it again? Definitely, especially knowing how fast my kids inhale cereal.

These indulgent, creamy snack cakes are a longtime snack-aisle staple, and there's no doubt that Little Debbie is the name to beat. But on price, there's no real contest: Aldi's Baker's Treat Swiss Rolls were just $1.49 cents for 12 cakes, or 12 cents a cake, while we paid $1.99 for 12 Little Debbie Swiss Rolls at Kroger, or about 17 cents a cake.

Aldi's Swiss Rolls aren't quite as pleasing to the eye or the hands — they're not as plump and the chocolate coating flakes off easier — but they taste very similar to Little Debbies, and might even be a little sweeter.

Would I buy them again? Yes, and my wallet will thank me for it, if not my waistline.

It's hard to resist the siren song of that yellow bag when you need a vessel for your favorite dip. Of course, Aldi's siren song won't leave such a dent in your wallet. It cost 85 cents for a 9.25-ounce bag of Clancy's Corn Chips Big Dippers at Aldi, and $4.49 for an 15.5-ounce bag of Fritos Scoops at Kroger. That works out to 11 cents an ounce for Aldi's chips, and 29 cents an ounce for Fritos.

Though I detected a little bit less crunch and salt while eating the Clancy's corn chips, the flavor profile was a very close match with Fritos.

Would I buy them again? Yes, especially in bulk for parties when every cent counts.

They aren't Cheetos, but Aldi probably wouldn't mind if you blindly grabbed its orange bag of Clancy's Cheese Curls thinking they are. The price won't fool you, though. Aldi wants just $1.65 for an 8.5-ounce bag of its cheesy snack, while Kroger wants $2.99. That breaks down to 19 cents an ounce for the Aldi brand, and 35 cents an ounce for the name brand.

They look almost identical, but Aldi Clancy's Cheese Curls were slightly more bready and less cheesy than name-brand Cheetos.

Would I buy them again? In bulk for parties? Absolutely. For my own snack stash, I'm still going to grab Cheetos, preferably on sale.

Pizza rolls are always there for us when we need a tasty snack that will burn the skin from the roof of our mouths. But it seems sensible not to overpay for that experience, right? Aldi's Mama Cozzi's Cheese Pizza Snacks cost us $6.05 for 44.5 ounces, while we paid $6.99 for the same amount of Totino's Pizza Rolls at Kroger. That's 13 cents an ounce versus 16 cents an ounce, respectively.

Aldi's pizza rolls passed the real test with flying colors: They burned my mouth just as well as the name brand. Jokes aside, they had a much cheesier flavor profile, with a slightly puffier crust. The Totino's rolls had a more prominent sauce taste, and a chewier texture.

Would I buy them again? Yes, though it really comes down to whether you are in it for the cheese (Aldi) or the sauce (Totino's).

We'll take a break from our regularly scheduled junk food to discuss a slightly better-for-you option. Aldi has expanded its healthier selections in recent years, and one such product is its Earth Grown Chickenless Patties. They cost $3.65 for four compared with $3.99 for four of MorningStar Farms Original Chick Veggie Patties at Kroger. That's 91 cents a patty at Aldi, and just under $1 at Kroger.

I have to give Aldi credit for courting vegetarians, but its Chickenless Patties were a resounding dud. While MorningStar's patty was pleasantly crispy, even after microwaving, with a surprisingly meaty flavor, Aldi's was confoundingly chewy and just … off. Tastes like chicken? Not so much.

Would I buy them again? Not even if you paid me.

There's no mistaking who Aldi is imitating with its Diet Summit Cola. But there's a vast difference when it comes to price: $2.65 for a dozen cans at Aldi versus $5.49 for a 12 pack of Diet Coke at Kroger. That breaks down to 22 cents a can for Aldi's soda, and a whopping 46 cents a can for the name brand.

I could tell a difference just by smelling — Aldi's Diet Summit had a much more distinctive cola smell that Diet Coke lacked. That carried over in the taste, which was more robust than smooth, mild Diet Coke. There was also less carbonation with Aldi's brand.

Would I buy it again? I'm an unabashed Diet Coke devotee, so no. However, if you miss the taste of regular Coke and don't pucker at the sweetness every time you drink it, you might appreciate the bolder flavor of Diet Summit.

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