The Swankiest Foods You Can Get at Walmart and Target

Just because there are bargains to be found doesn't mean a store won't also have some real fancy groceries. Both Walmart and Target have all the typical everyday items and deals, but there are also some gems hidden among the white bread and frozen French fries. These luxurious, swanky foods are great for impressive entertaining, or just treating yourself to something special.

Related: 20 Surprisingly Expensive Products at Target

Note: Prices and availability are subject to change, especially as the COVID-19 crisis causes stock issues.

Price: $15 from Walmart
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Nothing says swanky like lobster. You can buy frozen lobster tails at Walmart, and they even come with butter included. Boil, steam, or bake them, then dunk the sweet meat in melted butter.

Price: $35 from Walmart
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You might not think of vanilla extract as anything fancy, but this Nielson-Massey Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract is highly sought after. It regularly tops rankings of the best vanilla extract, with a flavor that's "sweet, creamy and mellow." Splurge on a bottle and see just how good your baked goods can be.

Related: 20 Must-Have Items Under $20 That Every Baker Should Have in the Kitchen

Price: $16 from Walmart
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Well known as the world's most expensive spice, saffron is the bright-red stigma of a particular purple crocus flower. It can only be harvested by hand because it's so delicate, which is what makes it so expensive. It's an essential ingredient in dishes like Spanish paella and French bouillabaisse, giving its dishes a bright yellow color.

Price: $4 from Walmart
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Caviar is often a symbol of luxury and wealth, so it's not something you'd expect to find at Walmart. But they do sell an inexpensive version made with capelin roe. It's salty, so enjoy it sparingly on crackers, eggs, or with a meat-and-cheese tray.

Price: $8 from Walmart
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Truffles, a mushroom that grows wild underground, are an expensive delicacy. You can get truffle flavor in whatever you cook inexpensively with this truffle salt. It includes white truffles harvested in summer and known for their shallot-like flavor. Sprinkle it over popcorn, french fries, potatoes, or meats once they're cooked.

Price: $15 from Target
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Though some people consider it a special occasion food, salmon is great for you with an adundance of omega-3 fatty acids. This Alaskan sockeye salmon is wild caught and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council as sustainable, so you can feel good about buying it.

Price: $20 from Target
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Large sea scallops command a high price in fancy restaurants, but they're simple to prepare at home for a fraction of the price. Defrost them slowly in the refrigerator and then sear them quickly in a hot skillet to get a nice crust on them.

Price: $11/lb from Target
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Nothing is better than a big t-bone steak on the grill. There are two different steak cuts joined by the bone in this cut — a strip steak and a tenderloin — so it's a great combination of flavor and tenderness.

Price: $10 from Walmart
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Pure maple syrup that's been aged in bourbon barrels is a luxurious way to enjoy breakfast. The syrup picks up notes of charred oak, graham cracker, and vanilla from the barrels, giving it a depth that plain maple syrup doesn't have. It's pricey, but a little goes a long way.

Price: $2 from Walmart
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Usually reserved for the dessert menu at chic restaurants, molten chocolate lava cakes are indulgent treats. This pack of two cakes have chocolate fudge centers and are topped with fudge icing to gild the lily. Serve them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Related: Best Store-Bought Desserts From Costco, Trader Joe's, and Aldi

Price: $7 from Walmart
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You often see bacon jam as a topping on burgers at expensive restaurants and trendy food trucks, but it's not really something people make themselves. So buy a jar of the sweet and savory condiment instead, made with bacon, onions, garlic, sugar and vinegar. Besides burgers, it's great with cheese and crackers.

Price: $4 from Walmart
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Imported Irish butter is often sought out for its strong flavor and rich texture. Kerrygold is one of the most popular brands, and it's made with only milk from grassfed cows, giving it a vivid yellow color. It's got a higher butterfat content than American butters, making it super creamy.

Price: $5 from Target
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This 7-ounce wedge of Gouda is imported from the Netherlands and coated in distinctive red wax. It's got a light caramel color and a subtle flavor with "definite nutty peaks that complemented the fudgy texture." 

Price: $8 from Target
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Pink salt is a trendy seasoning that's mined near the Himalayas in places like Pakistan. It gets its natural pink color from the trace minerals found in it, like magnesium and potassium. This jar has coarse crystals, so you can use it in a salt mill or as a finishing salt.

Price: $6 from Target
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Creme brulee, with its cool custard and crackling caramel top, is an impressive dessert for a dinner party. This bourbon vanilla-flavored version comes frozen and in terra cotta ramekins for serving. Even when the dessert is gone, you have new serving dishes.

Price: $12 from Target
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Make pancakes, French toast, or even ice cream sundaes a little fancier with super fruit syrup. It's made with cane sugar, marionberries, red raspberries and blueberries for a flavorful sweet/tart mix that's less boring than typical maple syrup.

Price: $5 from Target
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Olives come stuffed with all kinds of things, but blue cheese is one of the more unusual and delicious variations. These olives are imported from Greece and stuffed with creamy, tangy blue cheese. They're great to dress up martinis or bloody marys.

Price: $4 from Walmart
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Stroopwafels are a Dutch treat made up of two waffled wafer cookies sandwiched together with caramel or other filling. This version includes chocolate waffles for a little more decadence. They're perfect if you rest the big discs on top of your coffee mug to warm a little from the drink's steam before eating.

Price: $4 from Target
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Burrata, a type of fresh mozzarella stuffed with curds and cream, is a trendy cheese right now. It gets stuffed into these gorgeous, yellow-striped, fresh ravioli along with four other cheeses, lemon, and basil. Serve them with a light tomato sauce to let their creamy texture shine.

Price: $6 from Target
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Fresh fruit is a great healthy dessert, but sometimes you need a little more. This frozen dessert (or let's face it, snack) is made of whole raspberries covered in a layer of white and dark chocolate. It makes the fruit a little more special while still being good for you.

Price: $8 from Target
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A traditional treat from northeastern France, madeleines are small sponge cakes baked in shell shaped pans. The version from Target's bakery is about the size of a large cookie, and isn't too sweet so you can indulge in a couple.

Price: $5 from Target
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Trail mix doesn't normally conjure up thoughts of anything fancy, but this dark chocolate and espresso version is one of the most decadent you can get. It's a mix of chocolate-covered and praline almonds, chocolate-covered coffee beans, chocolate chips, hazelnuts, and mocha-flavored pecans.

Price: $3 from Target
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Have you ever secretly coveted your kid's Lunchables? HIllshire makes sophisticated, single-serving meat-and-cheese snacks for adults now, like this one with wine-infused salame, sharp white cheddar, and crispy toasted crackers.

Related: We Tried the Walmart and Target Wines, and These Are the Best

Price: $5 from Target
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A firm, sharp cheese is essential on a cheese plate, and this Black Creek cheddar from Wisconsin fits the bill. It's aged for three years, giving it a mouth-puckering, sharp bite without making it crumbly.

Price: $3 from Target
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Dark chocolate isn't for everyone, but if you're a real fan, then this Lindt bar is for you. At a super high 85% cocoa, it's got a strong, bitter chocolate flavor. One bar will last you a long time since it's so intense.

Price: $5 from Target
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Elderflowers are tiny, white flowers used primarily in Europe to flavor sweetened drinks. Here, elderflower essential oil is used to balance the bitterness of quinine in tonic water. Use it to mix a gin and tonic for a more well-rounded drink. It comes in a 4-pack of bottles, so what you don't use stays fizzy longer.

Price: $5 from Target
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Olives are great with cheese or charcuterie platters, antipasto, or just as a snack. This mixture of pitted olives contains plump green and purple varieties so it's a colorful mix of flavors and textures.

Price: $4 from Walmart
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Full of bright, tart, citrus flavor, lemon curd is a thick, smooth and creamy custard made with lemons, eggs, and butter. While it's great spread thinly on toast or dolloped on crepes, you can also put it in a tart or pie shell as an easy filling.

Price: $3 from Walmart
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Goat cheese is creamy, spreadable, and very tangy. That tartness is tempered by rolling the delicate cheese log in wild blueberries, which lend their sweetness and purple hue to the cheese. Spread it on a bagel or stuff it into thick cut pork chops.