EV’s take: Shop Aldi for good, affordable vegan basics
I’d never set foot in an Aldi until a few years ago. Though I’ve always lived near one, I grew up in a bona fide Wegmans family, and honestly, we were a little bougie. Only a couple decades and a mortgage later have I realized the magic of budget grocery shopping.
Maybe you’ve been an Aldi fan for life or you’re making a new effort to cut down on food expenses — all while eating plant based. The great news is that Aldi has had vegan options for a while and continues to carry a number of them. The not-so-great news is that, like a number of other grocery chains, they’ve scaled back their offerings after going all-in on the plant-based fad a couple years ago.
And on top of a few less options, sometimes you find what you’re looking for in an Aldi, other times you don’t. It’s no frills after all, and that means some stores are well stocked and others aren’t. Options might vary week to week or depending on what box is at the front of the fridge (E.g., I couldn’t find regular hummus the other day, only dill or caramelized onion hummus!). As I scanned several local stores for Aldi’s store brand “Earth Grown” vegetarian and vegan products, it was apparent that in-stock vegan items were hit or miss.
However, what they do still carry, when it’s in stock, mostly pleased my palate as well as my wallet. Overall, I’ll return to Aldi for a few fair-priced vegan basics, like their meatballs, cheese shreds, veggie burgers and deli salads. As for the heat-and-eat vegan meals, I’ll pass on those next time.
But let’s break down all the plant-based Earth Grown Aldi items I could get my hands on.
Aldi’s best plant-based offerings
Classic and Zesty Italian Meatless Meatballs
Price: About $5
I opted to oven bake their classic meatless meatballs, which took about 15 minutes. When done, they looked and smelled great, were nice and crisp on the outside, but still soft and tender inside.
These soy-based meatballs held together nicely, with a toothsome meaty texture and taste, yet melted in my mouth. Though these were the “classic” flavor, I noticed a touch of spices and herbs mixed in. They were a little on the saltier side, too, but I didn’t mind it; They were perfect in every pasta dish I had them with!
When trying their “Italian Zesty” flavor, I was short on time, so I opted to microwave them. Go figure, these weren’t as delightfully crispy on the outside as the oven-baked meatballs, but I appreciate having the option to easily heat them in a pinch. This flavor had a relatively mild Italian flavor, with an herby kick. So the flavor difference between the two was hardly noticeable to me. I could eat either with any meal — spaghetti and red sauce or a meatball sub. Either way, they’re tasty.
In terms of price, the meatballs certainly aren’t Aldi’s cheapest option, coming in around $5.25 at my local store. This price is similar to Morningstar products, for example, but cheaper than Impossible meatballs and the like. All up, it’s a good amount of good food for a good price.
Aldi cheddar and mozzarella vegan cheese shreds
Price: Around $3
Unlike Wegmans’ store brand plant-based selection (I’m indeed throwing shade), Aldi still has their vegan cheese shreds! I found them for about $3 and change — which is much cheaper than brands like Violife or prices for any brand at other stores near me.
Overall, their dairy-free cheese alternative cheddar shreds and mozzarella shreds were good. I’ve come to the realization that many vegan cheese shreds consist of similar ingredients and feature a similar texture: some blend of coconut oil and tapioca or potato starch; a bit strange and powdery eaten raw, but as meltable as any other reliable brand. These shreds started melting well in the pan on my tofu scramble, and melted perfectly with 30 seconds in the microwave.
As a bonus, the cheddar tastes cheddary and the mozzarella tastes mozzarella-y! This is refreshing as some vegan cheeses don’t nail different cheeses’ particular tastes.
It went super well with my tofu eggs, and melted perfectly in a quesadilla. Yep — I’ll be buying again.
Veggie burgers
Price: $3-4
Aldi’s Earth Grown vegan veggie burgers are pretty good, especially for such an affordable price! Each box comes frozen with four real-vegetable patties. They’re not huge, so you’ll probably want to put two on your burger bun if you’re hungry. They’re super quick to heat up in a skillet, which is a big plus.
The original flavor is made with 11 vegetables – which is maybe more than we needed in one burger. Corn, edamame, and carrot occasionally rolled out of the patty, but it overall held shape as well as any other veggie burger.
It was tasty, but I loved the flavor of the Black Bean Chipotle burger. A subtle Southwestern and chipotle kick livened up my palate, but didn’t overwhelm with heat. This patty also seemed more firm, holding together better than the original flavor. I’ll be buying both again, though, as an easy meal to keep on hand in my freezer.
Not their best: Shelf-stable heat-and-eat vegan options
Aldi’s Earth Grown brand has a few plant-based options that only require a quick nuke in the microwave. While the concept is great, these vegan meats and meals left me disappointed.
Plant-Based Taco Filling
Price: About $3
My hopes were high for this one. Ready-to-go taco “meat” I can heat up and smush into a burrito? That’s my kind of weeknight meal! Alas, this just did not taste that good.
The oily clump of soy protein crumbles were saucier than I expected, creating more of a sloppy joe consistency. The flavor was savory but lacking the Latin punch of flavor I expected and was nowhere near spicy. The vegetable protein texture was decidedly chewy, which I didn’t mind, but I’ve enjoyed the firmness and crisping abilities of other brands like RollinGreens or Abbot’s Butcher. As a result, the taco filling was just kind of there on my plate, a bland pile of mush. It wasn’t inedible of course, but I’m not going out of my way to buy it again.
Plant-Based Southwest Burrito Bowl
Price: About $3
I also had high hopes for this one, but it was also lackluster. To its detriment, this “bowl” included the rice, sauces, “meat” and vegetables all in one bag, making it more like a burrito stew. I liked what was in it — chicken-style soy chunks with a chewy but decent texture, corn, beans, and finally a sauce with noticeable heat and punchy flavor — but the ratio of sauce to other stuff was too much. It’s the type of meal that deserves to be cooked fresh, or at least have the rice in a separate bag. Once again, I’ll pass next time.
Chickpea & Veggie Korma with Green Beans & Cauliflower
Price: About $3
The smell of tasty Indian food when opening the bag was promising, but this was another mediocre meal that was not as flavorful as it smelled. It had a bit of a chunky texture and curdled appearance to it, which was off-putting. That said, this also wasn’t inedible, just not great. It sufficed as a work lunch piled on top of my leftover rice, but I probably won’t get it again. If you want heat-and-heat Indian, you really can’t go wrong with Tasty Bite or Maya Kaimal brands.
Also note: This one isn’t labeled vegan, probably because it “may contain traces of milk” per the ingredients label. However, all the official listed ingredients appear to be vegan.
Grab-and-go “Deli” salads and dips
Besides Aldi’s Earth Grown brand, their Park Street Deli brand has some solid ready-to-eat vegan salads. Typically coming in under $3 each — with the bean salads easily able to suffice as a meal — I think these are a steal. All were good, but I’d say the Chickpea Salad is my favorite.
Black Bean Salad: Nice assortment of soft beans and still firm, fresh tasting vegetables with an herby punch.
Chickpea Salad: Cranberries and a sweeter dressing complement earthy garbanzos and edamame.
Taboule Salad: I couldn’t find this on my recent shopping trips, but I did have it a while back and remember an enjoyable grain salad featuring piquant parsley and lemon.
More vegan foods at Aldi
Aldi’s vegan and plant-based items are not limited to its Earth Grown or Park Street Deli brands. Just like at any grocery store, there’s produce, pantry staples and snacks that are completely vegan friendly. Some standout options include:
- Sweet Kale Chopped Salad Kit
- Tofu — from what I’ve seen, only extra firm is available, but you can’t beat around $1.50 for a standard 14-oz block!
- Heat & serve garlic knots (LOVE these)
- Hummus, often with several different flavors available
- A large variety of plant milks
- Even coconut non-dairy whipped topping!
As always, read the ingredients if needed to make sure these fit your dietary requirements.
Where can I find Aldi’s vegan foods near me?
Aldi has locations all over the world and thousands in the United States alone. Use their store locator here to find one near you.
What do you think about Aldi vegan foods?
Did I miss any awesome plant-based finds at Aldi? Jump in the comments to share your favorites and let us know your thoughts on the above options!
