I tried 18 of Aldi's fan-favorite foods this year, and I'd buy nearly all of of them again

Paige BennettJul 29, 2023, 02:46 IST

I filled my cart with the winners of the 2023 Aldi Fan Favorites Awards.Paige Bennett

On Tuesday, Aldi announced shoppers' must-have items in the chain's fifth Fan Favorites Awards.
I don't think I'd buy the Friendly Farms cottage cheese or the Belletti Moscato rosé again.

On Tuesday, Aldi released its fifth-annual Fan Favorites list, a collection of top products chosen by loyal shoppers in a series of surveys. The Fan Favorites Awards, which began in 2019, saw over 70,000 customers vote for their must-have products.

This year's winners featured some repeat products, like Hall of Famer Mama Cozzi's deli pizza, along with some newbies made popular by social-media trends.

I stopped by my local Aldi to try this year's picks, omitting the Kirkwood fresh chicken thighs and Atlantic salmon with a Mediterranean-herb rub, as I don't eat meat or seafood. I easily found this year's remaining 11 winners and spent less than $50 on my entire haul.

Here are which products I thought were worth the hype and which ones I'd skip next time.

I started the taste test off with Clancy's kettle chips.

I got Clancy's kettle chips in the original flavor.Paige Bennett

Clancy's kettle chips were airy and decently salty.

I liked the texture of Clancy's original kettle chips.Paige Bennett

I could see the hype for the Happy Farms string cheese.

The Happy Farms string cheese had 12 sticks.Paige Bennett

As far as flavor and texture goes, the Happy Farms string cheese was exactly what I expected.

The Happy Farms string cheese had a good, mild flavor.Paige Bennett

The Friendly Farms cottage cheese won the "TikTok made me buy it" category.

Cottage cheese recipes trended on TikTok this year.Paige Bennett

I thought the Friendly Farms cottage cheese was OK.

The Friendly Farms cottage cheese was fine.Paige Bennett

The Friendly Farms Greek yogurt sounded interesting.

I got the vanilla version of the Friendly Farms Greek yogurt.Paige Bennett

I just couldn't get behind the Friendly Farms Greek yogurt.

The Friendly Farms Greek yogurt wasn't my favorite.Paige Bennett

The Simply Nature 100% pure avocado oil won the "on the lighter side" category.

I thought the Simply Nature avocado oil was a great deal.Paige Bennett

The Simply Nature avocado oil is an affordable neutral oil for cooking.

I thought the nozzle on the Simply Nature avocado oil had a clever design.Paige Bennett

The Specially Selected vinaigrettes won the "sauce on the side" category.

I had a hard time choosing between the many Specially Selected vinaigrette dressings.Paige Bennett

The Specially Selected house vinaigrette was delicious and herby.

I think the Specially Selected dressing would be great to dip bread in or to use over pasta.Paige Bennett

If you're looking for a perfect avocado, I found one at Aldi.

The avocado had no brown spots at all.Paige Bennett

I'd eat the avocados as a snack on their own any day.

The avocado was delicious with just sea salt.Paige Bennett

The Emporium Selection fresh mozzarella was a winner for a reason.

I got the presliced version of the Emporium Selection fresh mozzarella.Paige Bennett

The Emporium Selection mozzarella wasn't just tasty, but convenient, too.

I think the Emporium Selection mozzarella would pair well with tomatoes and cucumbers.Paige Bennett

I wasn't sure how I felt about the Mama Cozzi's deli pizza at first.

Mama Cozzi's cauliflower-crust deli pizza was gluten-free.Paige Bennett

I think the cauliflower-crust pizza would be a great, easy dinner.

Mama Cozzi's cauliflower-crust deli pizza was topped with peppers, onions, and mushrooms.Paige Bennett

The Specially Selected ice cream won the "sweet tooth satisfaction" category.

I picked up the Specially Selected vanilla-chocolate-almond and chocolate-peanut-butter ice cream.Paige Bennett

Surprisingly, I preferred the flavor with a vanilla base.

The ice cream was rich and creamy.Paige Bennett

The Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé looked promising.

The Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé bubbled up nicely as I poured it.Paige Bennett

The Belletti rosé was a little too sweet for me but would be great in a mimosa.

The Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé came in a pretty bottle.Paige Bennett

I made burgers using 4 different appliances, and my grill-master husband preferred the air fryer

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