I tried award-winning foods from Aldi and Trader Joe's, and my favorites came from the chain known for its low prices

Pascale MondesirSep 4, 2023, 21:01 IST

I compared award-winning items from Trader Joe's and Aldi.Pascale Mondesir

I tried fan-favorite foods from Trader Joe's and Aldi to see which chain had the tastiest winners.
The selections from Trader Joe's 14th-annual Customer Choice Awards were full of flavor.

Trader Joe's and Aldi both dish out annual awards for the items shoppers love the most each year.

So, I put both grocery-store chains head to head by comparing some of the winners (and a runner-up) of this year's Trader Joe's Customer Choice Awards and Aldi's Fan Favorites Awards.

Though each chain has different categories for its winners, I tried the foods I thought were most comparable, like the award-winning cheeses, chips, entrées, beverages, and desserts.

Here's how this year's Trader Joe's and Aldi award-winning foods stacked up.

I first tried Trader Joe's cheddar with caramelized onions, the winner of the chain's cheese category.

Trader Joe's cheddar with caramelized onions surprised me.Pascale Mondesir

I thought the cheddar with caramelized onions was decadent.

Trader Joe's cheddar with caramelized onions was really good.Pascale Mondesir

The Emporium Selection mozzarella cheese was the winner of Aldi's cheese category.

I got the presliced version of the Emporium Selection mozzarella.Pascale Mondesir

The Emporium Selection mozzarella seemed fresh.

The Emporium Selection mozzarella was delicious on a cracker.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's chile-lime rolled-corn tortilla chips won the chain's best overall and snack categories.

Trader Joe's chile-lime rolled-corn tortilla chips were flavorful.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's chile-lime rolled-corn tortilla chips had the ideal amount of spice.

I was a fan of the rolled-corn tortilla chips from Trader Joe's.Pascale Mondesir

Then I tried Clancy's kettle chips, a crunchy snack that was an Aldi fan-favorite this year.

I was impressed by the price of Clancy's kettle chips.Pascale Mondesir

I was a huge fan of Clancy's kettle chips.

Clancy's kettle chips had that perfect crunch.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice earned the No. 1 spot for the chain's best entrées.

Trader Joe's butter chicken with basmati rice looked promising.Pascale Mondesir

I'm also not sure if microwaving Trader Joe's butter chicken was the right idea.

I was a little disappointed with Trader Joe's butter chicken.Pascale Mondesir

Next, I tried Mama Cozzi's deli pizza an award-winning premade meal from Aldi.

Mama Cozzi's deli pizza really surprised me.Pascale Mondesir

Though I was least excited for Mama Cozzi's pizza, it ended up being one of my favorite items.

I thought Mama Cozzi's pepperoni pizza was really tasty.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's sparkling black tea with peach juice got third place in the beverage category.

Trader Joe's black tea with peach juice reminded me of summer.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's sparkling black tea was really refreshing.

I drank Trader Joe's sparkling black tea with peach juice cold.Pascale Mondesir

I wanted to try one of Aldi's fan-favorite beverages, so I got the Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé.

The Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé had notes of cherries and strawberries.Pascale Mondesir

Though I don't always love alcoholic beverages, I enjoyed the Belletti sparkling Moscato.

The Belletti sparkling Moscato rosé was pleasantly sweet.Pascale Mondesir

Trader Joe's Hold the Cone ice-cream treats took the No. 1 spot in the dessert category.

I opted for the vanilla version of Trader Joe's Hold the Cone ice-cream treats.Pascale Mondesir

Sadly, I wasn't that impressed by the Hold the Cone treats.

Trader Joe's Hold the Cone ice-cream treats have a chocolate coating.Pascale Mondesir

The Specially Selected ice cream won first place in Aldi's awards.

I thought the Specially Selected ice cream was full of flavor, especially for a vanilla option.Pascale Mondesir

I think the Aldi voters nailed it by choosing the Specially Selected ice cream.

The Specially Selected vanilla ice cream wouldn't even need any toppings for me to thoroughly enjoy it.Pascale Mondesir

If I had to choose a winner between these picks, I'd have to go with Aldi.

I thought the picks from Aldi were tastier with sophisticated flavors.Pascale Mondesir

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