- Aldi, a budget-friendly grocery store chain, has released its second annual list of “Fan Favorites.”
- Customers had the chance to vote for their favorite Aldi items across 20 different categories, including snacks, desserts, cheeses, and seasonal.
- L’oven Fresh’s Hawaiian rolls and Specially Selected’s brioche buns were both highlighted on this year’s list.
- Other crowd favorites include Mama Cozzi’s Take and Bake pizza, Earth Grown’s veggie burgers, and Stonemill’s everything-bagel seasoning.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
For the second year in a row, Aldi has surveyed thousands of its customers to determine its “Fan Favorites” winners.
The contest allows customers to vote for their favorite Aldi items across 20 different categories, so that the budget-friendly grocery store can better determine what its shoppers are looking for.
This year, more than 177,000 Aldi shoppers voted for their favorite easy meals, seasonal products, dessert, gluten-free offerings, vegetarian/vegan items, and more.
Based on those results, here are the 20 most popular products at Aldi for 2020:
Mama Cozzi’s Take and Bake pizza was the overall winner, and it also took the prize in the easy meals category
From Aldi’s extensive product inventory, fans chose Mama Cozzi’s Take and Bake pizza as this year’s overall winner as well as the top contender in the easy meals category.
These pizzas are quick to make and available in several flavors, including five cheese, Mega Meat, pepperoni, sausage, supreme, and Ultimate Meat.
Specially Selected's 100% pure maple syrup was the top pick for breakfast foods
Although Aldi sells many popular cereals, granolas, and pastries, its maple syrup won the breakfast category.
As the label suggests, this maple syrup is "100% pure," so there are no added sugars or synthetic coloring, and it's also a more affordable option compared to others on the market.
People seem to love Emporium Selection's cheese crumbles
The Emporium Selection crumbles topped the store's extensive cheese category on this year's list.
With options including blue cheese, goat cheese, and feta, Aldi's crumbled cheeses are another hot item that's perfect for topping salads, pizzas, and more.
Friendly Farms' organic unsweetened almond milk led the diary/dairy-free category
Non-dairy milks are rising in popularity, so it's no surprise that fans chose Aldi's Friendly Farms organic unsweetened almond milk as this year's winner of the dairy/dairy-free category.
In fact, these almond milks — available in both original and vanilla flavors — have held the title for two years in a row now.
Aldi shoppers are frequently setting their dinner tables with Appleton Farms' spiral-sliced double-glazed ham
Out of all the beef, poultry, sausage, and pork options at Aldi, the Appleton Farms' spiral-sliced double-glazed brown-sugar ham took the crown.
This seasonal ham is an ideal main dish for holiday dinners, and it makes the prep work easy.
Aldi's avocados won the produce category
You'll be hard-pressed to find better deals on produce than at Aldi, but shoppers are the most impressed with the store's avocados.
The grocery store's produce is delivered daily, so you don't have to worry about grabbing avocados that are past their prime, and you can also choose from conventional or USDA organic varieties.
Savoritz parmesan crisps were the top item in the gluten-free category
Aldi has an entire line of gluten-free products called LiveGFree, which has made the store a welcoming spot for shoppers with gluten sensitivities.
But it also carries several gluten-free items outside of the LiveGFree line, including Savoritz parmesan crisps, which took home this year's fan-favorite title in the category.
Earth Grown veggie burgers took the top spot in the vegetarian/vegan category for the second year in a row
Everyone can enjoy outdoor barbecues with Earth Grown veggie burgers — which won the vegetarian/vegan category in both 2019 and 2020.
The meatless burgers continue to be a hit, partially thanks to the numerous flavor options, including black-bean chipotle, kale, and Quinoa Crunch.
For the kids (and kids at heart), Happy Farms string cheese is a must
There's an abundance of granola bars, fruit snacks, chips, and yogurts for kids to choose from at Aldi, but according to this year's awards, the Happy Farms string cheese is the best of the bunch.
Each pack includes 12 individually wrapped string cheeses, perfect for throwing in kids' bags for a protein-packed snack at lunch.
Parents stand by Little Journey's thick and quilted baby wipes
Buying wipes can really add up for parents, but Aldi's three-pack of quilted baby wipes is a great value.
The savings alone make it popular, but it also won the baby/toddler category for its gentle formula.
The 'better than the brand' category went to L'oven Fresh's Hawaiian sweet rolls
A new category for this year, "better than the brand," crowned L'oven Fresh's Hawaiian sweet rolls as the winner.
These Hawaiian sweet rolls are perfect for sliders, and according to fans, taste better than the name-brand King's Hawaiian dinner rolls.
Appleton Farms won the deli category with its center-cut bacon
In addition to dominating the meat category, the Appleton Farms brand topped the list of fan favorites in the deli section as well.
The center-cut bacon comes in a 12-ounce pack and is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Aldi's robust bakery section has plenty of great items, but shoppers highlighted Specially Selected's brioche buns
From breads to tortillas to pastries, Aldi offers many delicious baked goods to choose from. But shoppers especially love the Specially Selected brioche buns, which are imported from France and made with rich butter and eggs.
These golden buns are perfect for burgers or sliders.
Bake Shop's apple-cider doughnuts reign supreme in the fall category
Pumpkin spice takes over just about every grocery store in the autumn months, Aldi included.
But among all the pumpkin-flavored products the store has to offer, there's a hidden fall gem that customers have voted no. 1: the Bake Shop apple-cider doughnuts.
Start stocking your pantry with Stonemill everything-bagel seasoning
There are plenty of pantry staples at Aldi, from beans and pastas to baking products and spices. However, the Stonemill everything-bagel seasoning won this year's pantry staple category.
This seasoning blend has all of the delicious flavors of an everything bagel, and it tastes great on steamed veggies or scrambled eggs.
The winter seasonal winner was the Specially Selected Belgian cocoa-dusted truffles
Whether you throw them in stockings or gift them to everyone in the office, these Specially Selected truffles are sure to be a hit during the winter holidays.
The seasonally available truffles have a rich, chocolatey center coated in a dusting of cocoa powder.
Seafood-lovers went for Fremont Fish Market's medium raw shrimp
For the second year, the Fremont Fish Market Medium EZ Peel raw shrimp won the seafood category.
The shrimps are, as the name suggests, easy to peel, and they're great for appetizers, seafood platters, or pasta dishes.
If you're looking for a good snack, Aldi shoppers swear by Clancy's kettle chips
Available in original or jalapeño (plus some seasonal flavors), Clancy's kettle chips won this year's snack category.
These crispy, crunchy potato chips are kettle-cooked and will satisfy your salty cravings.
Follow up that salty snack with the sweet treat/dessert category winner: Benton's cookies
Benton's offers an array of options for your sweet tooth, including peanut butter-filled, maple cream, fudge marshmallow, and chocolate chip cookies.
The chain store also recently launched Benton's cookie thins in even more flavors, and the variety alone makes it clear why they've become a fan favorite.
The secret is out on Aldi's fan-favorite Winking Owl wines
Aldi's Winking Owl label includes a variety of wines — cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, Moscato, pinot grigio, sangria, sauvignon blanc, Shiraz, sweet red, and white zinfandel — for about $3 a bottle.
Even with their ultra-low price, the wines have a high-quality taste, and Aldi was even named one of America's 50 best value wine retailers of 2020 by Wine Enthusiast.
Read More:
- 14 of the best things to get at Aldi this month for under $5
- I tried 17 of Aldi's most popular snacks, and there are 8 I would totally eat again
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