The Best Aldi Appetizers in the Frozen Aisle

The best Aldi appetizers in the frozen aisle can feed a whole party for under $15. They should be tasty, crowd-pleasing, and easy to prepare. But believe it or not, good frozen apps at Aldi aren’t that easy to find. Sorry, but honesty is our policy here at Sporked. Let’s talk about why—while keeping in mind that we still found some great options to snag for your next soiree. 

Before anyone gets upset, I just want to say: I love Aldi. If I wasn’t so addicted to the ease and convenience of Ralphs free (yes, free) grocery pick-up, Aldi would be my go-to grocery store. It’s so affordable, easy to navigate, and stocked with unique products that I can’t find anywhere else.  (Case in point: their Barissimo cold foam creamers.) But their selection of frozen appetizers could use a bit of an upgrade. I fully appreciate that I walked out with a cart full of Aldi appetizers for under $50. Plus, they offer a great variety—mozzarella sticks, jalapeño poppers, mac and cheese bites, and more. But too many Aldi frozen appetizers just fall flat when it comes to flavor. They kinda taste like real food drawn from memory. And I just have higher expectations for Aldi than that, okay?

What we looked for in the best Aldi frozen appetizers:

• Quality: Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it should taste cheap. I’m not putting a quarter in a shopping cart just so you can offer me fried frozen apps that taste like cardboard, capiche?
• Bold flavor: I’ve already said my peace on this. If I’m squinting my tongue to taste something, it’s going in the trash. 
• Is it an appetizer? Yes, this was a debate among the team. What counts as a frozen appetizer? We all seem to have different definitions, but if you’re eating it before the main course or serving it as finger food at a party, we considered it in a taste test.

Look, when Aldi gets it right, they really nail it. These are the four best Aldi frozen appetizers that actually delivered the delicious finger food they promised. Snack smarter, not harder, right?

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Best Seafood

Best Fremont Tempura Shrimp

Aldi

Aldi is known for dupes, but you don’t see too many of those in the frozen apps section. This definitely reminds us of Kirkland’s Tempura Shrimp, though—which is unfortunate for Aldi, because, no, it’s not nearly as good. Still, that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t eat them all in one sitting. The savory-sweet soy dipping sauce makes up for every critique we had. The lightly greasy tempura batter really delivers on the crunch factor, too, so every bite still satisfies. Aldi shoppers, if you’re throwing a party and need something to serve on a platter, definitely grab these.

Credit: Liv Averett / Aldi

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Best for a Soiree

Bistro Mini Quiches

These cute frozen mini quiches from Aldi come in three flavors: Spinach & Artichoke, Lorraine, and 3 Cheese & Onion. They were out of stock for a while there, but thankfully shoppers have reported that they’re back! The little pie shells are very buttery and smooth—no soggy bottoms in sight. My big critique, again, is flavor. These are a bit bland. But they bake very neatly, and the tops get a nice broiled texture without burning the pastry. They aren’t the best Aldi appetizers you can buy, but for fancy finger foods that will make your guests light up when they see them, you really can’t go wrong. 

Credit: Merc / Aldi

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Runner Up

Casa Mamita Queso Stuffed Nachos

Aldi

I don’t know where Casa Mamita’s Questo Stuffed Nachos have been all the times I needed a 2 a.m. pick-me-up, but these are the perfect party (and post-party) snacks. Puffy, breaded, stuffed nachos are kind of a novelty, really. The breading has a real peppery kick to it, and the greasy molten cheese inside tastes like authentic queso, with bits of red pepper, too. I do have to dock points for being inconsistent—some of the nachos are disappointingly light on that delicious cheese filling. Still, these are unique, boldly seasoned, and easily one of the best Aldi frozen appetizers you can pick up when they’re in stock. (That’s the only other downside: They aren’t always available, so grab ‘em when you can!) 

Credit: Merc / Aldi

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Appetitos Soft Pretzels

Instacart

Hey, we can’t believe a soft pretzel is the #1 best Aldi appetizer, either. But this hits all our criteria: It’s delicious, good quality, pretty unique for a grocery store item, and you can prepare it in under two minutes. All you do is cook that sucker in the microwave for 60 seconds, wet it, and sprinkle the included flake salt over it to your heart’s content. (Also, if you’re an Aldi rep reading this, please tell Aldi that they need to take the dijon mustard that comes with the Park Street Deli pretzel bites and sell it with these frozen Appetitos soft pretzels instead. Please. That aggressive, biting dijon is so so yummy, and so so wasted on those dry little pretzel bites. Sorry, not sorry!) 

Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks

Other Aldi appetizers we tried: Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Garlic Texas Toast, Appetitos Macaroni & Cheese Bites, Appetitos Mozzarella Sticks, Appetitos Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos, Casa Mamita Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, Mama Cozzi’s Pizza Kitchen Cheesy Breadsticks, Mama Cozzi Four Cheese Toasted Ravioli, Mama Cozzi Four Cheese Toasted Ravioli Beef