Shopping for an Aldi Thanksgiving dinner is extremely fun. No, you won’t find a lot of the name brand stuff you’d buy at other local grocery stores, but you will find a lot of Aldi-brand stuff you wouldn’t find anywhere else. Weird cheese! Seasonal wine! Frozen potatoes that look like little radiator grates! There’s a lot going on. Here is our Aldi shopping list for a fun, surprising, and surprisingly affordable Thanksgiving dinner.
The Appetizer: Emporium Selection Baking Brie with Cranberry Glaze ($7)
I saw this cheese at our local Aldi and was extremely tempted to buy it. We know Aldi brie is good (Emporium Selection is ranked among the best brie we’ve tried in more than one taste test)—there’s no way it isn’t even better baked. The tartness and tang of cranberry is a perfect (and seasonally appropriate) complement to a creamy cheese. Plus, this wheel of brie costs $7 and comes in a reusable ceramic crock for future brie baking endeavors. Add this to your Aldi shopping list today and you have a little dish for life.
The Main: Honeysuckle White Whole Turkey ($1.99 /lb)
If you aren’t a Butterball loyalist, you can probably save a few bucks on one of these Honeysuckle White frozen turkeys. (Anecdotally, they were on sale at our local Aldi this week.) Just remember to buy some butter to stuff under the skin before you bake—no one likes dry-ass turkey meat and we don’t want our Aldi Thanksgiving dinner to let anyone down. Oh, and since we’re tracking our spend here, let’s say the bird is 12 pounds—so plan on spending roughly 24 bucks.
The Side: Season’s Choice Hasselback Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese Sauce ($3.79)
Okay, I know there are certain people who will absolutely DIE if mashed potatoes aren’t part of the Thanksgiving spread, but for our Aldi Thanksgiving dinner, we’re getting weird with these frozen hasselback potatoes. Hasselback potatoes are skin-on potatoes that have been meticulously sliced to create a fan effect when they’re baked and I can tell you from experience that they’re a real hassle(back) to make from scratch. These cut down on kitchen time and they come with a parmesan cheese sauce, which sounds good as hell.
The Side: Season’s Choice Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping ($4.99)
Aldi happens to sell the best canned sweet potatoes you can buy, but if you aren’t up for making your own sweet potato casserole, this Aldi version just needs to be popped in the oven. The real draw is that praline topping. Sure, some people might miss the marshmallows, but just remind them they’re made of hooves.
The Bread: Sister Schubert’s Parker House Style Yeast Rolls ($4)
Yes, Sister Schubert kind of sounds like the name of a cult leader, but if the cult in question revolves around bread, then sign us up, I guess. These yeast rolls are sold in Aldi’s frozen section and come in a little aluminum pan you just have to cover with foil and toss in the oven. I don’t know Sister Schubert from Adam, but I sort of trust her when it comes to rolls for our Aldi Thanksgiving dinner.
The Dessert: Bake Shop Pumpkin Tart Bites ($5.89)
Aldi sells full-size pumpkin pies, but these tarts are just so damn cute! They’re mini pumpkin pies! Even if you’re dealing with Thanksgiving guests who claim they don’t like pumpkin pie, I bet they won’t be able to turn down one of these little suckers. If you like things that are cute, add these to your Aldi shopping list.
The Dessert: Belmont Mini Cheesecake Bites ($10.95)
Okay, fine. Some people really don’t like pumpkin pie. And we’re catering to those people by adding these mini cheesecake bites to our Aldi shopping list. I’ll admit that these are on the expensive side for an Aldi dessert, but you get 24 of them in a box and they come in three flavors: New York style, strawberry swirl, and turtle.
The Drink: Winterliebe Gluhwein ($6.65)
Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season (just ask the old dude who plays Santa in the Macy’s parade—he’s banking on that premise). That means it’s the perfect time to start drinking mulled wine. You don’t even need mulling spices in your pantry. This Winterliebe Gluhwein is spiced and ready to be poured into a sauce pan and heated up so your kitchen smells super wintry and lovely. I can’t promise it won’t give you a hangover, but, hey, we’re ringing in the holiday season after all. Get used to it!
Total cost of an Aldi Thanksgiving dinner: $67.27
Check out more guides to grocery store Thanksgivings:
What to Buy for a Trader Joe’s Thanksgiving Dinner
How to Have a Dollar Tree Thanksgiving for Under $10
How to Have an All Costco Thanksgiving
Your Whole Foods Thanksgiving Dinner Menu
