We Ranked 15 Aldi Baked Goods From Worst To Best

Aldi is known for its quality-on-a-budget pricing, rotating seasonal favorites, and variety of in-house brands, which create everything from lemon cake to mint toothpaste. With more than 90% of its products coming from these house brands, Aldi puts real effort into making sure shoppers don't feel like they're sifting through a bunch of bland generics. Instead, shoppers will find plenty of fun, flavorful options — especially in the baked goods section. From rotating seasonal favorites to everyday classics, there's always a tasty treat waiting on the shelf.

Whether you're a long-term fanatic of the chain or a curious Aldi newcomer wondering what all the hype is about, we're saving you from the trial-and-error taste testing so you can choose your favorite dessert or snack without the guesswork, every time. I tried each baked good and ranked them based on texture, sweetness, overall flavor, mouthfeel, and freshness to determine which Aldi baked goods are actually worth the hype, and which ones should stay on the shelf.

Powdered donuts have never been my number one favorite treat, but I wanted to see if perhaps Aldi was doing something different or had found a way to make its version more enjoyable. I was disappointed to find that I found these to be far too sugary sweet to be good at all. They tasted like someone found a way to turn a spoonful of granulated sugar into a baked good. There's no nuance, no variation, and no depth to be found — there's nowhere to hide from the sugar.

Though I didn't particularly enjoy the cheese danish either, I would have to be much, much hungrier and with absolutely no other options to even consider grabbing one of these as a snack. As I've said, I like some subtlety, and these donuts suffered from the overwhelming lack of it. 

The flavors in this cheese danish were slightly unexpected in a way that I didn't prefer. As I've said, I care about the balance between sweet and savory, and with a cheese danish, I'm expecting there to be a pretty even balance that perhaps leans towards the sweet side. And another important thing: I'm expecting it to be moist.

The Aldi version swung too far to the savory side, and while it had sweet notes, the cheesy topping had a parmesan flavor that I could not reconcile with the slight sweetness of both the topping and the dough. I wish this recipe would have gone further one way or the other — salty or sugary — so it wasn't stuck in this in-between space that's too funky to be appropriately sweet and too sweet to really let the cheesiness shine.

The dough was also a bit dry here, and lacked the typical texture difference between the flaky, crispy exterior and the softer interior. Though I was underwhelmed, I would still reach for this pastry over the one that came in last place by a mile.

I found the strawberry gel in this danish to be a small step down from the raspberry. To be fair, I would have found most other fruits to be a step down from raspberry. The strawberry gel flavor wasn't unpleasant, but was less tart than the former which made it pop less.

In general, I like a cheese danish when it's got the right balance of sweet and savory. The Aldi version of the cheese danish, however, leans a bit too salty for what I was expecting. If it was more of a savory cheese tart I would be totally in. But when I'm hoping for a balance of sweet and savory, and especially when mixing with the strawberry flavor, the cheese part being too savory really throws things off.

The dough in this one was also too dry for my liking, and could have benefited from being warmed for a moment to loosen up some of the butter in it. Or, an additional brush of butter or additional strawberry jam could have helped as well.

The flavors in this danish were honestly pretty good — the raspberry gel was sweet and tart and the base was buttery with a good level of sweetness. What I didn't love was the dryness of the danish's base dough. Instead of having a crispy exterior and the a buttery interior, the whole thing tasted like a dryer version of the mini croissants from earlier and honestly made me want to heat one up with an extra dollop of raspberry jam.

Raspberry is one of my favorite fruits and flavors, so I was excited to try this danish but was ultimately let down by the dry texture of the dough and overall underwhelm. Maybe brushing the top of these in melted butter and popping them in the oven for a few minutes to warm everything up and meld the flavors together would have bumped these up my list, but sadly, that is not how I experienced this baked treat.

These muffins suffered from a lack of nuance. They weren't offensive (if you like bigtime sweetness) and didn't have any notable weird flavors or texture issues that popped out at me. They were just too sweet. The base batter had great texture and was totally moist, but was packed with sugary vanilla flavor that, when combined with the chocolate chips, was a bit much for me to enjoy more than a bite. The bite I had was nice and didn't leave me wanting for a sweet treat, that's for sure. 

The top was glossy, and as always, was my first bite and favorite part by a mile. I was pleased to find that the chocolate chips were semi-sweet instead of regular milk chocolate chips, which helped to cut the sweetness of the batter. Though they were still too sweet for my personal preferences overall, that touch of bitterness certainly helped.

I was excited to try these, only to be let down by the dryness and overall crumbly texture, though there were elements that I liked. I've been going through a peanut butter phase, so seeing that these cookies were made with peanut butter dough and had peanut butter chips in them was exciting. They were also packed with marshmallows, pretzels, coconut, and white confectionary chunks, and I was pleased with the quantity of each.

The peanut butter flavor in the dough was minimal, but that wasn't an issue for me since there were adequate mix-ins with a good variety of flavors. My main issue was with the dryness. With no berries or anything to keep these moist, they really suffered. I should have dipped it in a glass of milk — that certainly would have helped. If not for that, these had decent flavor, if a tad on the bland side, they weren't offensive otherwise.

Overall, this apple cider cake donut was perfectly tasty and had good texture with a nice small crumb. It was sweet, dusted with the perfect amount of cinnamon and sugar, and had me wishing I had brewed myself a cup of coffee or pulled a shot of espresso to enjoy it with. The base wasn't overwhelmingly sweet, and was laced with its own cinnamon flavor, which pulled it together and brought out the fall vibes. I'm generally a fan of cake donuts over old-fashioned, or yeast donuts, so I appreciated the texture and density of the donut as well.

My only qualm here was that instead of having a true apple cider flavor, it was more of a straightforward cinnamon taste. I still totally enjoyed that, but found myself missing the juicy, fresh flavor the apples would have brought, and I realized I was looking forward to trying in donut form.

If your mind is on bakery-fresh traditional French croissants when you try these, you'll be disappointed. They're more like a sweet dinner roll that leans towards the flavor and texture of a croissant without ever quite making it there. The flavor was lightly sweet alongside the buttery savoriness, and there were some identifiable layers after the first bite. But, overall they were lacking that light-as-air crispiness and delicate flavor.

I will say, when I popped these in the oven later, it was a massive improvement and helped bring the croissants back to life after they had been smushed and condensed in the container. But during the taste test, they did not impress. After my first bite, there was also a thin filmy later that reminded me of artificial butter or oils. These might be perfect candidates to use in recipes that call for croissants to hopefully override that unpleasant film. I would still reach for one of these over the lower ranked baked goods because, although it was not a true croissant, the moisture and overall flavor still made it more enjoyable than some of the other options.

This blueberry muffin was moist and had great texture, and was popping with freshness. The crumble on top was sweet and crunchy, making it my favorite part — no surprises there, the sugary crumble is a must-have for me. What was surprising, though, was that the blueberries offered strong, fresh pops of flavor. For a premade, prepackaged blueberry muffin, I was impressed by the quality.

My only complaint was that this muffin was a bit too sweet for me to imagine eating the whole thing for anything but dessert. I'm not usually a fan of a sweet breakfast in general, though, so if that's your jam, this might be right up your alley. When I make blueberry muffins at home, I usually use a crumble with oats as a topping, like you'd use on an apple crisp, which adds a touch of buttery savoriness that these super-sweet muffins could benefit from.

As a major, lifelong fan of traditional oatmeal raisin cookies, these cranberry oat cookies were a delightfully flavorful step up. The oatmeal was soft and had a hint of cinnamon which made the flavor warm and rich even though I ate the cookie straight out of the container. To me, there's no comparison between chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin — they're not playing the same game. But the texture and bright tartness of the cranberries in this recipe is certainly giving the oatmeal raisin a run for its money.

The cranberries were firm and chewy, without any of the graininess and slight resulting crunch you get with raisins, which I was a huge fan of. Moisture was the one element that held these cookies back from being ranked higher on the list. The consistency of the oatmeal did lock in some moisture, but overall it was a bit on the dry side. 

These chocolate mini donuts were just what I was looking for, with a couple of interesting differences from the mini donuts from larger brands like Hostess that I'm more familiar with from childhood. The cake inside the donut was typical yellow cake, and wasn't overly dry or moist — it was pretty standard. The chocolate frosting on the outside was glossy and looked to be the same as usual, but when I bit into the donut, I could tell there was a thin layer of tiny, nearly invisible sugar crystals, which changed things up a bit. I didn't necessarily prefer it, but it wasn't a big deterrent. I've tried this brand in the past and did not notice this sugar, which could be because of ingredient changes or other factors like shipping temperature, so I'm not sure if this will be a regular occurrence.

The other oddity was the weird fatty film that the donut left behind. It was relatively flavorless and faded quickly, but the sensation was distinct while it lingered.

If I hadn't recently turned slightly away from chocolate-packed desserts in favor of more nuanced and fruity flavors, this chocolate crème cake would have been top of the list. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a major chocolate lover, but I've grown to appreciate being able to taste flavors other than chocolate five ways, is all. Despite my palate change, this cake is an undeniable all-star — it tastes like it's fresh from the bakery.

The cake was perfectly moist, and with the smooth drizzle of chocolate syrup on top, it reminded me of a chocolate lava cake. The texture was absolutely the standout feature of this dessert, and the flavor was right there to back it up. The chocolate chips added a nice little pop of almost-crunchy texture that stood out against the decadent base. You might want to keep a glass of milk handy to cut some of that chocolatey sweetness and richness so you can really taste each bite.

As a fan of lemon everything from body scrubs to cocktails, I was perfectly pleased with this sliced lemon loaf cake. My frame of reference is pretty broad for lemon-flavored desserts, and as far as a loaf cake goes, this one was delicious. The texture was light and not as heavy as a pound cake. I find many lemon cakes to have a denser pound-cake texture, and while I totally enjoy that style as well, it was a welcome surprise to try this version and realize it was more like a birthday cake.

The flavor was bright and lemony, with none of that astringent, cleaning-solution taste that artificial lemon flavor brings. As such a lemon fanatic, I was thrilled to see that this cake was naturally flavored. I was also happy with the lack of icing on the cake — it was totally moist and flavorful, with the perfect glossy top, without needing any additions.

I'm so sold on this dessert. I'm an Aldi shopper, and on the occasional week where I feel like getting fancy with it, this is one of my go-tos. Now, compared to an authentic piece of New York cheesecake fresh from the bakery, this is not going to be the big winner, but the rich texture and balanced sweetness made each piece enjoyable.

The four flavors each hit a different mark in the dessert category for me, and though I certainly have my favorite, I can easily enjoy them all. I love a fruity dessert, so the strawberry is almost always the first to go, though I often end up wishing I had saved at least one of the pieces for later. The New York style is classic and light, the turtle slices hit all the flavors of my current favorite summer dessert (turtle sundae), and the triple chocolate flavor is warm and rich — and just perfect for the chilly seasons.

Overall, this sampler is a great choice if you've got different palates in your household, want to share with friends at your next girls' night, or just want to treat yourself to a little something sweet without breaking the bank.

Let me start by saying: I need this recipe, stat. These mini squares are flavor-packed bites of chocolate, coconut, butterscotch, and pecans layered on top of a graham cracker crust, and they are absolutely craveable. Their small size perfectly suits their powerful flavor and robust sweetness — one is enough to be totally satisfying. But if you find yourself reaching for one after the other, I so get it.

The textures of each layer of this dessert bar work together for total mouthfeel harmony. The bottom layer of graham cracker crust is buttery and crispy, with a sweet and smooth middle layer holding a variety of melty and crunchy toppings. Though there are a lot of flavors involved, and I wouldn't personally have thought to combine butterscotch and coconut, they all work together beautifully here. If you've got a get-together coming up and want to wow the dessert lovers in your circle, these are a good bet.

I tried each of these baked goods in a random order to avoid subconsciously trying my favorites first, or doing the opposite and accidentally trying the ones I didn't think I would like first to get them out of the way. So I decided to try them in the order that I took them out of the bags. This kept the flavors varied and fresh, so I didn't get bogged down by too much chocolate or too similar textures.

With baked goods, I care a lot about moisture and texture, so those traits definitely reigned supreme when determining my rankings. I also ranked them by considering which pastry I would reach for first if they were all on a table together, and which ones I would be most disappointed to see were the only ones left.