'Not Worth It' — Why Aldi Shoppers Aren't Impressed With Its Frozen Loaded Potato Tots

Was there anything better than the perfectly crispy tater tots your lunch lady placed on your cafeteria tray in elementary school? Salty and perfect for dunking in ketchup, there's nothing quite like a good plate of tots (fun fact: tots were actually invented as a way to use up potato scraps). Loaded tots — kind of like a loaded baked potato — take things to the next level, stirring up thoughts of sour cream, bacon, cheese, and chives. So when Season's Choice loaded potato tots returned to the shelves of Aldi's frozen food section, many shoppers were excited to give them a try. Unfortunately, the item has received lackluster reviews.

One of the biggest complaints about Aldi's loaded tots, according to chatter about the item on Reddit, is that the texture isn't really tot-like at all. People who have tried them say they have more of a mashed potato-esque consistency. Others say that they turn out soggy, and that the flavoring isn't really loaded at all — while there's some hint of cheese and bacon flavors, it's nothing to write home about. An important note: If you do decide to give these a try, you might want to load up on more than one box. Shoppers say that the box is pretty oversized, and you only get 12-ish tots per box. A better bet is for you to buy a decently sized box of plain tots (we're partial to the Lamb Weston, which we ranked the best tater tot brand out there) and load them up on your own.

Clearly, Aldi's loaded potato tots are leaving something to be desired. That doesn't mean all hope is lost if you already have them in your freezer, however. Creating actual loaded potato tots (we're talking legit loaded baked potato style) is still possible with a box of these. One way to make the Aldi tots — or any tots for that matter — less soggy is to cook them up extra crispy (an air fryer can make this easier). When you make them golden and crispy, they'll be more likely to stand up to a serious amount of toppings. 

You can also season and load up Aldi's tots further so they have more flavor . Go the simple route with salt and freshly cracked pepper, or kick it up a notch by dusting your tots with ranch seasoning. From there, the world is your oyster. You can add more canned or jarred cheese sauce (we don't judge), make your own from scratch (consider adding a bit of jalapeño juice to your cheese sauce to kick up the heat), or simply top it off with a few handfuls of shredded cheese. Add whatever other toppings you normally like on your baked potatoes, including more bacon, chives, sour cream, green onions, or even chili. It certainly takes some extra work (and cash, and time) to get Aldi's loaded tater tots to live up to their name, but they could still serve as a base for a delicious appetizer (just be sure to get at least two boxes to make sure you can fill up your plate).