These Aldi Dupes Are Better (And Cheaper) Than Name Brands

A dupe is a store-brand or off-brand product that's meant to closely resemble a name-brand option. You'll find a small selection of these in every grocery store, spread out among the various aisles. However, Aldi's store model revolves almost exclusively around dupes, which is one of the reasons it's able to offer such cheap prices on its products, with many Aldi dupes being better (and cheaper) than the name-brand products they mimic.

Of course, not all of Aldi's dupes are superior, so it helps to know which ones are worth the cost savings. After all, no amount of money saved is worth it if the product you substituted with isn't even palatable. Thankfully for you, I've done a lot of shopping at Aldi and know which of these copycat products are worth your time. So, without further ado, here are ten Aldi dupes that are better and cheaper than the brand names they're copying.

Finding Benton's Animal Crackers has saved me a fortune over time. These cute little cookies are a mainstay in my home, but at my local ShopRite in Vineland, New Jersey, an 8-oz bag of the original Barnum's Animal Crackers costs me $4.07 — and those costs add up quickly over time. Thankfully, Benton's Animal Crackers are only $1.99 for a 13-oz box. That $2.08 per container works out at around 35 cents per ounce.

Aldi's dupe comes in cute animal shapes like giraffes, zebras, lions, bears, and elephants, which makes them fun for the kids to eat (and play with, obviously). The quality is exactly the same as the name brand, and you'd be hard-pressed to tell which was which in a blind taste test. I personally like Benton's Animal Crackers a little more because they have slightly more defined sweet and buttery notes. With significant cost savings and a mildly better flavor profile, swapping these out for the original is a no-brainer.

Looking for a cheaper swap for one of your favorite healthy snacks? Look no further than Clancy's White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, which is a copycat of Smartfood's White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn. The cost savings here are significant once again, with Smartfood costing $5.89 in New Jersey, whereas I can get a bag of Clancy's for only $1.99 at my local Aldi. That's a cost saving of $3.90 per bag — and when your family goes through two of these a week, like mine does, that money adds up really quickly.

When tasting these two products side by side, Clancy's appears to have a little more cheesy powder than Smartfood, which makes it a more flavorful product. And I'm not alone here, either. One Reddit user mentioned, "I don't know what they changed, but [Clancy's White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn] is now better than Smartfoods White Cheddar Popcorn." People took to the comments to enthusiastically agree. When I can get a better bag of popcorn that's just as healthy and save almost $10 a week on two bags, there's no question I'll go that route. I'm sure you'll decide to permanently swap out your standard for this dupe, too, just as soon as you taste it.

My partner puts hot sauce on everything — and I do mean everything, from classic beef meatloaf to baked macaroni and cheese. This means we go through quite a bit of it, and since Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce is one of his favorites, I was ecstatic to find a cheaper alternative at Aldi.

Although some people may prefer to avoid many of Aldi's condiments, Burman's Hot Sauce should be a definite exception. In fact, this is an identical copycat of Frank's RedHot, and my partner couldn't tell the difference when I swapped the two out. They even look similar. However, while a small bottle of Frank's RedHot Original Hot Sauce costs $5.32, a similarly sized bottle of Burman's Hot Sauce only costs $1.78 — that's cheaper by $3.54 a bottle. When you can get the exact same product for several dollars less, there's no question about making the swap to the Aldi dupe.

Love the sweet, buttery deliciousness of King's Hawaiian Rolls? Then you'll love L'oven Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, which are a perfect copycat of the name brand and taste exactly the same (or maybe even better). But, as you likely already guessed, the Aldi brand is significantly cheaper. Locally, the King's Hawaiian Rolls cost me $5.32 for a dozen. On the other hand, the L'oven brand option only costs $2.39, which is $2.93 cheaper. Stacking these dupe cost savings with others on this list can amount to a big reduction in your total grocery bill each week.

I really like using these L'oven Hawaiian Sweet Rolls to make ham and pineapple sandwiches since they're a perfect pairing for a sweet and savory flavor profile. They're also really good on their own as a snack, or as a side for any regular meal. Trust me, don't sleep on these — grab yourself a bag and see what the fuss is about.

Cereal is a mainstay in my house, as I'm sure it is in many others. After all, it's a quick and easy way to get breakfast on the table for those hectic mornings where everyone has somewhere to be. Unfortunately, the price of cereal has continued to rise alongside other grocery prices, so it's not quite as cheap as it once was — unless you shop at Aldi, of course.

There are several cereal dupes available at Aldi, but my household's personal favorite is Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares, which is a copycat of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. However, where Cinnamon Toast Crunch costs $7.25 at my local ShopRite, the Millville brand option is only $2.99, saving an incredible $4.26 per box! Plus, I like the Millville Cinnamon Crunch Squares better. 

To me, they seem to have a little more cinnamon than the name brand they're imitating, which creates a more flavorful cereal. They also seem to retain their crunch in milk a little longer, which is a boon to those who (like me) don't like soggy cereal. Grab yourself a box on your next Aldi trip, and you'll see what I mean.

Here we have a dupe of the classic snack item Goldfish, except much cuter, in my opinion. My children love the shapes of the Savoritz Turtles Baked Cheddar Snack Crackers even more than they do the fish shapes of the item it's imitating. Even better is that the Savoritz option is massively cheaper. At my local ShopRite, Goldfish cost $4.19 for a 6-oz bag, whereas the Savoritz Turtles cost $3.99 for a 19-oz box. Per container, that only saves 20 cents, but when you look at the price per ounce, you're saving an incredible 48 cents per ounce!

The Turtles are better than the Goldfish, in my humble opinion, and it goes beyond the adorable shape. The copycat version smells and tastes more like real Cheddar cheese, with a crisper crunch. Skip the expensive Goldfish and dive into a bag of Savoritz Turtles instead — you (and your kids) will undoubtedly prefer them.

Getting your daily fiber doesn't have to mean spending a fortune anymore, because Aldi has a dupe of Fiber One 70 Calories bars. The Millville Fiber NOW bars are also packed full of fiber and contain only 70 calories each, making them a smart choice for those looking to be more health-conscious. Even better is the price tag. While the Fiber One bars cost $5.56 for six brownies, the Millville Fiber NOW option only costs $2.59 for the same amount. That's a difference of $2.97 a box.

The only downside to this dupe is that there are fewer flavor options available in the Millville Fiber NOW bars versus the name-brand option. However, you can still choose between chocolate fudge, lemon, and cinnamon coffee cake at select Aldi locations — plus, there may be other flavors available at different times of the year or at different stores. I'm particularly fond of the chocolate fudge brownies myself, but the others are also good.

If you're short on time and want a hot breakfast, Jimmy Dean Breakfast Croissants have probably come to the rescue from time to time. They're conveniently portable, quick cooking options that pack a lot of protein and carbohydrate to start your day off. Unfortunately, that convenience has always come with a high price tag ... until now, that is. Aldi has an identical copycat of these breakfast sandwiches under the label Breakfast Best, which makes plenty of fantastic frozen breakfast options. Where a four-pack of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Croissants costs $9.07, the same sized box of Breakfast Best costs only $4.99, saving you $4.08 per box.

Personally, I also like the Breakfast Best Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Croissant better. The croissant is more buttery and flaky, while the sausage tastes higher quality. The whole thing also cooks really nicely according to the package's instructions, which is an issue I've run into with Jimmy Dean more than once. Keep a box or two of these in your freezer for busy mornings or quick snacks, and save a ton while doing so.

Here's another Breakfast Best product that can help you save big on breakfast. These Breakfast Best Heat and Serve Original Sausage Links are a dupe of Banquet Brown 'N Serve Sausage Links, and they taste identical, if not a little bit better. However, the Banquet Sausages cost me $2.26 locally, whereas the Breakfast Best Sausages only cost $1.59, saving 67 cents per package. If you buy several at a time, like I do, that can add up to quite a few dollars pretty quickly.

My favorite part about these Breakfast Best Sausages is that they can be microwaved. I like to throw these in the microwave and put some toast in my toaster while I quickly cook up some eggs. It saves a lot of time to have so many things going at once. Oh, and if you layer some Happy Farms Original Spreadable Cheese on a piece of your favorite toast and add these sausages, you get an absolutely mouthwatering breakfast sandwich. Speaking of which ...

The Happy Farms Spreadable Cheese at Aldi is a dupe of Laughing Cow Spreadable Cheese, and it's not only more affordable but also more tasty. I find the Happy Farms version to be a little creamier, with a more robust flavor profile. Even better when it's only $1.99 while the name-brand option is $4.98 at my local ShopRite. That means I'm paying $2.99 less per package!

Besides how delicious this cheese is, my favorite part is just how versatile it is. You can grab a little triangle of individually wrapped cheese to eat on its own when you're feeling snackish, or layer it on some toast, make a sandwich with it, or even add it to your scrambled eggs for an upgraded creamy flavor profile. The possibilities are truly endless when it's so affordable to keep this stocked in your fridge. Once you taste it for yourself, you'll see what I mean.