10 Seasonal Aldi Items That Should Always Be Permanent

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For a no-frills supermarket, Aldi sure knows how to use limited time offers to keep shoppers on their toes. You have to know the Aldi secrets before you go, or risk a milquetoast haul. The famous Aldi Finds aisle is an ever-updating treasure trove. Banners literally reading "here today, gone tomorrow" hang above these aisles, and the store isn't kidding. Knowing where to find the Aldi Finds aisle is a crucial skill to unlocking the best that the supermarket has to offer. What's more, time is of the essence.

Treasures are not solely confined to the Aldi Finds aisle. Not only does Aldi keep whole aisles' worth of rotating specials, but the store even pays attention to seasonal offerings. Every fall, winter, spring, and summer, you'll see new, weather- and vibe-appropriate stock on the shelves. While some of the seasonal products are clearly pegged to holidays — think Santa Claus-shaped fruit snacks or ghost-shaped pizzas — others feel like they could be evergreen. Of course, it's fun to see what new products Aldi has in store for us month after month, but if you ask us, some of those "seasonal" products should be available 365 days a year.

Barissimo, Aldi's coffee brand, is not shy about putting new and creative flavors on the shelves. We don't mean pre-made cappuccinos, either. These are flavored coffee grounds or flavored K-cups, and they jazz up your standard morning java with a hint of something like coconut. Alas, some flavors are hits, and some are misses. We're here to focus on the good. A few are so good, in fact, that they should be made permanent items. They can be coffee pods or beans, we don't care, we just want them on shelves. Three flavors we'd start with are bourbon pecan, mocha mint, chocolate coconut. Sure, maybe pecan is associated with fall, coconut with summer, and mint with spring. These are subtle coffee flavors we're talking about, though. No one's asking to upset the harvest. We just want a tasty treat in the morning. One person on Facebook even used the bourbon pecan coffee to make a latte.

Look, coffee is perfect on its own. The fact that something so delicious and mood-boosting grows from the ground is strong evidence that nature is looking out for us humans. Still, variety is the spice of life. You're probably drinking coffee every day, maybe multiple times a day. Adding a touch of flavor breaks up routine. Barissimo is always tinkering with flavors, and the fact that new flavors come out every season is great. When one of those flavors is a win, though, that flavor should be allowed to stick around like a title belt holder.

This chipotle-infused cheddar cheese is a smoky, slightly spicy, and incredibly vibrant red and yellow delight that Aldi rolls out during summer. This cheese, which comes in a pack of 10 slices, is a great addition to a grilled burger or a quesadilla. Now, while this packs a nice amount of heat, this chipotle cheese is certainly not only for the hotter months of the year. And frankly, one as delicious as this should be enjoyed whenever we see fit.

This particular cheese is arguably irresistible. In fact, one Reddit user said that even though this cheese was hard on their stomach, they were still eager to dig into another package. That's how good the chipotle cheddar is. Alas, this cheese, which boasts a deep smokiness and subtle spice of chipotle peppers, is only around for a limited time. To paraphrase the Spice Girls, we want to spice up our lives all year round.

Summertime is grill time; we're pretty sure that's written in the laws of nature somewhere. Obviously, hot dogs and burgers are cookout staples, but don't sleep on grilled chicken patties. The Kirkwood Mexi Cali style chicken patties at Aldi are wonderful. These frozen patties come loaded with pepper jack cheese, onions, sweet and spicy peppers, and spices. The seasoning and veggies infuse the meat with mild yet flavorful spice. They're perfect on the grill if you need a break from burgers.

It makes sense that these are offered during the summer. That said, do people stop eating chicken sandwiches if the temperature outside dips below 70 degrees? No. Sandwiches are a year-round food — a daily food for some people — and Mexi Cali chicken patties should be on that menu. Sure, these patties are best on the grill, but a cast iron skillet would do the job just fine.

When a good honey barbecue flavor hits, it really hits. Does that statement apply to Clancy's Ridged Honey BBQ? Oh, you bet it does. Aldi has struck gold with these particular snacks, and we want to see burnt orange bags on shelves 13 months out of every year. The ridges provide an extra thickness, meaning these chips hold dip a little better than their smooth counterparts. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the honey barbecue-flavored chips are really great when dipped in barbecue sauce. And if you are into putting chips on a sandwich, whether it be pulled pork or sliced turkey, this particular chip can bring a really nice texture and flavor.

One person on Reddit joked that they were "doomed" because of these chips, noting they were ready to let it become their snack of the summer. Barbecue chips are already a classic for a reason. Adding a touch of honey? That really launches the flavor to new heights. 

On paper, we understand why flavored ketchup is a summer seasonal item. After all, that's usually when people have more outdoor cookouts and whatnot, and you can't go wrong with offering your guests a wide variety of condiments. That said, there is no reason that this spicy ketchup shouldn't be available all year, though. Ketchup is a classic, but does that have to mean that the original flavor has to be the only flavor? There are all sorts of mustards available year round — stone ground, spicy brown, dijon, yellow, and so on — and barbecue sauce has its many regional variations. It's time for ketchup to get a little creative shine.

Some industry reports have found that Gen Z really enjoys sweet and spicy condiments. It is not an unwelcome development. Whataburger introduced a spicy ketchup as a limited time offer in 2011, then started selling the stuff in supermarkets. For comparison's sake, Aldi's jalapeño ketchup is a touch spicier than the Whataburger spicy ketchup, but still not overwhelming. Rather, it strikes just the right balance of flavor and heat.

A fixture in the cheese aisle around St. Patrick's Day, Aldi's Irish cheddar is phenomenal. You might see different specifications and different packaging from year to year, but any Irish cheddar you find on Aldi's shelves is probably good enough to rival Kerrygold. High praise, we know, but we don't choose our words lightly — even if some might say Aldi's Irish cheddar is a Kerrygold copycat. Who cares? This stuff rocks, and we don't want to have to wait until March every year to get our hands on it.

A good aged cheddar is one of those hearty treats that satisfies on a bone-deep level. It's a burly yet sophisticated taste. Slicing it and eating on top of a good piece of bread is ideal, but aged cheddar doesn't have to be confined to the charcuterie board. Topping a burger with aged cheddar is a surefire way to level up your grilling game. One tip: make sure to only lightly melt the cheese, so you can preserve the rich flavor. Make that burger, pour yourself a Guinness, and it's like an Irish pub in your living room.

A mix of tangy pickle and buttery popcorn? What's not to love? If you like dill-flavored snack foods, this one's going to really be a big dill, er, deal for you. As far as culinary experiments go, Clancy's dill pickle popcorn is a smashing success. Whenever this incredibly clutch movie night snack comes back to your friendly neighborhood Aldi, the devoted fans take to Reddit to share their delight. As one Reddit user shared, they could eat an entire bag without batting an eye. Another Redditor quipped that they refused to buy the popcorn when it was in stock because it's too difficult to resist once it's in their pantry. 

We're not sure why dill-flavored popcorn is a seasonal item when it could fit right in with the buttery, kettle, caramel, and cheesy popcorn options no matter the time of year. Frankly, we think it would fly off of the shelves week after week. Dare we this popcorn dill-ivers.

If you want some cinnamon and crunch but aren't in the mood for cereal, you have to try Clancy's cinnamon churros. These aren't the kind of churros you'd get at a carnival or theme park, nor are they the kind churros made from leftover waffles. These are the snacking kind of churros, and they're spectacular. Imagine a giant bag of mini churro twists that you can eat like potato chips. Instead of salt and vinegar crisps, though, you're crunching on fried sticks covered in cinnamon. Or if you want to get a little more sophisticated, you can break a few of these up over vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. Trust us. A potato chip-sized bag of churros is such a brilliant idea, and we're shocked that we haven't seen it before.

One poster on Reddit compared Clancy's cinnamon churros to Taco Bell cinnamon twists, and we have to agree. Taco Bell has more or less had this exact product for decades, meaning there's no reason for Clancy's not to make it all year. If you like cinnamon twists, imagine a chip-sized bag of them. Except you can keep Clancy's churros in your pantry, rather than deal with drive thru traffic whenever the craving strikes.

Berryhill Maple Butter is technically a compound butter, but it might be better to describe it as spreadable maple syrup. Now, you know when you're eating waffles and some of the squares are extra buttery and syrupy? That's what this maple butter concoction is all about. Hey, don't limit yourself to breakfast foods, either. Put this compound butter on chicken sandwiches and see where that takes you. Chicken and waffle sandwiches? What amazing culinary times we live in.

In fairness, we understand why Berryhill maple butter is a seasonal product. Maple is a flavor typically associated with fall — apple picking, brightly colored leaves crunching underfoot, hot cider, and so on. We'll concede that point. Last time we checked, though, it was legal to eat waffles and pancakes all year round. Is hot buttered rum a cocktail exclusive to fall? We don't think so, and we want to try some with Berryhill Maple Butter.

These two flavors of cookies are, admittedly, very summery. If you close your eyes while biting into one, you can convince yourself that you're basking in the salty air at a seaside resort. Glass of champagne in one hand, sea breeze in your hair. No matter where you eat them, both the key lime and lemon flavors of Benton's Cookie Thins are citrusy bites of heaven. One poster on Reddit called the lemon cookies are hard to put down, saying that the four servings in the bag quickly turned into one serving. Another commenter chimed in to say that the key lime was just as good.

If you like an afternoon tea or coffee, one of these is the perfect accompanying snack. Citrus snacks at tea time just feels right. Not only that, but one poster in an Aldi Facebook group mentioned that these flavorful cookies can be compatible with low-carb diets. What more evidence can we present? Let us have lemon and key lime cookie thins all year long, Aldi.