L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

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King’s Hawaiian Rolls are the best. You’ve probably enjoyed these sweet rolls as part of a special dinner or as the base to slider sandwiches. King’s Hawaiian got its start in the 1950s when Robert R. Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants, opened Robert’s Bakery in Hilo, Hawaii and began producing round loaves of original Hawaiian sweet bread. The bakery was popular and expanded through the decades. In 1983, Taira created the 12-pack of Original Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls that we know today.

This sweet bread is perfect if you want soft, flavorful rolls to serve for a special dinner. Hawaiian rolls also make a great foundation for slider sandwiches. In my house, Hawaiian rolls are a favorite when they’re stuffed with ham and cheese, topped with seasoned melted butter, and baked in the oven until they’re warm, gooey, and delicious. We’ve been known to enjoy Hawaiian roll sliders as a part of holiday dinners and special occasions, but they’re also good comfort food for a regular weekday meal.

Aldi is well known for imitating name brands, often using very similar-looking packaging. It’s not surprising then that Aldi sells its own take on name-brand King’s Hawaiian Rolls. The Aldi version is sold under the discount grocer’s L’Oven Fresh private label, which includes all kinds of bread products from regular loaves to keto-friendly loaves to hamburger and hot dog buns to English muffins and more.

Regarding Aldi copycat packaging, King’s Hawaiian has actually taken Aldi to court twice for using package designs that too closely resemble King’s own product packaging. The first lawsuit happened in 2015 and involved sweet roll packaging, while the second lawsuit was filed in 2018 regarding sweet Hawaiian bread stuffing.

With all that said, how closely do the Aldi Hawaiian sweet rolls resemble King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls? Let’s take a look.

L'Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls cost $1.69 for a 12-ounce package that contains 12 rolls at the time of publication (about 14 cents per ounce). Meanwhile, a 12-pack of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls cost $3.74 at Walmart at the time of writing (about 31 cents per ounce). Buying a larger 24-pack of rolls at Walmart doesn’t beat the Aldi price either, with a 24-pack of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls going for $6.17 at the time of writing (about 26 cents per ounce).

The nutrition profile for the L’Oven Fresh rolls is close but not exactly the same as King’s Hawaiian Rolls, with the King’s Hawaiian Rolls containing 10 more calories and 20 more grams of sodium per serving.

The ingredients also vary somewhat between the brands, with King’s Hawaiian Rolls listing butter and eggs as ingredients while the L’Oven Fresh rolls do not contain butter or eggs. That means if you have dairy or egg allergies, the L’Oven Fresh rolls might be the better option for you. King’s Hawaiian Rolls also contain soy flour and list soy as an allergen. Aldi L’Oven Fresh rolls contain soybean oil as an ingredient but do not list soy as an allergen.

The only allergen listed on the L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls package is wheat.

The L’Oven Fresh rolls contain 12 single-roll servings per package, and one serving will net you 80 calories, 1.5 grams of total fat (2% DV), 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 60 mg of sodium (3% DV), 15 grams of total carbohydrates (5% DV), and 5 grams of added sugars (10% DV).

L'Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)

The back of the L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls package features quick and easy heating instructions, if you need them. Simply remove the rolls from the package and place them on an ungreased baking pan. Brush the tops with melted butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

So how do these rolls taste compared to the name-brand counterpart? I’ve been serving them for years, and no one has ever been able to tell the difference.

Sometimes the Aldi rolls stick to the cardboard tray on the bottom of the package, so I have to be careful when removing rolls from the package. I can’t confirm, but some people in Aldi social media fan groups have suggested this is because the rolls are often shipped frozen to Aldi stores.

Otherwise, these are great little rolls that are sweet, soft, and good to serve for dinner or to offer with sandwich fillings such as lunchmeat and cheese, pulled pork or shredded beef, tuna or chicken salad, and more. They also freeze (or refreeze?) fine if you don’t plan to eat them right away.

The Verdict:

L’Oven Fresh Hawaiian Sweet Rolls are the Aldi take on name-brand King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Interesting fact: King’s Hawaiian has taken Aldi to court a couple of times over the years for using packaging that too closely imitates the name brand. The Aldi rolls are not exactly the same as King’s Hawaiian in terms of ingredients, but they’re good enough that we can’t tell much of a difference between the brands. If you like Hawaiian rolls, these are a good value and are worth trying.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

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