Photo via Aldi US.
Aldi has published its Thanksgiving Guide for 2020. Whether you are fortunate enough to find a physical copy in a store, or if you simply parse through the guide on Aldi’s website, this magazine-style publication is a must-see if you’re an Aldi fan looking to craft a fantastic Thanksgiving celebration this year.
The Aldi Thanksgiving Guide 2020 features 20 pages of Thanksgiving food, drinks, and recipes all photographed in a visually pleasing way. Similar to Aldi’s Autumn Guide for 2020 that was published earlier this fall, it’s a delight to page through this Thanksgiving guide to get inspiration or simply marvel at all the fantastic Aldi Finds.
Most of the items in the Aldi Thanksgiving catalog are Seasonal Favorites that are in stores only for a few months during the holidays, and some are Aldi Finds, which are in stores for a shorter time. A few items in the guide such as cooking spray, milk, eggs, and whipped topping are Regular Buys that are in stores year round. Keep an eye on the weekly Aldi ad to know when certain special products will hit store shelves.
The following are some of our favorite items in the Thanksgiving Guide, along with links to our reviews.
Side Dishes:
- Chef’s Cupboard French Fried Onions — It’s not Thanksgiving without green bean casserole, and Aldi sells everything you need to make it, from the canned green beans and cream of mushroom soup to the French fried onions. We think these are a pretty good imitation of name brand French’s.
- Specially Selected Gourmet Macaroni and Cheese — Available in several varieties, but we’re partial to the pesto flavor.
- Sweet Harvest Cranberry Sauce — Aldi sells a whole berry canned cranberry sauce and also a jellied cranberry sauce, and in our family it wouldn’t be the holidays without jellied cranberry sauce.
- Appleton Farms Pork Sausage Roll — Great for adding to homemade stuffing on Thanksgiving Day, but our personal favorite is using it to make homemade sausage gravy to serve atop biscuits for breakfast or brunch.
- Chef’s Cupboard Stuffing Mix — Available in many varieties. Some of our favorites include traditional chicken or cornbread, sourdough, and Hawaiian. Last year, Aldi even sold a riced cauliflower stuffing for a short time, but we don’t yet know if Aldi will bring that variety back this year.
- Crescent Rolls — Aldi is selling name-brand Pillsbury rolls for the holidays, but we find their store-brand Bake House Crescent Rolls are as good as any pricier brand.
- Appleton Farms Premium Sliced Bacon — Great for using in a stuffing recipe, serving with green beans, or in other Thanksgiving side dishes.
Entrees:
- Bone-In Turkey Breast — This is a nice way to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner without having to fuss with cooking a giant bird. It still serves quite a few people. Plus, you still end up with a partial turkey carcass with bones if you want to make stock later.
- Fremont Fish Market Snow Crab Legs — We’ve found Aldi crab legs to be competitively priced, and they taste as good as crab legs we’ve purchased from other grocers. Our family often prefers seafood over traditional turkey for the holidays, and Aldi does not disappoint.
- Never Any! Fresh Lamb Loin Chops — Aldi recently switched from selling Thomas Farms lamb loin chops to its own private Never Any! label. These chops usually come from Australia and are fantastic grilled with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
- Kirkwood Whole Duck with Orange Sauce — In recent years, Aldi has moved from selling name-brand Maple Leaf Farms duck to its house poultry brand, Kirkwood. It’s usually pretty tasty, but if you’re feeding a crowd keep in mind it’s smaller than a turkey.
Drinks:
- Summit Ginger Beer — A favorite among many Aldi fans. But beware: it doesn’t actually contain ginger.
- Nature’s Nectar Apple Cider — A classic fall drink at a bargain price.
Baking Essentials:
- Baker’s Corner 100% Pure Canned Pumpkin — This versatile little can is the base for everything from pumpkin pie to pumpkin bread or muffins, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pudding, or whatever your heart desires. The can includes a recipe for pumpkin pie using all Aldi ingredients, and we’ve made it several times and can attest to its goodness. Don’t forget to pick up some whipped topping.
- Goldhen Cage Free Large Eggs — Aldi sells a variety of eggs year round, from conventional eggs to organic to free range to cage free. Be aware that cage free chickens usually still live inside large barns and not outdoors.
- Carlini Cooking Spray — This cooking spray is sold year round at Aldi. Perfect for keeping your food from sticking.
- Friendly Farms Whole Milk — Another Regular Buy that is available all year at Aldi, this is a staple in our family’s refrigerator.
Desserts:
- Friendly Farms Whipped Topping — Because it wouldn’t be the holidays without whipped cream in a can to spray on top of your pie. This is a Regular Buy that’s on Aldi shelves year round. If you want to up your dessert game, Aldi also sells maple- and pumpkin-flavored whipped toppings that are Seasonal Favorites only in stores during the holidays.
