Simply Nature Organic Half and Half

This post contains affiliate links. 

I’ve been looking for ways to reduce ultra-processed foods in my family’s diet. That includes looking for products that contain mostly whole, easily recognizable ingredients, without additives or preservatives that you would never find in a home kitchen.

One standout I’ve recently discovered is the organic half and half at Aldi. It contains just two ingredients: certified organic milk and certified organic cream. Traditionally, half and half is literally made with half milk and half cream, just like this organic option. Hence, the name half and half.

In contrast, regular non-organic half and half at Aldi contains milk, cream and dipotassium phosphate (an emulsifier and preservative).

Non-organic fat-free half and half at Aldi has a longer list of ingredients: skim milk, milk, corn syrup, stabilizer (titanium dioxide [color], sodium citrate, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides [emulsifiers], carrageenan [a thickener, emulsifier, and preservative), and vitamin A palmitate.

I’ve used the regular Aldi half and half for years, but lately I’ve seen Aldi shoppers on social media singing the praises of the organic half and half at Aldi precisely because of its simple ingredients list. When I needed half and half for a soup recipe not long ago, it was an easy decision to try the organic half and half at Aldi, especially because I happened to pick it up on sale, so it only cost 10 cents more than the non-organic option at Aldi.

Simply Nature Organic Half and Half is a Regular Buy, which means you should be able to find it all year at Aldi. It’s stocked in the Regular Buy refrigerated aisle near the other half and half options and other dairy products. It should be kept refrigerated.

This cost $3.69 for a 32-ounce (one-quart) bottle when not on sale, which comes out to around 12 cents per ounce. I was fortunate to buy it on sale for $2.89 at my local store at the time of writing, or about 9 cents per ounce.

For comparison, Friendly Farms brand non-organic half and half in both regular and fat-free varieties cost $2.79 for 32 ounces at my local Aldi at the time of writing. That’s about 9 cents per ounce.

For further comparison, name-brand Horizon Organic Half & Half contains just milk and cream and cost $4.74 for 32 ounces at Walmart at the time of writing, and that comes out to about 15 cents per ounce. Organic Valley Organic Half & Half has just milk and cream and cost $5.14 for 32 ounces at Walmart at the time of writing, or about 16 cents per ounce.

Again, the only ingredients in this Aldi organic half and half are certified organic milk and certified organic cream. Naturally, if you’re looking out for allergens, this contains milk.

It’s Grade A, is USDA certified organic, and is certified organic by Quality Assurance International. It’s also certified kosher, and it is non GMO.

This is sold under the Simply Nature brand, which is not a company. That’s the name Aldi puts on many of its organic products to give them a uniform look, and Aldi sources those products from various suppliers.

The bottle label gave a best-by date of almost six months out from my date of purchase. However, once you open the bottle, it should be consumed within seven days.

One 2-tablespoon serving has 40 calories, 3.5 grams of total fat (4% DV), 2 grams of saturated fat (10% DV), 1 gram of total carbohydrates (0% DV), 1 gram of total sugars, no added sugars, and 1 gram of protein. One serving also has 33 mg of calcium (2% of your daily recommended value).

Where Does Simply Nature Organic Half and Half Come From?

The bottle label states the half and half was processed and filled at the plant stamped on the bottle. Dairy products are often processed locally or regionally, so your results may differ depending on where you live.

I found the plant code, 29-129, near the best-by date on my bottle. When I put that code into the search feature on the website Where Is My Milk From? I got Aurora Organic Dairy in Columbia, Missouri. Aurora Organic Dairy is based in Boulder, Colorado, with farms and plants in Texas, Colorado, and Missouri. When we wrote about Aldi organic grass fed milk a few years ago, it was also sourced through Aurora Organic Dairy.

Aurora Organic Dairy supplies major retailers including Target, Costco, Safeway, and Walmart. In 2012, Aurora Organic Dairy paid to settle a class-action lawsuit related to deceptive practices in its organic milk production. And in 2017, the company was the subject of different investigations about whether it followed organic regulations and standards. We’ll leave it up to shoppers to determine whether that matters to them.

Thoughts:

This half and half works fine for whatever you need it for, whether you’re pouring a splash into your morning coffee (or tea), adding it to a creamy soup recipe, making a pasta sauce with it, or anything else.

My only minor complaint is that because this is sold in a plastic bottle instead of a traditional carton, it doesn’t always pour out as neatly. I like adding a dash of this to Earl Grey tea or other traditional black teas, for instance, and it can dribble a little when I pour it.

Otherwise, though, I like the simple ingredients list, and I’ll be buying this whenever I need half and half from now on.

The Verdict:

Simply Nature Organic Half and Half features just two simple ingredients: organic milk and organic cream. Other half and half options include preservatives, emulsifiers, and other added ingredients. While the supplier hasn’t been without controversy in the past, if you want whole, easily recognizable ingredients in your half and half, this might be worth a look.