When is German Week at Aldi?

Last Updated on April 30, 2023

EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated in February of 2023. 

Aldi has its origins in Germany. Anna Albrecht started a small grocery store in 1913 in Essen, Germany. In 1946, after World War II, Anna’s sons Theo and Karl took over management of the store. In the early 1960s, the brothers decided to divide the company when they couldn’t agree on whether to sell tobacco products. They created two companies with variations on the name Aldi, which is short for Albrecht Diskont, or Albrecht Discount. Aldi Nord operates out of northern Germany and runs Trader Joe’s stores in the U.S., while Aldi Sud is based out of southern Germany and operates Aldi stores in the U.S.

Given Aldi’s history, it makes sense that we spot German foods or German-inspired foods in Aldi stores from time to time. Some of our favorites include:

• Indulgent cakes
• Potato-based dishes
• Cabbage dishes
• Schnitzel
• Whole grain mustard
• Sweet mustard
• Savory strudel
• Sweet strudel
• Cream cakes
• Jaffa cakes
• Frangipane tarts
• Doppel keks
• Doppelino sandwich biscuits
• German style pickles
• Spaetzle
• Peanut puffs
• Giant soft pretzels
• Schnupfnudeln 
• Potato sticks
• Spritz shortbread cookies
• Red cabbage with apple

Most of the German food at Aldi is sold under the store’s Deutsche Küche private label. This label is only available at Aldi and no where else, so if you can’t find a Deutsche Küche product at your local store, you’re out of luck for the time being, at least until the next German week at Aldi. 

When Does Aldi Sell German Food?

The catch is that these German foods are not in stock at Aldi all the time. This is part of Aldi’s strategy as a small inventory grocer. The store stocks certain staples such as dairy, meat, produce, canned goods, and baking supplies year round. Then, to fill out the store’s inventory, Aldi rotates other products onto its shelves for limited periods. This means you are likely to see Mexican food around Cinco de Mayo, apple cider and pumpkin cake rolls during the fall, and turkeys and hams during the winter holidays.

But what about German food? Is there a certain time of year when Aldi usually sells its German food?

Aldi Usually Sells German Food Twice a Year

We aren’t Aldi, so we can’t make any guarantees and things could change, but in our experience Aldi typically sells its German products during two different times of the year. First in the spring, and later again in the fall.

During the springtime, German foods usually show up in April or May, but the exact date fluctuates. In 2022 and in 2023, it fell on first week of May. Your best bet is to keep an eye on the weekly Aldi ads.

In the fall, German week at Aldi tends to coincide with Oktoberfest, a German celebration that begins in mid to late September. German foods can show up at Aldi any time during the months of September or October. In 2021, it showed up in late September. In the fall of 2022, German week at Aldi starts on either September 18th or September 21st, depending on whether your store puts new specials out on Sundays or Wednesdays.

Aldi does occasionally surprise us by selling a smaller selection of limited-time German foods at different times of the year. For example, we saw doppel keks, spritz cookies, potato sticks, egg spaetzle, and red cabbage with apples at Aldi in mid-February of 2023, so it was like a mini German week. But we never know when Aldi may drop a few German items onto shelves like that. For the most part, we count of seeing a large selection of German items once in the spring and once again in the fall.

Remember that most of the Deutsche Küche products — with the exception of a limited few items such as some canned soups — at Aldi are Aldi Finds, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, those German products are gone until the next German week at Aldi. Also keep in mind that Aldi does not offer online ordering for foods that aren’t currently in stock in your local store.

So if you have a craving for pretzels, schnitzel, or peanut puffs, be sure to stop in at your local Aldi in the spring and in the fall. Stock up so you have plenty of goodies to last you for a few months until German week rolls around again.