13 Baking Ingredients You Should Be Stocking Up On At Aldi

Getting ready to do some baking? Aldi has plenty of budget-friendly basics for your pantry. They don't come in bulk sizes, like you'd find in warehouse stores, but the savings at the German retailer can be significant. For those who do a lot of baking, this can really add up. Just be sure to pay close attention to expiration dates, since old or expired baking ingredients can end up creating a lackluster result.

These baking staples are great buys that are helpful to keep on hand. When stored correctly, they'll keep for months so you can always whip up a sweet treat like bakery-style peanut butter cookies or a breakfast favorite such as buttermilk pancakes. While Aldi carries a few name-brand items, the store brands are just as good or better and available for a fraction of the cost. Many of the baking basics at Aldi are available only in the store brand, Baker's Corner, or the slightly elevated luxury store brand, Specially Selected. Aldi is known for its seasonal and limited offerings, but many of the baking staples are on the shelves year-round.

If you're whipping up baked sweet treats, you'll need plenty of sugar. As a versatile pantry item, sugar is almost essential for modern cooking. You can add it to baked treats like cookies and cakes, but a pinch of sugar also goes a long way when making sauces, soups, and even savory dishes like pot pie. Adding just a hint of sweetness helps balance many other flavors, whether they're spicy, salty, or sour.

This 4-pound bag will keep you covered for multiple baking projects. It doesn't have a resealable top, but that's common in most sugar packages of this size. You can keep the top folded over to prevent the sugar from spilling if tipped. Watch the corners of the bag, since small grains of sugar can escape from even the tiniest rips in the packaging. Aldi doesn't typically stock any specialized sugars from specific regions or finer caster sugar, which does have an easy substitute if you need some. This is a solid all-purpose cane sugar that has many applications in the kitchen, so keep some on your shelf to use in both baking and cooking.

Many baked goods begin with flour, so keeping some on hand is essential. Flour can be used to make breads, cakes, and dough, but it is also a helpful thickening agent for soups, stews, sauces, and gravy.

There are many kinds of flour, including cake flour with less protein for a lighter texture, bread flour with more protein for a stronger result, and a general all-purpose flour. Aldi keeps the all-purpose version on store shelves in a 5-pound bag. This flour is bleached and enriched with nutrients as well as pre-sifted to remove any large clumps. Aldi doesn't share the type of wheat used to make the flour, so if you have something specific in mind, start with one package to see if this will work for you.

Like the sugar, the flour is not resealable but has a thick flap on the top that's easy to fold down, keeping the flour in place. Flour is even finer than sugar, so expect a little bit to escape the corners of the bag and end up on the shelf over time. This budget-friendly product from Aldi is a great choice for those looking to keep things economical.

For your gluten-free baking, try using this almond flour from the Aldi store brand. It's fine ground and works for specialty desserts like macarons. Because it doesn't have gluten, almond flour dough doesn't have the same elasticity as that made with traditional flour. But it's a fantastic ingredient to keep in your pantry so that those with sensitivities can still enjoy a baked treat. 

This flour is made from blanched almonds, which are smoother than regular almonds thanks to the removal of the tougher outer skin. The result is a super smooth and fine flour that maintains the taste of almonds but works in place of traditional wheat-based flour. 

It comes in a 1-pound bag, which is considerably smaller than the 5-pound bag of all-purpose flour on the neighboring shelf. But this specialty flour is sold in smaller packages at most chains other than the largest warehouse stores, so you'd likely have to get multiple bags to stock up no matter where you went.

Did you know that baking is basically a tastier version of chemistry? Baking powder is one of the essential ingredients to trigger the chemical reactions that lead to light, airy desserts. During baking, it releases carbon dioxide gas, which forms as little bubbles or air pockets within the dish. It's a common ingredient in cakes, pancakes, quick breads, and even cookies. Any dessert that is fluffy and light probably requires at least some baking powder in the recipe.

The Baker's Corner baking powder from Aldi is double acting, which means that the critical chemical reaction needed happens twice during the baking process. When you mix the baking powder with the wet ingredients, such as melted butter, oil, eggs, and water, it causes the formation of carbon dioxide gas. This is why tiny bubbles appear in your batter or dough as you mix everything together. The second part occurs in the oven when the dish is exposed to heat. This forms the light and fluffy result that you want.

A little bit goes a long way with baking powder, so you'll likely go months without needing to restock. The Aldi container is just over 8 ounces, but it can last for numerous batches of baking. Stocking up will ensure that you always have baking powder ready to go.

Brown sugar brings extra depth and richness to baked goods. Brown sugar is similar to white sugar, but it has molasses added for extra sweetness. It also slightly changes the consistency of the sugar. Compared to white cane sugar, brown sugar is easier to pack and adds extra moisture to your baking. 

Aldi only carries a light brown sugar, but it is budget-friendly and works great. If you want dark brown sugar, you can mix in some extra molasses yourself. It can be tricky to get just the right ratio, though, and adjusting the sugar requires thorough mixing on your part to ensure that it is consistent throughout. If you want dark brown sugar, it's best to shop at a different store.

The 2-pound package does not have an airtight seal at the top, which means that your sugar might clump and get hard over time. If you use brown sugar often, this is less likely to happen. But if you're only an occasional brown sugar user, the hard clumps might be harder to work with. You can easily soften hard brown sugar by popping it in the microwave for around 20 seconds with a damp paper towel. To reduce hardening, you can store it in an air-tight container.

There are plenty of options for baking morsels, but the semi-sweet variety is definitely worth checking out. It strikes a good balance of sweet and rich. When you include it in recipes like chocolate chip cookies or pancakes, it adds a little bit more depth than if you used a standard milk chocolate version. Of course, you can always mix multiple types of morsels together to incorporate even more flavors.

Aldi's semi-sweet chocolate morsels come in a 12-ounce bag. You can get them in full-size morsels or a mini version. We like to keep both on hand, but if you're just starting out, we'd recommend the standard size since it is so versatile. These are very economical at just over $3 a bag. A name-brand bag of chocolate chips in the same size can run almost $6. 

Once you start to experiment with baking a little bit more, the butterscotch and white chocolate chips are also worth checking out. Baker's Corner also makes a dark chocolate chip, which is similar to the semi-sweet version. Together, these chips bring a lot of flavor and melty goodness to cookies, muffins, cakes, and cupcakes. You can even whip up a decadent batch of pancakes with some or all of the types of morsels.

Want a dessert in a flash? The cake and brownie mixes at Aldi are the perfect answer. We especially enjoy the double chocolate premium brownie mix because it is super rich and has extra chocolate in the recipe. Each box makes a tray of brownies. All you have to do is add water, vegetable oil, and one egg. The brownies take between 39 and 43 minutes to bake, although we recommend taking them out on the earlier side if you like soft, gooey brownies.

This mix is a fast way to delicious, fudgy brownies. You can easily upgrade with add-ins like nuts, dried fruit, or butterscotch, but it has chocolate chips already mixed in for extra decadent flavor. Aldi has a slightly cheaper standard brownie mix packaged under the basic store-brand label, Baker's Corner. But we recommend springing for the premium version for just a little bit more money. Costing about $2, it's still cheaper than any of the other brownie mixes we've seen at other stores. Getting a semi-homemade dessert to share for less than the cost of a single brownie at a bakery is a no-brainer for us.

Whether you need active dry yeast or instant yeast, yeast is the unlikely hero of the baking world. It comes in small packets that often end up at the back of the pantry shelf but are absolutely necessary for many baked goods. Active dry yeast can take a little bit longer to activate, and it's helpful to dissolve it in warm water before adding it to your recipe to make sure that the yeast is still alive and ready to help your dough rise. Fast-rising instant yeast can be used without any prep work, hence its instant name.

These packets are individually sealed, so you only have to use what you need for your recipe. Aldi offers fast rising instant yeast and active dry yeast, but you have to get three connected packets per purchase. Fortunately, they are super budget-friendly at around $1 apiece, so even if you only need one packet, you won't be spending a ton. Both of these yeast types keep in the pantry for up to 2 years, as long as you can find it when you need it. Like most yeast brands, the packets are small, so it can be helpful to store them in a container that won't get smashed.

Along with buying your favorite brownie or cake mix, you can stock up on canned frosting at Aldi. Choose from vanilla, cream cheese, and chocolate, three popular frosting flavors that can be used on cakes or cupcakes. One container works for a two-layer round cake or a larger sheet cake. You can also store leftover opened canisters in the fridge for a few weeks, pulling them out as needed to add a dollop of topping to other desserts. 

The chain doesn't carry as many flavor options as other grocery stores. But these frostings are just as creamy as the name-brand versions, and you can upgrade them with sprinkles or cut fruit. Combined with other baking essentials, like chocolate chips, these can transform into customizable creations. They tend to be thick and rich, so if you want something a bit lighter, fold whipped cream into the frosting in a large bowl. 

Making a pie from scratch is a lot of work, which is why this prepared pie crust from Aldi's Bake House Creations brand is such a game-changer. Each box contains two crusts, which fit a 9-inch round pie. Use one for the base and the other for the top, making sure to cut vents so that the crust doesn't crack. The dough is also easy to cut into strips to transform into a lattice crust. The crusts come folded, so use a little bit of water to reshape them and repair any cracks or fissures that might occur as you unfold them. You can find this pie crust in the refrigerated section of the store rather than with the other baking staples.

Form this crust into full-sized or mini pies. It works for fruit pies as well as other versions like chocolate custard. It holds up well for savory dishes like chicken pot pie as well. You can store it in the fridge or freezer, but make sure to thaw it well before you need to use it.

Want to bring in some extra protein into your diet without turning automatically to meat dishes? Incorporating protein baking mixes is a tasty and easy way to go. Aldi's breakfast brand Millville makes two pancake mixes with added protein, one in a classic buttermilk flavor and the other with added chocolate chips. All you need to add is water, so you don't even need to keep track of extra ingredients in either the fridge or the pantry. To make things even richer, you can swap buttermilk in for the water.

Of course, you can make pancakes out of this protein-rich mix. But the mix also works great for other baked breakfast pastries and desserts. Transform them into muffins, or use the mix in place of flour in your favorite baked goods. It might take some experimentation to get just the right mix-to-flour substitution ratio. But this is a perfect way to incorporate a little bit of extra protein in breakfasts, breads, and even desserts.

Aldi has plenty of chocolate chip options that are economical and work well in basic cookies and desserts as well as in sweet breakfast favorites like pancakes. But for a smoother dark chocolate, upgrade to the premium version from store brand Specially Selected. It's made with 62% cacao for a more intense flavor, but it is still smooth and delicious. The chocolate hails from Belgium, which is known for its creamy and rich chocolate.

These come in chunks that are a bit larger than chips. They provide a more noticeable bit of flavor and texture, especially when incorporated into batter and dough. They will add a nice jolt of bittersweet chocolate in your baking. These aren't the best for eating as a candy snack; they're meant for baking. You can also mix them into ice cream, oatmeal, or yogurt to add some decadent flavor to that dish. Just be ready to bite down hard, since they're solid rather than chewy or soft. When you use them in baking, however, they melt exceptionally well.

Most of our favorite baking essentials at Aldi come from the store's standard or premium brands. But when you see Jiffy cornbread mix on the shelves, it's worth stocking up because it is easy to make, delicious, and budget-friendly. This is one of the most popular boxed corn muffin mixes, and it's offered at Aldi for only about 69 cents while it costs about $1.20 at other stores. It's sold as a muffin mix, but you can use the same box to make traditional loaf cornbread as well. All you need to add is milk and egg. A batch only takes around 20 minutes to bake in the oven.

Cornbread pairs well with chili and stew, but you can also serve these savory and sweet muffins for breakfast or brunch. Make oversized muffins to transform them into edible bowls for chili that will surely impress your guests.