Trader Joe's Vs Aldi: Which Is Better For Vegan Grocery Shopping?

Plant-based eating has gotten more and more good press in recent years because of its links to health and sustainability. It's also gotten easier to find dedicated vegan products in grocery stores as many brands are now producing lineups of tasty vegan foods. Knowing which grocery chains are best for vegans is crucial for anyone following a plant-based diet. We've taken a look at two popular national supermarkets to investigate which one is better for vegan grocery shopping: Trader Joe's or Aldi.

We visited our local Trader Joe's and Aldi locations and perused both of their websites in order to evaluate their offerings and make a decision. We looked at a variety of grocery categories. We first checked out meat alternatives and dairy-free products like milk and cheese alternatives. Frozen foods and refrigerated offerings came next, as special vegan products are often found in these sections of the store. Vegans don't only eat alternative meat and dairy, of course, and some vegans don't eat them at all. We made sure to take a look around both stores to evaluate their selection of pantry items, snacks, and important staples like grains, legumes, tofu, and nuts. Finally, we visited the produce section to examine the fresh fruits and vegetables. Besides selection, availability and price informed our choice. Whether you're a seasoned plant-based eater or are just looking to try a few vegan recipes, this guide can help you choose which of these two popular supermarket chains to visit.

Let's start with meat alternatives. Not all vegans eat them, but those who do appreciate a few different options in a grocery store. How do Aldi and Trader Joe's stack up? The only meat alternatives we found in the refrigerated and frozen sections of the Aldi we visited were two varieties of veggie burgers in the freezer. We appreciated this, but we were disappointed that the larger selection of meatless products on Aldi's website were not in this particular store. Besides two veggie burgers, the website lists six products from the brand Earth Grown: two kinds of meatless meatballs, breakfast patties, breakfast links, chickenless patties, and chickenless tenders, but we're not sure what their availability is in individual stores. We scoured the rest of the store and did spot a box of Plant Based Meatless Crumbles made with pea protein in the specialty aisle.

We didn't have to hunt so hard in Trader Joe's. In the refrigerated aisle near the entrance of our local Trader Joe's we found packages of Trader Joe's Impossible Burgers, Beefless Ground Beef, Soy Chorizo, and Vegan Italian Style Sausage-less Sausage as well as vegan pepperoni sold sliced in a bag. In the frozen section we found Trader Joe's Meatless Breakfast Sausage Patties, Impossible Chicken Nuggets, Meatless Meatballs, and Korean Beefless Bulgogi. There were two kinds of veggie burgers in the freezer: Trader Joe's Quinoa Cowboy Veggie Burgers with Black Beans and Roasted Corn and Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Burger with Authentic Indian Spices.

For the general frozen food selection, we focused on any vegan foods that weren't dedicated meat alternatives or special non-dairy products. We checked the ingredients because these items aren't necessarily marked or labeled specifically as vegan. We didn't find vegan pizza in Aldi or Trader Joe's, either in person or online. We found two vegan products in the freezer of our local Aldi: Whole And Simple Tahini And Chickpea Protein Bowl, and two varieties of Season's Choice Veggie Fries: crunch ranch and crunchy black bean.

Frozen vegan products were easier to find in Trader Joe's. We spotted Trader Joe's Vegetable Biryani (the other Indian selections contained dairy), Cauliflower Gnocchi, Penne Arrabbiata, Spanish Style Rice, Vegetable Spring Rolls, Vegetable Pad Thai, Vegetable Fried Rice, Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry, Thai Vegetable Gyoza, Kimbap (Korean vegetable and tofu rice rolls), Crispy Potato and Poblano Pepper Tacos, Falafel, and Trader Joe's Mango Blueberry Chia Bowl made with coconut cream.

Vegans also eat frozen foods that aren't marketed as vegan but are important staples, like frozen fruit and vegetables. Both Aldi and Trader Joe's had a good selection of these. At Aldi, we found four shelves of frozen fruit like berries, mangoes, and mixed blends, and a large selection of basic frozen vegetables, including organic options. Aldi's prices were lower than Trader Joe's, but we noticed the latter offered the options listed above plus products that went beyond the basics such as dark cherries, wild blueberries, both white and fire-roasted corn, and frozen edamame — an underrated vegan superstar.

We found four varieties of hummus (classic, pine nut, spicy, and olive tapenade) among the dips and spreads in the refrigerated section at Aldi. We found more dip options on Aldi's online shopping website, including extra varieties of hummus like roasted red pepper and garlic, and several kinds of guacamole. We were curious about a couple of spreads on the website, such as Park Street Deli Buffalo Style Cauliflower Dip, but Aldi doesn't list ingredients online and we weren't sure if they were vegan. We had to do a separate search to verify and discovered that the cauliflower dip contains Neufchâtel cheese.

The experience at Trader Joe's was easier. We found many vegan options in the refrigerated section, and when shopping online the ingredients are easily found on the product page for verification. This comes in handy for vegan foods not labeled as such, such as Trader Joe's Garlic Spread Dip. Besides the garlic dip, at our local store, we saw Trader Joe's Almond Chipotle Dip as well as four varieties of hummus, vegan tzatziki dip, and guacamole. Vegan pesto made from kale, cashews, and basil was also for sale. We didn't find any vegan pesto at Aldi, including online.

Trader Joe's went beyond spreads by also stocking an abundance of refrigerated vegan soups and salads. These included Trader Joe's Lentil Soup With Ancient Grains, Organic Hearty Minestrone Soup, Vegetable Rolls, Peanut Udon Noodle Salad, Chickpea Kale and Crispy Red Rice Salad With Avocado Herb Vinaigrette, Creamy Hummus and Vegetable Wraps, Balela (a Middle Eastern chickpea salad), and Tabbouli salad.

Pantry items include products sold on the shelves such as soup and dressings. We looked for vegetable bouillon, vegan macaroni and cheese, and vegan mayonnaise, but we didn't find any at either Aldi or Trader Joe's, including on their websites. We were pleased that Aldi had Chef's Cupboard Vegetable Cooking Stock on the shelf (they offer Simply Nature Organic Vegetable Broth online), and Trader Joe's had Organic Hearty Vegetable Broth. We found two Specially Selected brand vegan soups on the shelf at Aldi's: Hearty Vegetable and Southwest Style Tomato and Black Bean, and no additional vegan soups online. Trader Joe's offered Trader Joe's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup and Garden Vegetable Soup.

There were vegan dressing options at both stores. Aldi offers a good selection of dressings both in the store and online, including Little Salad Bar Apple Thyme Vinaigrette, Little Salad Bar Ginger Vinaigrette, Simply Nature Organic Aged Balsamic Dressing, Specially Selected Greek Vinaigrette Dressing, Simply Nature Organic Oil and Vinegar Dressing, and Tuscan Garden Zesty Italian Dressing. As far as a creamy option, we found Simply Nature Organic Poppyseed Dressing online, which is thickened with organic mustard flour and xanthan gum.

It was easy to spot Trader Joe's Vegan Creamy Dill Dressing and Vegan Caesar Dressing because of the vegan label, and we appreciated the creamy options. Other choices include Trader Joe's Thai Style Peanut Dressing, Green Goddess Salad Dressing, and French Vinaigrette with Shallots. What we liked about Trader Joe's is that the selection wasn't mostly vinaigrettes.

We found no dairy-free ice cream, yogurt, or cream cheese at our local Aldi. Countryside Creamery Homestyle Vegetable Oil Spread was in stock. So was a good selection of almond, oat, soy, and coconut non-dairy milks, including chocolate almond milk and organic versions of almond and soy milk.

The main Aldi website features three flavors of Earth Grown non-dairy frozen dessert made with almond milk, but they weren't available on our online shopping page. We did see two non-dairy cheese alternatives online: Vegan Mozzarella Style Shreds and Cheddar Style Shreds from Earth Grown. Aldi has the advantage by selling non-dairy whipped toppings online (both almond and coconut), which we couldn't find at Trader Joe's, but the latter does sell a vegan heavy whipping cream alternative for those who want to make their own.

At Trader Joe's, we saw Trader Joe's Hold the Dairy! mini cones made with coconut milk and we found Trader Joe's Oat Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Sandwiches online. There is also a good range of non-dairy products: yogurt alternative in three flavors made from cashews, a vegan cream cheese alternative, Earth Balance Vegetable Oil Spread, and even overnight oats made with almond milk. We also spotted a cheddar-style sliced cheese alternative, shredded Parmesan and shredded Mexican blend cheese alternatives, and a Babybel plant-based cheese alternative. Finally, Trader Joe's has a good selection of coconut, oat, chocolate oat, almond, rice, cashew, and macadamia nut milk, as well as seasonal options like Trader Joe's Non-Dairy Pumpkin Oat Beverage.

Vegans eat many staple foods that are naturally vegan and have no need for special labels, such as rice and beans. Our local Aldi had a good amount of these staples. They sold oats, several varieties of rice and pasta, and quinoa. The cereal aisle had plenty of vegan cereal and granola options. We counted four varieties of dried beans and a 16-bean soup mix. They also had a decent selection of canned beans and vegetables. The same can be said for their nut, dried fruit, and trail mix offerings, which covered the basics, as well as a few specialty varieties such as Southern Grove Salt & Pepper, Everything Bagel, and Dill Pickle Cashews. Unfortunately, we didn't find tofu in the store. Earth Grown Firm or Extra Firm Organic Tofu is available for online shopping, but the description notes it may not be available in all stores.

Trader Joe's has a good grain, cereal, and canned bean selection but doesn't appear to sell dried beans or canned vegetables. We found a selection of nuts and dried fruit that covered the basics and special varieties, but the selection was larger than Aldi's and there were more unique offerings. Nuts included Trader Joe's Garlic And Onion Pistachios, Sesame Honey Cashews, and Garlic & Black Pepper Almonds. Their dried fruit shelf included coconut strips, coconut chips, baby pineapple, Ataulfo mangoes, orange slices, and sweet apple slices from New Zealand. We were pleased to also find tempeh and two kinds of tofu in the store.

We found many vegan options in Aldi's snack aisles, including vegan pretzels, chips, and popcorn options. Many fruit snacks are made with gelatin, but Aldi stocked Simply Nature Fruit Strips, which are vegan. We read the ingredient lists on a few boxes of granola bars before we found a vegan option: Elevation Kids Chocolate Brownie Baked Oat Bar. Vegan cookies on the shelves at Aldi included Simply Nature Double Chocolate Coconut Cashew Crisps, animal crackers, graham crackers, Benton's Fig Bars, Oreos, and Benton's striped fudge cookies. They also had a selection of seven vegan Moser Roth dark chocolate bars.

Snacks at Trader Joe's included not just vegan chips, popcorn, and pretzels but Trader Joe's Papadums Lentil and Chickpea Crisps and Trader Joe's Inner Peas, a crunchy baked green pea snack. Vegan cookies on Trader Joe's shelves included Trader Joe's Fig Cookies, Soft-Baked Sunflower Butter Cookies With Roasted Sunflower Seeds, Soft-baked Snickerdoodles, Organic Animal Crackers, And Joe-Joe's Chocolate Vanilla Creme Sandwich Cookies. We easily found two vegan granola bars: Trader Joe's ABC Bars and Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bites.

Most of the dark chocolate snacks at Trader Joe's contained milk, but we found a vegan option: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups. We also spotted three kinds of vegan dark chocolate bars: Belgian dark, dark chocolate with almonds, and a dark coffee-flavored bar. Most appreciated was a milk chocolate alternative, since most vegan chocolate is dark. Trader Joe's Oat Chocolate bars are available in a plain version and with crispy rice and cocoa nibs.

The Aldi we visited had a good selection of more affordable produce. We saw lettuce and salad kits, potatoes, onions, garlic, apples, oranges, lemons, and bananas, as well as portabella mushroom caps, plantains, mango, kiwi, pineapple, berries, grapes, and assorted packages of fresh herbs. Most of the produce was sold in bags, so it wasn't always possible to buy just one piece of something.

Trader Joe's has a large produce section with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, both loose and packaged. Packaged produce includes salad kits and leafy greens like romaine, butter lettuce, arugula, and kale. The produce at Trader Joe's has a reputation for being expensive, and it often is priced higher than some other supermarkets. However, their bagged produce is more affordable. For example, a single Honeycrisp apple at our local Trader Joe's costs almost the same as a pound of the same kind of apples sold in a bag at Aldi. But a three-pound bag of Cara Cara oranges broke down to $1.33 a pound and a two-pound bag of blood oranges cost $1.50 a pound. Murasaki sweet potatoes cost $1.29 each, but a three-pound bag of the same potatoes cost $4.99, or about $1.66 a pound.

Unlike Aldi, Trader Joe's sells less commonly found produce items, but the trade-off is the price. For example, pineberries (described on the card as "white strawberries with a pineapple-y taste!") are a unique find with a price tag of $5.99 for a 10-ounce package.

After visiting our local Aldi and Trader Joe's and checking out the offerings on both store's websites, we have to say that Trader Joe's does vegan groceries better. First of all, it was much easier to find vegan products there. We had to look much harder at Aldi. At our local Aldi, we found plant-based milk and butter, as well as a few dedicated vegan products. 

There were more vegan foods on Aldi's website, including meat alternatives and non-dairy dairy. However, it's not guaranteed they will be in stock in stores, and not everyone likes to shop online. Aldi's website also doesn't list product ingredients, so we had to spend time looking each product up on other websites to verify if they were vegan. Our experience with the Trader Joe's website showed a more closely matched selection to what we found in the store, and the ingredients of each product were clearly listed.

Both Aldi and Trader Joe's offered staples such as fresh and frozen produce, grains, beans, and nuts. However, Trader Joe's had more variety and unique offerings. Aldi offered an occasional product not found at Trader Joe's, like vegan whipped topping, but not often. We realized from the very first aisle we visited that it was easier to find vegan products at Trader Joe's. We still like Aldi and will shop there for basics and low prices, but in terms of variety, labeling, special finds, and sheer number of available vegan products, Trader Joe's does it better.