The Aldi Copycat Dessert That Doesn't Hold A Candle To The Original, According To Customers

Aldi is one of the cheapest grocery stores in the business and that's probably because they rarely ever sell name brand products. Aldi's private label products do a great job at imitating the name brand counterparts. Well, not all of them. We amassed a list of 17 Aldi foods to avoid based on customer reviews, and the Aldi copycat of Rice Krispies Treats doesn't hold a candle to the original product.

We looked at Reddit posts as well as Facebook forums from the Aldi Aisle of Shame to find what it is about the Aldi Millville crispy rice treats that's so abhorrent. Customers didn't hold back, criticizing everything from the taste and texture, to the smell and ingredients list of this Rice Krispies Treats dupe. To begin, one Redditor wrote, "they smell like literal garbage. Like actual trash in the dumpster." So, already we're off to a rough start. Another redditor responded, "they taste as bad as they smell."

One Reddit thread had a picture of the unusually long ingredients list full of artificial additives, gelatin, various oils, and corn syrup. So, the butter and marshmallow combo that usually goes into a rice crispy treat is nowhere to be found. Consequently, many Facebook posters noted a chemical aftertaste and described the texture as rock hard and oily.

On the Facebook forum, an Aldi customer recommends using the microwave to improve the hard texture of the crispy rice treats. She told fellow Facebookers to "pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds" and they'll taste fresher. If you're looking for a better option from Aldi in the crunchy rice snack realm, we ranked the Fit & Active caramel corn rice cake as a favorite cheap and healthy Aldi snack. If you're not willing to give the Aldi brand a second chance, one Redditor swears by the Rice Krispies dupe from Walmart's Great Value brand, and considering how plentiful Walmarts are around the U.S., they're probably even more accessible. 

Aldi customers on Reddit said that unlike the crispy rice treats, Aldi's crispy rice cereal is worth putting in your shopping cart to make a gluten-free homemade version. Then you can use real butter and marshmallows instead of wheat flakes, oil, and the long list of preservatives customers bemoan. We've got plenty of tips to help you make the best Rice Krispies Treats, including pairing it with a salted caramel sauce like we do in this recipe.