7 Aldi Fast Food Dupes That Taste Just Like The Real Thing

There are few feelings stronger than a fast-food craving. You start dreaming of the burger and fries or chicken nuggets, and can already taste the burrito. But fast-food prices are climbing, along with the price of gas, and we can't all afford to run to the drive-thru every time a craving hits. Aldi is catering specifically to this dilemma, and shoppers have found a plethora of reasonably priced items that are near replicas of your favorite fast-food snacks. Some are frozen, some are ready-to-eat, but all of them are better for your wallet.

To get your favorite Taco Bell sweet treat or McDonald's breakfast staple, you need only to browse the aisles of your local Aldi. These products are tried and true, with testimonials that prove they're about as close to fast food as you can get without actually going to the restaurant. Whether you're a fan of the best burger spot or the worst, you deserve to have your craving satisfied, and that can be achieved in just one simple trip to the grocery store.

Plenty of frozen french fries promise fast-food style results but turn out disappointing. They're either soggy with no flavor or turn rock-hard when you cook them. However, Season's Choice Extra Crispy Restaurant Fries have won over plenty of Aldi's shoppers who claim they taste just like McDonald's. The fries are thin and crisp on the outside with a fluffy middle, which is more reminiscent of a drive-thru fry than a thicker steakhouse one. Toss a batch in the air fryer, and you'll have something reminiscent of the Golden Arches from the comfort of your own home. 

People like Season's Choice fries because you can customize how much salt you add. Sometimes restaurant fries are either super salty or bland, forcing you to add your own salt. With frozen fries, though, you get the perfect amount the first time because it's up to your personal preference. You also control the cooking time, so they're as crispy as you like them. If you like to order your McDonald's fries extra crispy, just cook these a bit longer for the same effect. Another perk? Because they aren't cooked in oil, you can skip the rancid fryer oil taste that sometimes accompanies the occasional batch of fast food fries.

Taco Bell's cinnamon twists are one of the most iconic fast-food sweet treats around. After all, who doesn't need a little dessert after housing an entire Crunchwrap Supreme? The snack is based on Mexican duros de harina, made from puffed wheat and coated in cinnamon sugar instead of traditional toppings like hot sauce and lime. But if you don't want to make the trek to Taco Bell, Aldi carries Clancy's Cinnamon Churros, which are a dead ringer for the cinnamon twists. They're light, airy, and dusted with cinnamon sugar, and you may find half the bag gone before you know it. A small pack of cinnamon twists from Taco Bell costs $1.69 on average, but you can pick up an entire bag of Clancy's Churros for just $1.29.

Not only is the value there, but the taste is as well. Aldi customers are in awe of how similar the two products are, with Clancy's being called a Taco Bell dupe time and time again because the desserts are almost identical. This snack is the perfect way to top off a taco night at home, but eat it when you can: while Aldi recurrently stocks the twists, they are not an item that is permanently on shelves.

Chipotle may not come to mind as the most expensive fast-food restaurant, but it's certainly not getting cheaper. People are getting creative and making Chipotle bowls at home, and they're turning to Aldi's Park Street Pork Carnitas to get as close to the real thing as they can. Preparation is as simple as heating the meat in a pot or pan, adding sauces of your choice, then assembling it with rice, beans, or anything else you'd like. And of course, guac doesn't cost extra in your own kitchen.

You can actually recreate the famous burrito bowls with pretty much exclusively Aldi products, and they'll be more cost-effective. Reddit and Facebook users often share their favorite combinations online and praise Aldi ingredients they use. Park Street Pork Carnitas are super versatile, so you can make tacos, burritos, or a good old-fashioned bowl. If the Park Street brand is sold out, have no fear: this must-have meat at Aldi can be slow-roasted to get the same result.

The McDonald's hash brown is a fast food icon, so a grocery-store dupe may seem hard to pull off. But the Aldi community completely agrees that Season's Choice has done it, as its hash browns are perhaps the most-mentioned Aldi fast food dupe. Reddit users say they're just as good as the ones you'll get at McDonald's, and they're as easy to make as throwing them in the air fryer. The hash browns have a salty, crispy exterior and a fluffy, soft center, just like the OG.

Aldi charges only $5.49 for a box of twenty hash browns, so you can save the gas money when that craving for a salty potato snack hits. Enjoy them with your morning eggs, put the patty on a breakfast sandwich, or enjoy them any time of day. There are plenty of frozen shredded potato options in the refrigerated section, but there's only one hash brown that tastes just like the ones you'll find at the beloved fast-food chain.

Frozen chicken nuggets are a dime a dozen at any grocery store, but finding nuggets that can replicate the distinct fast food taste of a Chick-fil-A nugget can seem impossible. They have a combination of seasoned breading and a juicy interior that has made them one of the chain's best-known menu items. Aldi shoppers have repeatedly compared Kirkwood chicken nuggets to Chick-fil-A, with Reddit discussions describing the Aldi version as tasting remarkably similar. For anyone who has a freezer stocked with Aldi staples, that's a pretty compelling comparison.

The chain is famously closed on Sundays, so if you're craving Chick-fil-A on the one day a week you can't have it, Aldi shoppers credit this as the next best thing. Some even go so far as to say they're better than the original. These nuggets are so close to what you'd get at a fast food spot that shoppers are concerned – seriously or not – that Aldi is going to find a lawsuit on its hands with the replica products. Whip up a simple Chick-fil-A sauce at home, and you'll have the full fast-food experience without leaving your place.

The chicken fry was an at-first confusing fast-food invention that now dominates chains such as Burger King for supreme convenience and dipping capability. Unfortunately, you can't run out to the restaurant every time you or someone in your family is craving them. You can, however, purchase a pack of Kirkwood Chicken Fries and have this tasty treat at home.

Kids find them identical in taste and texture, making them a perfect weeknight meal or after-school snack. Having something in your own kitchen that tastes just like Burger King is a big plus for you and for your kids. And of course, you can't beat the price. A Burger King chicken fry meal will cost between $10 and $11, but an entire pack of Aldi chicken fries costs nearly half that. If you're looking to decrease the amount you're going out to eat at fast food spots, having comparable items at home means you'll be able to resist the urge without feeling FOMO.

If you're a Starbucks fan, you've probably seen the brand's bottled iced Frappuccino drinks. These sweet, creamy beverages are made with Starbucks coffee and cost between $3 and $4. Aldi carries Barissimo Bottled Iced Lattes, which taste similar but are priced differently. When you buy the drinks at Aldi, which customers say taste exactly like the bigger brand's, you'll pay less than $2 a piece. If you're a big coffee drinker, the ritual can get expensive fast, so any way to be thriftier about your morning joe can help.

Barissimo bottled iced lattes offer a much simpler way to keep a similar coffeehouse-style drink on hand. You can buy several at once, so you'll be stocked up for the week and still be saving money. Aldi shoppers have compared Barissimo lattes with Starbucks offerings in online discussions, naming them as a great grocery store option for people who want ready-to-drink coffee without going to the coffee shop. You can also toss these in the freezer for the ultimate at-home frozen frappuccino experience. 

As an added bonus, you get a drink that feels a bit indulgent without having to make it yourself. No mixing, stirring, or frothing necessary; just pull one out of the fridge and be on your way. And with flavors like mocha, caramel, and French vanilla, you can keep some variety in your week while knowing the drink is going to be reliable.

To find the Aldi products that make the most convincing fast-food dupes, I looked for items that frequently came up on platforms like Reddit and Facebook and were commonly compared to fast-food counterparts. I also looked for keywords, including well-known fast-food restaurants, to help narrow my search. I looked at product reviews and independent reviewer sites to get the broadest reach I could and considered the products' qualities such as flavor, texture, and preparation to see what made them the closest to the item they were replicating. While these are not exact dupes, they are ones that shoppers found to be the most similar.