10 Little Luxuries (for $5 or Less!) to Pick up at Aldi for Valentine’s Day (2024)

Elevate simple desserts beyond a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream with mascarpone cheese. This cheese is smooth, buttery, and creamy — like cream cheese, but so much more. At a traditional grocery store, expect to pay at least $6 for the same container that you get at Alid for just $3.75.

Wondering how to use mascarpone? Try making homemade tiramisu, stirring it into Greek yogurt and serve with broiled citrus fruits, or swapping for the cream cheese in this cannoli dip recipe. It can also be served in savory dishes like this creamy lemon mascarpone pasta (made with store-bought tortellini) or this one-pot mushroom pesto pasta.

Despite how hard I try (and I do try), one cannot live on chocolate alone. For Valentine’s Day dinner, head to Aldi’s freezer section to pick up a bag of wild-caught Gulf shrimp. At just $4.99 for 12 ounces, this frozen shrimp is a steal and costs so much less than what you’d pay at a restaurant.

At The Kitchn, we have over 70 easy shrimp recipes to choose from, and for Valentine’s Day I’d recommend shrimp Alfredo, 15-minute shrimp scampi, or Parmesan risotto with roasted shrimp.

If you’re a dessert hummus skeptic, I’m right there with you. (Even despite a former editor of The Kitchn’s glowing review of chocolate hummus from both Trader Joe’s and Aldi.) But on a recent visit to Aldi, I ran into a neighbor who insisted I try Aldi’s Park Street Deli Dark Chocolate Dessert Hummus. She loves the mint chocolate flavor, which was out of stock, so I chose the dark chocolate over the vanilla bean variety.

The dip is chocolaty, rich, and fudgy with no bean-y aftertaste. If you’re the person who licks the brownie batter from the bowl, this dip is for you. Kids and adults are sure to love this — especially when it’s served with dippers like pretzels, graham crackers, or fresh strawberries.

As I paused in front of the ice cream, a fellow Aldi shopper began raving about these rose-topped ice cream cones. Obviously I had to take them home. These sweet treats really are as pretty as they appear on the box.

The cones are carefully wrapped to reduce breakage, and the rose petal strawberry ice cream design comes protected under a plastic cap. The strawberry-and-cream ice cream layers are just sweet enough with a very light, whipped cream consistency, and the chocolate cone is the ideal final bite. I’d take a bouquet of these roses over the floral ones any day.

I’ve paid several dollars for a single macaron, so when I saw that Aldi sells a box of 12 for less than $5 I was shocked. These cookies have the shiny top and signature foot that all good macarons do. Every box contains a variety of flavors (and Aldi introduces different flavors throughout the year). Choose from a box with raspberry, vanilla, pistachio, salted caramel, lemon, and chocolate or one with dark, milk, and white chocolate flavors.

What little luxuries are you buying at Aldi for Valentine’s Day? Tell us in the comments below.