These Aldi Dye-Free Snacks Are Up to 85% Cheaper Than Other Brands

If you’ve been considering a dye-free diet but are worried about the added cost, listen up. I’ve been hearing about the Aldi dye-free food items for years, but never truly realized how great of a deal they are until I crunched the numbers.

In case you didn’t know, all of Aldi’s store brands went 100% dye-free in 2015, which means you’ll never see synthetic colors (or MSG, or partially hydrogenated oils) in their ingredient lists. And Aldi doesn’t have just one or two store brands that are dye-free. Aldi has literally dozens of store brands that make up more than 90% of the store. So anything you buy that’s an Aldi brand — like Millville, Clancy’s, and Simply Nature — won’t contain artificial food dyes, and they’re all surprisingly good deals.

Let me show you exactly how much you’ll save when you switch to Aldi for dye-free snacks, cereals, and sweets.

For more smart shopping tips and savings hacks, text HACKS to 57299.

What’s the big deal over food dyes, anyway?

According to Healthline.com, there isn’t definitive proof that food dyes pose a risk to the majority of individuals, but some people may experience allergic reactions. Also, children who are prone to hyperactivity could potentially be affected by food additives like dyes and synthetic ingredients.

The food industry uses synthetic dyes to make products more visually appealing. It’s an easy (and cheap) way to make food look tastier. Once you start paying attention to ingredient lists, you’ll see artificial food dyes in all sorts of products — even pickles!

Artificial colors have been a contentious issue for a while, with many shoppers preferring to avoid them entirely

Aldi dye-free food brands use natural juices or spices for added color.

One popular kids’ snack that’s notorious for containing artificial food dyes? Fruit snacks. But Aldi’s brand of fruit snacks, the Lunch Buddies Fruit Flavored Snacks, contain all-natural ingredients like spirulina extract, black carrot juice, turmeric, paprika, and blueberry juice for added color. And their Simply Nature Fruit Strips (pictured above) use carrot and cabbage juice instead of artificial food dyes.

You might be surprised by some of the ingredients on Aldi products once you start looking. For example, the Millville Marshmallows & Stars — their version of Lucky Charms — has added beets for color. Other products use “annatto,” which comes from the tropical achiote tree and has a bright yellowy-orange hue.

Aldi’s dye-free products are up to 85% cheaper than their name-brand counterparts.

While other grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods also have dye-free options throughout the store, let’s be honest — we all know those stores can come hit you with some hefty prices. But Aldi dye-free products don’t have that premium pricing; they’re wayyy cheaper.

Check out some of these savings on dye-free foods at Aldi:

Aldi’s Fruit Rounds cereal is 85% cheaper than Three Wishes Grain-Free Fruity Cereal.

When it comes to breakfast cereal, Aldi’s Millville Fruit Rounds is the way to go if you’re on a budget. You can get a 12.2-oz box for just $1.43, which is 85% cheaper than the dye-free option from Three Wishes Fruity Grain Free Cereal. Millville Fruit Rounds get their coloring from vegetable and fruit juice concentrate, paprika oleoresin, turmeric extract, and beta carotene.

Compare these cereals to the similar (but spendier, and full of food dyes) Kellogg’s Froot Loops.

Aldi’s Millville Toaster Tarts are 71% cheaper than the Nature’s Path brand.

If you’re in the market for dye-free toaster pastries, the Aldi Millville Toaster Tarts are your best bet in terms of value. You can grab a 22-oz box for $1.78, which comes out to only $0.08 per ounce — that’s about 71% cheaper than the dye-free Nature’s Path Organic Toaster Pastries option. The Millville Toaster Tarts ingredient list includes caramel color, black carrot juice concentrate, titanium dioxide, turmeric color, and paprika oleoresin color.

As a point of comparison, the (dye-filled) Pop-Tarts Toaster Pastries offer a larger 27 oz box for $4.98.

Aldi’s Nacho Tortilla Chips are 60% cheaper than Organic Simply Doritos.

If you’re looking for dye-free chips, Clancy’s Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips at Aldi are the most affordable option in terms of cost per ounce. You’ll get an 11-oz bag for $2.29 ($0.21/oz), which makes it 60% cheaper than the dye-free Simply Doritos Organic White Cheddar Tortilla Chips. The Aldi chips get their color using paprika instead of food dyes.

While the regular Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips are cheaper per ounce than the Simply Doritos, they do contain dyes — and the Aldi version is still 55% cheaper.

Aldi’s Marshmallows & Stars is 58% cheaper than Lucky Charms.

For a dye-free alternative to Lucky Charms cereal, Aldi Millville Marshmallows & Stars costs 58% less. You can get an 11.5-oz box of Millville Marshmallows & Stars for just $1.59. Instead of food dyes, they use black carrot juice concentrate, beet extract, spirulina extract, oleoresins turmeric, blueberry juice concentrate, and beta carotene.

Aldi’s Simply Nature Fruit Strips are 54% cheaper than the Amazon equivalent.

As for dye-free fruit strips, the Aldi Simply Nature Fruit Strips are your best bet in terms of value. Priced at just $4.79, you can get a 10.5-oz box, making it an incredible deal at only $0.46/oz. These fruit strips are also non-GMO and naturally flavored, with fruit and vegetable juices like carrot and blueberry used for color.

We were able to find two different dye-free fruit strip options at competitor stores. The Walmart Great Value Fruit Strips are $5.98 for 11.8 oz, making the Aldi version 10% cheaper. The Black Forest Stretch Island Fruit Strips are available on Amazon. While they come in a larger 23.7-oz box priced at $24, the Aldi version still comes out to be 54% cheaper (in cost per ounce).

Aldi’s Cheese Puffs are 49% cheaper than Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs.

For dye-free cheese puffs, Aldi Clancy’s Cheese Curls provide the most affordable choice. They get their orange color from paprika extract. With a price tag of just $2.09, you’ll receive an 8.5-oz bag. That makes them about 49% cheaper than the dye-free option of Simply Cheetos White Cheddar Crunchy Cheese Flavored Snacks.

The Cheetos Crunchy Cheese Flavor contains dyes, and the 8.5-oz bag is priced at $4.38.

Aldi’s Soft Baked Bars are 40% cheaper than the Nature’s Bakery brand.

When it comes to breakfast cereal bars, you can save some bucks with the Millville Fruit & Grain Soft Baked Bars. They come in a 10.4-oz pack priced at just $1.99, which makes them 40% cheaper than the Nature’s Bakery Oatmeal Crumble Bars option. The Aldi bars are colored with turmeric and fruit and vegetable juices.

On the other hand, Nutri-Grain Baked Breakfast Bars cost $5.98 for a box, which makes them about 12% more expensive than the Aldi option. However, these bars do contain food dyes.

Aldi’s Savoritz Mini Cheese Sandwich Crackers are 40% cheaper than Target’s brand.

If you’re on the lookout for dye-free sandwich crackers, the Aldi Savoritz Mini Naturally Flavored Cheese Sandwich Crackers offer the best bang for your buck. For just $3.28, you can grab an 8.8-oz box, making it a steal at only $0.37 per ounce. That makes it 40% cheaper than the dye-free option from Target, the Organic Mini Cheese Sandwich Crackers. The coloring ingredients for the Aldi sandwich crackers include paprika and annatto.

The Aldi version is even cheaper than the leading food-dye version, Ritz Bits Cheese Sandwich Crackers — which cost $3.88 for an 8.8-oz box.