The Aldi Danish Customers Are Better Off Skipping

When a Foodie feature writer investigated the best and worst Aldi baked goods, she uncovered a sweet treat that was dry and unpleasant-tasting instead of moist and succulent. The Bake Shop strawberry cheese Danish certainly looks appealing in its plastic clamshell box, with golden, flaky pastry and pretty, piped red strawberry preserves, all criss-crossed with stripes of white icing. Strawberry is our reviewer's favorite flavor, so the initial impression was good. Unfortunately, beauty was only skin-deep when it came to this Danish, which was unimpressive in texture and taste. "The strawberry flavor Danish tasted too fake, and it just didn't go well with the cheese like I hoped it would," she lamented.

In the past, we've advised that you should think twice before purchasing grocery store baked goods, because a dedicated bakery would likely serve you a wider range of items that taste fresher. In the UK, Aldi is test-driving in-store bakeries at some locations, but availability is far from universal. Consequently, many of the treats you see on shelves at Aldi are at least a few days old, and likely packed with preservatives to keep them shelf stable. While some Aldi baked goods can overcome the chain's shortcomings — our reviewer had high praise for some of its cookies — the strawberry cheese Danish is a pass.

"I think these are dry and while I love a lot of Aldi I think the bakery items are a bit blah," one commenter griped on Reddit when opinions were being solicited on the chain's assortment of Danish pastries. "Too dry and not enough crumble topping," another poster agreed. While nobody was claiming that the Danish were the worst thing they'd ever eaten, the product seemed to attract damningly mediocre impressions. "Nothing special. I'd rather spend my calories elsewhere if I'm having a treat," a third Redditor opined. 

However, in the same thread, numerous posters mentioned that all the chain's Danish — cheese, raspberry, and strawberry-cheese — were somewhat improved by a quick visit to the microwave or air fryer. Warming them up seemed to make the pastry softer and more enjoyable to eat, leading a handful of posters to compare them favorably to national brands like Entenmann's.

When it comes to rating any grocery item "best" or "worst," it's important to keep in mind that taste is subjective. Nobody seems to be over the moon about Aldi's strawberry cheese Danish, but, with a little heat, you may find that this isn't, in fact, one of the worst products to buy at Aldi. Still, wouldn't you rather enjoy a pastry that's fabulous, instead of just okay? For our money, we're passing this one by.