Which Is Better: Oreos Or The Aldi Brand?
We assume that everyone is familiar with Oreo cookies. The classic chocolate cookies sandwiched with a cream filling are sold in over 100 countries, according to Mondelez International, Nabisco's parent company. But in the 109 years that Oreo has been in production, there have been countless copycats. There's a good chance that if you've had Oreos, you've also probably had a knock-off brand, with varying degrees of satisfaction. Oreos continue to be the highlight of packed lunches, late night kitchen raids, and comforting snacks, even with fierce competition.
Aldi grocery store is known for selling high-quality foods that rival name brand foods, all at a fraction of the cost. If you've ever been to an Aldi, you've seen first-hand how the company cuts down on prices, from laying out the store similarly to wholesale retailers like Costco and Ikea, to expedited check-out lines where you bag your own groceries. The stores might not be as attractive as the high-end big box grocery stores, but it's hard to care what it looks like when you see the savings on your receipt.
With that in mind, we were curious how the Aldi brand chocolate sandwich cookies, produced under the Benton's label, would compare to our beloved Oreo cookies. So we picked up a package of each to compare. We've taken a close look at the cost, package size, nutrition information, general taste — and of course, a milk dunk test. Which cookie comes out on top? Read on to find out!
Cost and size comparison
A classic pack of Oreos cost us $4.99 before tax. The basic package of Oreos comes in a 14.3-ounce container. Benton's Original Chocolate Sandwich Cookies cost us just $2.25, not including tax. The cookies from Aldi are also portioned into a 14.3-ounce package, with nearly identical wrapping in both design and functionality. Both packages are blue with an enlarged sandwich cookie pictured, at the same angle. Both include a pull-tab package opening that reseals to keep the cookies as fresh as possible.
If your household goes through a good amount of cookies, you're going to save a good deal of money going with the Benton's branded cookies from Aldi. For the cost of one package of Oreos, you can pick up two packages from Aldi. While Benton's makes several other flavors, it appears that this is the only size the cookies are sold in. On the other hand, Oreos are sold in a wide variety of flavors, and are available in a larger 19.1-ounce "Family Size", usually for only about a dollar more. Even at the larger size, the Aldi cookies are still a better deal. So if you're looking for the best value for your money, Benton's Original cookies win, hands-down. Of course, prices may vary depending on where you buy your cookies and occasional promotions, but these prices are about par for the course.
Nutrition comparison
The serving size for both the Oreos and Benton's cookies is three cookies, or 34 grams. Both are identical in calories, clocking in at 160 calories per serving. From there, the rest of the nutritional metrics vary in ever-so-slight ways, likely due to the minuscule differences in recipes. The Oreos contain 7 grams of fat, 135mg of sodium, and 25 grams of carbohydrates, along with 1 gram of protein, and 1.4mg of iron. The Benton's cookies contain 6 grams of fat, 140mg of sodium, and 24 grams of carbohydrates, along with 2 grams of protein and 1.8mg of iron. Now, we know that it's next to impossible to eat only three Oreos, so we understand the value of looking at these numbers multiplied by two or three (without judgment). While the numbers are nearly the same on a small scale, the Benton's cookies are made with less fat, fewer carbs, and more protein and iron than the Oreos.
Next, we turned our attention to the actual ingredients list to see if there were any differences there. Unsurprisingly, the ingredient list is also identical. While that gave us more reason to believe the cookies would also probably taste similarly, it made it more difficult to decide which cookie brand was nutritionally superior. But the Benton's cookies from Aldi manage to pull ahead by the slightest of margins because we can't help but be attracted to the idea of doubling our protein intake, even at such a small scale.
Taste comparison
The first test we performed was highly scientific. One tester closed their eyes, while the other tester handed them an unknown cookie. After tasting both cookies, the tester tried to identify the differences, if any, and guess which cookie was which. It might not have been complicated, but this test proved to be extremely important in helping to decide which cookie won the taste comparison. The cookies have identical textures, which didn't give our tasters any help deciphering which brand was which. But one cookie had a slightly deeper chocolate flavor than the other cookie. Once we opened our eyes and realized the slightly more flavorful cookie was the Aldi brand cookie, we were stunned. Just to make sure we were really tasting what we thought we were tasting, we ate several more of each cookie... for science.
Next, we poured a few glasses of milk for the dunk test. We submerged each cookie into a glass of milk for four seconds, which in our incredibly biased opinion is the perfect amount of time to dunk an Oreo cookie. It turns out that both cookie brands absorb the perfect amount of milk for a slightly mushy, mildly crunchy treat. But be warned, if you leave either cookie in a glass of milk for more than a minute, it will completely fall apart, leaving you with cookies and cream milk. Once again, the cookies were nearly indistinguishable, but the ever so slight chocolatey boost gave the Benton's cookies a leg-up.
The winning cookie
The nostalgia of a name-brand snack is something to be reckoned with, and can lead people to choose the same brand time and time again — even if another brand comes along that offers a better product than the name brand. When it comes to the flavor of Oreos and Benton's cookies, we think that the majority of people are going to be completely happy with either cookie. For those with a particular affinity for rich chocolate, the Benton's cookies will be very appealing, but in truth, unless you're tasting both brands back to back, you probably won't notice much of a difference. Nutritionally speaking, the cookie brands are practically interchangeable unless you're eating several packages of cookies at the same time — in which case the additional protein and iron found in the Benton's cookies will give you a very slight edge.
What really sets the brands apart is the bottom line. The cookies from Aldi are less than half the price of the name brand Oreo sandwich cookies. For people who pack lunches with Oreos daily, make desserts regularly with chocolate sandwich cookies, or are loading up to feed a lot of people, you're going to save a good amount of money purchasing the Benton's cookies from Aldi. As attached as we are to the original Oreos, we can't deny how great of a value we get from the Aldi brand cookie — which is the cookie we're naming as our winner. And if you're a Double Stuf Oreo fan, Aldi has an alternate for those too, with their double-filled chocolate sandwich cookies.