Which Is Better: Eggo Toaster Waffles Or The Aldi Brand?
It's very likely that even as you read this, you currently have a box of Eggo waffles in your freezer, or you probably have at some point in your life. Since their inception in the 1950s as the very first frozen waffle on the market, Eggo has been a beloved household name. Maybe we don't love them quite as much as Eleven on Stranger Things, but we think they're pretty wonderful. Fit for a quick breakfast or a low-maintenance breakfast for dinner, Eggo waffles are a sweet and carby delight that we'll hopefully never grow out of.
But of course, with a product this popular there are bound to be other brands that try to mimic the taste and success of Eggo waffles. And who better to make a store-brand version that gives the name-brand a run for their money than Aldi? Known for exceptionally low grocery prices and store-brand foods that practically taste just like the originals, Aldi has drawn a huge following of loyal customers.
So we purchased a box of Homestyle Eggo frozen waffles and a box of the Aldi brand Breakfast Best homestyle frozen waffles to see how they compare to each other. We evaluated the cost and size of each package, as well as the nutritional value, and of course, the taste to find out which frozen waffle reigns supreme. Read on for our verdict.
How much do they cost?
Both the Eggo and Breakfast Best waffles are sold in boxes designed with lots of yellow and images of maple syrup-smothered waffles topped with melting pats of butter (we're already hungry). Each box contains 10 waffles and claims an identical net weight of 12.3 ounces so it's safe to assume the waffles are the same size. But there's definitely a difference at checkout. Our box of Eggo waffles rang up at $3.89 per box before tax, which we didn't think was an outrageous price. That's roughly 39 cents per waffle which means you can enjoy a quick and satisfying breakfast for about a dollar — not bad.
At Aldi we were shocked to see how low the comparable box of waffles was selling for — a mere $1.35, which is almost one third the price of what a box of Eggo waffles cost us. You could feasibly feed three people for the same price as one breakfast serving out of the Eggo box. This is incredible news for anyone shopping on a budget or feeding a lot of people. With a price so low, we were both impressed and a little skeptical of how the waffles might actually taste. But either way, there's no denying that the Aldi brand frozen waffles absolutely win in the cost competition.
The nutrition comparison
Both of the waffle flavors we're comparing are "homestyle", but there's a noticeable difference in nutritional value. While both boxes specify two waffles as a serving size, the calorie counts are very different. The Eggo waffles clock in at 180 calories per serving, while the Breakfast Best waffles are 210 calories per serving — a full 30 calories more per serving. The culprits of this divide include an extra 2 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein per serving (which isn't all bad). The biggest difference though, is the additional sodium content found in the Aldi brand, measuring 500 mg per serving compared to 350 mg per serving of the Eggo waffles. On the other hand, the Eggo waffles contain 2 more grams of carbohydrates than the Breakfast Best waffles, due to an additional 2 grams of sugar per serving and an almost nonexistent level of fiber.
The ingredients list of both waffle brands looks almost identical, so any differences in nutritional counts are likely due to a different proportion of ingredients in each recipe. If you're looking to cut calories and fat, the Eggo waffles are the way to go, though you'll be adding in a little extra sugar and losing out on a little extra protein. But you'll also benefit from a substantial reduction in sodium compared to the Breakfast Best waffles. Ultimately, the decision is yours to base on your personal nutritional needs, but we're calling the win for the Eggo waffles in this competition.
Which waffle tastes better?
Up until this point, the results of our comparison have been pretty widely varied. The Aldi brand Breakfast Best waffles absolutely blew the Eggo waffles out of the water in the price comparison, but the Eggos struck back with the advantage in the nutritional value comparison. But what we wanted to know the most is how do they taste compared to each other? Straight out of the box, the Breakfast Best waffles look a little denser than their Eggo counterparts, with a slightly thicker grid pattern and an ever-so-subtle darker color. The Eggo waffles seemed a little thinner, but wider and much paler in comparison. So we popped both in the oven to toast up. The Breakfast Best waffles needed less time to cook than the Eggos, which needed an extra minute and didn't get as golden as the Aldi breakfast brand.
Both waffles got a healthy drizzle of maple syrup, and the tasting began. Right off the bat, we noticed that the Aldi brand had a denser texture that was a touch grainy and dry — more like miniature versions of a diner Belgian waffle. The Eggo waffles were more spongy, absorbing the maple syrup quickly, and stayed tender with a hint of crunch the entire time it took for us to eat them (which wasn't long). While the flavor of both of the waffles was equally pleasing, it was the texture of the Eggo waffles that we preferred over the Breakfast Best waffles.
Our final verdict
At first, we were so impressed with the price of the Aldi brand waffles that we almost didn't care about the nutritional values or how they taste. But we're glad we took a look at the other metrics to get a full picture of how each of the brands stacks up against one another. While we like the flavor of the Breakfast Best homestyle waffles from Aldi fine, we aren't especially crazy about the denser consistency. The tender texture of the Eggo waffles combined with the reduced calorie content won us over, making the Eggo waffles our overall winner in this matchup. But we can't fault you if you still want to give the Aldi brand a try. And what's more is that Aldi offers a "Twice as Nice" return policy, where you can get a full refund for the waffles if you don't love them.
At the time of this writing, Aldi only offers frozen waffles in the homestyle flavor, and they're very popular. The first time we went to purchase them, the waffles were entirely sold out. Eggo currently has eleven flavors and specialty shapes listed on their website, although you can occasionally find other flavors and shapes (like Spider-Man waffles) in stores. If you're looking for a waffle that's a little less sweet than Eggo's standard homestyle flavor, consider their Buttermilk waffles for a slightly different breakfast experience.