UPDATE: As of May 2015, Aldi has added several new items to the liveGfree line, including: cheesecake, chicken nuggets, tamale bites, waffles, angel food cake mix, muffin mix, spaghetti meals, penne meals, multi-serving ravioli, cereal, quinoa pasta, and several kinds of crackers. All are gluten-free!
Aldi liveGfree: Budget-Friendly and Gluten-Free
If you’ve eaten gluten-free for long, you know how expensive gluten-free products can be. Of course, naturally gluten-free foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, and proteins cost the same whether you eat gluten or not. Gluten-free convenience foods, prepared foods, and baked goods, however, can cost twice as much as gluten-ful products, according to Alice Bast, Founder of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.
The price point is one reason that Aldi liveGfree, a new line from the budget shopper’s dream supermarket, is very welcome. Also exciting is that all products in this line are certified gluten-free by the NSF. The liveGfree line is extensive and includes pizza, pasta, pancakes, baking mixes, granola, and wraps. And most importantly, almost everything I’ve tried is really tasty!
Aldi liveGfree Pancakes
Aldi’s gluten-free pancakes can be found both with and without blueberries (when in doubt, opt for with!), and both cost $2.69 for a frozen pancakes. Like most frozen pancakes, these are on the small side. The good news? They are packaged in threes, which is one convenient serving size. The better news? A short stack is ready to eat after one minute in the microwave. The pancakes’ texture is nice and fluffy, with no graininess, and they are great topped with butter and syrup. The only thing missing here is extra blueberries!
Aldi liveGfree Ravioli
Saucy and cheesy, the gluten-free ravioli makes for a satisfying and quick lunch. Rice- and corn-based, the pasta has a nice al dente texture. This dish is also way more filling than it looks, likely due to all of the delicious ricotta. At $3.29, it’s a great deal for lunch.
Aldi liveGfree Stuffed Sandwiches
I was so excited to see these hot pocket lookalikes in the freezer. Not only are stuffed sandwiches like this impossible to find in the gluten-free world, but these sandwiches have a millet-based crust. As a fan of alternative grains, this sounded great to me. Of all of the products I tried, though, this is the one I wouldn’t buy again. The crust was on the dry side, and the southwestern style black beans and veggies were missing oomph. Other gluten-free friends have raved about the pepperoni version of the stuffed sandwiches, so perhaps consider trying those instead. All are sold in a box of two and priced at a reasonable $2.69. Update: we tried these again and they were much better the second time around. We noticed a spicier filling and a much better crust texture, both of which we loved. These stuffed sandwiches will be available at all Aldi locations starting in August 2014.
Aldi liveGfree Pizza
After trying a handful of frozen gluten-free pizzas over the years, I did not have high expectations for the liveGfree version. I’m happy to say, though, that this pizza was pretty amazing. The cheese version is extremely cheesy (a high compliment in my book) and is the perfect size to share. At $4.99, I will definitely be stocking my freezer with these, to satisfy many future pizza emergencies.
UPDATE: LiveGfree, the Aldi gluten-free product line, is permanent at stores across the country, as of fall 2014. Enjoy a full line of gluten-free foods at Aldi, from frozen pizza to granola to pretzels to baking mixes. Find your nearest Aldi and check out these gluten-free goodies!
Very excited to get all these items at Aldi. The prices are great. Anxious to start trying them all out. Keep them on the shelves at Aldi
Thank you for thinking about us that are gluten free
Thanks for reading, Romona! I believe that Aldi introduced the liveGfree line as a special for the month of May only, but if the line sells well, it may become a staple. Be sure to stock up before they sell out!
The Maria biscuits are delicious amazing value have bought 10 boxes as they are on Special and wont be around. I hope these will actually
be a permanent line along with the other GF biscuits on Special at the moment.
Best raisin bagel I’ve tasted since 1981. You try to live without flour that long. Thank you Aldis. Please keep the shelves stocked,I speak for others too.
I tried the pepperoni pizza and I thought it was a little bland. However, I haven’t tried any other frozen GF pizzas. Maybe it was the best there is.
I enjoyed the crackers, snack bars, and cookie mix. Although the cookies mix was grainy (but yummy like the Nestle recipe).
Thanks for reading, Krista! I haven’t tried the pepperoni myself, but I was impressed with the cheesiness and crust texture of the cheese pizza. I’ve been seriously underwhelmed by other frozen GF pizzas, but I thought Aldi’s was great. I’m glad to hear you liked the other products—I need to make another shopping trip to try everything else!
Saw many new Gluten Free items in our local Aldi’s last week. Wraps for one. I will be trying them.
Hi Sandy! Let me know what you think of the wraps. I need to try them myself!
The wraps are the best we have tried, and they now have GF bread, 2 kinds, that are also better than anything else we have tried. The bread is soft and not a bit crumbly
I purchased the choco chip cookie mix. Unfortunately, the directions at one point state, “add remaining water”. Water is not on the ingredient list! Anyone try these yet? How did the recipe work out?
Hi Susan—oh no, an incomplete recipe! I haven’t tried the chocolate chip cookies myself, so I recommend sending Aldi a quick question on Facebook or Twitter. They’re very responsive via social media.
Here’s the official word from Aldi (no water required)!
You will need: 1 stick softened butter and 1 egg (room temperature)
1) Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease or line with parchment an 11×13 inch cookie sheet.
2) In a large bowl cream the egg and butter; mixture will look lumpy. Add Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. Blend until liquid is absorbed and a soft dough forms.
3) Make 1-inch round balls with the cookie dough and arrange on the baking sheet 1 inch apart.
4) Bake 11-13 minutes. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from the baking sheet.
Yep, we tried them and went back to stock up. The texture is slightly grainy, but very yummy. I just add water until it looks the consistency that I like for cookie dough.
I made the chocolate chip cookies last week and thought it looked a little dry so I added about 1 TBS of water (enough to make the mix a peanut butter consistency).
They turned out wonderful despite the grainy texture…which is common in other gf mixes as well.
Try letting the mixed ingredients rest for awhile (15 minutes or so) before baking to alleviate the grittiness.
I was preparing to bake the LiveGfree chocolate chip cookies and evidently the directions have left out an important ingredient. WATER! Later in directions is says to add remaining water if mixture looks dry. I need to know how much water to use in the first place! Any ideas?
Hi Megrit—I’ve checked with Aldi on this omission and will update once I hear back. Hope this doesn’t keep you from chocolate chip cookies for long!
I have tried the wraps and they were the best that I have tried. The crackers are good too. I am anxious to try the cornbread. Going to try the baking mix tomorrow when we have family dinner
your gluten free cookies make mention of water as an ingredient but never say how much only “if mixture looks dry add remaining water” You will need: 1 stick of butter
1 room temp egg………so here goes nothing!
I wrote to Aldi to clarify, and they confirmed that no water is necessary for this recipe. An unfortunate typo on the box. Please let us know how your cookies turn out!
Please carry LiveGfree products everyday.
My six year old enjoyed them very much.
Agreed, Cordelia! liveGfree is great for all ages 🙂
I have tried most of the products now- EVERYTHING I tried really does surpass most gluten free lines of food! I tried the baked chewy cocoa loco bars, the corn bread mix, the pepperoni pockets, the baking mix, and yellow cake mix. But my absolute favorite so far was the tortilla shells ! They roll like flour shells and taste great cold, heated, and toasted 🙂
Thanks Aldi!
Ruth, thanks for your comment, especially regarding the tortillas. It’s so hard to find a gluten-free tortilla that doesn’t fall apart instantly, so I’m glad these were a success!
I really enjoyed all the liveGfree products except the pizza. It was very tasty,but I have a sensitivity to canola oil so will not be using that product.
The chocolate chip cookie mix was YUMMY!!
Found this by googling my problem. Seems the chocolate chip cookie mix isn’t the only package with directions issues. Pizza crust says to combine the mix and the water without specifying how much. Anywhere. Bummer. Going to wing it. Hope laid continues to carry these products. My local one didn’t have sons if the bones mentioned here. I’d live to see them too!
Oh autocorrect!
First of all, I found a package that said 1C water.
Secondly, I meant to type that the local Aldi did not have all the products mentioned here, and I hope they carry them eventually!
Rachel, I recommend emailing Aldi’s customer service with any questions about the instructions: https://www.aldi.us/en/contact-us/ They’re very quick to respond! For the cookie dough, a few people reported incomplete instructions. The official instructions (clarified by Aldi) do not include water.
And, great news. Some of the liveGfree products will be available longterm. I’ll have more specifics on that soon!
I’m so thankful for Aldi’s selling liveGfree products.I’ve been looking for good gulten free food for awhile. Every time I try to find anything its to expensive and i’m not sure i will like it. I’m on a fixed income and there’s a lot of things i can’t afford. So i do without.That’s hard because i’m miserable. Anyway i was so happy when Aldis came out with gluten free. I’ve tried the Mac & Cheese. I loved it and can afford it. Last night i had the cornbread mix. I Loved it and so did my husband. Now that’s something.Please keep sending Aldis the good food for all who need it.I’m a true fan.
I absolutely love the Southwest Veggie stuffed sandwiches. I hope they bring the live G free line back because others things were tasty as well… mac & cheese passed my granddaughter’s taste test! I also miss the Baker’s Corner Gluten Free Baking mix. Granted I bought 2 whole trays but I got some awesome gluten free mix The buscuits are great, strawberry shortcake or not! Please bring it back…only 5 boxes left 🙂
I absolutely love the liveGfree baked chewy bars and the spaghetti noodles. Best GF food for the price I have found anywhere. Would love for Aldi’s to carry these products year round. Please bring them back! Great store, staff and products. Very thankful to have them in our town. Would love to try the wraps. They must have sold out before I knew they were available.
My Aldi’s have the dry staples such as cookie mix, brownies, corn bread mix and pizza mix. They recently added macaroni and cheese. So far I love all of it and the kids think it taste better. I have yet to see the frozen items but I’m looking forward to it. The Live G Free product is the main reason I shop at Aldi’s. I really hope the keep it and bring more of a variety in.
Good news: Aldi’s customer service has indicated that most of the liveGfree products will be available permanently later this year. The frozen stuffed sandwiches will be available at all Aldi locations by August 21st, so keep an eye on your store’s freezer!
Cookie mix I added milk till I thought it looked a bit smoother.
It tastes great in Icecream! The pizza I didn’t think taste that great the cereal is wonderful I wish I could buy it in bulk! I still haven’t found gf brownies I like.
Oooh adding the cookies to ice cream is a great idea. Thanks so much for sharing!
I use most of the livegfree products from Aldi. I just found out about the bread. It is the best I have ever eaten. The crest is hard, but the inside is just as soft as you like it. I use the cookies, brownies, pancake mix, pizza mix., I have not found anything I do not care for.
Thanks for commenting on the bread, Corky! Glad you liked it—I can’t wait to try it myself.
The gfliving bread is unbelievably good! Just found it in the vernon CT Aldi store. Hoping this becomes a regular item, does anyone know if this is still in “test” mode? thanks!!
Not only am I new to Aldi’s (would love to see on in Maine), but also new to their LiveGfree products. Every single one that I have tried so far is delicious. We especially love the corn bread! We are “snow birds” here in Florida and will head back to Maine in May. I was wondering if it is possible to order the gluten free products online and have them shipped to my Maine home? The nearest store I can find is in Connecticut and that is about 5 hours f rom my home. I hope you will consider either online orders or building a store in ME or NH, PLEASE!
Hi Diane! I don’t believe that Aldi has an online store, but there are Aldi locations in Keene, Plaistow, and Salem, New Hampshire, as well as in the Boston suburbs. Are any of those convenient for you? If not, what about packing up your own box of Aldi favorites in Florida and shipping it north? I wouldn’t want to be without my liveGfree staples all summer either!
Are they bringing back the roasted red tomato soup? Most tomato soups have wheat in them & I abolutely LOVE this soup… only 4 boxes left after buying 10 of them in the fall. 🙁