What to Buy at Aldi for a Picnic

When you’re packing a picnic, you should be on the hunt for things that are easy to transport, can be eaten right out of the package, and won’t leave you so messy you have to clean up at the janky bathroom setup (if there even is one at your outdoor setting of choice). Seriously, fried chicken always seems like a great idea for a picnic until you’re up to your elbows in grease and only have some crumpled napkins and a mini bottle of hand sani to freshen up with. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by Aldi’s selection of snacks and bevs that meet all these picnic criteria. Aldi isn’t just affordable—it’s a pretty ideal one-stop shop for a little al fresco excursion. Here’s what to buy at Aldi for a picnic.

Park Street Deli Genoa Salami, Provolone Cheese & Cheddar Sesame Breadsticks

Forget trying to piece together a charcuterie board with a dozen individual packages of cheese, meat, and crackers. If you’re heading out on a picnic, just buy a few of these portable, fancy little Lunchables and you’re all set. Compared to other prepackaged meat-and-cheese snacks I’ve seen, this one seemed particularly compelling because of those little sesame sticks. Nice touch, Aldi.

Fresh Express Pesto Twisted Caesar Chopped Salad Kit

If you ignore the fact that you should technically wash your lettuce before digging into a bagged salad, this is the perfect thing to pick up at Aldi for people who want a little something green to bring on a picnic. Rip everything open, dump everything in, shake up the bag, and dig in. Leave the salad bowl at home and bring one of these for a stupidly simple salad on the go.

Read our ranking of the best Caesar salad kits

Park Street Deli Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is a perfect picnic food. When we were looking for what to buy at Aldi for a picnic, this cranberry almond variety stood out—something about the combo of almonds and cranberries is very outdoorsy. You can grab a loaf of bread and make some quick sandwiches, or just pile it onto crackers. This stuff is easy transport, but it does contain mayo, so be sure to toss an ice pack in your picnic basket.

Read our ranking of the best chicken salad

Southern Grove Dried Mediterranean Apricots

Aldi did have a fruit cup that looked good for an afternoon picnic snack, but what if you forget a fork! I’d grab these dried apricots instead. They don’t come drenched in sweet fruit juice, so you can eat them without worrying about attracting a colony of ants—these are the things you have to remember when your’re buying picnic snacks, my dudes. And since we’re shopping at Aldi, these are a bargain at $3.75; dried fruit is expensive these days!

Park Street Deli Jubilee Assortment

I was looking for either pickles or olives to add to the mix for our Aldi picnic spread, and found just the thing: this little assortment of herbed kalamata and green olives in a read-to-transport little plastic tub. These look like the fancy olives you’d find at the olive bar in a Whole Foods, but they’re at Aldi and they’re ready to roll.

Benton’s Almond Flour Snickerdoodle Cookies

Chocolate chips are wont to melt in the sun, so I’d recommend grabbing a bag of these almond flour snickerdoodles for your Aldi picnic. Every picnic needs a little sweet treat, and these are grain and gluten free so everyone can enjoy.

Simply Nature Organic Fruit Punch Juice Boxes

If you think people can age out of juice boxes, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong! These things are lightweight and easy to transport—and who doesn’t love drinking juice out of a little bendy straw? I went with fruit punch for the additional nostalgia factor. Thanks, Aldi!