The $2.99 ALDI Find My Whole Family Loves

No ALDI item straddles the line between breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert quite like this one. At such an affordable price, it feels like too good a deal to be true.

The $2.99 ALDI Find My Whole Family Loves
aldi store front
Simply Recipes / Getty Images

My partner and I alternate working out in the mornings. (Go, us!) To make this possible, I aim to have easy, make-ahead breakfast options ready most days of the week. When I don't have the luxury of time, I feel great relying on ALDI's Breakfast Best Buttermilk & Vanilla Protein Waffles. And at just $2.99 for a box of 10 waffles, they feel like too good a deal to be true. 

Why I Love ALDI's Buttermilk & Vanilla Protein Waffles

Made with whole wheat flour and containing an impressive 12 grams of protein per serving, these crispy, golden waffles keep my kids powered through until, well, their next snack. (Let's be real, they can't perform magic.)

For my daughter, who would like to subsist on carbs, cheese, and air, they're an easy win. And in a world where high-protein and kid-friendly don’t usually go together, they’re also a rare find in the breakfast category. 

How I Serve the Breakfast Best Waffles

On busy mornings, I toast and serve the waffles with fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup. Or, I'll make a dipper out of Greek yogurt (homemade is unreal—so delicious!) and maple syrup or fresh berries to boost the protein even more.

When I feel like upping the ante for my "Mom of the Year" nomination, I make a compote or quick chia jam with whatever fruit is in season.

Whole Wheat Protein Pancake box on a color block
Simply Recipes / Photo Illustration by Wanda Abraham / Retailers below

Beyond Breakfast—Other Fun Ways I Serve Frozen Waffles 

For obvious reasons, these waffles are an easy breakfast staple, but they’re also a blank canvas for endless lunch, dinner, and dessert creations. One of our busy weeknight fallback meals is a dinner-for-breakfast situation, where anything is up for grabs.

Waffle sandwiches are always a huge hit, too. Topped with fried eggs and/or turkey sausage patties, they make great breakfast sandwiches. For my higher-protein riff on a BLT I stack them with crisp, oven-cooked bacon, juicy tomatoes, and peppery arugula or crunchy lettuce. Waffle-based Benedicts are next on my savory waffle list to try.

For dessert, the waffles are fantastic topped with scoops of ice cream, but my favorite topping is whipped yogurt and seasonal fruit. Think peaches and cream, cherries and chocolate, or blueberries and lemon.

It's a treat that my kids go wild for, but it also happens to be easy and affordable, and that added protein doesn't hurt, either. At the end of the day, the waffles please everyone in my family, from my picky eater to my athlete husband. They're a reliable option for quick, delicious, and nutritious meals, no matter the time of day.