I Put Cheap Dollar Tree Groceries to the Test — These 8 Are My Favorites

I used to always skip the grocery aisles at Dollar Tree, shopping for household items like storage and organizing products and cleaning supplies instead.

Then a Dollar Tree employee told me the grocery section is one of the most popular sections in the store.

So, I grabbed a shopping cart and headed down my local Dollar Tree’s grocery aisles, scoping out $1.25 and $1.50 grocery items to put to the test. (Dollar Tree once sold many items for $1, but its baseline price is now $1.25.)

At first, I was skeptical about finding foods I liked at such a low price. But I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and taste of several items, ranging from soup and snacks to pickles and protein drinks.

Read on for my favorite cheap grocery items at Dollar Tree, along with what I liked about each one.

1. Miso pork ramen soup

Price: $1.25 per 3.4-ounce bowl

I don’t eat grocery store ramen these days, preferring takeout from my favorite ramen restaurant. But I ate a lot of grocery store ramen when I was on a tight budget in college.

I found the Norita Tonkotsu Roasted Pork Ramen With Miso to be much tastier than the ramen I used to doctor up with veggies or meat to make a filling meal. The miso broth was tasty, and I added the included packet of chili sauce, which gave this noodle bowl some heat.

Pork isn’t listed in the ingredients, only “meat flavor powder,” and the broth didn’t taste much like pork. Still, the broth and noodles made a quick and filling meal.

One caveat: This product has a high sodium content — 1,900 milligrams per bowl. That’s more than 80% of the recommended daily value, so you might want to skip salt for the rest of the day when you indulge in this ramen bowl.

2. Protein shake

Price: $1.25 per 8-ounce bottle

I was happy to find Dollar Tree offers Boost, a name brand of protein nutritional drinks, in chocolate and vanilla for $1.25 each.

That’s roughly comparable to what Amazon charges.

But to get that low of a price even on Amazon, you’d have to buy at least a couple dozen bottles at a time. Dollar Tree sells single bottles, which cost $1.25 apiece, no matter how few you buy.

That said, I’ll be stocking up on these shakes next time I visit Dollar Tree.

3. Panko bread crumbs

Price: $1.25 per 7-ounce canister

I used Dollar Tree’s Colonna Plain Panko Bread Crumbs to make battered, air-fried zucchini slices.

These panko bread crumbs were just as good or better than higher-priced brands I’ve used. They cooked beautifully to create a crisp and delicious batter on my zucchini, so I’m betting they’d also be great for breaded shrimp and other recipes that call for panko bread crumbs.

I’ll skip the pricey grocery store bread crumbs next time and buy these instead.

4. Toaster pastries

Price: $1.25 per box of six pastries

I loved Pop-Tarts as a kid, so I gave these Frosted Cherry Toast’em Pop-Ups a try. These pastries were flavorful with a decent pastry crust.

I didn’t find these toaster pastries to be as tasty or to have as much filling as the name brand. Even so, for an afternoon snack, these hit the spot. I also tried the Brown Sugar Cinnamon flavor, which was as delicious as the Frosted Cherry variety to me.

There’s also a Frosted Strawberry flavor.

Are they as good as Pop-Tarts? I didn’t think so. But they’re easily cheaper, so I’ll likely buy these pastries again.

See Also:

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5. Guacamole-flavored tortilla chips

Price: $1.25 per 5-ounce bag

I love guacamole, so I grabbed a 5-ounce bag of El Sabroso Guacachip guacamole-flavored tortilla chips to find out if they really do taste like “the dip’s in the chip” as advertised on the package.

These corn tortilla chips coated with avocado powder, onion powder, garlic powder and buttermilk powder are delicious. I love these chips and will buy them again to snack on while working or watching TV.

6. Fruit & grain bars

Price: $1.50 per box of four bars

I’ve always liked soft-baked fruit-and-grain bars, so I was eager to try this product. I’m a big oatmeal fan, so I appreciated that these Sunbest Fruit & Grain Bars are made with oatmeal and oats as well as whole wheat flour.

I enjoyed both the blueberry and strawberry bars (they’re also available in apple cinnamon), but I wish they contained more filling and actual fruit instead of fruit flavoring and fruit juice concentrate.

Even so, I may buy a box to keep in my car for road trips or if I get stuck in a long traffic jam at dinnertime.

7. Pickles

Price: $1.50 per 17-ounce jar

When I first bit into one of these Breckenridge Farms Kosher Pickle Spears, I was disappointed. I found the pickle limp rather than crispy and stowed them in my fridge in case I was ever desperate for a pickle.

But a couple of days of refrigeration transformed these pickles, giving them just the right amount of crispness.

8. Olives

Price: $1.50 per 7.7-ounce jar

I had low expectations for the Breckenridge Stuffed Olives, but they were pretty good, too.

If you prefer gourmet pickles and olives, these may disappoint. But they’ll work just fine on a holiday relish tray. Pickles and olives can be pricey, and these are a good deal, so I’ll probably buy them again.