The $2.75 ALDI Find I Always Keep Stocked

I can’t count the number of times I’ve started making dinner only to realize I don’t have one critical ingredient: lemons. Lemon juice is part of most of the dinners I cook, almost as ubiquitous as salt and pepper. Many of the recipes I make explicitly call for lemon juice. But when they don’t, if I taste something and think, “What is this missing?” the answer is often lemon juice.

The problem is that a bag of lemons runs out all too quickly, is heavy to carry from the store, and is a nuisance to juice. Cutting the lemons, removing the lemon seeds, and juicing adds a significant amount of time to the cooking and cleaning process. And don’t get me started if you’ve ever been removing lemon seeds and the juice has squirted into an open cut on your finger; if you know, you know.

Thankfully, I’ve found a way to avoid running out of lemons and all the other inconveniences of fresh lemons: I’ve switched to buying ALDI’s Bottled Lemon Juice.

Why I Love ALDI’s Bottled Lemon Juice 

ALDI’s bottled lemon juice is made with real lemons and comes in a convenient squeeze bottle. Instead of spending extra time juicing fresh lemons, I can easily squeeze the bottled juice into a measuring cup or pour it directly into my dish without any effort or clean-up.

One bottle comes with the amount of juice equivalent to 63 lemons, so I rarely have to worry about running out. That’s almost eight times the amount of juice as a standard bag of lemons for less than $3 a bottle. 

Ideas for Using ALDI’s Bottled Lemon Juice

ALDI’s bottled lemon juice is non-perishable but should be stored in the fridge once opened. It can be used for almost any recipe that calls for fresh lemon juice. I’ve used it for dinners like pasta or fish, lunches like tuna salad or salad dressing, and dessert like lemon pound cake.

You may still want to keep fresh lemons on hand if your recipe requires fresh lemon slices or lemon zest. I’ve sometimes just omitted lemon zest in desserts when the recipe doesn’t call for a large amount. It hasn’t made a big difference, and sticking to the bottled juice is just too convenient.

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