These gluten-free ideas could save you money
A diagnosis of food allergy or food intolerance can be overwhelming. Many people feel like they are limited in every direction. One of the most important parts of successfully switching to a gluten-free diet is to remember just how many options there really are!
Cost can play a bit part too. If you shop at a discounter like Aldi then don’t worry as they have a great range to choose from that won’t harm your grocery budget.
Do Aldi sell gluten-free food?
Discounters like Aldi offer a great “free” range, this means that all the free-from products are put together so you can easily find them.
The great thing about shopping at a discounter like Aldi is that they offer free-from products at a low price.
You might be suprised to know that some “normal” products are actually gluten free so check the labels of your family favorites just in case.
Below, in this post you find our tips on how to go gluten-free as a beginner and what products we love the most for Aldi.
How to help your family start eating gluten-free
After the kitchen has been cleaned out to make room for gluten-free food, it’s time to get started on refilling it with healthy, easy-to-use options to make the transition seamless.
Aldi gluten-free products – Stocking up on the Basics
Begin with an inventory of all of the staple items in the kitchen that will need to be replaced.
These are basic ingredients used in everyday cooking. Most of the time, there are gluten-free replacements for almost everything, but here’s a quick list of the basics:
gluten-free vanilla extract
gluten-free soy sauce
gluten-free soup stock or homemade broth
cornstarch (to use as a thickener in gravies and soups instead of flour)
red wine vinegar or white vinegar (malt vinegar contains gluten)
Most of these items will be familiar, and require little additional information. There are a few additional items that should be added to the “basics” category in a gluten-free kitchen:
gluten-free all-purpose flour mix
xanthan gum (usually shelved with gluten-free flours)
arrowroot powder (in the spices section)
These items will be essential for gluten-free baking and will make it possible to continue using the family’s favorite recipes.
How to write a gluten-free shopping list
Until there are familiar and trusted brands and a gluten-free diet is effortless, meal-planning should be done one week at a time. This will allow time for transition, experimentation and save money. Trial and error can be expensive over time.
Use each week’s shopping trip to experiment a little and explore the gluten-free food options available. Most gluten-free dieters create great meals from scratch.
However, this takes a lot of time and energy that many people don’t have. For this reason, many gluten-free foods are “convenience items” such as frozen meals and snack foods.
Frozen Pizzas are a great example. There are so many options available, it may be a good idea to try a new brand each week. Aldi’s squash pizza recipe is a great weekend pleaser that can be made cheaply.
You can buy the frozen squash pocket and make the dough using gluten-free flour.
Money Saving Challenge
If you’re looking to save your family money then come join our free money saving email course. You get emailed once a week with tips on how to save money, how to save more efficiently and how to shop so it doesn’t cost you your whole month wage.
Join us here for free and see how much you could save
(By joining giving us your email address you are consenting to us emailing you about our other travel, home and lifestyle ideas. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of every email.)
Focus on Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Meats
While making shopping lists, try not to focus on limitations, instead, focus on the things everyone enjoys that are naturally gluten-free.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are healthy, less expensive, and readily available at the local grocery (which saves money as well). Plain rice or potatoes can be jazzed up with broth, nuts, vegetables, as well as spices.
After the list has been completed, make a short list of those “bread-like” items the family can not live without. Perhaps eggs aren’t feasible for breakfast every morning, and cold cereal is a must.
Add gluten-free Rice or Corn Chex cereal to the list and a few bananas or blueberries to add zip to the fairly bland flavor. Perhaps sandwiches or wraps are the only lunch food the kids will accept in school lunches.
Corn tortillas are an easy way to add wraps without changing known textures and flavors.
This strategy will give the whole family something familiar to start with, before experimenting with the various breads and alternative foods available out there.
Because many gluten-free foods have slightly different textures and flavors from the standard wheat bread options, this process will take some trial and error. It’s a good idea to limit the upheaval on day-to-day meals while this is taking place.
Gluten-free specialty items cost more
There are a few ways to save on gluten-free groceries, but the single most effective strategy is to get as much as possible at your regular grocery store.
When a gluten-free shopper is just starting out, it is wise to allot about twice the time it would normally take to grocery shop for the first few trips.
The process of cleaning out the kitchen, learning the hidden ingredients that indicate gluten, and reading the fine print on nutrition labels was the practice round for the trip to the grocery store.
Take a Printout of the Hidden Ingredient List and a Notepad on this Shopping Trip
Check favorite brands of foods, and if they contain gluten-words, check all of the other brands around them.
For example, if your family likes Uncle Ben’s rice mix, but it contains gluten, they might like the Aldi own Risotto mix on the shelf beside it, and several of their varieties are gluten-free.
Similarly, frozen vegetables with butter sauce can be replaced with the steam-only veggies one shelf down.
Re-Read Every Single Ingredients List
It may seem silly to read ingredients on canned chicken broth, it’s just chicken and water, right? Nope. Most of the time there’s wheat in there. Don’t take any ingredients lists for granted. None of them. Even if it’s on a “healthy” brand of food, or says “all natural” on the label. Remember, wheat, rye, oats, etc are whole grains and are considered “healthy” and “all natural” for most people!
Aldi Gluten-Free Products
Watch for processed items of below as they may not be gluten-free. Please always check the labels every time you shop as some products do change.
(This list is correct at time of publishing. Please check with your doctor and read each label before you purchase any of the below food.)
Fruit and Vegetables
Aubergine
Red Onion
Red Chilli
Ginger
Garlic
Quinoa
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Courgettes
Artichoke
Asparagus
Avocado
Peppers
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Chickpeas
Coconut
Cucumber
Green beans
Mushrooms
Kale
Leek
Lemon
Lentils
Lettuce
Limes
Olives
Parsley
Pineapple
Pumpkin
Shallots
Spinach
Squash
Tomato
Courgettes
Cupboard Items
Tomato Purée
Curry Powder
Paprika
Ground Cumin
Coriander
Rapeseed Oil
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Coconut Milk
Gluten free bread such as Genius bread
Gluten free cereals
Gluten free oats
Beans
Granola
Millet
Nut flours
Porridge oats
Rice
Money Saving Printables
If you are looking for money saving printables then come join our free Resource Vault. It’s packed full of over 15+ money saving printables including meal plans and shopping lists that you can use over and over again to save your family money.
Join our free Resource Vault here and get access to our Money Saving Mums Facebook group too
(By joining giving us your email address you are consenting to us emailing you about our other travel, home and lifestyle ideas. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of every email.)
Fridge and Fresh Items
Beans and pulses
Soya products
Milk
Yogurts
Cheese
Eggs
Butter
Fish
Meats
Nuts
Our favorite gluten-free recipes are:
All these recipes come in at under one pound a head for a family of four is priced up from Aldi. Please note that prices were correct from day of published and are subject to change.
1. Aubergine and coconut curry
This quick and yummy curry is made from gluten free products from Aldi and comes in at only 54p a head.
1 Aubergine 70p
1 large Red Onion 9p
400ml tin Coconut Milk 50p
50g Spicy Flavour Peanuts 55p
5g Red Chilli 6p
20g fresh, peeled Ginger 5p
1 clove Garlic 2p
35g Tomato Purée 4p
1 tsp Curry Powder 2p
1 tsp Paprika 2p
1 tsp Ground Cumin 2p
5g fresh Coriander, plus some extra to garnish 5p
40ml Rapeseed Oil 5p
Black Pepper 2p
Total: £2.19
Peel and chop all the vegetables. In the frying pan add all the vegetables so they soften. Add all the spices and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the coconut milk, peanuts if using and puree. Put on a low heat and let simmer for around 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced.
Related Posts:
- 31 Aldi Slow Cooker Recipes For The Whole Family
- 101 Aldi Recipes That Will Give You Dinner Ideas For Tonight
- 21 Cheap Meals for a Week for a Family
2. Potato and sausage frittata
This is a really easy recipe that can all be chucked into one pot.
90g red onions 18p
240g potatoes £1.05
150g sweet potatoes 99p
190g frozen peas 30p
5 eggs 60p
5 gluten-free sausages £2.25
90g Cheddar cheese 50p
Total: £5.87
Boil the potatoes in till soft. Beat the eggs and then add the potatoes to them. Add the onions and then put it all into a frying pan. Once set around the side add the sausages then cook for around 15 minutes.
3. Vegetable fajitas with GF wraps
This is a great family recipe that is vegetarian, quick to cook and can be made from frozen vegetables if you don’t have time to chop.
180g red onions 27p
160g carrots 16p
2 peppers 55p
2 tbsp oil 2p
35g sachet BBQ fajita spice mix 50p
4 gluten-free protein wraps £2.79
60g cheddar cheese 40p
Total: £4.69
4. Banana pancakes
This is a really easy pancake recipe that can be made in advance if needed.
1 banana 14p
125g gluten-free self-raising flour 50p
1 egg 12p
150ml milk 30p
oil 2p
160g frozen mixed fruit 50p
Total: £2.54
Laura x
If you enjoyed this post and would like some more family friendly budget recipes or meal plan ideas, then head over to the budget food section here on Savings 4 Savvy Mums where you’ll find over 30 cheap posts dedicated to helping you cook and shop wiser for less. There’s enough tips to help you save over £300 a month! You could also pop over and follow my family food Pinterest boards for lots more ideas on how to eat well and spend less; Family Meal Plans on a Budget, Budget Family Meals & Budget Slimming World Recipes for Families.
Love this post? Then why not save it to Pinterest so you can easily find it later.
What the * means
If a link has an * by it, then this means it is an affiliate link and helps S4SM stay free for all. If you use the link, it may mean that we receive a very small payment. It will not cost you anymore that it would normally.
You shouldn’t notice any difference and the link will never negatively impact the product. The items we write about are NEVER dictated by these links. We aim to look at all products on the market. If it isn’t possible to get an affiliate link, then the link, or product is still included in the same way, just with a non-paying link.