These Aldi Hot Dogs Are Made With Fewer Ingredients Than The Name Brands

Hot dogs are a hot topic; everyone has their favorite brand of wiener (our number one is Kirkland Beef Dinner Franks) and their preferred method of cooking — or not, since most types can technically be eaten straight out of the package. Food culture is always evolving, and some eaters have embraced a less-is-more philosophy, which means that they prefer their hot dogs to be made with as few ingredients as possible, and certainly fewer than some of the name brands out there. For example, Oscar Mayer's Classic Hot Dogs contain 13 ingredients. In contrast, the fastest-growing grocery store chain in the U.S., Aldi, sells its Simply Nature Organic Uncured Beef Hot Dogs, and they contain what amounts to just three ingredients: beef, water, and seasonings/spices.

In a big win for conscientious hot dog fans, the beef used in these hot dogs comes from grass-fed cows raised without antibiotics or additional hormones, and there are no nitrates or nitrites added. What's more, fewer ingredients do not equal less flavor where these hot dogs are concerned — people rave about them, finding them to be not only a clean-eating option but also delicious.

If you're trying to eat cleaner and you're not shopping at Aldi for your meats, you're missing out. Aside from your beef, pork, chicken, and seafood cuts in the meat coolers, the grocery store chain carries a variety of more processed or deli-style meats with fewer ingredients than you might expect. One good example is the store's Never Any! brand Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon. This no-sugar-added bacon literally contains just four ingredients: pork, water, sea salt, and cultured celery powder. Oscar Mayer's Original Bacon contains a minimum of seven ingredients.

If you want sliced deli turkey with fewer ingredients, you should try the Simply Nature Organic Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (bearing in mind the difference between roasted turkey and smoked), which also boasts only organic turkey breast, water, sea salt, and organic honey. For comparison, Hillshire Farms Ultra Thin Oven Roasted Turkey contains nine ingredients — including a few preservatives. The Aldi turkey is also tasty and low in calories, fat, and sodium, making it an outstanding option all around.

Finally, one of Aldi's Summer 2025 Food Finds is another Simply Nature product. The Southwestern Green Chile Chicken Sausage, like the Simply Nature Hot Dogs, contains what amounts to three ingredients. These include organic skinless chicken, organic jalapeño peppers, and seasonings/spices, like cilantro, cinnamon, and cumin — half the ingredients (measured in a similar way) contained in a comparable product from Opa's Smoked Meats.