5 Gourmet Foods We Can't Believe We Found At HomeGoods
HomeGoods is where we go to lose track of time in the candle aisle — not exactly where we would expect to find top-shelf olive oil or $8 saffron. But sometimes, the food section pulls out a surprise flex. On a recent trip to a HomeGoods in New York, we spotted five seriously gourmet items that made us do a double-take ... and then a quick Google search to confirm the price wasn't a misprint.
We scored the Sugarfina candy cubes that you usually see in luxury gift boxes, actual saffron from Spain (not the imposter stuff), smoked paprika, Greek olive oil in a bottle nice enough to leave on the counter, and shortbread cookies from Hawaii that taste like they were hand-delivered by someone in a lei. And much to our HomeGoods-loving delight, everything was under $20. In fact, most of it was under $10. Whether you're stocking a fancy pantry on a not-so-fancy budget or just like bragging about your finds, these are the goods worth grabbing before someone else does.
Sugarfina birthday candy bento box
Sugarfina has a reputation for being overpriced. Do they have cute gummy candies in adorable shapes that make perfect gifts? Yes. But are they worth their double-digit price tag? And what even makes expensive candy taste different? We spotted a "Happy Birthday" bento box trio version of some of the brand's most adorable and beloved candies— baby whale gummies, ice cream cone gummies, and sparkling stars gummies — for $20. Now, we understand $20 might still sound like a lot when we're talking about 8.1 ounces of gummies, but a similar bento box on Sugarfina's website costs an even higher $32, so this might be a decent birthday gift for someone, and if nothing else, they'll think you splurged on their sugar rush.
Cretan Harvest Greek extra virgin olive oil
Not all olive oil is created equal, and the options at the grocery store could fill a school bus, making picking the best brand for dipping your bread into or for cooking dinner with a little overwhelming. Head to HomeGoods and you'll almost always find at least a couple of different options, and some of them are not to be slept on. We found a 750-milliliter bottle of Cretan Harvest extra virgin olive oil for a modest $16.99, and it appears to be the real deal. A good olive oil should be from one country of origin (in this case, Greece) and be cold-pressed or cold-extracted, meaning it was never heated above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which protects its antioxidants. This bottle is also dark, protecting it from light exposure, which can diminish the oil's flavor and Vitamin E. When we're talking country of origin, by the way, it doesn't get better than Greece, Italy, or Spain, so this stuff is a total steal for just under $17.
Triselecta saffron filaments from Spain
Yes, you read that right — HomeGoods had premium Spanish saffron (1 gram) for just $7.99. Saffron, touted as the world's most expensive spice, is ridiculously hard to find at your average grocery store, which is a call HomeGoods seems to be really great at answering (I once found key lime juice there, which is the only place aside from Key West or the depths of the internet I've ever been able to score that hyper-specific ingredient). This Triselecta saffron at HomeGoods hails from Malagra, and the brand says it is 100% pure, top-quality, handmade saffron that's sold and shipped to 55 countries around the world. We're just happy it made its way to that New York HomeGoods store.
La Dalia hot and sweet smoked paprika
At $3.99 for a 2.4‑ounce tin, HomeGoods offered La Dalia Pimentón de la Vera in both hot and sweet varieties, perfect for smoky depth or a spicy kick. La Dalia is the original producer of Pimentón de La Vera, Spain's iconic smoked paprika, and the brand uses hand-harvested peppers, slowly smoked over oak wood for 15 days, then stone-ground into a rich, fragrant powder. It's also D.O.P. certified (Denomination of Origin Protected), meaning it's the real deal from the La Vera region, not some random red powder pretending to be paprika. Something tells us this is worth every one of the $4 it costs, especially since a three-pack costs $19 on Mercado Little Spain's website.
Honolulu Cookie Company mini pineapple macadamia shortbread cookies
HomeGoods had these adorable bite‑size pineapple macadamia cookies (4-ounce bags) for $4.99. They're buttery, nutty, and packed with island sweetness: Each 5‑cookie serving clocks in at 140 calories. Handmade in Hawaii since 1998, the pineapple shape symbolizes hospitality — the brand's signature. On the brand's site, the pineapple macadamia shortbread cookies are available as chocolate-dipped or fruit-filled, but there are no plain and simple mini pineapples available for order, so HomeGoods is slinging something truly special at a super-cheap price, and we are 100% here for it.