You Won't Believe Our Grocery Outlet Haul. Here Are The Highlights

I love Grocery Outlet; it's been one of my favorite grocery stores for years. I've gone to multiple locations more times than I can count, and I never walk out empty-handed. It's my version of retail therapy. At its core, Grocery Outlet is a discount grocery store. But it didn't start as a food market. Although it has been in business since 1946, the shop initially began as a military surplus store. Now you can find over 400 locations across the United States. The brand specializes in sourcing overstocked or surplus items, which allows customers to get items at a discounted price. I've noticed that when products are on sale at Sprouts or other stores near me, I often find that same exact item at Grocery Outlet within a few days afterward. 

Some of the items at Grocery Outlet are name-brands and others are more obscure brands. One thing is for sure: You'll find different products every time you go. There's a range of fresh produce, organic items, frozen food, snacks, canned goods, refrigerated foods, household goods, and more. While I often stop by Grocery Outlet to pick up basic grocery items, such as spicy brown mustard or frozen broccoli, I had distinct plans this time. I wanted to venture over to my favorite spot to see what kind of unique and intriguingly-flavored items were stocked. Let me show you my latest haul so you can get some inspiration for the next time you go. 

I've purchased Truff products from Grocery Outlet in the past and enjoyed them, so I was pleased to find this bottle of buffalo sauce there. I've been obsessed with all things buffalo sauce recently and wanted to see how this truffled version would taste. The Truff sauce has a thin consistency, thinner than others I've tried, and sports a nice red-orange hue. Its aroma has notes of truffle, vinegar, and chile. There's heat from the cayenne, but it's not overly spicy. Plus, the truffle taste shines through, too. There's black truffle essence as well as black truffle powder, so you know there's at least a smidge of genuine truffle in there.

The Grocery Outlet price is more than 50% lower than the retail price listed on the Truff website, making it a cost-competitive item. But the biggest downside is the use-by date, which was only a couple of weeks from the date I bought it. 

This is a tasty choice for anyone who likes buffalo sauce and truffles. I'd be content to keep this stocked in the fridge for $7.99, but the fact that I have to scarf it down quickly lessens its value. I would repurchase the Truff buffalo sauce if I had more time to eat it. 

The Dolly Parton coconut cake is a scrumptious option for anyone who enjoys the tropical flavor. I've purchased this multiple times before at Grocery Outlet, however, this was my first time using it to make cupcakes. I've only ever made the mix in a loaf tin for something to enjoy with coffee, so this was a new experience. I added a few extra minutes than the directions stated just so it could have a little golden brown color (and it was still a bit lighter than I like). This coconut delight has a fluffy and soft texture.

The cake smells and tastes very coconutty and I bet it would be even tastier with shredded coconut added on top as the box suggests. I like that you don't have to do any math on baking conversions, as it gives options for baking two 8-inch cakes or cupcakes. The $0.99 price is thrifty, as the full retail price at stores like Walmart is over $2. So yes, it's over 50% off retail price — but it's not Grocery Outlet's best deal.

I enjoy eating the skin on salmon, so I was looking forward to giving this product a taste. On the nose, it has a mild fishy smell, which makes sense, since it is salmon. Though, it's not too overpowering. The skins have an orange color with some darker scaly areas. These snacks have a texture similar to chicharrónes: fried pork skin. They are light and crunchy with a decent amount of heat, but they're not super crisp. It says there is salted duck egg yolk listed in the ingredients, which is certainly an interesting alternative to the standard chicken egg. 

I didn't pick up on any type of eggy flavor, as the spice is the most prominent flavor. The heat comes from chili powder and bird's eye chili. The flavor is pretty spicy and I appreciate how the ingredients, including curry leaves, offer a unique taste. Though, the quantity is small; each bag contains two servings with 10 grams of protein each. I was left wanting more big pieces, as there were a lot of residual crumbles left at the bottom of the bag. The value of the Irvins Lite spicy salted egg salmon skin is pretty good compared to a larger package size I found at H Mart. It's worth a shot if you like spicy, crispy things and salmon skins.

I was particularly impressed by the Wilde Nashville Hot protein chips. I've tried other protein chip brands in the past that were thicker and not as crisp, therefore I didn't have high hopes for these. However, the Wilde chips are thin and crunchy. They have a nice snap when you bite into them. But, if you try to dip one into a viscous liquid, like a salsa, or something denser, like tuna salad, it will likely break under pressure. That said, it was decently spicy and I didn't get a chicken-y taste from it. The biggest complaint I have is that a good amount of the chips settle at the bottom. You'll have a good few servings of full chips, then they get progressively more broken.

I appreciate the protein content of these chips. Plus, this brand is much better compared to the other chicken protein chips I've had that were dry and drab. The 7-ounce bag costs $7.99. While it's one of the higher-priced items from my Grocery Outlet haul, it's still a satisfactory deal compared to other stores.  It's pretty expensive price tag for chips, but given that they have more protein and aren't an average potato chip, I can justify the higher price.

I'll start off by saying I'm not a huge pimento cheese fan. I am, however, a frequent purchaser of the brand's salt and vinegar chips, which ranks very high on this list of popular Kettle potato chips. The texture of the Kettle Brand pimento spicy cheese potato chips is crunchy and thick. It has a slight, barely-there spice with a light cheese flavor and that pimento pepper taste. Compared to the spicy chicken protein chips and salmon skins I bought from Grocery Outlet, these had the least amount of heat. 

The flavor is fine and would be particularly alluring for someone who truly enjoys pimento. You get some residual powder on your fingers as you eat them, so keep a napkin handy. The chips are a good size with minimal broken, crumbly bits. I don't have a lot to say about these, as they were neither terrible nor amazing. The price isn't discounted too much from other sellers, either. These chips are not compelling enough to go out of your way for, especially if you have another retailer closer to you that sells them. 

The Elia olive oil cake mix is dense and delicious. Some boxed mixes lack flavor, but this isn't the case here. The olive oil gave it a very rich texture and made it easy to get out of the cake pan. I followed the instructions, but added a few extra minutes to the time to ensure it was fully-cooked and to give it a nice brown color. I noticed it was quite crumbly when I went to cut and eat it. It has light lemon notes and visible vanilla bean flecks when you cut into it. It is not too sweet and makes a great partner for a cup of coffee or as an afternoon treat. 

I enjoyed that it came with the organic extra virgin olive oil, which could cost $6.99 by itself. The cake sells online at Crate and Barrel for $30, making the Grocery Outlet one an incredible value. The cake mix called for whole milk or buttermilk which I didn't have, so I had to make a trip out to get some. I picked buttermilk, which was the cheapest option. That was a little inconvenient, but it resulted in a mouthwatering and impressive cake. 

I didn't have high expectations for this product, but it was one of my favorite items. Something is just so thrilling about finding unexpected products at a discount, so I'd like to go back to Grocery Outlet to see if I can get another box.

Although the mint chip Oreo O's cereal wouldn't rank high on my favorite items from the haul, it fared a lot better than I anticipated. I thought the cereal would be gross, but it was just okay. The texture reminds me of Apple Jacks, in that it's crispy in a scrape-the-roof-of-your-mouth type of way. The appearance is mainly black and white with some tiny little green bits to hint at the mint. It's a pretty large box and a decent deal for $2.99. The flavor is lacking though. While there is a minty taste to it, I don't pick up on much of the Oreo component — maybe just a tinge of it. I smell the Oreo more than I taste it. And the mint isn't that all that minty, either. 

Like in my tasting of the Dunkin' and Starbucks peppermint mochas, I expected the mint and chocolate flavor to shine through in this cereal. It wasn't bad, but it didn't deliver on its advertised components. I wouldn't buy it again, nor would I recommend other folks add it to their cart. But, it's worth a shot if you're an Oreo O's fan who wants to try a limited-edition flavor. 

I've baked many DiGiorno pizzas over the years; therefore, I am no stranger to the brand. This pizza was distinctive, as it was a collaboration with Marvel Studios for the "Deadpool & Wolverine" movie. It's advertised as a chimichanga-inspired pizza, accompanied by spicy cumin sauce, beef, jalapeño, cheddar, and mozzarella. I prefer the DiGiorno rising crust varieties to this one, as I found that the one on this pie was thin and quite crisp. It had a hard exterior edge and some parts were noticeably darker than others. The pizza overall looked quite lovely and colorful when I pulled it straight out of the packaging, thanks to the tomatoes and peppers. 

It has a tasty beef topping and a subtle cumin flavor, although I didn't notice any specific cumin sauce on the pie. It's a novel pizza thanks to its association with the movie, but the flavor didn't shine. Othwerwise, I enjoyed the diced bell pepper and tomato additions. Everything worked together texturally to offer a good mouthfeel.

While I didn't like how crisp the edge of the crust got, but it's a decent pizza overall. I'd buy it again if it came with a different crust.

This Brooklyn Cured black truffle sausage had a prominent pork taste (it is a pork sausage) and a snappy sheep casing. I was looking forward to the truffle and porcini flavors, but I hardly found any. While the sausage was chewy and dense and the mushroom flavor was mild, I still wanted more from it. It didn't deliver on the smell and flavor of truffles, which I was looking for. The links are fully cooked and you could theoretically eat it directly out of the package. I sliced the sausage up, browned it in a pan, and tasted it alone to make sure no other flavors got in the way. When I made the sausage a second time, I paired it with eggs, sweet potato, garlic, and onion to make it more savory. 

In general, it's a good sausage. But seeing as it's advertised as "black truffle sausage," I felt it didn't deliver on the flavor. The package costs $4.99 ($1.25 per sausage), which is higher compared to other options I've seen at Grocery Outlet. Given that it's pretty standard pricing without much of a discount, I'd pick up a different sausage next time.

I'd seen the Chobani cereal oat milk previously at Grocery Outlet and had wanted to try it. The packaging is vibrant and interesting, and I love to try limited-batch products. It has a sweet, cereal-like flavor, therefore it delivers on its name. But what kind of cereal it uses, I couldn't say. It's just something neutral, sweet, and mild. The ingredient lists notes that it contains "natural flavor," but there's no other indication of what type of cereal it's supposed to taste like.

The oat milk has a pleasant creamy thickness and you aren't left with a watery aftertaste. I tried it by itself and also poured some into my coffee. When I mixed it with the coffee, the flavor vanished, so I'd recommend making a latte instead to ensure there's more milk to work with. While I enjoyed the taste, I would probably just buy a cheaper plain oat milk and then add my own flavorings, whether that's cereal, cinnamon, or something else.

It's a discounted price compared to Kroger, so it's worth a try if it sounds compelling to you. I personally thought it tasted fine, but it wasn't especially memorable.

When I saw the outside of Lifeway's rainbow cake kefir, I imagined that the liquid would be as brightly colored as the packaging. I was surprised to find the liquid inside was completely white. I have purchased this brand's other flavors before, so I'm pretty well-acquainted with how the different flavors taste. While there is some sort of sweetness that comes through, I didn't pick up on a particularly potent cake flavor. 

In fact, the tanginess of the kefir was the most noticeable aspect of it. I like the taste of kefir, so I don't mind it, but I was hoping for some sort of added flavor. It has a thick, but smooth, consistency — like a runny yogurt. I only tried it alone, but the brand claims you can add it to smoothies or dips. The price is fine, though it's not much cheaper than other retailers. This is generally a decent product, but I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it again. Instead, I'd rather pick up tried-and-true Lifeway flavors, like raspberry or blueberry. 

I'll admit I was a little dubious about the flavor of Block Head's caramel popcorn peanut whiskey because it sounded like a mish mash of flavors. I found this libation on the very bottom shelf, covered in dust, with a few other bottles of the same flavor. I didn't have high hopes for it. On the nose, it smells sweet, with notes of caramel and burnt sugar. It has a slightly sweet taste, but it isn't saccharine like a mixed drink. I love peanut butter whiskey, but it was not as prominent as the caramel flavor. I didn't taste anything related to popcorn either.

I tried it alone and with ice. I prefer the iced version, as it makes it cold and mellows out the flavor as it melts. Given the $7.99 price tag, it's an absolute bargain — considering that it sells for $21.99 on Total Wine & More. Plus, it's a fun flavor with an attractive golden brown hue, which makes it a great choice to stock your bar cart with. 

This Grocery Outlet haul turned out to be pretty mid. Most items were mediocre with minimal standouts. My top items are the Elia olive oil cake, Block Head whiskey, Wilde protein chips, Dolly Parton coconut cake, and Truff buffalo sauce — in that order. I'd drive to Grocery Outlet right now to see if it still had the Elia cake mix in stock. The olive oil cake is rich and mild and contains quality organic and non-GMO ingredients. 

The Block Head whiskey exceeded any expectations that I had for it, but it also tasted good for a flavored whiskey. That said, if you're a whiskey connoisseur, you might have some notes of improvement for it. The other top three were appetizing, but had some minor issues. While the Chobani oat milk and the Irvins salmon skins were intriguing and unusual products, everything else will likely evacuate from my brain as they weren't memorable. 

Grocery Outlet claims it saves customers money, but sometimes the "total savings" section of your receipt isn't accurate, considering that prices vary at other retailers. I would also recommend looking at the best-by date before committing to something, since it may expire before you get a chance to use it. The store's options can be hit or miss — and that's the case here. While your local spot may have different items than mine, it's absolutely worth visiting to see what's in stock.