I used to default to name brands out of habit, but these six Great Value items at Walmart tested that reflex — and none of them gave me a reason to go back.
1. Great Value Organic Creamy Stir Peanut Butter, 16 oz – $4.47
Call it a near-exact match for Jif Creamy or Skippy: organic roasted peanuts and sea salt in a thick, smooth spread that regularly undercuts both name brands. It earns its spot in school lunchboxes, on afternoon toast, and in any recipe that simply calls for a plain creamy peanut butter.
Taste: The flavor is straight roasted peanut — clean, slightly salty, with no weird aftertaste or artificial sweetness. It spreads smoothly without tearing soft bread and doesn’t feel thin or slick the way some off-brands do.
Make It Better: This is a stir-style peanut butter, so give it a thorough mix when you first open it — storing the jar upside down between uses keeps the oil from pooling back on top.
Parting Thoughts: Honestly, most households won’t taste a difference, and at $4.47 versus Jif or Skippy, the math is pretty straightforward.
2. Great Value Marinara Pasta Sauce, 23 oz – $1.97
Pasta night changed the moment I swapped Rao’s Homemade Marinara for this $1.97 jar — balanced tomato acidity, noticeable herbs, and a flavor that doesn’t read like it came from a discount shelf. It’s become my standing weeknight sauce without any adjustment period.
Taste: There’s a real freshness to it: bright tomato up front, good herb balance, and none of the canned, overcooked sweetness that makes budget sauces taste flat. The consistency is thick enough to coat pasta without pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Make It Better: Spread it thin on dough as a pizza base — paired with shredded mozzarella, it makes a solid Friday-night pizza from shelf-stable ingredients for almost nothing.
Parting Thoughts: A sauce this solid for $1.97 makes it genuinely hard to justify reaching for anything pricier on a weeknight.
3. Great Value Original Macaroni & Cheese, 7.25 oz – $0.64
At $0.64 a box — a fraction of what Kraft Original Macaroni & Cheese costs — this is the kind of grocery swap that feels almost silly once you make it, because the elbow pasta shape is identical and the cheese sauce is just as satisfying. It’s the lunch I make for my kids without a second thought.
Taste: The cheese sauce mixes into a properly creamy, orange-tinted coating that’s salty and comforting in exactly the way mac and cheese is supposed to be — not watery, not gluey. Noodles come out tender with a little bite when you catch them at the right moment.
Make It Better: Stir in a small spoonful of cream cheese after the cheese powder goes in — it takes the sauce from good to genuinely rich in about five seconds.
Parting Thoughts: Kids won’t notice and adults won’t mind, and once stocking four boxes for the price of one Kraft becomes habit, there’s no going back.
4. Great Value Hazelnut Spread, 13 oz – $2.97
Thick, creamy chocolate-hazelnut flavor that lands squarely on Nutella Hazelnut Spread’s territory — same roasted cocoa-and-nut character, same satisfying cling on warm toast, at $2.97 for a 13-ounce jar made with real hazelnuts and cocoa. It’s my go-to for weekend mornings or whenever I need a quick dessert component.
Taste: The spread is genuinely rich — roasted hazelnut up front, followed by creamy cocoa, with a smooth texture that doesn’t slide off toast or feel thin when you dip into it. It doesn’t taste artificial or overly sweet.
Make It Better: Try dipping fresh strawberries straight into the jar, or swirl a spoonful into plain yogurt — it turns a plain bowl into something that feels intentional in about ten seconds.
Parting Thoughts: People who switch from Nutella often stop noticing the difference within a jar, which at this price is exactly the kind of outcome you hope for.
5. Great Value Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing, 12.4 oz, 8 Count – $2.24
There’s something nice about having a can of these in the fridge on a weekend morning — a real alternative to Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls with Icing at a lower price, with a cinnamon swirl that shows up generously in every roll. Eight rolls bake up golden and fragrant, enough to make it feel like you actually did something for breakfast.
Taste: The rolls bake soft and pull apart in warm, spiraling layers with a consistent hit of cinnamon throughout. The cream cheese icing melts right into the top when you drizzle it while the rolls are still warm from the oven.
Make It Better: Let the rolls rest for just a minute after coming out of the oven before icing — the cream cheese settles into the swirls instead of running off the sides.
Parting Thoughts: Worth keeping a can in the fridge for slow weekend mornings, and if they turn out sweeter and more cinnamony than your usual Pillsbury, you may not want to pay the difference again.
6. Great Value Cookies & Cream Ice Cream, 48 fl oz – $2.97
Skip the Breyers tub and grab this instead — at $2.97 for 48 fluid ounces, it delivers full cookies-and-cream satisfaction at a fraction of the shelf price, and it consistently ranks among the most praised Great Value flavors. I keep one in the freezer almost year-round.
Taste: The base is rich and creamy rather than icy, and the cookies throughout give you a real contrasting crunch that keeps each scoop interesting. The ratio of cookie to cream holds up from the top of the tub all the way down.
Make It Better: Set the tub on the counter for four or five minutes before scooping — it softens just enough to serve cleanly without a struggle.
Parting Thoughts: For nearly 50 ounces at this price, it earns a permanent spot in the freezer rotation without any deliberation.
