14 Must-Have Canned Foods to Pick Up at Dollar Tree

As grocery prices continue to rise, finding affordable food is more important than ever. Stores like Dollar Tree offer consumers an array of items to fulfill their cooking and baking needs. You can stop by to grab some pantry essentials, and then check out the other aisles for anything else you may need. 

We’ve created a list of some of the best canned food options that you should be grabbing at Dollar Tree. Even though it’s more affordable than higher-end grocery stores, you still don’t want to experiment and buy products that you may not like or can get a better deal on somewhere else. The items on the list have a high utility, great value, and are highly-rated by Dollar Tree customers. Some of these are well-known brands that you may already be familiar with, while others may be more niche. But they all have one thing in common: They are all well-loved. Once you read through this list, you may find a few items to add to your next grocery haul.

This Swanson chicken à la king is made with white and dark meat, mushrooms, red and green peppers, and a creamy gravy sauce. It comes in a 10.5-ounce can and is priced less than other retailers like Walmart. It’s a bargain at Dollar Tree, so you may want to stock up on a few cans of it if you can. This is a versatile option to keep in your pantry for those moments when you want something flavorful but don’t have a lot of time to cook.

You can simply open it, dump the contents into a pan, and heat it up for a meal within minutes. It makes a comforting dish on its own, but you can also bulk it up with peas or mixed veggies for added nutrients. Or, try pouring it over rice or a biscuit to create a speedy and inexpensive lunch or dinner. The can has rave reviews, and one customer on the Dollar Tree website even says it was “almost as good as [their] late grandma’s homemade.” This canned product offers both a nostalgic taste and a budget-friendly option for customers.

Canned fruit is delightful. You can eat it straight from the can to curb your sweet tooth, or turn it into something new. After all, there are many ways to use canned peaches. You can make anything from peach cobbler to a spectacular peach chutney with it. You can use the leftover syrup, too. Try adding it to your iced tea for a tasty and fruit-forward beverage.

Libby’s is a household name that makes a great canned pumpkin puree, but its yellow cling sliced peaches in heavy syrup is also a great buy. Grab a can or two the next time you see it at Dollar Tree. This pantry staple is a top pick for making fruit-based desserts. You won’t have to worry about the fresh fruit going bad or bruising before you get around to eating them. This product can cost quite a bit if you buy it from a major grocer, so you might as well head to Dollar Tree and see if you can find it. You can use every last morsel and drop of this canned food for drinks, sweet treats, and baked goods, making it a terrific buy. 

Tuna is one of the top canned seafood options to stock in your pantry because it’s affordable, high-protein, and useful for many recipes. Sure, you can use it as the key ingredient in tuna salad, but you can also utilize this 5-ounce can of StarKist chunk light tuna in water for more than just that.

You may be able to find these cans for a few cents cheaper at Walmart, and Target sells them as well — though it’s often more expensive than Dollar Tree. Though, if you plan on stocking up on a few cans, which some Dollar Tree customers have admitted to doing, it’s still a worthwhile purchase. 

We like that this tuna comes in water because it makes it more adaptable for dishes where you don’t necessarily want or need the oil. Turn the fish into anything from tuna croquettes to casseroles. The whole can contains 90 calories and 20 grams of protein, and since it’s packed in water, it has less fat than the vegetable oil-packed version. This also means it will have a different and slightly less oily mouthfeel.

Tuna may be one of the more popular canned seafood options out there, but we think you should also incorporate sardines into the mix. Chicken of the Sea’s wild-caught sardines in Louisiana hot sauce are bursting with flavor. You can also eat them straight from the can for an easy and simple meal. We recommend pouring the contents into a bowl and mashing it up into a paste for easy eating, or place it on toast for a quick bite. Online reviewers mention that the hot sauce is tasty, while others note that they always keep a few cans of this high-quality fish in their pantry.

Sardines are a nutritional powerhouse; they’re packed with protein, heart-healthy fats, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals. The Dollar Tree item weighs in at 3.75 ounces and has a pull-tab for easy opening. There’s no need for a can opener, which makes this an even quicker meal. While it’s a few cents cheaper at Walmart than at Dollar Tree, the canned fish is still cheaper than at other retailers like Albertsons. If you’re shopping at Dollar Tree anyway, save time and gas money by purchasing it while you’re in the store. 

The Clemente Jacques pickled whole jalapeños come in a 26-ounce can with an easy-to-open pull tab. Pickled jalapeños are the perfect item to add to meals when you want a multi-dimensional flavor kick. They offer a touch of heat, but also have a vinegary profile that will give many foods a wonderful boost. If you have a family, you might go through these pretty quickly. If not, you can place the leftovers in an airtight container, juice and all, and store them in the fridge to help them last longer. 

Although these are similarly priced at Walmart, they are still a fantastic canned food to keep on hand whenever you want to bring additional flavor to your meals. Because they’re whole jalapeños, you can easily cut them to the size you need, rather than having to rely on pre-sliced peppers. Try adding a bit of the jalapeño to your next batch of salsa, slice one up for your hamburger, or use it as a spicy complement to goat cheese. Reviews on the Dollar Tree website say that these are perfectly spicy and have a crunchy texture. 

When you want several fruits in one convenience package, opt for Island Choice’s diced fruit cocktail. This 15-ounce can contains pears, peaches, pineapples, grapes, and cherries for a marvelous mix of fruits. This makes it a fantastic option for quickly adding flavor and color to things like cottage cheese or punch bowls. Plus, it’s competitively priced compared to other retailers. You not only get the flavor of the different fruits, but also experience their diverse consistencies and shapes, although they are all diced up into pieces for easy eating. 

This sweet canned good is very versatile. Reviewers note that the product has a great taste and makes a good snack. The juice can even be used to flavor tea. It also has a long shelf life, and you won’t have to be worried about the freshness of each of the fruits inside of it. You don’t have to spend the time to wash, prepare, or cut up fresh fruit, either. This fruit cocktail is a great option for busy families or people who want to incorporate a less prep-intensive option into their day.

Homemade beans are absolutely delicious, but it’s not always feasible to cook them yourself — especially if you’re in a rush. Even Instant Pot refried beans take about 50 minutes to prep and cook, so having canned legumes on hand is convenient. La Sierra’s packed multiple servings of refried beans into its 20.5-ounce can. The cans at Dollar Tree are cheaper than La Sierra’s bagged beans, which are sold at stores like Ralphs. 

Each ½-cup serving has 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of plant-based protein, which makes it a hearty side dish. Some reviewers even praise these beans as being the best-tasting out of all the brands they’ve tried. If you usually aren’t a big fan of canned refried beans, then you may want to give these a go. Just because something is canned doesn’t mean it skimps on flavor. Add this budget-friendly, time-saving legume to your Dollar Tree shopping list — which should be getting pretty long by now.

Sweet potatoes are not just for Thanksgiving. There are a bunch of ways to use canned sweet potatoes beyond the classic marshmallow-laden holiday dish. Buying the canned version can also save you time, as you don’t have to wash and cut a whole batch of them, nor do you have to wait around for them to cook and soften. H.E.B. sells Bruce’s Yams but it’s pricier to get them there than at Dollar Tree. Not only will you save a couple of quarters, but you don’t have to sacrifice on flavor, either.

This can is best used if you’re after a sweeter profile, since it comes in a pineapple orange sauce made with sugar, crushed orange, and crushed pineapple in pineapple juice. Try mashing the sweet potatoes up with eggs to make two-ingredient pancakes, or blend them to create a rich and colorful smoothie. The canned item is worth keeping in the pantry for whenever you may need it.

Campbell’s is a trusted soup brand. The company offers several options at Dollar Tree, including tomato and loaded potato soup, but you really can’t go wrong with chicken noodle. Sometimes you want an ultra-comforting meal, and for that, there’s Campbell’s Kitchen Classics chicken noodle soup. It has all the familiar flavors you love packed into a 14.2-ounce can. This is a chunky soup that’s ideal when you’re craving something with a bit of texture. The noodles, cubes of chicken, and veggies come together to create a timeless dish that you’ll want to keep in your pantry no matter the season.

Reviewers stand by this brand on Dollar Tree’s website and many claim that it’s one of their favorites. These sell for over a hefty price on Amazon, so stock up next time you’re at the Dollar Tree. If you purchase multiple, you can always find new ways to add flavor to chicken noodle soup so it doesn’t get boring. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to one can and a dash of hot sauce to the next. 

Evaporated milk is such a fantastic item to have in your pantry. You never know when you may need it, and it’s useful for many different things. Next time you’re at Dollar Tree, keep an eye out for the California Farms’ evaporated filled milk. The 12-ounce, shelf-stable product is a convenient and economical choice, as it offers a longer shelf life than refrigerated dairy milk. Evaporated filled milk is different than your average evaporated milk because it is prepared with a blend of ingredients, such as vegetable oils, stabilizers, and added vitamins, such as A and D3.

While this canned dairy item is not a milk substitute, it is still versatile. You could use it to make a delicious halo-halo, which is a Filipino dessert that Anthony Bourdain loved, or use it for ice cream. It can offer a creamy texture to many dishes. The versatility and rich flavor of the California Farms canned evaporated milk makes it a worthwhile buy. 

Get a burst of color and sweetness with Mother’s Maid cherry filling or topping. As its name implies, you don’t only have to use it for pie, though it is one way that many people use it. For example, you can make a chocolate cherry cake using the cherry filling and boxed cake mix for an unforgettable, but easy-to-achieve dessert. Or, use this canned item to make a fruit cobbler or as a topping for your ice cream. It provides a sweet and tangy profile without the hassle of pitting a bunch of cherries.

Customers who have bought this product note that its price, value, and taste make it worth buying. Walmart’s comparable cherry filling product is way more expensive, so you should grab a couple of the Mother’s Maid 15-ounce cans at Dollar Tree if you spot them. This canned product combines affordability, ease, and versatility, making it a top Dollar Tree canned item for home bakers and cooks.

While you can get cans of individual vegetables, you can’t beat the utility of a multi-veggie option like Margaret Holmes’ tomatoes, okra, and corn. There’s no shortage of ways to consume this scrumptious product. Eat it as a vegetable side dish by itself, spice it up with seasoning, or use it as the base of soup or gumbo. It comes in a 14.5-ounce can, so you get a lot of product for the price. Dollar Tree customers note that the utility of this product and its price cannot be beat.

This can is more affordable at Dollar Tree than at stores like Walmart. The canned veggies have a touch of Southern-style seasoning, including onion, garlic, and spices, to give them a flavorful upgrade, but you can further customize their flavor to your liking. If you’re reluctant about getting canned okra because of its slippery texture, fear not, as reviewers have shared that this product does not have with that issue. Plus you won’t have to spend time cutting corn from the cob or trimming and chopping okra.

Grab a can or two of Prego classic Alfredo sauce next time you’re at Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree sells it for almost half of what Albertsons lists it at, making it an incredible deal that you won’t want to miss. Not sold on the can versus jar scenario? One Dollar Tree reviewer says that they thought it would taste different than the jarred sauce, but they were wrong. We also love that it has a pull tab for easy opening.

Give your food a creamy and cheesy enhancement with this sauce’s blend of buttermilk, cream, Parmesan, and cheddar cheese. One reviewer says they love the sauce so much they make pasta with it to give to people as a thoughtful gift. This multi-purpose sauce can be used in chicken fettuccine Alfredo, as a pizza sauce, or to enhance even the blandest vegetable dish. The canned Prego classic Alfredo sauce from Dollar Tree is definitely worth a spot in your pantry.

Healthy Choice chicken with rice soup has chunks of white meat chicken, rice, celery, and carrots. It makes a hearty meal that you can whip up within minutes. It has a lot of reviews on Dollar Tree’s website, the majority of which are five-star ratings. One thing reviewers consistently mention is the sodium content, which is relatively low for canned soup. The 15-ounce can contains 690 milligrams of sodium, compared to Campbell’s chicken and rice soup, which contains 1,975 milligrams per can. 

It’s a delectable option if you’re monitoring your sodium intake or if you just want a filling chicken soup. Leave it as is or add a touch of garlic or baby spinach for added flavor or texture. Some reviewers have even fed the soup to their children and report that it’s a fan-favorite. You may associate hot soups with winter, but this is one you can eat it any time of year.

Dollar Tree has quite a selection of canned items. To assemble this list, we picked products based on factors such as versatility, cost, taste, and overall user perception. Everything on this list is highly versatile, whether you eat it straight from the can or transform it into something else. We also selected items that were a good value and, for the most part, priced better than other grocery stores. Even if the price is marginally higher at Dollar Tree, these cans are still accessible and can save you the time, effort, and hassle of taking additional trips to other stores. 

We also used online reviews of the products to assess whether or not they taste good. The reviews also helped gauge what people like about the product and how they like to use it. This blend of utility, affordability, quality, and user satisfaction ensures that these cans meet the needs of budget-conscious shoppers without compromising on flavor or utility. Although Dollar Tree may be affordable compared to some stores, there’s no need to waste your money on products that aren’t high-quality. This list is meant to give you several options that you can find in the store so you can get the bulk of your shopping done in one go.