26 Best Items At Costco Right Now, According to a Lifelong Fan
I don't claim to be a Costco connoisseur, but between being a mom of two hungry children and literally writing about Costco for my job, I spend a lot of time perusing the aisles of the warehouse. It's a great way to get steps in! It's also a great way to have my pulse on what's worth buying.
Yes, a lot of it comes down to personal preference, but there are some items that have been on my Costco list for years and other more recent items that have become personal favorites. Even if my list varies from visit to visit, there's a good chance a few of these items will be on it at any given time.
Some Costco items—like frozen pizza, where there are so many choices—may require a bit of trial and error to find the best one. I also use the "phone a friend" option often when I am aiming to mix up my Costco list or replace something that has gone away.
So, here are 26 items at Costco currently that are worth adding to your list. Let's just say if the so-called death star appears on any of these items in the near future, I'll be stocking up stat.
Eastern Provisions Artisanal Pretzel Box
What started as a mail-order soft pretzel company that I would often send as gifts (thanks, mom, for the find!) has turned into a frequent Costco purchase. The pretzel box costs $11.99 and comes with three different varieties of soft pretzels: four big wheelhouse pretzels, six turnbuckle sticks, and 22 single bites. Along with that, there are three salt packets: cheese, classic and French Toast. These are perfect for snacking during football games on Sunday or even as an after school snack.
Rao's Homemade Marinara Sauce
Another day, another list with Rao's Homemade coming out tops for tomato sauce. Time will tell if the formula will change, but for now, it's one of the best jarred sauces out there. If you're going to buy it, Costco offers the best deal. It's often on sale—that's the best time to grab. Recently, you could get two 28-ounce jars for $8.99. The two-pack is regularly priced around $12.
Muddy Bites
Once purely a direct-to-consumer item, Muddy Bites focuses on the best part of a drumstick-style ice cream cone—that final bite of cone, filled with chocolate. What could be more nostalgic than a whole bag of those best bites, now in a 12.5 ounce bag that will run you $11.99. They're a little pricey but trust me, this will be your new favorite indulgence. If you want to get really crazy, throw them on top of ice cream!
Garden Lites Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Garden Lites (formerly Veggies Made Great) have been a Costco staple for years with a variety of its muffins and egg white frittata cups making their way through the freezer section over the years. I have tried them all and the banana chocolate chip muffins are the best—just enough chocolate chips to still call it breakfast, but a great way to start the morning for kids and adults with just the zap of the microwave. It runs $13.49 for a box of 20 in the warehouse.
Tropical Fields Coconut Rolls
I have to admit that I was #influenced by a social media post to buy these coconut rolls that I had been eyeing for months prior. I love coconut and these organic treats are made with pretty clean ingredients. They are delightful—so delightful that my family usually goes through a bag of them a week. They are subtly sweet and deliciously crunchy, and I'll admit I've had them for breakfast with coffee on-the-go and they work with that, too. In the warehouse, a bag is $7.99.
Kodiak Cakes Pancake Mix
This protein-packed pancake mix is the brand of choice in my house. I like that we are getting a little extra protein and the mix is super versatile. I usually add in a few of my own spices and sometimes fruit and chocolate chips, and it's always a winner. It's expensive in the grocery store, but you'll get a big 4.5-pound box, containing three 24-ounce bags of mix, for $12.69.
Kraft Mac and Cheese
I am actually a huge fan of the Goodles Cheddy Mac when Costco has it in stock, but there was a full scale revolt in my house after switching from Kraft—so, Kraft it is! Having a Costco-sized stock of macaroni boxes is essential for nights when I don't have time to cook or when we have no other food in the house. Eighteen boxes for $15.89 at the warehouse is a pretty good deal, too.
Garlic Expressions
I remember sampling Garlic Expressions a decade ago in a little market in Michigan and it's become a Midwest phenomenon. This marinade/salad dressing/use on everything condiment has become a discussion point amongst my friend group. It works with any protein or vegetable and has delicious chunks of garlic in the bottle. The price here is phenomenal—one single bottle usually costs around $6 in the grocery store. At Costco, you pay $9.99 for a three pack.
Garofalo Organic Spaghetti
We always like to have some sort of pasta on hand in the winter for quick and easy dinners. We tried these noodles once on a whim and they are excellent. The noodles are organic and made in Italy, and are far better, in my opinion, than the commodity brands we are used to buying. It'll cost you $11.89 for eight 1.1-pound packages of spaghetti.
Grillo's Dill Chips
There's nothing like good pickles and my family is a big fan of Grillo's. These pickles make their way in and out of Costco but are worth snagging when you are there. The container can be a little difficult to open but don't let that deter you from the fresh dill chip pickles, perfectly sliced for eating on burgers, sandwiches, or as is. A 32-ounce container is $5.99 in the warehouse.
Formaggio Artisan Wraps
It isn't always easy to find high-protein snacks or even lunches but these Formaggio artisan wraps are a huge hit with my whole family and an especially great snack when the kids are running to sports. Fresh mozzarella is wrapped with either pepperoni, prosciutto, or sopressata. In the warehouse it's $13.99 for a 22-ounce container, which contains ten mozzarella sticks for each variety of meat. That's 30 wraps total.
Goldberg's Challah Bread
I was a little unsure about buying Challah at Costco. I am pretty picky and on occasion I make my own, but I was pleasantly surprised. This denser challah holds up well and my family usually flies through both 20-ounce loaves when I purchase it. Online, it costs around $8. In the warehouse, it's a bit cheaper.
Motor City Pizza Co Five Cheese Breadsticks
Motor City Pizza Co. has remained a staple at Costco and it's likely because of its rave reviews. The pizza is good but the breadsticks are usually my pick. They are super cheesy and perfect to dunk in marinara or eat as is. It'll cost you $9.79 for a two-count box in the warehouse.
Burrata
I love burrata and in most grocery stores it's incredibly expensive. At Costco you can get a 16-ounce container for only $7.99, which is a steal. In the summer, it's perfect with fresh basil and tomatoes, awesome to add creaminess to any pasta, and perfect atop a pizza.
Kirkland Signature Prime Beef Loin New York Steaks
On nights we feel like something a little fancier for dinner but don't want to go out, we usually buy USDA Prime-grade New York steaks, which tend to be better than the Choice option. They are certainly expensive, running around $20 a pound, but end up being cheaper than ordering a steak at a restaurant.
Duke's Shorty Sausages
My husband is always looking for a high-protein snack he can easily grab and take anywhere. For years, he has been buying the Duke's shorty sausages. They aren't made with nitrates like other jerky and the flavor is good. They cost around $11 a bag at Costco.
Uncrustables
I was really against buying these Uncrustables for a long time because, truthfully, how hard is it just to make a PB&J sandwich? But, my kids really like them and, more importantly, get them out of the freezer on their own for lunch and they definitely come in handy when we run out of bread at the end of the week. They cost around $13.99 in the warehouse for 18 sandwiches.
Kirkland Shelled Pistachios
The price of these shelled pistachios has shot up tremendously over the years. I remember buying them at $9.99, and now they are $14.99! But, I still splurge when I know we are making a cheese board or doing a road trip, as they are a great car snack, too. This isn't an add-to-list every trip, but I do pick up a bag every few months.
Kirkland Signature Artisan Rolls
These ciabatta rolls are great for deli sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheese, and more. They are a nice change up from sliced bread. The only downfall? There are 12 and they do go bad relatively quickly, so make sure you buy them at a time you can move through them within a few days. They cost $5.99 in the store.
Mandarins
Fall leading into winter isn't the best time for a vast fruit selection, but easy-to-peel mandarins are something my family always goes through in droves. The brand can vary at Costco—sometimes it's "Cuties," other times it is something else—but they seem to always be flavorful, and I haven't had issues like some of the other produce. A five-pound bag is $6.99.
Cage Free Eggs
We fly through eggs in my house, so buying them at Costco makes perfect sense. In fact, we sometimes buy two containers at a time. We vary between the cage-free eggs and the organic eggs, depending on who is shopping or how they look, but eggs are certainly a staple for us at Costco. Cage-free eggs right now cost $4.99 for 24 eggs.
Organic Chicken Stock
Chicken stock is one of those ingredients that you don't realize how much you use until you don't have it. We cook a lot and it's always good to have on hand for soups, sauces, and more. Plus, it has a long shelf life. Online you can grab six cartons for $11.99.
Kirkland Signature Bottled Water
We try not to buy bottled water often, but for birthday parties, playdates, and school events, sometimes it's just easier. Costco has just about every size and brand you could imagine, so we buy based on what we need it for.
Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella Slices
We make a lot of pizza in our outdoor oven, so having mozzarella on hand is key. This pre-sliced fresh mozzarella makes pizza-making super easy, and it's nice that it comes in two separate packs to open one at a time and keep the other fresh.
Heavenly Hunks
I first discovered these during a sample (darn impulse purchases!) and they are pretty good. They're like granola bar chunks but better with oatmeal and dark chocolate. They are delicious and naturally gluten-free with good-for-you ingredients, but probably should be treated more like a "healthy" dessert.
Bachan's Japanese BBQ Sauce
I was lucky enough to sample this sauce long before it made its way to Costco, so when it showed up in the warehouse, it was an immediate add to cart. The barbecue sauce name is somewhat deceiving. It's more of a soy-ginger style sauce but it works with everything. Use it as a marinade, a dipping sauce, as your secret weapon in fried rice, or whatever else you can dream up. Trust me! A 34-ounce bottle is $9.79 in the warehouse.
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