13 Innovative Ideas for Savoring Costco’s Beloved Croissants

Costco’s croissants are a fan-favorite for a reason. Some would even go so far as to say that they are the best pastry Costco sells. Not only are they baked fresh every day, but they’re priced just right. There’s no denying that they are tasty, either. If you’ve ever second-guessed whether or not to pick up a package of Costco’s croissants because you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to enjoy all of them before they go stale, have no fear. The versatility of these tasty bakery delights is just one more reason why they are so well-loved.

We rounded up some creative ways to put Costco’s croissants to use so you can forget about food waste and focus on making the most of them. From turning them into croutons to using them as ice cream cones to creating mini croissant crust pies, their potential is basically limitless. If all else fails, you can always freeze them as well. However, once you learn about the drool-worthy ways we discovered to enjoy Costco croissants, we don’t think you’ll have any trouble enjoying them before it comes to that.

A plain Costco croissant makes a tasty breakfast as-is, but it actually has endless potential when it comes to the first meal of the day. The first hassle-free way to transform your croissants into an over-the-top breakfast meal is to use them as the base for a breakfast bake. Sweet or savory, you can easily prepare a croissant breakfast bake the night before, stick it in the fridge — covered, of course — and then all you have to do come morning is stick it in the oven at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Easy peasy, right?

As noted, breakfast bakes encompass both sweet and savory options, so regardless of what kind of morning mood you’re in, they have you covered. Everything from fruit and sweet cream to ham and cheese to veggies and eggs makes for a filling, scrumptious breakfast. In fact, to make things even easier on yourself, you may want to simply consult your fridge and pantry, and use whatever ingredients you have lying around, or need to use quickly, and toss them into a pan with croissants underneath. You’ll obviously need some kind of milk or eggs to turn the dish into a breakfast bake, but winging the rest of the ingredients is completely on the table. Have fun with it, and don’t forget you can prepare your croissant breakfast bake the night before. While not 100% necessary, it ensures your first meal of the day goes off without a hitch.

Staying on the breakfast track, Costco croissants also make some mean french toast. In fact, they may just be one of the all-time best bread options for upgraded French toast. Don’t believe us? We dare you to give them a try and disagree. With soft centers that easily soak up egg batter and edges that can help crisping up in a pan, they have all the hallmarks of an outstanding french toast bread. Don’t even get us started on the butter, either. It adds a rich flavor that undeniably leads to tastier results. After all, many of us choose to slather butter on our French toast for a reason: It makes for a more satisfying taste and texture. Are you beginning to see why croissant french toast is second-to-none?

When it comes time to make croissant french toast, you have two options. You can do it the old fashioned way, in a pan, or you can make a French toast bake. Either way works for croissants. If you choose to put it in a pan, slicing your croissants lengthwise should provide you with bread that is appropriately sized and shaped. However, if you want to have some fun, you can also cut out shapes with cookie cutters and batter and fry them — something every kid in your life is bound to fall in love with.

Sandwiches are another crowd-pleasing way to use up Costco’s fan-favorite croissants before they ever get a chance to go bad. This probably isn’t too surprising to most of you, though, because croissants just so happen to be one of the best bread swaps for traditional sandwiches. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know this, and Costco’s croissants — which just so happen to be a lot larger than other grocery store croissants — are a perfect example of why they’re capable of making a next-level sandwich.

Many of us think of lunch when we hear the word sandwich, but Costco croissant sandwiches are good for any time of the day. For breakfast, you can load them up with eggs, cheese, and bacon, or maybe sausage, and voilà! You have an instant, filling meal. They are even pretty portable. We won’t do you the disservice of listing all the different types of typical lunch and dinner time sandwiches there are; we are sure you know plenty. And guess what? They all taste great when Costco croissants are the ingredient holding them together. You could even give one of Costco’s famous hot dogs an instant pig in a blanket upgrade by swapping out the bun for a bakery croissant — and you thought they couldn’t get any better. Truly, the sky’s the limit with Costco croissant sandwiches.

As it turns out, croissants are one of the best breads for making bread pudding, so you know Costco’s are more than up for the job. Why wouldn’t they be? They are soft, flaky, buttery, and oh so delicious. Topping them with yummy bread pudding ingredients is bound to be a winning combination. From fresh fruits to chocolate to sweet creams and beyond, bread pudding is a classic dessert dish that aims to please. The configurations are nearly endless, so again, feel free to play around with the final ingredients.

Sweet is the name of the game when it comes to bread pudding. However, you can also give your bread pudding a savory twist with tomatoes. Technically still a fruit, tomatoes take your typical dessert dish and transform it into something else entirely. What we mean by this is that it may be more of a breakfast or lunch food, not a straight-up dessert. If you are trying to use up leftover croissants before they go stale, which you are (that’s why you’re reading this, after all), the potential for sweet and savory bread pudding options only makes this more achievable. So, no excuses. Put croissant bread pudding on the menu the next time you buy a package of Costco’s croissants, and you can forget about them going to waste.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of munching on croissant croutons, you’re in for a treat. Not only do they fit into any salad you like, but man, are they delicious. When toasted just right (extra crispy, of course), they are flaky, crunchy, buttery, and, to put it plainly, downright delectable. Honestly, you probably don’t even need to season your small chunks of Costco croissant before toasting them, but it certainly won’t hurt. A sprinkle of salt and savory seasonings like rosemary, garlic, or thyme are all shoo-ins, but the list goes on. Obviously, though, keep in mind what kind of salad you’ll be enjoying your croutons with and season accordingly.

Best of all, your croissants don’t have to be fresh to make croutons out of them. In fact, some might even say waiting for them to become slightly stale is the way to go. Once they start to turn, they toast up exceptionally well, and since croutons are supposed to be super crunchy, bordering on hard, stale croissants are the perfect pick. Plus, croutons give you one last chance to revamp a stale croissant before tossing it in the trash.

One of the reasons garlic bread tastes so much better at a restaurant is that professional chefs don’t hold back on the butter. We all know butter makes everything better, but something about slathering a massive amount on dishes we make feels wrong, at least when we are at home. Some restraint is probably good for our health, but it doesn’t always result in the tastiest outcome. Thankfully, Costco croissants are already loaded with butter, and it penetrates each of the flaky layers beautifully. Do you see where we are going with this? Yup, it has all the makings of restaurant-worthy, super buttery garlic bread. Yum.

Whether you are a garlic bread purist — someone who only puts butter and garlic on the bread — or you prefer to jazz it up with things like cheese and extra seasonings (that’s what we recommend), croissants are here for the win. Just slice them up to your preferred size, slather some butter on, and top how you like. It’s basically impossible to mess this up, too. That’s part of the beauty of garlic bread. Just make sure you don’t burn your croissant garlic bread in the oven, and you should be all set.

Sandwiches are one thing, but you can also skip the layering and simply stuff your Costco croissants with savory ingredients. Unlike sandwiches, stuffed croissants do a much better job of keeping gooey ingredients inside, so this configuration opens up a world of possibilities. Just think, you could make a croissant pizza pocket stuffed with lots of red sauce, cheese, and yummy toppings. One bite and you’ll forget store-bought Hot Pockets even exist.

In addition to everyone’s favorite, pizza, you can also fill up croissants with gooey dips, like French onion, spinach artichoke, creamy Buffalo chicken, and more. Chicken, egg, and tuna salad also make good filling choices. Obviously, you can make sandwiches with them, as well, but they become much more manageable when you stuff them into a croissant. Yes, please! Really, any gooey or saucy sandwich ingredients become more contained and easy to handle in a stuffed croissant, so feel free to let your imagination run wild with this Costco croissant hack. Ham and cheese? Absolutely. Meatball and marinara? You know it. Just stuff, toast, and enjoy. Whatever you pick, you won’t regret it.

Crostinis are essentially smaller, open-faced sandwiches, and since we already know Costco croissants are great for making sandwiches, why not throw crostinis in the mix as well? They are basically a free-for-all regarding ingredients, minus the base made of bread, of course, so they can help you make good use of just about anything you have lying around. Plus, a toasted buttery croissant, halved, quartered, or sliced like a loaf of bread, will only make them tastier. You probably don’t need to hear this again, but the buttery deliciousness of Costco croissants is where it’s at, so they add lots of flavor to dishes as well, crostinis included.

In case you were wondering, crostini and bruschetta are closely related. The difference boils down to a few minor details, but the terms are often used interchangeably. With this in mind, you don’t have to get creative when making crostinis. If you prefer a classic tomato bruschetta, your Costco croissants will work for that, too. Regardless of the toppings you choose, make sure to toast your croissants pieces heavily before loading them up. This ensures they don’t crumble under the weight of whatever you choose to put on top. Other than that, just have fun with it, and you’re sure to wow anyone you choose to share your croissant crostinis with.

Whether you call them mini pies or puffs, Costco croissants are just what you need to create the base layer on these delicious handheld treats. You’ll need a muffin tin (regular or mini-sized), as well, but that’s to be expected. Perfect for snacking, bringing to a party, or making a complete meal, mini croissant pies are sure to turn some heads.

Just like a full-sized pie, you can make mini croissant crust puffs with sweet or savory fillings. You know what that means? There’s basically no limit to what you can stuff in them. You could opt for a traditional pie filling, like pecan or cherry, or go in a completely different direction with something like a veggie quiche or even a mini pot pie. Either way, you’ll start by greasing and lining your muffin tin cups with small croissants. They should be cut in half lengthwise and then sized to fit the cups. After that, fill them up and bake at 375 F for about 25 minutes, less if you use a mini muffin tin. Once they cool, they should pop out of the tin super easily thanks to all the butter within the flaky layers, but the best part is how well the croissants fluff up and get crispy. They have what it takes to make any pie, sweet or savory, a real stunner.

Surprisingly, croissants make delicious ice cream cones. This may sound a bit strange, but it’s a showstopper for sure. As the ice cream inside melts, it only gets tastier, too. Don’t delay, though; wait too long, and you’ll need a bowl and spoon to finish it off without making a mess that rivals a young kid in the summertime. You know, the one who has ice cream dripping all down the cone and onto their arm? Yeah, don’t be them. Ice cream is already somewhat of an indulgence, and in all fairness, croissants are, too. So, croissant ice cream cones are nothing short of decadent, but this is one over-the-top indulgence we’ll stand behind without hesitation. Seriously, it’s so freaking tasty.

To make your own Costco croissant ice cream cone, start by chopping off one end, about a third will do. Then, you’ll want to create a small pocket inside the larger half. Simply pressing the flaky layers inside up against the exterior wall with your fingers should do the trick. After that, gently load it up with ice cream and enjoy. Admittedly, soft serve ice cream makes this task easier, but we have faith you can pull it off with the regular hard-pack ice cream you get from the store. The pay-off is so rewarding, it’s worth mastering the tricky, gentle assembly required. Trust us.

Similar to how you can stuff Costco croissants with savory ingredients, you can also fill them up with sweet things. Anything from fresh fruit to Nutella to pudding to whipped cream and beyond makes for a tasty croissant filling. Sweet cream, custard, or a blend of cinnamon-sugar work wonders as well. Heck, you can even stuff them with store-bought cookie dough to make a mash-up cookie croissant, lovingly referred to as a crookie. If you know, you know. If not, don’t sleep on this hack; crookies are a true sight to behold, and they taste just as stunning.

Whether you’re looking for a sweet treat, breakfast, or a solid after-dinner dessert, sweet stuffed croissants have your back. Some of our favorite sweet ingredients for croissants, like honey, caramel, or chocolate sauce, can also be drizzled over the top to cement the sweet stuffed croissant’s place as a truly delightful dessert. So, when you’re tired of savory options, veer on the sweeter side of things with a sugary stuffed croissant, and you’ll be glad you did.

One of the best parts of a delicious bowl of French onion soup is the crispy slice of bread smothered in cheese that sits on top. Croissants may not be a popular pick for this job, but a heavily toasted slice actually works quite well. Thanks to the abundance of butter in Costco croissants, well, all croissants for that matter, it adds a rich, yummy taste that anyone could love. The key, however, is to toast your chunk of croissant super well before laying it over the top of the bowl. If you don’t, it’ll become soggy in a matter of seconds. Whether or not you add cheese as well is up to you, but we don’t see why you wouldn’t. It’s cheese, after all.

Additionally, this Costco croissant hack is great for more than just French onion soup. Really, any soup can benefit from a piece of toasted bread on top, in our opinion — beef or vegetarian chili, chicken noodle, creamy roasted tomato, whatever. They all taste better with a toasted buttery croissant in the mix. Or, better yet, as the crown on top.

Most of us don’t find ourselves around a campfire all too often, but this next croissant hack may just have you craving a fireside chat as soon as possible. Without further ado, Costco croissants are ready to step in for the humble graham cracker when making s’mores. What? Mind-blowing, we know. Croissants may not give you the extreme crunch of a graham cracker, but they fit into the equation like a gem regardless. If you toast them up first, you’ll get more crunch, but even if you don’t, all the buttery goodness of a croissant enhances the flavor of s’mores in an undeniably delicious way. Plus, their softer texture absorbs more of the chocolate and melted marshmallow, so it isn’t nearly as messy as the traditional configuration.

There are two ways to approach making croissant s’mores. The first is to cut croissants up into smaller pieces and use them to make single s’mores. Basically, you use the slices just like graham crackers. The second method is to make a lengthwise cut in a croissant (just like you would for a sandwich) and fill it with the good stuff — chocolate and marshmallows. If you want a big payoff, this is the way to go, but smaller portions have their appeal as well. Either way, prepare for a s’more to remember.