21 Essential Kirkland Signature Products to Stock Up on for Summer Cookouts

If you’re a regular at the warehouse, then you probably already know that Kirkland Signature is the only store brand at Costco. If you’re a frequent shopper, then you likely also know that Kirkland Signature products are often some of the best buys at the whole store. Between their relatively cheap pricing and their amazing quality and/or taste, there is a lot to love. Many of the brands behind your favorite Costco Kirkland products are major retailers with products that sell for much more in other grocery stores. You shouldn’t overlook the Costco products for your summer cookout.

You should be able to find nearly everything you’ll need to feed and welcome guests to your home. I wanted to see just what Kirkland Signature has to offer, so I visited my local warehouse and took a look around. As I thought about the products that could help readers through a summer cookout, I considered the price, overall value, and, to the best of my abilities, the quality of each item. You can find a more detailed description of the methodology I used at the end of this article.

Is it really a summer cookout without the hot dogs? Fortunately, when you shop at Costco, you won’t have to worry about not being prepared with this barbecue classic. The warehouse sells a multipack of Kirkland Signature beef hot dogs, complete with three individual packages, each with 12 hot dogs. While the price may vary depending on where you live, at my local warehouse, these worked out to about $7 for each 12-pack. That’s just over $0.50 per hot dog, which really isn’t bad.

here is a lot more to love about these hot dogs beyond the value that you’ll get for the money. They’re perfectly sized to fit on a bun, gluten-free, and made without any fillers or by-products. These are my family’s favorite hot dogs — perfect to cook on the grill or even in the air fryer if you’re just looking for a quick lunch to use them up after your gathering.

Hot dogs may be a staple for a cookout, but they’re not the only ones. You also don’t want to forget about the burgers that your guests will also be looking for. Each package of the Kirkland Signature ground beef contains around 5 pounds of meat, which should be enough to make at least 20 4-ounce burgers.

This ground beef has an 88% lean to 12% fat ratio. So, while it may not be as lean as some 93/7 ratios that you can find at other grocery stores, that extra fat will ensure that your burgers turn out nice and juicy for your guests to enjoy. Don’t forget to pick up some cheese, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce when you’re at Costco. Your guests will be looking for their favorite toppings for their juicy burger, too.

As important as it may be, you can’t only offer meat at your cookout. You’ll also need to have some sides to serve your guests. Keep your stress levels down by choosing at least a few that won’t require any work on your part, such as these Kirkland Signature Kettle Brand Krinkle Cut Pink Salt Potato Chips.

The generously-sized 32-ounce bag will help you feed a crowd. And, even better than the large size is the price. Depending on where you live, you should expect to pay around $7. Considering that the bag holds 32 servings, that means you’ll be spending less than $0.25 per guest. You can offer these chips plain, or you might consider preparing one of your favorite dip recipes, such as caramelized onion dip or creamy buffalo chicken dip, to serve alongside them.

When it comes to what types of plates to use for your cookout, you have several choices. You might decide to pull your everyday plates out of your kitchen cabinets, or you could pick up some cheap paper plates. However, both of these options are problematic. If you use your dishes, you risk them breaking and will be leaving yourself with more dishes. If you buy cheap paper plates, they’ll be too flimsy to support all the food you’re serving your guests.

Instead, consider trying the 50-count of Kirkland Signature Elegant Plastic Plates, which cost $15 at my local warehouse. They’re much sturdier than those flimsy paper plates, but still reasonably affordable. Each plate has a 10.25-inch diameter, making them large enough to hold plenty of food for your guests.

Check out the Kirkland Signature Crystal Clear Cutlery at your local warehouse. One thing that is unique — and beneficial — about this set is the number of each type of flatware that it includes. Instead of evenly splitting the 360 pieces and giving you an equal amount of forks, spoons, and knives, it comes with 180 forks, 120 spoons, and 60 knives. 

If you’ve ever dealt with the frustration of running out of forks before spoons and knives with other sets, then you’ll likely appreciate the breakdown of this Kirkland Signature set. This distribuion will be ideal for those barbecues, where you and your guests are likely to go through forks more quickly — both for eating summer party staples, such as coleslaw or pasta salad, and even for serving sides and appetizers to make sure that cleanup at the end of the even is more manageable.

Those looking to fire up the grill to cook some sweet tea and chipotle grilled chicken or tequila and lime grilled chicken for their guests might want to add the Kirkland Signature Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts to their Costco carts. My local Costco was selling these for $5.99 per pound. While you may be able to find chicken breasts on sale for less at your local grocery store, finding organic options, such as these, for this low of a price will be more challenging.

One other benefit of purchasing this pack from Costco is how the breasts are packaged. Instead of one large tray with the 3 to 4 pounds of chicken, the breasts are separated into three separate and independently sealed sections. This will make it easier to freeze anything that you don’t need for later use.

If you’re looking for the perfect side dish for your summer cookout, you can’t go wrong with mac and cheese. Not only are your guests likely to be looking for it, but that creamy and cheesy flavor pairs so beautifully with barbecue sauce and other cookout classics.

If you’re worried that you won’t have time to make your favorite home-cooked recipe, check out the prepared foods section at Costco and grab one of the Kirkland Signature mac and cheese trays. These trays are ready to bake in the oven, allowing you to present your guests with a hot and tasty side dish. All you need to do is to cover the aluminum tray with some foil and bake for up to an hour.

Sparkling water is a guest favorite these days. There’s something refreshing about the fruity and citrusy flavors, and it doesn’t make you feel as guilty as you do when you grab a soda. There are actually several Kirkland Sparkling water flavors, including three that come in this case of 35 cans.

Consider stocking up on these and keeping them in a cooler on the deck or patio — friends and family will have access to a cool and tasty beverage whenever they want to quench their thirst. With grapefruit, lime, and lemon options, most guests will be able to find something to quench their thirst. And at around $14 for 35 cans, you should be able to stay within your budget. Each drink has no sodium, no calories, and no sweeteners.

Give your guests something to whet their appetites — and to keep them happy while you finish preparing the meal — with the Kirkland Signature shrimp cocktail platter. Each platter weighs about 1.5 pounds and comes with everything you’ll need to serve it to your guests. Not only is cocktail sauce included, but there are also a few lemon wedges in the container for those who prefer to spritz their shrimp with some fresh citrus.

All you’ll need to do to serve up this delicious dish is to transfer it to a platter and set it out by your guests. Just be careful to avoid leaving it out for too long. Shrimp is perishable, and you don’t want to inadvertently give your guests food poisoning.

You shouldn’t overlook using foil to help prepare foods for your summer get-togethers. For example, there are several benefits of grilling salmon in foil packets. It eliminates the need to flip the salmon as it cooks, ensures that the fish stays moist, and greatly simplifies cleanup. You can use foil for more than just meat and fish, though. Vegetables, such as corn, turn out flavorful and juicy when cooked in foil.

Pick up a pack of these Kirkland Signature Reynolds Foodservice Aluminum Foil sheets. Since they’re pre-cut, they’re ready to use without the hassle of pulling out the roll and tearing the foil off. Each box includes 500 sheets, so you’ll have all you need for several future cookouts.

When you’re planning what you need to buy for your cookout, it is easy to overlook the need to pick up some zippered food storage bags, such as these Kirkland Signature Freezer Gallon Plus Food Bags. However, if you don’t have them on hand, you’re likely to regret it.

Gallon zippered bags can come in handy in many ways before, during, and after the meal. If you’re planning on preparing any marinated meats, zippered bags such as these can make your life easier. Not only do they offer a convenient location to let the sauce and meat sit together, but once you’ve moved the meat to the grill, the bag can simply get tossed into the trash to simplify clean up. They can also hold pre-cut veggies for the grill or even be used to send leftovers home with guests.

Some people may have a tried-and-true hamburger recipe, while others may prefer the simplicity of using pre-made patties. This can be especially true when you’re serving a large crowd or trying to juggle the many other grilling and entertaining tasks that come with hosting a summer cookout — making a huge batch of your favorite recipe may simply not be in the cards.

Fortunately, Costco has you covered with these Angus Ground Chuck and Beef Patties. The patties are sold frozen and don’t need to be defrosted before grilling, which can save refrigerator space for everything else you’ll need. Each bag includes 18 ⅓-pound patties, so you may be able to get by with just one pack, depending on how many guests you’re inviting.

If you really want to make sure your guests leave raving about the food you served at your cookout, then take things up a notch with some St. Louis ribs. If you shop at Costco, you can even save yourself the hassle of trying to prepare a dry rub and make sure that the ribs are adequately seasoned before you fire up the grill.

Instead, you can simply pick up a tray — or two — of the Kirkland Signature pre-seasoned St. Louis ribs. If you haven’t grilled ribs before, then you’ll also appreciate that these come with simple directions for how long to cook the ribs on each side over direct heat and how much time they’ll need over indirect heat to make sure they’re fall-off-the-bone tender.

Throw some shrimp on the barbie with these Kirkland Signature farm-raised shrimp from Costco. The tails (and heads) are already removed for you, so after grilling, these will be ready for your guests to enjoy right away. Shrimp are great for cookouts. You can wrap them in bacon for a scrumptious appetizer or skewer them with some fresh veggies for kabobs.

These are considered large shrimp, with 31 to 40 per pound. Since the bags each weigh 2 pounds, that means you should get between 62 and 80 shrimp. Considering the average portion for shrimp of this size is eight to nine per person, each bag should feed up to 10 guests.

When you’re looking for one of the best Kirkland Signature brand drinks from Costco to serve at your cookout, you can’t go wrong with the Organic Lemonade. Sweet and refreshing lemonade is a summer staple, so your guests will be pleased to find that it is being offered. The Kirkland Signature recipe features no artificial flavors or sweeteners.

Our product tester enjoyed this Kirkland Signature beverage. They wrote, “It’s a refreshing drink with a pleasantly moderate sweetness.” Costco sells this as a two-pack, with each bottle holding 96 ounces. Picking it up at Costco can help you ensure that you have plenty of this quintessential summer beverage.

Practically everyone loves Costco’s rotisserie chicken. However, not everyone knows about the Kirkland Signature chicken salad, which is made using that famous rotisserie chicken. Provide your friends and family with a pleasant surprise by offering this tasty rotisserie chicken salad as one of the side dishes for your get-together.

Each container of the chicken salad weighs about 2 pounds. You’ll be able to feed several people with each container. If you’re having a really large gathering — or are convinced it’ll be a huge hit — you could consider picking up two containers as well. In addition to the rotisserie chicken, the ingredient list includes dressing, onions, and eggs.

Outdoor dining can be messy, especially when you add in ketchup-covered burgers and dogs, saucy baked beans, dripping frozen desserts, and more. Make sure you’re prepared by grabbing a package of the Kirkland Signature Casual Dining Napkins during your Costco shopping trip.

Just as their name says, these aren’t the fancy, “cloth-like” napkins that you can find for a higher price. However, something so formal wouldn’t be ideal for a summer cookout anyway, and it would be more expensive. With these, you’ll receive 1,120 napkins for under $15 at most warehouses (they cost only $11.99 at my local Costco). With over 1,000 napkins, you should be prepared not only for your upcoming gathering, but for several future ones too.

If you’re looking for a sweet treat to serve your guests for dessert, but want to avoid adding more to your pre-cookout to-do list, you’ll find several delicious premade options in Costco’s bakery section. One you might want to grab is these Kirkland Signature chocolate chunk cookies.

With 24 generously sized cookies, you’ll be prepared to satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth. If you want to turn these cookies into something even more exciting, consider picking up a carton of vanilla ice cream when you’re shopping at the warehouse. You and your guests can make homemade ice cream sandwiches as a fun treat for after the main meal.

These Kirkland Signature chicken sausages might be a good choice if you want to offer some more unique grilled choices to your guests. With their Parmesan & Cracked Black Pepper flavor, they’ll deliver a little heat for those who like spicier foods. Sausages — especially pre-cooked ones like these — are also easy to cook. Plus, since they only take about 10 minutes to heat on a grill, you can easily toss a few extra on if you underestimate how much food your guests are going to want to eat.

Each package weighs 48 ounces (3 pounds) and includes 18 plump links. They’re fully cooked, so it shouldn’t take long to heat them up on the grill and give them a nice sear for some added flavor.

Keeping your guests well-hydrated on a warm summer afternoon is important. Therefore, you should pick up a case or two of the Kirkland Signature Purified Water.

Each case includes 40 16.9-ounce bottles, which is more than you’ll find in most name brands that you can buy at your local grocery store. The case of 40 is also very reasonably priced; it costs only $3.99 at my local warehouse, which works out to just under 10 cents per bottle. Beyond using these bottles to ensure each guest stays hydrated, you might also consider freezing several bottles before the cookout. You could toss them in the coolers as an extra ice pack. On a particularly hot summer day, you could even pull a few out and let your guests place them against the back of their necks for some instant cooling.

I took a trip to my local Costco to compile this list of the best Kirkland Signature items to stock up on for summer parties. To help me select which products to feature, I thought about everything that goes into planning and organizing a cookout. As the host, you want to ensure that you’re providing a range of mouth-watering appetizers, sides, main dishes, and desserts to help each guest leave happy and well-fed. However, you also likely want to avoid spending a fortune on food for one party and want to make sure that you’re not stuck behind the grill or in the kitchen for the entire gathering.

I looked for Kirkland Signature-branded products that would support these goals of offering a wide assortment of options and keeping costs from skyrocketing. Additionally, I tried to include some options that were premade or easy to prepare, allowing hosts to focus much of their attention on the main course and ensure they can enjoy spending time with friends and family.