7 Top Sugar-Free Snacks to Buy at Costco

Costco is known for its huge warehouses with prepared foods and plenty of snacks to pick from, but what if you have specific nutritional needs or want to incorporate more sugar-free foods in your life? What can you find in the beloved warehouse with this in mind? I scoured the website for sugar-free items to test out. Yes, that means there are 0 grams of sugar total. Low sugar is something else entirely, and I admittedly had a difficult time finding products to choose from — even things like peanut butter and macadamia nuts had at least 1 gram of sugar. 

I searched for anything using the terms like 0 grams sugar, zero sugar, and sugar-free in my search, and only a few things popped up. There may be more items that I wasn’t aware of, or there could be select options at your specific store, but this is pretty much everything I found using the search terms. I specifically sought out items that were snacks, not necessarily foods or liquids like cereal or bone broth, which had sugar-free versions. To make it on this list, the items had to have absolutely no sugar, be a snack, and have a good flavor. Let’s start snacking!

I have tried many beef sticks, and I have to say I like that the Country Archer Grass-Fed Beef Stick Minis Original comes in a half-ounce version. They’re perfect to bring on the go when you don’t want a full, large beef stick — sometimes I split a beef stick in half anyway, so the Country Archer minis work in my favor. 

The pack from Costco comes with 28 half-ounce little beef sticks; each one has 4 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar. These have a prominent peppery flavor, thanks to the red, black, and white pepper, but there are a lot of other ingredients to make it seasoned but not overpowering, such as parsley, onion powder, and ground nutmeg. They’re easy to open with a plastic wrap that you can simply tear apart. The sticks are savory and chewy, but not so hard that you feel like you have to gnaw on them to get a piece. You could easily snap it in half, too, if you prefer to go that route. 

The sticks are not greasy, and they’re the perfect size to keep in the pocket of a bag or backpack, ensuring they won’t get lost or take up much space. You could fit it in a fanny pack or even a pocket, making it a truly portable snack. Eat the gluten-free Country Archer sticks alone, or pair them with cheese and veggies for a quick, balanced snack.

Seeking an alternative to a potato-based chip? Then, Calbee Harvest Snaps Baked Green Pea Snacks might be your next go-to snack. This is the perfect thing to serve or take to a party because it comes in a large 20-ounce bag. However, its pro is also its con. While the size is great for sharing (it literally says “sharing size” in huge letters on the bag) or just having more to munch on, there is no way to seal it up; I would recommend rolling the top and closing it firmly with a chip clip or even transferring it into a plastic baggie that you can seal. That issue aside, these baked green pea snacks are excellent.

They are beloved amongst toddlers because they are easy to grab onto and a breeze to bite into, even if you’re missing some teeth. The Harvest Snaps are made primarily of peas, rice, and oil. They’re lightly salted and delightfully crunchy, but they can also melt in your mouth if you let them. 

The peas make a fantastic chip alternative by satisfying that salty, crunchy craving, but with an added perk: One serving has 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 0 grams of sugar — making them a fiber- and protein-rich snack. These lightly flavored baked snacks are a great choice to pack in lunchboxes or to take to a pool day.

I grew up eating the Babybel cheese, so I’ve always enjoyed peeling the red wax and unveiling the soft, creamy cheese underneath — and buying them at Costco is more affordable than Walmart or Albertsons. Exactly what type of cheese is Babybel? It’s a creamy, lightly nutty cheese that’s inspired by Edam cheese, which is close to gouda. I enjoy that it isn’t particularly strong or powerful, so it can work with a lot of snack pairings. That said, the brand has other flavors, not sold at Costco.

The Babybel Mini Snack Cheese from our dear warehouse comes with 36 pieces of semisoft cheese, which is a lot of queso — but luckily, there are plenty of ways to enjoy them. I like to use a firm salted cracker like a knife to cut pieces off the cheese to eat together. It’s the perfect soft and crunchy bite. But it also works beautifully with apples, nuts, or dried fruit for the ultimate snack combo. And, of course, you can’t go wrong eating it by itself; they offer a rich, creamy mouthfeel.

There are 4 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar in each cheese. These are perfect to add to lunchboxes or to bring to work because they are self-contained in the plastic, and then the wax underneath. Because they are semisoft, they are easily malleable if you want to squish them, cut them, or find different ways to use them. 

I hadn’t previously tried the BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Snacking Cheese, but they are incredibly tasty. I tend to buy the large block of mozzarella from Costco, but that one is drier and firmer. These BelGioioso ones have a moist, slightly wet texture, making them soft and delicate. They can squish between your thumb and forefinger or between your tongue and the roof of your mouth, offering a luxurious sensory experience compared to the block version. The Costco set comes with 24 individually wrapped packs of cheese, and each pack comes with three little balls of mozzarella. There are 5 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar per pack. 

These are delicious — creamy, lightly salty, and mildly tangy — no matter how you eat them. But because they are so small, they are the ideal snack. I combined each ball with a small slice of tomato and fresh cracked salt for a flavorful, quick bite, but it would be even better as a caprese salad bite or skewer if you have fresh basil. The cheese is also excellent to eat by itself as a nighttime snack when you need something to curb your appetite and tide you over for the evening. You really can’t go wrong with these.

Get your protein fix with the Think! High Protein Bar that comes in an 18-pack box. You’ll get nine creamy peanut butter bars and nine brownie crunch bars to give you a smidge of variety — are you in the mood for chocolate or PB chocolate? Each bar offers zero sugar, but this is the only item on the list with sugar alcohol. It has 11 grams of sugar alcohol from the maltitol syrup. There are also 20 grams of protein and 1 gram of fiber per bar. 

The protein bars are a great option for when you want a snack that leans on the sweeter side, at least compared to the meat and cheese previously mentioned in this list. These will keep you full for a while, making them ideal when you’re particularly hungry. I also like to cut them into pieces, anywhere between four to eight pieces, and then I can snack on them leisurely, rather than biting into them. Sometimes, I have half the bar and then eat the rest later that day to break it into two snacks. 

This is a fantastic option for when you want something sweet without having to worry about ingesting a lot of sugar. They’re dense and not overly sweet, but they hit that sweet tooth craving. Some other protein bars that Costco sells have between 13 and 17 grams of sugar.

I previously had the organic Skinny Pop Popcorn when I tried a bunch of affordable healthy snacks from Costco, and I quite enjoyed the convenience of it. Although it’s pretty easy to make popcorn from scratch, I am not one to eat it frequently or in large quantities. That’s why I like and appreciate these 28 portioned baggies that are surprisingly flavorful, considering they only contain organic popcorn, organic sunflower oil, and salt. They are salty, but they have dimension, almost like they’re lightly buttered. Costco also sells the organic popcorn in a singular 14-ounce bag if that’s preferred for your needs, like a party or movie night with friends.

With 0 grams of sugar, they are a top pick for a midday snack or if you need something small to curb your appetite for an after-dinner munchie. It’s easy to keep on hand, and it doesn’t get stale like if you have popcorn leftovers — which happened when I’ve made it from scratch; they get soft and lose the crunch that makes the snack so satisfying. Of course, you can always elevate the popcorn by adding in mini pepperoni (or even a chopped beef stick), a touch of garlic powder, or chocolate chips for a sweet and salty combo.

Beef jerky (surprisingly) tends to have more sugar in it than you’d think; some of the ones Costco sells have between 6 to 8 grams of sugar per serving, with variations depending on the brand and flavor. I was happy to spot the Tillamook Country Smoker Zero Sugar Beef Jerky on my Costco trip as a sugar-free alternative. The gluten-free jerky comes in a pack of two, with each weighing 6 ounces. One serving offers you 14 grams of protein and 0 grams of sugar, making it a fantastic protein-filled snack. 

It’s flavored with soy sauce, celery powder, and garlic, making it flavorful, but it’s nuanced enough that I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint those ingredients purely by taste. As a warning, it is pretty salty; if you want to pair it with another snack, pick something lower in sodium. The texture is firm (certainly firmer than the Country Archer beef sticks), but not so stiff that you’re tearing at it like a dog. After opening, it recommends eating within three days or storing in the refrigerator to prolong freshness. Pair the jerky with some celery for fiber or unsalted cashews for a bit of healthy fat and protein.

As I mentioned earlier, there weren’t a lot of sugar-free snacks to pick from at Costco. I’m sure if I walked down every aisle and looked at the nutritional label of each single item, there would be more, but I don’t have endless hours to do that. Plus, items constantly change, which is one of the mildly annoying parts of Costco. For this article, I found the items by looking at the website, and then went to my local store to purchase them. While there are other sugar-free items, they didn’t make it on this list because they weren’t deemed “snacky” enough, such as a protein shake or breakfast sausage links. 

To make it on this list, the items had to be small, portable snacks, sugar-free, and taste good; I noted if they were particularly convenient or versatile. If you’re trying to have a sugar-free snack, then you will want to stock up on these options. However, I’d love to see a wider range of snackable products at Costco, like sugar-free cookies or even popular sugar-free candies. Sometimes you don’t want meat or cheese, you know?