What to Purchase (and Skip) at Costco in Spring 2025

There are a lot of shopping hacks you should be aware of if you want to maximize your membership at Costco. One such hack is that stores continuously update their inventory seasonally, introducing new items, liquidating ones that aren’t selling, and getting in new supplies of popular items that have previously sold out. This not only allows Costco to keep its prices lower than other retailers, but it also gives customers a sense that they are always getting the best deal.

This spring is no exception to this rule, and we wanted our readers to get a first glimpse of the new and returning items you can find in the grocery aisles of Costco. To this end, we made a trip there and took some copious notes so that you know what to buy (and avoid) the next time you visit your local store.

If you are searching for a decadent addition to a meal, pick up a dozen garlic parmesan butter dinner rolls in the bakery section at your local Costco. Though prices vary depending on location, most report the dozen sells for $7.99 plus tax, and they reheat in the oven in just minutes.

Redditors are suitably impressed, with many commenting on the sheer volume of butter on top of the rolls, making them look like cinnamon buns at first glance. One fan notes, “Had them for the first time tonight. Sprinkled with some extra grated parm just before serving. Even better dipped in the Kirkland pesto. 10/10 for price, will buy again.” That said, a handful of folks felt the copious quantity of butter was a little overkill, suggesting that removing some would still yield a fabulous end result.

While Costco has no shortage of frozen meals to stock your freezer, it tends to underperform in the breakfast department. One item I was not impressed with was the Egg’wich turkey sausage from Red’s. These keto-friendly, high-protein breakfast items come eight per package for $14.99 locally and are a good deal if you are searching for a quick breakfast that reheats in a couple of minutes in the microwave.

Unfortunately, they did not deliver in the texture and taste department. The eggs were bland and spongy, while the sausage had that mediocre hotel breakfast buffet aroma, flavor, and gristly mouthfeel that I found quite off-putting. Additionally, the sodium and saturated fat content of these is a little excessive, with 590 milligrams (26% of the daily value) and 5 grams (25% of the daily value), respectively, which may be a dealbreaker for some.

Among the best frozen breakfast items I sampled from Costco were the spinach egg white frittatas from the Veggies Made Great brand. I had reservations about these because, let’s face it, egg whites alone can often be super bland and have a very dissatisfying texture. I need not have been concerned.

These petite, single-serving, muffin-like frittatas were sensational. They reheated beautifully in the air fryer and had a moist interior and crisp exterior with a marvelous mouthfeel. They were loaded with fresh vegetables and just the right amount of mozzarella cheese to provide complexity, and were perfectly seasoned.

Not only would I eat these on the regular, I would proudly serve them as an appetizer when entertaining a crowd for brunch. What’s more, each package contains 20 servings, making this a great buy at $13.99 per box at my local Costco.

No doubt that breakfast sandwiches are a convenient, portable option for those on the run in the morning, and Costco has no shortage of them. Among these are the Red’s New York style bagel spicy chicken sausage sandwiches, which were definitely easy to reheat in the air fryer and a good bargain at $15.79 for eight servings per package at my area Costco. Sadly, they weren’t great in terms of mouthfeel and taste.

The best part of these sandwiches was the sausage, which was moist, tender, and had a nice level of spiciness to it. The egg, however, was rather bland, and the bagel, while chewy, was mediocre at best. If you are searching for a quality breakfast sandwich at Costco, I highly recommend picking up a box of Kirkland Signature Breakfast Sandwiches.

Though Kevin’s Natural Foods isn’t a new brand to Costco, I hadn’t seen the paleo cilantro lime chicken for sale before at my local branch. This product typically retails for $16.37 per package, which states it contains six servings, though I’d argue this wouldn’t serve more than half that many hungry people, which may be a dealbreaker for some.

The chicken in this dish is cooked using a sous vide immersion circulator. This generally yields meat that is quite moist and tender, which was the case here. Where this dish shone was the sauce, which is rife with notes of citrus, cilantro, and spices. That said, if cilantro isn’t your jam, this may not be the dish for you, as it is a dominant ingredient. I’d recommend serving this chicken over white rice with slices of avocado.

When it comes to steaks, there is no denying that the ribeye is among the most coveted cuts, and the ones available in bulk from Costco seem like a great buy. However, there are a number of problems with Costco’s ribeye steaks that may make you think twice before stocking up on them.

First, the ribeyes at Costco are blade tenderized, which is a process by which the steaks are pierced with needle-like prongs. This can lead to bacteria being transferred into the meat, requiring it to be cooked to a medium doneness at minimum for safety. Additionally, the fat cap is often removed from ribeyes at Costco, making them less flavorful and juicy.

A better option is to purchase a whole rib roast from Costco and butcher it yourself. Not only is this cheaper, but you can control the thickness of the steaks, cutting them a bit wider than what is generally sold at Costco.

As a professional chef, I am a bit of a snob when it comes to pasta sauce. I generally make my own, but I recognize that not everyone has the time to do this on a busy weeknight. For this reason, store-bought sauces are a great option, and, in my opinion, few are as high in quality as the ones from Rao’s Homemade. The brand’s marinara sauce, in particular, is as close to tasting homemade as any out there.

Unfortunately, in this case, you usually get what you pay for, as this brand tends to be quite pricey, averaging $9.99 a jar. For this reason, my heart skipped a beat when I saw Costco was selling a double-pack of Rao’s Homemade marinara sauce for $11.22, a huge savings per jar.

When it comes to a quick snack or a pre- or post-workout pick-me-up, protein bars are my go-to. I have admittedly tried virtually every brand out there, searching for the best one in terms of protein-to-sugar ratio, cost, flavor, and texture.

While the Kirkland Signature protein bars perform well in the cost and nutrition departments, they aren’t exactly stellar in taste and mouthfeel. I tried all four flavors, which come in two different variety packs. I was particularly disappointed with the cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie options, which had an almost chalk-like flavor.

Where these bars really perform poorly is in texture. They are excessively hard, sticky, and require so much chewing that you run the risk of breaking a tooth if you aren’t careful. They are also quite pasty and gritty, neither of which appealed to my palate.

The next time you visit the meat department at Costco, don’t overlook the ribeye cap steak cut or rolled steaks. That delicious layer of fatty meat that was removed from the pre-cut ribeye steaks is sold in fancy pinwheel-like rolls that can be cooked as-is or unfurled and grilled or pan-seared.

While these are a bit pricey, generally running almost $30 a pound, they are well worth the cost when they are in stock. When cooked, they have a rich, beefy flavor and a texture that is almost like butter. Do note that these are also blade tenderized, but unlike regular ribeye steaks, even when cooked to a medium doneness, these steaks will remain melt-in-your-mouth tender and flavorful.

In theory, the chicken pot pies from Marie Callender’s ought to be fantastic, as this brand is known for its quality ingredients and flaky pie crust. Unfortunately, this Costco frozen meal is one you should just leave behind. I speak from firsthand experience when I say this is a total letdown. After having grown up eating these at Marie Callender’s restaurants, I was hoping for that signature flaky crust and creamy gravy. 

What I was met with was a paste-like crust that was soggy, bland, and had an almost synthetic aftertaste. The gravy wasn’t much better, having a flavor that was something akin to uncooked flour and a gloopy texture. While the meat and vegetables had a nice mouthfeel, they were grossly lacking in seasoning.

Among the frozen, prepared seafood options available at Costco, the tortilla crusted tilapia from Sea Cuisine is hands down the best item available. This seafood is sustainably-sourced, and a 2-pound package runs roughly $18.

I prepared these tilapia filets in the air fryer, and this produced a perfectly crisp crust and moist, juicy, flaky fish that had an almost sweet flavor. Where these really shone was the taste of the crust itself, which is made from corn tortillas, chipotle peppers, and garlic. It was spicy and citrusy, balancing perfectly with the fish. Don’t miss your chance to snag these while they are in stock again, as they sell out quickly.

This was the first time I noticed the organic protein bar variety pack from the Perfect Bar brand for sale at Costco. Having spent a lot of time down the rabbit hole of protein bar land, I can say with authority that these snacks aren’t as perfect as they say they are.

First, from a nutritional perspective, while they do offer high levels of protein, are gluten-free, organic, minimally processed, and contain superfoods, they have a lot of fat and sugar in them. Moreover, the protein base has a bit of a sesame paste-like flavor and texture that I personally found off-putting. Lastly, the fact that they have to be kept refrigerated is super inconvenient and makes them far less portable. Costco has plenty of other protein bar options that are more convenient and flavorful.

If you enjoy frozen desserts with a tropical twist, you may want to snag a package of Island Way sorbet from the freezer section at Costco on your next visit. These sorbets are typically only stocked by the retailer in the spring and summer months, and, having reviewed them before, I was positively giddy when I saw them there.

In the past, I’ve tried and liked flavors including the Zesty Lemon and Zesty Pomegranate, but they were all dynamite. The Island Way sorbets are unique because they come neatly served within their own fruit shell or peel, which makes them super cute and sustainable. They are also impossibly creamy and just the right balance of sugar to satisfy a sweet tooth without being cloying.

One of the sample items I found while strolling about in Costco was these almond flour grain free tortillas from Siete. These tortillas are lauded for being grain-free, soy-free, gluten-free, and vegan. They are popular with those eating paleo or looking for a low-sugar option. While I liked the idea of them, I was definitely not a fan of them.

I found these tortillas to have a gummy texture and a rather starchy flavor. They also had a crumbly texture not too dissimilar to a corn tortilla, which makes them less suitable for folding or for carrying denser ingredients. Though reviews online vary, one Redditor notes that the Siete tortillas crack when you place food in them.

Seldom does the sight of a food item at a grocery store cause me to audibly gasp, but when I saw these 20-ounce bags of Trü Frü strawberries for sale in the freezer section of Costco, I was positively giddy. These hyper-chilled fruit snacks coated in white and milk chocolate typically come in smaller packages, which generally get polished off in one sitting.

What makes these snacks so appealing is their texture, which somehow manages to still feel like freshly picked fruit despite the fact that it has been frozen. Additionally, the ratio of chocolate to fruit is just perfect, with enough to create a nice snap before biting into the strawberries without overwhelming them. My only regret is that they don’t carry some of the other dynamite flavors that are made by this brand.

Another newer product that was being sampled at Costco when I visited was the taco seasoned chicken crumbles from Amylu. This brand produces a wide array of antibiotic-free chicken products, including sausages, burgers, meatballs, and breakfast patties. The chicken crumbles are basically like pre-seasoned taco meat that can be heated in just a few minutes.

The flavor of these was pretty good. They were pleasantly spicy, had a nice punch of citrus, and were not overly salty. That said, I did not care for the texture. They were incredibly mushy and tasted more like a soy-based meat product than actual chicken. One Redditor captures this quality by noting, “Amylu chicken crumbles is just Freshpet for humans.” Buy some ground chicken and season and brown it yourself.

San Marzano tomatoes are known for their meaty texture, lack of seeds, and intensely sweet flavor. They are produced exclusively in the Campania region of Southern Italy in the agricultural area located at the base of Mount Vesuvius, known as Agro Nocerino-Sarnese. These tomatoes carry Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (DOP) certification, meaning it is a protected designation of origin and only tomatoes grown in this area can authentically be considered San Marzanos.

It can be very challenging to find real San Marzano tomatoes, which is why I was surprised to discover these Kirkland Signature brand ones on display at Costco. They appear to be the real deal, too, donned with both the red and yellow DOP stamp from the EU and the multi-colored emblem of the Agro Sarnese-Nocerino Consorzio, both of which must be present for San Marzano tomatoes to be truly authentic.

While the La Boulangerie pains au chocolat are not a new product to Costco, I was surprised to find them on prominent display at the retailer. These imported pastries are produced by master bakers in France, which would, in theory, suggest that they are fantastic. Unfortunately, they are not.

Having spent a lot of time in France, I consider myself something of an authority on French patisserie. Pain au chocolat is generally made from a laminate pastry and should be light, fluffy, and have a flakiness that almost crumbles when you bite into it. These pastries are made from something more like a brioche-style puff pastry, and not a good one at that. They are dense, gummy, and the chocolate is unevenly distributed throughout the dough. Save your sweet tooth for one of the other popular bakery goods from Costco.

If you are looking for a pantry staple to liven up your Asian-inspired dishes, Costco has a sauce that you cannot skip stocking up on. Mr. Yoshida’s gourmet sauce is something of a legend. The brand had all but disappeared in 2000 when it was purchased by the Heinz Company. In 2024, it re-emerged after Yoshida Foods International took back control of the brand, which is why I was ecstatic to see it for sale at Costco.

This sauce is similar to teriyaki, but with richer umami notes and a velvety texture that makes it ideal for dipping. Its flavor is rife with sweet and savory notes, making it equally as effective as a marinade and as an addition to your favorite stir fry recipe.

All of the products on this list were available for sale at my local Costco in Peoria, Illinois, when I shopped there on May 1, 2025. It is worth noting that inventory and prices vary from one Costco branch to another and from state to state.

I personally sampled and reviewed virtually every item on this list, assessing the product based on cost, value, aroma, texture, and flavor. For the handful of items I did not personally sample, I consulted reviews and comments from social media and online message boards, like Reddit, to determine whether the item is worth purchasing or should be avoided.