50 Best Costco Groceries Worth Buying in 2026 (I’ve Tried 100s!)

There are five Costco locations well within driving distance of my house — a factor that may have come into play before I signed on the dotted line. When it is as easy to swing by Costco as it is to visit other grocery stores, it’s no surprise that I rely on it for the bulk of my grocery shopping. (Maybe that’s why I’ve been a loyal member for 14 years.)

You might not have the time (or desire) to spend as much time in the aisles as I do, so I’ve done the hard work of finding the best groceries to buy at Costco. Of the thousands of products on Costco shelves, I’ve narrowed my list down to just 50 items. These tried-and-true groceries are taste-tested, editor-approved, and perennially on my personal shopping list. Here are the 50 best groceries to pick up on your next Costco run.

If rice is as much of a dinner staple at your house as it is at mine, then you’ll want to pick up a bag of Kirkland Signature Thai Hom Mali Jasmine Rice. This rice is fragrant, high-quality, and a great deal. Not to mention that it also comes with our Associate Grocery Editor Ali Domrongchai’s grandmother’s seal of approval. 

These brownies are as good as (and maybe even better than!) any homemade brownie. In fact, this Ghirardelli brownie mix has been a favorite of The Kitchn editors and professional chefs for years. The Triple Chocolate Brownies have the classic fudgy flavor and chewy texture that I love, complete with a crackly top and melty chocolate chips. 

The flavor of this pasta sauce is the closest to homemade of any jarred marinara The Kitchn editors have tried — that’s why it’s been a favorite for years. Plus, Rao’s was the winner of our jarred marinara taste test. Despite all the sauce’s accolades, I never really bought it, thanks to the brand’s usual steep price tag of $9 to $10 for a single jar.

Then several years ago I spotted a pair of familiar jars at Costco (in a slightly larger size, of course). By shopping at Costco I can get two jars for the same price that I’d seen for a single jar at my neighborhood grocer. Needless to say, I haven’t been without the sauce since.

Chef, author, and Netflix star Samin Nosrat shocked us all when she revealed how much she loves the Kirkland Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil at Costco. Not only is this an affordable option for high-quality imported olive oil, but it also tastes great. The flavor is buttery and slightly green, which makes it a good choice for salad dressings, marinades, and everyday cooking. 

If you look forward to the release of Bonne Maman’s Advent Calendar all year long, this Costco pick is for you. Bonne Maman’s Four Fruits Preserves are made from cherries, red currants, raspberries, and strawberries. Because this is Costco, the ruby-red preserves are packaged with the signature checkered lid in an extra-large jar. That means there is enough preserves for your morning slice of toast, easy appetizers, and fruit-filled cookies.

These bite-size bagel chips are seasoned with everything bagel seasoning, and will completely replace your standard snacking cracker. Eat them straight from the package, serve with mild creamy cheeses, or use them as a topping for winter soups and springtime salads.

Pistachios have had a moment, and I was able to jump on that bandwagon, thanks to Costco. I always keep my pantry stocked with the classic roasted and salted in-shell pistachios for snacking and baking, but did you know Costco sells shelled and salt-and-pepper-flavored pistachios too? For the ultimate pistachio-flavored Costco pastry, split open one of the warehouse’s famous croissants and stuff with pistachio cream and a swipe of my go-to Bonne Maman preserves.

Candied nuts, like walnuts or pecans, are a sweet and crunchy snack that gets the most love around the holidays. Costco’s bulk-size tubs are available all 12 months, so there’s no need to wait for the end of the year to celebrate. The Kirkland Signature praline pecans are made from whole pecan halves that are coated in a buttery brown sugar praline coating. The nuts are perfect for adding a sweet and crunchy surprise to salads, charcuterie boards, and even fruit crumbles and crisps. 

While my babies aren’t so little anymore, the Kirkland Signature applesauce pouches are still snack-time essentials. These single-serving fruit pouches are among the most affordable applesauce pouches at Costco, plus they are organic and contain no added sugars or flavors. They are a must for on-the-go snacks or school (or work) lunches, and are the perfect portion for sweetening smoothies and adding to baked goods like these applesauce cookies.

Costco is likely your first stop anytime you’re hosting a celebration. Once you’ve picked up chips, dips, and drinks, make sure to swing by the bakery. There you’ll find a variety of sweet desserts, including ready-made layer cakes. You can buy a beautifully decorated 10-inch vanilla cake that’s perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and showers — for less than $20! If you want to personalize your cake, head over to the cake ordering station. Just note that these cakes require advance notice in-store or online. 

Is any list of “The Best Costco Groceries” complete without the warehouse’s famous pumpkin pie? (IMO, no!) This seasonal favorite makes its return every fall with its signature buttery crust and creamy pumpkin-spiced filling. You can’t get a better deal than this — the pie weighs over 3 1/2 pounds, yet costs just $5.99. The warehouse makes more than 6 million pumpkin pies every year (cranking out over 2.5 million pies the week before Thanksgiving alone), so you know it’s got to be good.

One of the best deals in the entire warehouse is the Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. These wedges have all of the distinguishing features shoppers should look for when buying high-quality Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The rind is stamped, the cheese has been aged for 24 months, and there’s a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) seal, authenticating that the cheese has been produced according to tradition. If a wedge isn’t enough, you can also buy an entire wheel of this Italian cheese from Costco.

Every other butter pales in comparison to Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (literally). This butter has a golden hue and rich, buttery flavor. I can’t imagine serving a basket of biscuits without a stick on the table. Costco carries both the unsalted and salted versions of this butter, and because the price at Costco is much lower than at my neighborhood grocery store (78 cents per ounce at my local store, versus just 51 cents at Costco), I make sure to pick up a package whenever I’m shopping.

The price of eggs has been headline news yet again. While that may have meant fewer weeknight frittatas for some, I’ve been able to keep on cracking, thanks to Costco. Every week or two my family of four stocks up on organic, cage-free large eggs at Costco (although the warehouse also stocks conventional options as well).

True to Costco’s MO, it sells these eggs by the two-dozen, so while the $7.69 price tag may seem high at first glance, these eggs are actually $3.85 per dozen. It’s not just at my local warehouse, either — we recently compared the price of eggs at Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe’s, and Costco came out as the most affordable option.

Start with St. Louis-style ribs from Costco, and you can serve finger-licking-good ribs that any pitmaster would be proud of. I’ve been buying these ribs from Costco for over a decade, and they are always a hit. The ribs are neatly trimmed, and the meat is tender and flavorful. I season them with this easy five-ingredient rib rub early, then bake low and slow before finishing with barbecue sauce.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the backbone of so many weeknight meals. So while fresh chicken might not be stored in my pantry, I still consider it a staple ingredient ideal for buying in bulk. Costco’s chicken breasts are sold in preportioned saddle packs that make it easy to freeze and thaw smaller portions without the messy work of weighing and packaging each individual breast.

Costco also sells a variety of budget-friendly chicken options, like its famous rotisserie chicken, and organic or conventional chicken thighs, chicken wings, and whole chickens. There’s an option for every chicken fan. 

I’m in the habit of freezing extra trays of homemade lasagna to have on hand for busy nights. When I’ve depleted my stash of scratch-made freezer meals, I pick up this frozen lasagna from Costco. It has all of the elements you’d expect from the classic layered dish, including tender noodles, savory sausage and ground beef, creamy ricotta, and gooey mozzarella cheese. 

I started buying these frozen hamburger patties a year ago, and have been shocked at how much I love them. The patties are pre-portioned into 1/3-pound servings and can be cooked straight from the freezer on the grill or stovetop — no thawing required. Costco also sells a few other varieties of beef patties, including basic ground beef, sirloin, and Angus chuck. 

MìLà’s soup dumplings have been a favorite of The Kitchn editors, but it wasn’t until I saw them stocked at Costco that I gave them a try. The dumplings are delicious, with flavorful broth and savory filling inside every pouch. It takes just 11 minutes for the dumplings to go from the freezer to your plate, when you steam them. If you prefer a pan-fried soup dumpling, you can do that too!

Costco’s frozen fruit section is filled with variety, and the best bag of the bunch is the three-berry blend. This mixture of frozen blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries never lasts long in my freezer (despite its hefty size) because I reach for it all day long. The trio of sweet fruits is a no-brainer for dozens of smoothies and summer sangria, mixed berry trifles and flaky tarts, and more.

Kids’ menus made chicken nuggets famous, but every home can benefit from this frozen food shortcut. Costco’s Kirkland Signature lightly breaded chicken breast chunks are juicy and well-seasoned with crisp breading. They taste as good as their name-brand competitor, but cost a few dollars less. The pieces are naturally irregularly shaped, and generously sized — ideal for honey mustard chicken salad, homemade General Tso’s chicken dinner, and quick-fire chicken Parmesan.

Costco’s vanilla ice cream is among the best store-bought ice creams I’ve tried. This super-premium ice cream is made with just a few ingredients including fresh cream, California milk, pasteurized egg yolks, and vanilla extract. (Carob bean gum and guar gum are also in the ingredient list. They help thicken and reduce the formation of ice crystals and are common in commercial ice creams.) While there’s no wrong way to eat ice cream, my favorite way is to sandwich it between two oversized cookies from Costco’s bakery.

If you’re still using standard sponges, it’s time to replace them with a set of Scrub Daddy sponges. These smiley sponges are some of the best we’ve tried. The genius is in the sponges’ technology: As the temperature of the wash water changes, so does the stiffness of the sponge. They’re useful for both everyday dishwashing tasks and tougher cleaning jobs.

Costco is my first stop for household essentials that I use every single day. Why add staples like trash bags to the grocery list every few weeks when you could buy in bulk and be done for the year? These Flex-Tech garbage bags are sturdy and can stretch beyond the limits that would make other bags break. I hate to throw money away (which is what you’re literally doing with any trash bag), so I love that the price per bag is minimal — just 8 cents each.

Toilet paper isn’t the most glamorous purchase I’ve made at Costco, but it is one item I regularly add to my cart. Kirkland Signature’s bath tissue strikes the perfect balance of soft and strong. This item isn’t perishable, so it’s ideal for stocking up or splitting the packages between friends. How often you replenish this tissue depends on the size of your household, but if shopping at Costco means I can leave it off of my weekly grocery list then I am in.

We tested dozens of brands of dish soap, and Dawn came out on top. Costco sells Dawn Platinum dish soap, which is even better than the original for cleaning greasy dishes and cookware with stubbornly stuck-on food. Plus, Dawn’s uses go beyond the sink. You can use the long-lasting suds to clean grill grates, make your tires shine, and even keep pests out of the garden.

As the mom of two kids, I know that there are no better baby wipes than Kirkland Signature. These hypoallergenic and fragrance-free wipes are soft and gentle on the skin, yet strong enough that they won’t tear. While my little ones are way past the baby stage, I still stock up on these wipes for everyday use. Keep a pack of wipes in the car to clean sticky fingers, and in the bathroom as an easy makeup remover. They’re also great for dusting houseplants and cleaning baseboards.

Parchment paper is a kitchen essential that never gets the praise it deserves. The nonstick paper (not to be confused with wax paper) has an ultrathin silicone layer to repel grease and moisture. Use parchment paper to line baking sheets so every cookie comes away cleanly, line a baking pan for your next birthday cake, or fold it into a pouch to gently cook tonight’s dinner. These double rolls of Kirkland Signature parchment paper are easy to store and come with a sharp serrated edge so you can remove exactly the amount needed.

Bulk buys last longer than the standard-size packages, but if you buy this Costco staple you could be set for decades. While Costco no longer carries the name brand, the Kirkland Signature option is just as good (if not better). This two-pack of rolls covers 1,500 square feet, and unlike some other plastic wraps this is strong and not too staticky. The best part — it will keep you (and your leftovers) covered for years to come.

Batteries are one of those things that you never think about until you need them. That’s why instead of spending the extra cash to buy a few at a time, it’s best to stock up at Costco (especially before the holidays). This mega-pack of AA batteries will keep all of your gadgets and gizmos running.

Nothing quenches my thirst quite like an ice-cold can of sparkling water. Costco packages three citrusy favorite flavors — grapefruit, lime, and lemon — together in a single case. The fruit flavor is fresher than the name brand you’re thinking of, and the bubbles are bright and lively. The Kirkland Signature cans even came out on top, beating out their competitors from Aldi and Trader Joe’s, in a taste test.

Kirkland Signature French Brut Champagne is among the top bottles of wine you can buy at the warehouse, according to The Kitchn’s wine expert. True Champagne is a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France, and it’s rare to find a quality bottle at a price this good. This Champagne is very drinkable with hints of lemon zest and citrus.

Did your Costco staples make the list? Tell us in the comments below.