11 Yummy (And Cheap) Costco Foods You Might Be Missing Out On

Members love Costco because it offers great value. The retailer's food items — from the food court to prepared foods, baked goods, and packaged foods — are always among the best deals.

Discover nearly a dozen delicious foods that taste terrific and help you save money while shopping at Costco.

Costco has built much of its reputation on keeping food prices low even as grocery costs elsewhere climb, largely because it treats certain items as loss leaders meant to draw shoppers in rather than maximize profit on every product. 

That strategy, combined with the buying power that comes from stocking fewer total items in bulk quantities, is part of why so many of Costco's food offerings, from the food court to the bakery case, consistently beat prices at regular grocery stores and specialty shops.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary depending on location and seasonality.

Costco carrot cake has been a party classic for decades for two reasons: it's delicious, and it's cheap.

When Costco introduced mini carrot cakes, people rejoiced. Longtime fans claim that the icing-to-cake ratio is better with the mini cakes.

They're certainly easier to portion and store than a full cake, and everyone seems to love them, even people who don't like carrots. And you can get a half-dozen for around $10.

Costco's carrot cake is known for its thick layer of cream cheese frosting, which fans often say sets it apart from thinner-frosted versions at grocery store bakeries. 

The mini cakes are individually sized, so each person gets a full portion of both cake and frosting rather than a slice cut from a larger cake, and the smaller format makes them easy to grab straight from the bakery case for a quick dessert without committing to a full-size cake.

As cheesecakes go, the Costco cheesecake is a delicious compromise between dense and light. Not too ethereal or stodgy, it comes plain or with seasonal toppings. 

It consistently wins taste tests against specialty cheesecakes that cost twice as much. Costco's version costs around $22.

The cheesecake typically comes as a large round cake meant to serve a crowd, making it a practical option for birthdays, holidays, or office parties where a single slice-sized dessert wouldn't go far enough. 

Beyond the plain version, Costco has offered seasonal variations over the years, including toppings like caramel, chocolate, or fruit, though availability can shift by time of year and location. 

At around $22 for a cake that would easily cost $40 or more at a bakery or specialty dessert shop, it's often cited as one of the better dollar-for-dollar desserts in the bakery case.

Have an event requiring a sheet cake? Go to Costco. While long-time Costco fans know, the sheet cakes are no longer sold as ready-to-go. Instead, you'll have to order a custom one, which requires at least a 24-hour notice. 

In the end, you will get a sheet cake that is consistent and delicious, with frosting that's better than you'd expect, as it doesn't have that too-sweet, mealy taste of many retail sheet cake frostings.

And you will love the bargain price. The half sheet costs around $25. It's a great cake to celebrate birthdays, retirements, new houses, babies, or anything that calls for cake.

Costco rotisserie chicken is both legendary and infamous. It's legendary because it's so cheap — only $5 — and bigger than rotisserie chickens at other food retailers. It is also bizarrely delicious.

However, the rotisserie chicken is also infamous because it's so delicious because it's injected with a saline solution that makes it extremely high in sodium. If you don't have to watch your sodium, though, this is the rotisserie chicken to buy.

Get even more value by making stock with the bones.

The chicken has been priced at $4.99 since 1994 and is widely reported to be sold at a loss, a strategy Costco uses to draw shoppers into the store rather than to turn a profit on the bird itself.

This big container of delicious imported pesto — 22 ounces — costs under $11, which isn't much. It comes in a jar, so unlike plastic tubs with wider openings, it's easy to store in the refrigerator to keep it fresh.

Basil pesto is traditionally made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese, and imported versions from Italy are often prized for using a more traditional recipe than mass-market American brands. 

At 22 ounces, a single jar goes a long way, whether stirred into pasta, spread on sandwiches, swirled into soups, or used as a base for chicken or fish. 

The narrower jar opening not only keeps air out to preserve freshness longer than a wide-mouthed tub, but also makes it easier to portion out just what you need for a single meal without exposing the rest to air each time.

A quart of maple syrup for under $15 is astounding, and at 33.8 fluid ounces, Kirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup delivers. Its organic status makes this Costco brand syrup an even better value.

Pancakes can be a midweek breakfast with this much delicious syrup for such little money.

Pure maple syrup is graded by color and flavor intensity, with darker grades typically offering a more robust, caramel-like taste that many bakers prefer for cooking and baking, while lighter grades are often favored for topping pancakes and waffles. 

Because it's 100% pure and organic, this syrup contains no high-fructose corn syrup or artificial maple flavoring, unlike many cheaper "pancake syrups" sold at grocery stores. 

A 33.8-ounce bottle costs less per ounce than most name-brand pure maple syrups sold in smaller containers, making it a practical pantry staple for households that go through syrup regularly.

The pure vanilla extract at Costco is high quality and low-priced. It comes in a twist-off cap bottle and stores easily in your pantry. It's also kosher-friendly. 

A perennial favorite of professional and home bakers alike, it's around $12 for 16 fluid ounces, a strong value.

Pure vanilla extract is typically made by steeping vanilla beans in alcohol, and the "pure" label means it's made this way rather than with imitation vanillin flavoring derived from synthetic sources, which is common in cheaper extracts. 

At around 75 cents an ounce, this bottle costs a fraction of what similarly sized bottles of pure vanilla extract often run at specialty grocery stores, where prices can reach $1.50 to $3 an ounce or more depending on the brand.

Because vanilla extract is used in small amounts per recipe, a 16-ounce bottle can last many households a year or longer, even with regular baking.

Many people swear by the Costco food court's twisted churro, giving it the kind of stature usually reserved for churros at the state fair. For just $1, you got a treat that is perfect for when you want a little sweet, crunchy something to get you through a shopping trip, but it was sadly discontinued in January 2024. 

Enter a new delicious contender: the warm Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie. This cookie is all ooey-gooey decadence for just around $3. It may not fully replace the churro, but it is delicious!

The cookie is served warm, made with an all-butter dough, and mixed with both bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chunks, clocking in at roughly 750 calories per cookie. 

It's sold for $2.49, making it about a dollar more than the discontinued churro but still one of the more affordable indulgences on the food court menu.

Kirkland Signature Italian Parmigiano Reggiano is so good it easily makes the list of the best Costco finds. And at around $13 per pound, it's cheaper than inferior-quality Parmesan.

If you usually use the powdered shake cheese in the plastic tube, it's worth trying this wedge of Parmesan and grating it yourself just to taste the difference. Save the rind in the freezer and toss it into the broth for extra flavor the next time you make soup.

This cheese is aged at least 24 months and carries Protected Designation of Origin certification, meaning it's produced under strict Italian standards.

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This pizza is so legendary that even people who have never been to Costco respect its reputation. Plain cheese or pepperoni, sold by the slice or the whole pie at prices out of the 1990s (about $2 a slice and $10 per pie), this pizza is crispy, gooey perfection.

Costco's food court pizza has stayed close to these prices for years, even as the rest of the menu has seen occasional increases, and it's often cited alongside the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo as one of the food court's signature deals. 

The whole pie is large enough to feed a family, making it a popular grab-and-go option for members who want dinner sorted on their way out of the warehouse, without needing to make a separate stop. 

Some locations sell the pizza only as a whole pie rather than by the slice, so it's worth checking what your local food court offers before planning around a single slice.

Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is so good, it will turn you into someone who buys 2 liters at a time.

Fruity but not obtrusive, this is an excellent everyday olive oil at the amazing price of around $21 for 2 liters. The price alone makes your Costco membership perks worth it.

This organic version is USDA Organic certified, meaning the olives are grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, and it's first cold-pressed to preserve flavor and nutrients. 

It works well both for everyday cooking, like sautéing vegetables or roasting meats, and for finishing dishes with a drizzle straight from the bottle. 

Organic olive oil typically carries a premium over conventional versions elsewhere, so getting a 2-liter bottle at this price is a notable value compared with smaller organic bottles that often cost more per ounce at regular grocery stores.

There are many hacks you can use to save money on groceries by buying products that are cheaper and higher quality at Costco compared to other food retailers.

Costco means value, and the foods on this list hit the sweet spot of quality and price. If you're not already buying these items, add them to your list for your next trip.

Beyond the food items on this list, Costco's food court remains one of the most talked-about bargains in retail, with the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo holding steady for decades despite inflation elsewhere. 

Pairing a food court stop with a grocery run is a simple way to stretch a membership's value further, especially for families who already make regular trips to stock up on bulk staples.