The 30 Must-Have Costco Grocery Items That Longtime Members Swear By

I’ve been a regular at Costco with my family since the early ’90s. I have vivid memories of heading to the warehouse with my mom and siblings. I got my own membership as soon as I moved out on my own in the late aughts. I don’t think I’ve ever not had access to the savings. 

We grew up on a lot of Hot Pockets and Vitamin Water back in the day. And the staples I have purchased over the last 17 years have shifted a bit as my kids have grown up. But these 30 items are staples that have served us well year in and year out. 

For sandwiches, smoothies, cereal, snacks on-the-go, and eventually banana bread when you accidentally buy too many.

I used to eat one of these every day after school as a Caesar salad. My daughter frequently does the same. They’re also great to have on hand for weekday work-from-home lunches. 

Costco has a surprisingly wide variety of apples, considering they mostly have one option for other produce. The Cosmic Crisps are my favorite, but if my budget is tighter that week I’ll reach for the bagged Fuji “snack” apples. 

Organic, conventional, A2, almond, or oat, Costco’s likely got something for you for cheaper than the regular grocery store. 

I always, always have butter on hand. I even have a backup pack in my freezer — just to be safe. You never know when you’ll need to make a batch of emergency cookies! I typically buy the basic unsalted sticks, but Kerrygold is also an option if you’re fancy.

Eggs are currently a tough find, due to the avian flu shortage. Costco’s pricing on them makes them an even hotter commodity. 

A whole chicken for $5! You simply cannot beat it! I buy one, sometimes even two, every time I go. Sometimes I have an immediate use for it, sometimes not. If not, I pick the meat and freeze it in Souper Cubes. I can use it for my lunch salads or a single serving of something. I freeze the bones too, for stock — I get way more than my $5 out of these birds. 

A four-pack may be too much for some families, but not ours. It typically lasts a few weeks unopened in the fridge. We eat it all sorts of ways — cold in a salad or over hot rice as poke, stir-fried, roasted, simmered in soup. It’s a great first food, and a good protein option for particular eaters who might not like tougher animal protein options. A believe it or not, tofu actually freezes really well if you don’t think you’ll eat it fast enough. 

This is a summertime staple for us. Sold as a full side, I cut it into fillets and freeze them individually. They thaw quickly and are easy to throw on the grill. My Costco will also carry king salmon for short stretches in peak season. It’s a splurge for sure, but I’ll buy a side of it and we eat like kings (ha, get it?) for a few days. It’s so, so good.

At $4/pound, it’s way cheaper than what you can find at any other grocery store. And it measures 88/12 meat-to-fat — not too lean, and not too fatty. I freeze these flat in one-pound packs so they thaw easily on weeknights when I’m short on time. 

I joke that this is our “house cheese.” This 2.5-pound “loaf” wrapped in red is our go-to for grilled cheese, sliced with the aforementioned apples for a snack, or anywhere you need some salty-melty goodness. I know if the cupboard is bare and I still need to figure out dinner, it is very likely I have Tillamook, milk, and some sort of dried pasta for mac and cheese. Cheese also freezes just fine — you just have to grate it first (if you freeze it whole, the texture gets crumbly and funny).

Costco Parmigiano is wildly cheaper than what you’ll find at the grocery store or cheese shop. I cut off hunks and grate it in the blender. I don’t freeze Parmigiano cheese — it’s a hard cheese that lasts no problem before we finish it. I do, however, freeze the leftover rinds for soups and stews. 

The Just Bare chicken chunks are a favorite of many, including our family. But nine times out of 10 I’m grabbing the spicy chicken strips instead. My kids like them as-is; my husband and I put them on our salads or in wraps. 

These are our “omg I need something to eat NOW” food. Two minutes in the microwave and you’re saved after being on back-to-back Zoom calls, or if you just got home from school after skipping the cafeteria lunch because it was “gross.” An easy convenience food choice that’s got some solid nutritional values. 

These frozen wild salmon burgers are a great option when salmon is out of season. They are a staple on-the-go meal for us. I can throw them in the air fryer, slap them on a bun, and my kids can eat them in the car while on our way to whatever practice we have that day. Easy, healthful food that will actually fuel them for a full practice.

Smoothies! The particular varieties available varies from store to store, but pineapple and mango are our staples.

I’m pretty positive this bag of rice is why we became Costco members to begin with back in the ’90s. We ate it most nights. I’m still buying it, and we’re still eating it most nights. And I get a little tickle every time I open the bag and see my name printed on the side. 

The best corn tortillas! They’re thick and have great corn flavor. You don’t have to double them up when you make tacos. I roll these up with rotisserie chicken for an easy start to a pan of enchiladas.

Cereal is expensive, and very often full of not-great stuff. Grocery store prices on it make my stomach drop. But Cheerios are a great value, and are therefore what I buy. Are my teenagers delighted by this? Absolutely not! If they don’t want Cheerios, I tell them they are welcome to eat literally anything else for breakfast. They end up eating the Cheerios.

The busy weeknight savior. It’s pricey, but requires absolutely no fiddling or doctoring to make it taste good. Bonus: You don’t need the water bottle du jour when you can just drink out of 24-ounce empty Rao’s jars! (Mr. Rao, if your jarring factory is ever out of stock, give me a call. I could probably support your needs for at least a few days.)

Bread is another one of those budget-busters if you’re buying at the grocery store. Dave’s Killer Bread is a little more expensive than some of Costco’s other options, but is way more nutrient-dense. You’re getting more for your money. 

This peanut butter is smooth like (peanut) butter. The ingredient list is simply Valencia peanuts and salt. There was a Valencia peanut shortage a few years ago, and let me tell you — my household was not pleased. The consistency of this nut butter is unique, almost pourable. It’s particularly good with apple slices. 

You saw this coming — we already covered bread and peanut butter. PB&J is a lunchtime staple for my husband, and a mid-game snack for my son. This spread is lower in sugar than many popular jam brands, and contains just strawberries, sugar, pectin, and citric acid. You can taste the fruit, not just sugar. 

What’s a weekend with the family without pancakes? (Well, pretty typical actually, but the ones with pancakes are nice!) I also like using this for baking and making salad dressings, marinades, and more. It’s another one of those pantry products that’s much cheaper than what you’ll find at the grocery store. It’s a big bottle, but maple syrup lasts for a year in the fridge. Or you can freeze some of it indefinitely if you don’t think you’ll get through it all that quickly. 

It’s Heinz, it comes in a two-pack, and I make sure we are never out. Eggs, potatoes, chicken strips, burgers, and more. For years, my son required a side of ketchup with any protein served to him. I am positive there are many families in the same boat. 

Just $14 for 16 ounces? The grocery store could never. It allows me to measure vanilla extract with my heart rather than measuring spoons when I’m baking. 

Costco has a few tuna options, but this is my favorite. Another easy, affordable protein option with a short ingredient list. 

We go through jars and jars of this stuff. Not only does it save tons of space versus boxes of ready-made stock, it’s better than anything I’ve bought in a carton or a can. We are a soup family, for sure. I also use it to flavor gravies and cream sauces, stir it into casseroles — anything that needs a bit of umami boost.

My husband drinks so much sparkling water. Kirkland saves us so much money on this. The flavors are basic — just lemon, lime, and grapefruit — but those are my favorite anyway. I’m not too into the blueberry nectarine or some of the other seasonal specialties some brands carry.

Again, just a really well-priced everyday staple. For some reason, the organic is $1 cheaper than the conventional. I don’t question it. I decant into smaller bottles for ease. I like glass, but you could easily refill a squeezy bottle like some of the trendy brands.