What's on my Costco shopping list
and everything I do with it.
Before I jump in today, I want to thank you all for liking, commenting, sharing, and shopping last week’s post on 150 home upgrades under $150. Together we raised $412 for World Central Kitchen. And it was my most popular post ever.
There was a short time when I was really little that we did a once-a-year Costco shopping trip. I have flashes of a few things: enormous red shopping carts, the sheer vastness of the space, the full car.
I didn’t step into a Costco again until I was working at Serious Eats and our office at Industry City was conveniently located next to one. We all took a trip together and I was thrilled. It was like stepping onto a new air-conditioned planet, so large I could get lost. But the magic died when I remembered that I could only buy as much as my tiny apartment could fit.
It wasn’t until I moved to the suburbs of Chicago that I could truly take advantage of what Costco had to offer. While every Costco is a little different — offerings often reflecting its neighborhood — here are the things I like to stock up on.
As you gear up for back-to-school (even though I don’t have kids, I still feel like I am gearing up for it myself) I hope you find it useful. Remember, when you’re transferring things from your cart to your car to your home, lift from your knees and use your core. Pro tip: There are also various ways to order online from Costco (Costco’s same-day delivery, Instacart) so that you don’t have to worry about hurting your back at all.
Note: I’m providing link to the items I buy so that you can see what they look like. Some of the items I can’t find on Costco’s website, so I’m sending you straight to the brand’s website instead.
Purely Elizabeth Organic Granola: The cost savings of buying this granola from Costco is insane. As I’m writing it, it’s $12.09 for a 34oz bag. At my local grocery store, it’s $10 for a 12oz bag. I’m not here to preach “health” and perpetuate any diet culture stuff. I grew up believing granola was fattening and evil and honestly, I am still working through all of this. I think this granola is good for a few reasons. It’s a B Corp and woman-owned. It’s organic and doesn’t seem to be exposed to glyphosate (an herbicide that seems to be bad). It has 6 grams of sugar for 1/3 of a cup. You can decide how you feel about it. But as granola goes, it feels like a great compromise of good things. Oh, and it’s good, duh.
Organic baby spinach: One pound for under $6. It’s a massive amount but remember spinach cooks into nothing. Use it for omelettes, quiche, Italian wedding soup, salads, and toss some into your mac and cheese (p.s. Costco also has a 12-pack of Annie’s mac and cheese!). Need help using up your greens? Check out this post from Julia Turshen. Or just saute a huge amount with chile crunch.
Organic English cucumbers: Am I trying to shame you into buying all organic? No, totally not. If you buy conventional, definitely do it. Honestly, I am not sure I believe all the organic hype, but I buy it where possible. And at Costco, it is within price range for me, so I do it. Not sure what to do with all your cucumbers? Try this fantastic looking salad from Devan Grimsrud.
Chef’s sampler mushroom pack: There is a crazy good mushroom variety pack at our Costco and I always grab one when I see it. (I’ve only ever seen it in person and not shopping online.) From what I can tell, there are trumpet mushrooms and maitakes and some other ones. I usually just saute them with olive oil, salt, and some lemon juice. So good.
Organic ground turkey: Ground turkey is the basis of so many of my dinners in my lap! I keep it in the freezer and then plop it right into a pan with some olive oil and cover it to defrost. Is this a chef-approved way to cook? Definitely not. But does it work? Yes. You could also defrost it safely in the fridge to make turkey meatballs, like the ones mentioned in Maggie Hoffman’s The Dinner Plan.
Organic frozen blueberries: Another massive money saver right here for our smoothies. My go-to smoothie is one banana, one scoop of Ka’Chava, two tablespoons of cacao powder, 3/4 cup of frozen blueberries, a few raspberries, a bunch of ice and water. Sometimes I might add some coffee if I feel like it. Some people might say, “oh you should add some greens!” but I don’t want to.
Kirkland marinated artichoke hearts: Wow, I am in love with these. They are extremely flavorful tossed into a salad, frittata, or pasta dish. Or you can put them into a toaster oven or air fryer to crisp them up. I didn’t even know I liked artichoke hearts until I had these. Shout out to my bestie Jess for introducing me to them. Since they’re marinated already, they have a nice oregano-forward flavor and an acidic kick, but you could definitely amplify with more red wine vinegar and maybe some extra cheese. They’d also be nice as a Snacking Dinners addition.
Amylu organic chicken burgers with caramelized onion and aged white cheddar: Depending on your location, you may have different flavors, but I love these. I like to brown them in a pan and chop them up into salads or soups. Ditto for omelettes or frittatas. Maybe that isn’t super elegant, but you know what? We’re trying to get dinner on the table here, people. It’s no different than a sausage really. BTW, we also love the Amylu chicken sausage links. They are small and come in a package of about a billion.
Organic frozen broccoli: Having a huge bag of organic broccoli in the freezer is such a lifesaver. I put it straight from the freezer into the air fryer all the time.
S&W organic chickpeas (8-count): It’s under $10 to get eight cans of organic chickpeas. I like to buy two packages at a time. I cook chickpeas probably every other day. This is among my favorite Costco purchases. Crispy in the toaster oven with oregano and sesame seeds or mixed with little noodles, stock, and tomato sauce for a quick pasta e cece (that’ll prob make Italians mad). Blend in your food processor for some homemade hummus. The options are many — so stocking up cannot hurt you. The same goes for really any other beans at Costco. If you prefer to buy non-canned beans, that is totally awesome and power to you!
Suja ginger love juice: My Costco has recently been stocking these Suja juices. I keep thinking it’s dumb to buy juice that I could probably make, but then I pour half of one into a glass with plain seltzer and ice, and it’s so, so good. I don’t regret it.
Rao’s tomato sauce: The undisputed best tomato sauce among all humans, and Costco consistently has the best pricing for a two pack. I use it as sauce, of course, but also a base for soup all the time. If we only have four jars left in the pantry, I start to get a little antsy.
Ghirardelli triple chocolate brownies: Preferably baked in a muffin tin for more chewy edges. Optionally, you can add chocolate chips. These are the definitive best boxed brownies. If you want to fight about it, you can in the comments. But you will be wrong.
Vanilla extract: A very good price for something bakers use consistently. We usually buy two at a time. I don’t remember ever running out! Or it’s shocking if we do.
Terra Delyssa Organic EVOO: We used to buy the Kirkland EVOO but it comes in a big plastic container and this container sits right next to our stove, which means it gets…warm very often. That started to freak me out, so I switched things up. So far this oil has been good. I am not particular about my olive oil. I just want to use it to cook. So, let’s have it be organic and neutral flavored and in a glass bottle. And affordable. This ticks all the boxes! And comes in a two pack!
Kirkland signature Parmigiano Reggiano: It’s about $14 per pound. It’s great. You can also buy enormous amounts pre-shredded, which I know is not a best practice according to chefs, but if you say, need some for dog training or just convenience, it is extremely useful. Wow, I just saw that this whole wheel is for sale online. This isn’t available when I go to the store, obviously. But how cool is that. Will someone buy it for me? Obviously parmesan is a huge part of my cooking repertoire. Just don’t forget to use the rind! Toss it into your soups and sauces for extra flavor!
Organic milk, half & half, eggs, butter: all money-savers. All bulk. All good.
Nuts: We go pistachios, pecans, almonds. Or do a mix! Definitely cost-effective! (Though we now do all of our dried fruit from nuts.com.)
Kirkland signature peanut butter pretzels: Look. These really aren’t my snack of choice. I don’t know why. I don’t really like them? But everyone I know loves these. I think I’d rather my PB and pretzels be separate. But you should know that most everyone I know is a fan. Now you can make your own decisions.
Kirkland honey mustard snack mix: On the other hand. This stuff is, as my grandmother used to say, “to die from.” It is truly the best snack. I don’t really buy it because I will eat it until I explode. But it is the tastiest best road trip, family-friendly delicious snack in the world. Please try it. Gabby and I have also discussed using it as a fried chicken coating. Stay tuned.
Dumplings: Depending on where you live, your Costco may have a good dumpling selection, so I encourage you to check it out. Dumplings are excellent to keep stashed in the freezer to make Hetty McKinnon’s dumpling salad.
Microwavable rice: It takes time to make rice and on a busy weeknight, you may not have it. With Bibigo microwavable sticky rice, it only takes 90 seconds. I use this rice all the time (especially when I’m making a bowl of farts). I have actually found other varieties with cool grains and beans at my local H Mart and other Asian groceries, so keep an eye out there too!
Kirkland signature pure maple syrup: As a New Englander who married someone who went to college in Vermont, we like good maple syrup. This stuff is good and is far more affordable than…really anything else. It’s a great option if you want to show your kids the ways of real maple syrup but also don’t want to spend a ton on it since they dump it all over their plates. Or if you’re an adult who does that, like me. And remember maple syrup isn’t just for pancakes! Use it for Kristina Cho’s maple hojicha banana bread (which I turned into delicious muffins!) or even in a dressing like this one from Nicki Sizemore.
Flour: Depending on your flour needs/snobbery, Costco has really well-priced flour and King Arthur flour. If you are able to buy multiple pounds at once and store it well (without the critters finding it) — like a giant Cambro situation — it’s an excellent way to save. Same re: sugar.
Organic chicken stock: I do not have time to make chicken stock and I am not even really that busy! So, I use this. Our Costco also carries Better Than Bouillon if you’re in that fan club.
Bon Maman jam: This is such a steal. If you can find this at your Costco, get it!
Kirkland dog food!
Toilet paper but not Kirkland brand!!!!! Because it’s not soft enough.
Paper towels: Kirkland brand
Parchment paper
Shop paper towels - the blue ones!
Trash bags, ziplocks, dishwasher detergent* - bulk goes far here!
Batteries
Kirkland signature shampoo. I use this every day and then use a fancy conditioner. It’s my favorite high-low combo.
Flonase, Ibuprofen, and other over-the-counter drugs
We actually bought our LG TV and Ring cameras at Costco!
Plants. Costco plant game can be surprisingly strong.
Note: I did stop buying hand soap and cleaning stuff in bulk from Costco and am now buying Blueland! They are a B Corp and sell refillable soap and cleaning stuff. I do still buy dishwasher detergent from Costco because it’s just more powerful. But hand soap, surface spray, window cleaner, toilet cleaner: Those are all Blueland.
I am just a household of two people and I recognize that may not be your situation, so I’m including a few more amazing Costco buys that may be useful for you. These are items that I’ve sent along to friends over the years. (Usually I’ll send a big Costco order to my new mama friends.) So there are some good snacks and quick-to-shove-in-face things here. And hopefully some school lunch things here too.
King’s Hawaiian rolls + Stonefire Mini Tandoori Naan Bread (hello, mini lunch sandwiches!)
Diapers and baby wipes (very cost-effective at Costco)
Dot’s homestyle pretzels: This box is school-lunch ready!
Skinnypop Popcorn: I stopped buying this because I’d eat too much and get so, so gassy. But if you can control yourself, go for it.
Kirkland signature organic peanut butter: For $11, this is spectacular pricing for PB. Gabby and I are really picky about our PB (He likes Teddy and I like our local grocery store brand.) But if you’re into the Costco brand, you’re saving.
Tillamook medium cheddar snacking cheese: Definitely a great lunchbox find. Same for nursing. Just make sure someone unwraps it for you!
Kirkland Signature cheese pizza: These are perfect for emergencies when you have no gas left in the tank for cooking. I bet you could toss a few veggies on there too. Or jarred roasted red peppers. Or not!
Reese's Dipped Animal Crackers: This might be the perfect food.
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Rel
Yes Yes, the parchment paper! The pesto is a worthy stand in for homemade.
Love Costco! A fun fact is that a lot of veggies are not available in all costcos is because they work with local farms to provide their produce.
Some staples from my Costco shop that you may like judging by your list:
- bibigo frozen dumplings
- frozen kimbap
- Kirkland wild caught Argentinian shrimp (it’s SO good)
- big pack of yellow kiwis
- Kirkland blood orange mimosas… believe me they are fantastic!