This post is all about my (unsponsored) love for Costco! I wanted to write a comprehensive blog post about the healthy and organic items I like to buy at Costco, in case you’re thinking about buying a membership or looking to branch out from your shopping list.
In the past few years, Costco has seriously upped its game with its selection of healthy and organic items, as well as plenty of items that fit special dietary categories like gluten-free, keto, Paleo, and more.
I shop at Costco about once per month and stock up on lots of pantry staples, as well as fresh produce. Those pantry staples often last me well over a month, so I don’t have to buy each of these items on every trip. I typically spend about one-third of my monthly grocery budget at Costco.
Costco is often busy, so I go in with a detailed list and shop as efficiently as I can. I also prefer to shop right when Costco opens so it’s not too busy!
Here are my favorite healthy Costco finds:
Healthy Pantry Items at Costco
PBFit Organic Powdered PB – I add powdered peanut butter (PBFit) to my oatmeal or pancakes every morning for a protein and flavor boost, and it still takes me a couple of months to make it through this giant container!
Powdered peanut butter is pricy at the other stores where I shop, so it’s significantly cheaper for me to buy at Costco (or on Amazon, although the price tends to fluctuate on Amazon!).
Collagen Peptides – Costco has a crazy good deal on collagen peptides! They’ve been on sale for $24 but are typically around $30 for a big 24 oz. tub. (This may sound pricy, but it’s drastically cheaper than at any other grocery stores I’ve seen or online). I add to my smoothies and oatmeal for a protein boost, as well as general hair, skin, nail, etc. health.
Organic Peanut Butter – Two 28 oz. jars of organic peanut butter are $10, which is a great deal! A 16-ounce jar of organic peanut butter is $4-5 at the other stores where I shop.
Kirkland Almond Butter – Costco’s Kirkland almond butter is also a fantastic deal. Costco’s 27 oz. jar is the same price as a 16 oz. jar at Trader Joe’s (and Trader Joe’s is usually cheaper than the grocery store).
Nuts – Costco’s prices on big bags of raw almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, and pumpkin seeds are hard to beat. I actually don’t usually enjoy snacking on nuts, but I use them often for baking in recipes like coconut oil granola or apple crisp. Costco has raw cashews, which are so great for all of those vegan/dairy-free recipes that call for a ton of raw cashews which would typically be pricy.
Luckily, you can freeze nuts to extend their shelf life when you’re buying in bulk.
Coconut Oil – Costco has the best deal I’ve ever seen for coconut oil, and this giant tub stays good for a long time.
Raw Honey – High-quality honey can be EXPENSIVE, but Costco’s raw honey is surprisingly affordable. I use this for everything, including my favorite peanut butter energy bites and baked oatmeal.
Organic Maple Syrup – I use pure maple syrup mainly as a natural baking sweetener, like in this apple crisp, these brownies, and these peanut butter chickpea blondies. An entire liter of pure organic maple syrup is under $11 at my Costco!
Organic Rice – Costco has a few organic rice options, including organic brown rice, for low prices per pound.
4.5 Pounds Organic Quinoa – Costco’s organic quinoa is a steal– I’ve paid $5 for just one pound of organic quinoa at other stores!
Kirkland Organic Salsa – Costco’s Kirkland organic salsa is under $4 for 38 ounces of salsa! At most of my other nearby grocery stores, organic salsa is the same price for a much smaller 16 oz. jar.
Organic Dried Figs – I love dried figs for a healthy snacky dessert, and this big bag stays fresh in the fridge for a long time.
Almond Flour – Costco sells big bags of almond flour for the best price I’ve seen! It’s perfect for almond flour banana bread and my favorite apple crisp. It’s superfine almond flour, which I prefer since it works well in just about any type of baking recipe.
Kodiak Protein Pancake Mix – I love Kodiak Cakes and was so stoked to find them at Costco (just the original version- not the gluten-free Kodiak Cakes, unfortunately)!
Organic Bread & Gluten-Free Bread – Costco has Dave’s Organic Whole Grain Bread and Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread, which are both awesome healthy options.
Organic Coffee – Costco has a few organic coffee options, and they’re all amazing deals. You can grind the beans yourself at Costco, too.
Healthy Snacks at Costco
Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers – These crackers are typical $9 at Costco (already a good deal!) but sometimes go on sale for $6!! Simple Mills is one of my favorite brands, with lots of absolutely delicious clean + gluten-free options, and I was so pumped when Simple Mills showed up at my Costco.
20-Pack of RX bars – 20 pack for $18 mixed chocolate PB and chocolate sea salt flavors. This is the best price I’ve seen for RX Bars, and these are two of my favorite flavors.
I like that these bars have 12g of protein and made with simple ingredients (although they’re a bit high in natural sugar, like all fruit/date bars).
20-Pack of Larabars – Costco’s giant pack of Larabrs includes cookie dough and peanut butter chocolate chip, which are also my two favorite Larabar flavors!
I often keep a bar in my purse or backpack for an emergency snack during a long school day or day of errands. I love Lararbars’ simple ingredient list, and they’re delicious! Larabars are a bit high in sugar and lower in protein, so while I do really enjoy them, I don’t eat them all of the time.
Grain-Free Granola – This isn’t necessarily the cheapest item, but I appreciate how much Costco has branched out in the healthy products it carries, including grain-free and Paleo options.
Dark Chocolate BarkThins – I have to tell you– this dark chocolate is ADDICTIVE and it’s hard to use good portion control sometimes! It doesn’t quite fit into the “healthiest” category, but I certainly buy it from time to time. I just stash it in the very back of my freezer so I don’t grab a piece every. single. time. I walk by the kitchen. 😂
Healthy Frozen Foods at Costco
Cauliflower Crust Pizza – This is the best cauliflower pizza I’ve had (I much prefer it over Trader Joe’s cauliflower pizza or even homemade cauliflower crust pizza!). Each box contains 2 pizzas, and each pizza makes about 3 servings for me.
I love these cauliflower pizzas for a special treat and break from cooking. I had a friend over for cauliflower crust pizza and ice cream last night and she agreed– it’s the best!
Organic Frozen Riced Cauliflower – I often mix cauliflower with regular rice for cooking, which masks the slight cauliflower rice texture and still provides extra servings of veggies. I use cauliflower rice in smoothies, too, where you can’t taste it at all, and it’s a great natural smoothie thickener.
Organic Frozen Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry – Costco also has a great frozen cauliflower rice stir-fry- just add some rotisserie chicken and your meal’s ready to go!
Frozen Mixed berries and Frozen Blueberries – I use Costco’s organic frozen berries in pancakes, baked oatmeal, and smoothies. It’s hard to buy frozen berries anywhere else after getting used to Costco’s prices for organic or pesticide-free frozen berries!
Dark Chocolate-Covered Acai Bites – I love these dark chocolate-covered acai bites! At 50 calories and 4 grams of sugar, they’re the perfect little sweet tooth fix. I didn’t take a photo at the store, unfortunately.
Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt Bars – Costco just started carrying Yasso bars! Those are my FAVORITE healthy sweet treat and I almost always have a box in my freezer.
Each box has 15 mint chocolate chip bars, which sounds like a lot, but they don’t take up too much freezer space once you take them out of the box, and they disappear in a flash.
Refrigerated Items at Costco
Organic, Pasture-Raised Eggs – My Costco just started carrying pasture-raised, organic eggs!
Cage-Free Egg Whites – I often add egg whites to my morning oatmeal for extra protein, so I sometimes buy Costco’s cage-free egg whites (although “cage-free” isn’t saying a whole lot, unfortunately), so I go back and forth on buying them.
Silk Organic Almond Milk – My Costco carries two varieties of Silk Organic Almond Milk (original and unsweetened vanilla) in a 3-pack for around $9 in the eggs/dairy section.
Horizon Organic Half ’n’ Half – If you’re a coffee drinker, it’s hard to beat the price of $3 for a quart of organic half ‘n’ half. I’ve found that I can’t use an entire quart on my own before it goes bad, but for a household of 2+ coffee drinkers, it’d be a steal.
GT’s Gingerade Kombucha – GT’s is my favorite kombucha brand, and each bottle in the six-pack ends up being around $2.40. The only bummer about buying a pack of Costco’s GT’s kombucha is that it’s all the same flavor.
If you’re looking for more variety, GT’s kombucha goes on sale at Whole Foods for $2.50 each (or $2.25 for Prime Members), which is another awesome time to stock up.
Produce
Costco has lots of great produce options that I stock up on monthly, and then I fill in the gaps with my smaller weekly grocery trips.
Organic Mixed Greens – I can use this tub in 5-6 days if I make salads daily. Everywhere else I shop, this same exact tub is $5-$6, so it’s definitely a bit cheaper at Costco.
Organic Salad Kits– I love the giant organic chopped salad kits at Costco because they make it so easy to get in a ton of veggies with no prep work. My favorite is the Mediterranean chopped salad kit.
Pre-Chopped Broccoli – Love the pre-chopped broccoli! I don’t worry that it’s not organic since broccoli isn’t on the dirty dozen. I love how easy it is to roast – just dump the broccoli onto a baking sheet, spritz with a bit of oil, and sprinkle on some spices. 425 degrees and 16-18 minutes later, it’s ready to go!
Brussels Sprouts – This is another item that stays good for a while in the fridge and I can easily use even a big bag before they go bad.
Fresh Berries – I get so excited about going to Costco from the late spring to early fall because Costco has the BEST berries for amazing prices. I typically try to buy organic berries since they’re on the “dirty dozen” and Costco usually has a great price. Costco’s berries are also almost always the biggest, sweetest, juiciest berries around.
Organic Apples – When apples are in season, Costco has great prices (like $11 for 5 pounds of organic Pink Lady apples!). Since apples stay fresh for a long time and I eat one every day, it’s no problem to buy them in bulk.
Free-Range & Organic Meat at Costco
Costco is my favorite place to stock up on organic meat! I buy organic chicken breasts, organic chicken sausage, and ground turkey at Costco most often.
Chicken Sausage – This chicken sausage is full of flavor, and I use it for this one-pan chicken sausage and roasted veggies, plus lots of other recipes.
Organic Chicken Breasts – At $4.99 per pound for organic chicken breasts, I buy at least one pack (with three individually-wrapped sections) and store it in the freezer.
Organic Ground Turkey – I use a lot of organic ground turkey in really flavorful recipes like this 8-ingredient Paleo sweet potato turkey chili and this veggie frittata.
Items I Usually Don’t Buy at Costco
In between my monthly Costco trips, I shop at closer grocery stores (Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Lidl) for my weekly produce and anything else on my grocery list. These are a few things I purchase at stores other than Costco:
• Foods that I can’t eat fast enough on my own before they go bad (i.e. bags of 5 giant avocados or 6 bell peppers, a 3 lb tub of Fage yogurt, etc.)
• Items that are cheaper at the grocery store (on sale or at their regular price). While a lot of things are cheaper at Costco, not everything is. For example, the best price I’ve found for organic oats is actually at my local Whole Foods ($1.50/lb in the bulk bins)!
• Things that are a good deal but I don’t have enough room to store them in my small apartment (i.e. 20 rolls of paper towels)
• Brands I love that Costco doesn’t carry, like specific ice cream, etc.
I hope this helps if you’re considering getting a Costco membership and trying to decide if it’d be worth it for you! I scored my original Costco membership on Groupon for 50% off the first year, so it may be worth checking to see if any special membership deals are available in your area.
I’m really happy with my membership and think that it has more than paid for itself. Let me know if you have any questions about my Costco experience!
Originally published in 2019; updated in 2021
Great ideas. It’s been helpful to me also to have a list and stick to it trying to avoid the impulse buys, or at least give myself just one “discovery”. agree re: how BUSY it can get…
Also, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, toothpaste, garbage bags, etc…(the non foods) are my musts…
Haha! I like to give myself one “discovery” item, too, and stick to just that one. Impulse buys at Costco can be a bit risky, too, since you could get stuck with a large quantity of an item you don’t love. Thanks for sharing your must-buys, Mark!
Very nice article, Liv. I’ve heard that you should never shop when you’re hungry. Apparently, shopping on an empty stomach causes you to spend more and increases your tendency to stock up on unhealthy products. I’ve noticed this in my own shopping habits.
Awesome tips Liv. I look forward to adding eggs to my morning oatmeal to bump up my protein intake. I also incorporate nut into my meals as I shared in my latest grocery haul https://youtu.be/dFSasWN0FLY.
Thank you so much for sharing.
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