To explore what's really worth your money, I put five Costco products in a head-to-head test. Here we go: Kirkland vs. their popular name-brand alternatives.
Granola bars
Kirkland's nut bars (with chocolatey drizzle and sea salt) are a well-known dupe for KIND nut bars (also with sea salt and dark chocolate). I put them head-to-head, eating both in the same sitting to really taste the differences.
The Kirkland bar was crunchier and harder to bite into, though not in a bad way. It also had less chocolate flavour, but I could taste the salt flakes more, which I enjoyed.
- Price: $17.99 for 24 40-gram bars
- Price per unit: $0.75 each
- Rating: 8.5/10
- Price: $11.47 for five 40-gram bars
- Price per unit: $2.30
- Rating: 8.5/10
Greek yogurt
I'm a BIG Greek yogurt fan but I'll admit I've never tried it from Costco before. Mostly because the normal 650-gram tubs come in a three-pack and that's too much for shopping for one.
I opted for the individual-portion package instead, since it lasts longer. It comes in a 24-pack of 100-gram individual portions. There are four flavours — six each of black cherry, raspberry, strawberry and vanilla bean. For this comparison, I tried the raspberry flavour against Oikos' raspberry flavour. I found the Kirkland option smooth and creamy, with a nice flavour that wasn't overly sweet (which I like). Overall, a good little snack.
Kirkland yogurt:
- Price: $16.49 for 24 x 100 grams
- Price per unit: $0.69
- Rating: 8.5/10
Next up, Oikos Greek yogurt. It's a popular brand available across grocery stores and I picked mine up at Loblaws. Like Kirkland, the raspberry yogurt was very creamy and smooth. I thought it had more overall flavour but, unfortunately, a bit of a fake taste. I prefer my yogurt less sweet, so Kirkland had the edge. Nutritionally, they were almost the same: 90-100 calories each and 8 grams of protein.
Oikos yogurt:
- Price: $4.79 for 4 x 100 grams
- Price per unit: $1.19
- Rating: 8/10
- Note: I only bought a four-pack to avoid too much yogurt. At Loblaws, Oikos was available in a 12-pack for $14.49 ($1.20 each), and I see a 24-pack on Costco's website for $22.12 (92 cents each).
Winner: Kirkland, on cost and flavour. Just be mindful of how much yogurt you'll eat!
Peanut butter
Full disclosure here: I did not buy and taste-test both types of peanut butter in real time here because I didn't need to — this one has already been tried and tested by me. As a peanut butter fan, I have tried Kirkland brand and Adams, along with other popular name brands like Kraft or Jif.
Having tried them all, I now buy peanut butter solely on price. You can debate me on this, but I just think they all taste the same. The 100% natural kinds are just peanuts — so they really taste the same. The ones with sugar? The same. Obviously, sugar vs. nuts-only isn't the same (and crunchy vs. smooth is a different conversation), but within their categories, there's no significant difference.
So let's compare price. At Costco:
- Kirkland Signature peanut butter: Two, one-kilogram jars at $11.99, or $5.99 each.
- Adams peanut butter: Two, one-kilogram jars at $14.99, or $7.49 each.
Winner: Kirkland, obviously.
Frozen Pizza
Kirkland's pizzas are polarizing. I've heard of people who are obsessed with them and others who can't stand them. I'm personally a fan, but I believe they're almost in a class of their own. The cheese pizza is honestly more of a cheesy bread, since the crust is very soft and doughy and the cheese is literally spilling over the sides. If you are not a cheese person, you'll hate it. If you love cheese like the rest of us, you'll love it.
- Price: $15.99 for four x 517-gram pizzas
- Price per 100 grams: 77 cents
- Rating: 9/10
- Price: $5.99
- Price per 100 grams: $1.21
- Rating: 5/10
Sourdough
Costco sourdough is really popular. I've heard a lot of people say it tastes homemade. After trying it myself, I agre e— it does taste homemade! It has a good flavour, is sour-ish, and has a soft, chewy texture. It's fresh, too.
- Price: $6.49 for 920 grams
- Price per 100 grams: 70 cents
- Rating: 9/10
To be honest, I had low expectations. It just doesn't look that rustic, you know? So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the loaf was fresh, soft and had a really nice flavour — much more "sour" than the Kirkland loaf. While it was missing the signature air bubbles we see in a lot of sourdough loaves, the taste more than made up for it.
- Price: $4.39 (on sale) for 550 grams
- Price per 100 grams: 79 cents
- Rating: 9/10
This one is a tie. Taste- and value-wise, they're both good options, and if I needed bread and these were the options, I'd go for either. If I have to give one a slight edge, it goes to Villagio for being a better shape and pre-cut.
There you have it — a pretty strong win for Kirkland in this round! What products should I try next?
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.