Some Costco products, like their rotisserie chicken or $1.50 hot dog, have an almost cult-like following. And for good reason — they're great. Other products might not have as big a cultural impact, but are still beloved by many.
I'm a relatively new Costco member, so people love telling me all their favourite things to buy. And a lot of it comes from the bakery section. From the croissants to the sourdough bread, there is a ton of hype around Costco baked goods.
As something of a carbohydrate connoisseur myself, I thought I'd put it all to the test.
So, here are eight popular Costco bakery items, my honest review of them, and whether they're worth all the hype (spoiler: two are most certainly not).
Brioche buns
100% worth any hype it gets
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
"Light, fluffy, sweet... the perfect bun." These are the notes I took after trying Costco's brioche bun for the first time, and after eating several more, both plain and with various toppings, I cannot agree with myself more.
Coming in a 24-pack, these are an obvious choice if you're making a ton of sandwiches for an event or hosting a dinner party and need a tasty carb option. They weren't stale or dry at all, but tasted really fresh. The texture was light, and the taste was buttery-smooth and delicious. No notes. Very much worth the hype.
Price: $6.99 for 24 (a STEAL)
Rating: 10/10
Nut and seed brittle
An excellent beach day snack
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
I'd heard talk of this Costco nut and seed brittle before, but never tried it myself. It's not your typical bakery item, but it is an excellent snack. I bought a package to bring for a day at the lake with some friends, and we all absolutely loved it.
It's made with a variety of nuts, seeds, and coconut flakes and has the perfect crunch. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and gives a good little energy boost. I love it on its own or as a granola-like topper for my yogurt. This was a crowd pleaser, and I'd definitely get it again.
Price: $10.99 for 0.65kg
Rating: 9/10
Cookies
It gives homemade vibes
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
Costco cookies have a good reputation, and my previous taste test against other grocery store brands confirms it. Coming in multiple flavours, Costco's cookies are perfectly chewy and have a "homemade" taste and quality to them. I find that they aren't overly sweet or greasy, but strike a good balance as a sweet treat that's not overly decadent.
They come in massive packs, either single-flavour or multi-pack, so they are great to bring to a party. They freeze well, too, so you can stick the extras in your freezer to enjoy later.
Price: $11.99 for 24 cookies
Rating: 8.5/10
Croissants
How do they make so many?!
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
Similar to the cookies, Costco's croissants took an easy win in a head-to-head competition with other grocery-store brand options. While they may not be as good as an honest-to-goodness French croissant, Costco somehow manages to mass-produce delicious, flaky, and buttery delights.
They come in a pack of 12, so you do need to recruit some people to help you eat them; croissants can get stale quickly and don't freeze great. Still, for the price, they're a solid option and, in my opinion, worth the hype!
Price: $6.99 for 12
Rating: 8/10
Wholesome grains sourdough
The ideal sandwich bread
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
In conversation about sourdough bread, which comes up shockingly often in my life, it's only a matter of time before someone pipes in: "You know, Costco has pretty good sourdough actually." Dubious, I tested it out and am now a believer. I chose the wholesome grains option since I was looking for something to make sandwiches with and think it's a super solid choice.
The bread is dense and chewy, but yummy flavour and lots of texture in the seeds. It can definitely support a lot of sandwich toppings without getting soggy or breaking apart. I did think that the bread probably isn't for everyone — you need to enjoy a dense, hearty loaf. But if you do, this Costco option is very well-priced for an artisan-style sourdough loaf. I'm impressed, and I'll be back.
Price: $6.99 for 0.92kg (AKA big)
Rating: 8/10
Braided apple turnovers
No, they didn't roast well over the fire
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
I love everything apple-flavoured, so I already knew that I would like Costco's turnovers. And I did like them; I just didn't love them. They have a light and flaky exterior, with a sweet, apple-y interior. They were a little on the sweet side for my preference and a little soggy on the bottom of the pastry.
There are only eight in the package and — by Costco standards — that isn't very many. For the price, I thought these were a little too expensive for what they offered. Still, they hit the spot for a sweet treat.
I took these on a recent camping trip and, yes, we did try roasting them over the fire. While that didn't exactly work, it did get me thinking that these would be vastly improved in the air fryer to give a warm apple pie vibe. Something for next time...
Price: $8.99 for eight
Rating: 7/10
Bagels
Such a disappointment
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
We're now entering the "totally not worth it" section of this journey through Costco's bakery. And first to not make the cut: the bagels. I love a good bagel and really wanted to love the ones from Costco as I'd heard they were good, but they just weren't.
I opted for the blueberry bagels, and let me just tell it to you straight: they're too dense, too artificial-tasting, kind of stale, and lack any blueberry flavour. I'm not a fan and wouldn't buy them again.
Price: $4.99 for eight bagels
Rating: 4.5/10
Blueberry muffins
Don't bother
Alyssa Wiens | Narcity
We've arrived at the worst Costco bakery item on the list — the blueberry muffin. I'll start by saying that I've had Costco muffins in the past that were really good and much bigger than the ones I bought and tried for this taste-test. After a quick Google search, I learned that Costco recently changed their muffin offerings to be smaller; they're no longer "jumbo."
A quick peek at Reddit also tells me people aren't happy about this change... And I have to agree. The new muffins are not only smaller, but also worse quality. The blueberry muffins I tried were already stale and dry after one day, and tasted extremely artificial to me. They were too sweet and didn't have enough blueberries in them. I took a few bites and abandoned the rest.
Price: $7.99 for eight
Rating: 3/10
Batting 6/8 on the "would buy again" scale is pretty good for a bakery that's not really a bakery. It turns out there's truly nothing Costco can't do.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.