Costco Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Review
I tried the new Lemon Meringue Cheesecake from Costco, against my better judgement.
I said I would not buy one of these. I don’t even know how this happened. One moment I was walking past them in the store, confident in my decision to abstain. And the next minute I was swiping my credit card, with a dazed look on my face.
Alright, so here’s the scoop on Costco’s new Lemon Meringue Cheesecake:
This is a fragile dessert. Mine arrived home with the meringue sliding off one side and the top smashed in and disfigured. It’s fine for eating with your family, but be careful if intended for a gathering where aesthetics matter. The pies are lovely in the store, but tough to get home. My erratic driving does not help at all.
I had my first slice at 2pm on an empty stomach, after painting all night and running errands in the morning, so I am pretty sure my own shoelaces would have tasted good at that point. But yes, it is yummy. Better than shoelaces. I had a very small piece, because I had heard how excessively sweet it is. A small piece was fine. Not sickeningly sweet, but close.
The meringue is fluffy and delicate and softens nearly to melting if it fully reaches room temperature. I love how it dissolves on the tongue, like a cloud. Well, I’ve never eaten a cloud. Leave me alone. As several folks have already mentioned, it’s very sweet meringue. I’m not used to that; it was almost as sweet as a marshmallow. There were several moments where my befuddled and sleep deprived brain confused it for an actual marshmallow. If you love marshmallow fluff, you’ll probably like this. If you love clouds, you might like it, too.
The lemon filling is sweet, tangy, and thick enough to hold its shape without oozing off the slices. It has the least homemade taste of the three layers, but it’s tasty. A little too gelatinous, perhaps. The lemon zing is STRONG, and the unnatural yellow color is slightly shocking, but it’s a beautiful contrast to the cheesy, creamy, less sweet cheesecake base. The sweetness of the meringue and lemon filling make the cheesecake taste even more bland, but it’s a welcome pause from the glucose rush of the other layers.
I am pretty sure this is the same cheesecake as the plain Costco cheesecake, but I wouldn’t bet money on it. Because I don’t bet. And because I don’t have money. But it seems very similar. The crust is just the right amount of crumbly and soft, with a warm graham flavor.
This is a fun dessert. It’s much more of a novelty than a classic. I’m glad I tried it, but I wouldn’t rave about it to my friends, or bring it triumphantly to a family gathering. It’s more of a simple guilty pleasure, like eating Drumsticks on a Sunday afternoon. I probably wouldn’t buy it again.
But I said I wouldn’t buy it the first time, didn’t I?
Bonus Information
The cheesecake weighs 3 pounds, 14 ounces and costs $19.99. It should serve at least 16 people. That’s $1.25 per serving. I tried freezing some slices (in plastic tupperware boxes), and they were easy to thaw and eat later, with minimal change in taste or flavor. Mainly, the meringue was softer after thawing. The Costco product # is 1658416. Here are the ingredients:
Author’s note: I was not paid to write this review, and I have no affiliation with Costco.
