Costco Baking Supplies Review

Author’s Note: Not a paid review. I have no affiliation with Costco. Or Aldi. Or Publix. These are my own slightly eccentric opinions.

Here’s what I buy (and don’t buy) at Costco for my baking staples.

I’m one of those weirdos who loves lists. Inexplicably, Costco’s baking supplies are spread out all over the store, in different departments and areas — and not everything is stocked year-round. Boo.

Knowing what is available feels overwhelming. Putting this information together in a list-form was oddly satisfying. I hope you get some satisfaction out of it, too. And I hope it helps you plan your next shopping trip.

Just like my guide to what I buy at Costco as a single person on a budget, this isn’t a complete list. These are simply my own wonky selections. Here they are:

Flour

I’m loyal to King Arthur Flour, and fortunately Costco carries both the All-Purpose (red label) and the Bread Flour (blue label) in 12-pound bags for $10. At my store, the availability has been spotty, however.

Honestly, I can get a better deal on King Arthur Flour by waiting for a BOGO sale at Publix. So I only buy flour at Costco if I have to.

Other flour options include Costco’s own Kirkland Organic Flour (two 10-pound bags for $19) and a 25-pound bag of conventional all-purpose flour from Ardent Mills (currently $8.50).

Gluten Free Almond Flour

You can also find Kirkland store-brand, gluten-free Almond Flour (3 pounds for $11.50), which is made from California almonds.

Oatmeal

It took me a million years to realize Costco hides the oatmeal in the cereal section. My store offers a Kirkland store-brand Rolled Oats in a 10 pound sack for $8. Or, Organic Gluten-Free Sprouted Rolled Oats from One Degree brand in a 5 pound bag for $10.50.

Sugars

White Sugar

My favorite granulated white sugar brand is Dixie Crystals. And yes, Costco sells this. A 10 pound sack will run you $7.29, which is still cheaper (per pound) than most grocery stores. However, I’ve occasionally wrangled better prices at Publix BOGO sales, so I sometimes hold out for that instead. But, sometimes I can’t wait. You know.

Costco also sells their own Kirkland Organic Sugar in 10 pound bags for $11. And if you REALLY need a lot of sugar, you can hoist a 25 pound sack of Imperial Granulated Sugar into your cart for $18. Lift with your knees.

Brown Sugar

I use this Organic Brown Sugar from Brazil, which I reviewed here. This is an unrefined cane sugar. That means the sugar has retained the original minerals (instead of adding molasses back in after refining).

I like it a lot. It has a “medium” flavor intensity, and stays soft without compacting together. Although it has a coarse consistency, it’s worked great for every recipe I’ve tried so far. The coarseness disappears after mixing/baking. At $9 for 7.5 pounds, it’s an investment. But still cheaper than conventional grocery store brown sugar. This is the only brown sugar option at my Costco, so if you don’t like it — too bad!

Powdered Sugar

If you’re looking for powdered sugar, Costco sells Wholesome brand Organic Confectioners Sugar in 6 pound bags for $10. This brand is also “Fair Trade” and “Non GMO,” which is nice.

Or, if you’ve ever needed 50 pounds of powdered sugar (pfffft, who hasn’t?), you can buy this absurdly ginormous sack for the paltry sum of $47. In all honesty, I would looove to meet the people who buy this regularly. Invite me over. I want to eat your food. I bet it’s delicious.

Butter!

Interestingly, my Costco only sells five different butters. And three of them are their own brand! Hmmph. Since I love butter (and I don’t care how high my cholesterol gets, apparently), I’ve tried alllll of these versions.

Kerrygold Irish Butter

Costco sells both the Salted (gold package) and Unsalted (silver package) Kerrygold Butter. I personally prefer the Unsalted, because of the more delicate, cultured taste of the cream. You can get a 2-pound box of either for $17. The price has risen dramatically in the past couple years, to the point where this is no longer a reasonable option for me. Alas.

Kirkland New Zealand Butter

Since I can’t afford Kerrygold anymore, I’ve been buying the next best thing, which is Costco’s Kirkland Grass-Fed Butter (from New Zealand). As a value/quality choice, this is my favorite all-around butter from Costco. I’ve noticed it tends to be better in the winter months (when it’s summer in New Zealand?); the color is a darker yellow and the flavor is richer. It only comes in a salted form. A 2-pound package costs $12.

Kirkland Sweet Cream Butter

I like Costco’s store-brand Kirkland Butter for baking, but it lacks the rich flavor of the Irish or New Zealand butter for eating on bread. I’ve tried both the Unsalted and Salted varieties, but I usually buy the unsalted for the sweeter, fresher taste of the cream.

Although you have to buy a whopping 4-pounds at once, the savings make it worthwhile at just $12.50. That’s half the price of the New Zealand butter. I freeze it if I can’t use it all at once. In fact, I usually keep a few sticks of this in my freezer, just in case I suddenly want to make scones. (Here’s my scone recipe, which uses Greek yogurt.)

(If you’re wondering how Sam’s Club compares to Costco in product variety and pricing, here’s my review.)

Eggs

Like butters, there are only a couple brand options for eggs at Costco. I typically buy the Heirloom Blue Eggs in an 18-pack ($7.79), but you can also find a 24-pack of Kirkland Organic Free-Range Brown Eggs ($7.49), or Kirkland Cage Free White Eggs ($4.59).

Or, if you have an absurdly yuge amount of baking to do, you might choose the 5-dozen box of Kirkland Cage Free White Eggs for $11. It’s only a marginally better value than the 24-pack, honestly.

Nuts

Costco actually shines in the nut department. There’s a huge variety, and the savings are significant. Unfortunately, the nuts are spread out in different locations, so if you didn’t know where to look, you might not find what you need. Some nuts are located with the snacks, and others are in the dry goods/baking aisles. My Costco doesn’t label the aisles, so good luck. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Cashews

Costco sells at least three different varieties of whole cashews: Roasted/Salted, Organic Unroasted, and a fancier-looking Roasted/Salted variety in a glass canister (I have yet to figure out how this is different from the bagged version, but I’m assuming these are the snack cashews).

I tried the Kirkland Whole Cashews with Sea Salt (pictured above). They were crisp and fresh tasting, but weren’t as deeply flavorful as the roasted snack cashews I’m used to eating. They’re perfect for baking, however. A 40-ounce bag costs $15, but you can also get an unsalted, unroasted organic version for $16.50.

Pecans

If you’re looking for Pecan Halves, I reviewed these here. They were OK. I liked them for baking, but not for snacking. They stay really crisp and crunchy in baked recipes, which I appreciated. But they lacked the flavor and tenderness that I want for snack nuts. A 2-pound bag currently costs $13.

Walnuts

Of all the nuts I’ve tried from Costco thus far, the walnuts were my favorite. And that surprised me, because I’m weird about walnuts. You can read my detailed walnut review here. Currently, a 3 pound bag of Kirkland brand shelled walnut halves costs $13. If I was only going to buy one nut variety from Costco, it would be this one! Just saying.

Brazil Nuts

You can read my full review of the Kirkland Organic Brazil Nuts here. They’re a little unpredictable, but not at all bad. A 1.5 pound bag currently costs $11.

Macadamia Nuts

Since Macadamias are often an expensive nut, it’s great to see Costco carry them at an affordable price. These are available roasted in a 24 ounce bag for $17.

Pistachios

Costco has a surprisingly robust variety of pistachio nuts. You can buy the Kirkland store-brand pistachios either in the shell ($16 for 48 ounces) or as shelled kernels ($16 for 24 ounces). Or you can find flavored pistachios from Wonderful or Setton Farms brands.

Almonds

You can get either Costco’s store-brand Kirkland Almonds roasted/salted ($13 for 40 ounces) and unroasted/unsalted ($12.50 for 3 pounds).

Hazelnuts

Surprisingly, Costco also stocks Roasted Hazelnuts (from Nature’s Garden brand) in 26 ounce bags for $13. These have the skins removed.

Pine Nuts

The only variety of pine nuts I’ve found at Costco are imported from China. And, between that and the price ($28 for 24 ounces!), I’ve decided to pass on these. But, they’re available.

Peanuts

My Costco currently only sells peanuts in a 40 ounce canister for $7.79. These are the “Super XL” Virginia-variety, roasted and salted. Fancy-schmancy, but not what I need for baking. If I needed a large amount of discount peanuts for a recipe, I’d probably buy them somewhere else.

Mixed Nuts

Yes, you can find Costco mixed nuts suitable for baking. This is great if you don’t want to buy several different bags of nuts! But these are located in the snack area, not the baking aisle. This “Heart Healthy” mix of unsalted nuts come in a 2-pound bag for $15. The ingredients are: Dry Roasted Almonds, Walnuts, Dry Roasted Hazelnuts, Dry Roasted Pistachios. They’re sourced from both the USA and Turkey, but roasted & packed in the US.

Costco also sells two other types of Kirkland Fancy Mixed Nuts: Salted and Unsalted. This is a bit confusing, because each variety has a different list of nuts. The Salted mixture (in the purple bag) contains: Cashews, Almonds, Pecans, Brazil Nuts, and Macadamia Nuts. It costs $16 for 40 ounces. The Unsalted mixture (in the orange bag) contains: Cashews, Almonds, Pistachios, and Pecans. It costs $17 for 40 ounces.

Dried Fruit

In addition to nuts, Costco is a great place to get dried fruit. There are many choices, and a decent selection of organic options. I personally I have to limit myself to the organic brands because I have a sulfite sensitivity, and sulfur dioxide is almost always used as a preservative in the non-organic dried fruit. Bummer. I’ve noticed the dried fruit options are sporadic at my store, so it may be hit-or-miss, depending on what you need.

Figs

I tried some Sunny Fruit Organic Turkish Figs, and although they were “OK,” I wouldn’t buy them again. The taste and texture was not my favorite. The skins were extra tough, and the insides were gritty. Flavor-wise, they lacked the tangy brightness that I prefer. Currently, they cost $12 for 40 ounces.

I’m willing to spend more somewhere else for better taste and texture. I personally like the Jenny brand natural dried figs, in the wheel-shaped package (I usually find them at Publix).

Dates

Are you making a figgy pudding? Inexplicably, the dates at my Costco store are usually in the produce section, along with the dried cranberries. This Sunny Fruit brand is pretty good. The figs are large and smooth, with a pleasant chewy-tender texture. They’re sticky-sweet, like you’d expect. And, of course, since they’re organic, they don’t contain sulfites or preservatives. In fact, the ingredients are just pitted dates! A 48 ounce package costs $8.

Cranberries

I buy the Ocean Spray Whole Cranberries (you can read my full review here) around Thanksgiving when they go on sale, and then use them all year. The 4-pound bag lasts…well, not forever, but it feels like it. The regular price is $10 for 64 ounces. But if you play your cards right, you might find them on sale for $6, like I did. I appreciate that these don’t contain any preservatives; the ingredients are just sugar, cranberries, and sunflower oil. For baking, these are a great substitute for more expensive tangy fruits, such as cherries.

Cherries

I’ve tried the Kirkland Organic Tart Montmorency Dried Cherries, which were excellent. They’re super tangy and bursting with flavor. They’re also fairly tender and moist for an organic fruit. I mostly snacked on them, but I also baked them into brownies. Currently, these cost an eye-watering $11 for 20 ounces. I can’t always find these, so buy them if you see them!

Strawberries

I’ve only been able to find the non-organic dried strawberries at Costco (Nutty Fruity brand), which are preserved with sulfur dioxide. Bah! The good news is, they are sometimes a very good price, as low as $4 for 18 ounces.

Apricots

Currently, my Costco only sells dried apricots as an organic, “probiotic” enhanced version. I think this is weird, but nobody asked me, did they? If you want just regular dried apricots for your baking needs, you may want to buy them somewhere else.

Raisins

My Costco sells 4 pounds of Sun Maid brand organic raisins for $12. These are California sun dried raisins, but only the dark ones. There aren’t any golden raisins available.

Dried Ginger

OK, ginger is not a fruit. Sorry-not-sorry. I had a great experience with this Reed’s Crystalized Ginger, which was located in the fresh produce area of Costco. It’s tender and super zesty, with a rich, spicy flavor. Best of all, it’s not preserved with sulfites (or other preservatives); the ingredients are just: diced baby ginger and raw cane sugar. This costs $10 for 24 ounces, and is imported from Thailand.

Chocolate

Chocolate Chips

Costco used to sell their own Kirkland brand of semi-sweet chocolate chips, but currently they only carry Nestle Tollhouse Morsels in a 4.5-pound bag. The only flavor available is semi-sweet. That’s it. That’s all. Thank you, and good night. The 72 ounce sack costs a hefty $16, but I bought it anyway. Like the chocolate-obsessed sucker that I am.

(If you’re looking for more flavors of baking morsels at a reasonable price, check out my review of Aldi Chocolate Chips. You can find them in a lot of different flavors, sizes, and shapes. And they’re surprisingly high quality.)

No Sugar Added Chocolate Chips

Seasonally, my Costco store now sells Bake Believe “no sugar added” Baking Morsels. These are pretty spendy, at $16 for 2 pounds. The ingredients are: Chocolate Liquor, Inulin, Erythritol, Cocoa Butter, Sunflower Lecithin, Vanilla Extract, Stevia Leaf Reb M.

Cocoa Powder and Baking Chocolate

My Costco doesn’t sell cocoa powder, which seems extremely unfair. Boo. There also aren’t any blocks of baking chocolate, chocolate bark, etc. Not sure who is in charge of these stocking decisions, but I’m guessing Mr. Scrooge or the Grinch.

Flavorings

Vanilla Extract

I actually like this vanilla extract, even though it is weirdly “unbranded” and looks a little sus. There aren’t any other brands or varieties of extracts available at my store. Fortunately, this stuff is richly flavored and the 16 ounce bottle goes a long way for just $10. The ingredients are: Vanilla Bean Extractives in Water, Alcohol (35%).

If you’re looking for other extracts, too bad. Vanilla is all my Costco carries. There’s no Almond, Peppermint, Lemon, Orange, etc. Hmmph.

Spices

Costco sells their own store-brand Kirkland ground cinnamon in a giant 10.7-ounce plastic bottle for $5. And that’s it. That’s all. At my store, there is no ginger, clove powder, allspice, or nutmeg. Which is a little mind-blowing. Are there bakers in the world who only use cinnamon? Yikes. C’mon, Costco! Sheesh.

Dairy

Sour Cream

If you need sour cream, you’ll have to buy a lot. This is only available in a 3-pound tub. I never need three pounds at once. Never. Not once in my life have I needed that much. Plus, Publix BOGO sales are often an excellent value for sour cream. Anyway, this huge tub costs $5.50 at my warehouse.

Cream Cheese

For cream cheese, you have a choice between Costco’s own Kirkland brand in a pack of 6 individually-wrapped bars for $8, or Philadelphia-brand in a 3-pound tub for $11.

I tried the Kirkland Cream Cheese, and it was “fine.” I disliked how many gums and additives it had, but this is hard to avoid these days. It was pretty similar to Philadelphia in taste and consistency. The ingredients are: Pasteurized Milk and Cream, Cheese Culture, Salt, Guar Gum, Carob Bean Gum, Xanthan Gum.

Since cream cheese has a looong shelf life in the wrappers, this is an item that is worthwhile for me to purchase in bulk. In fact, mine had “best buy” dates that allowed about 6 months to use.

Heavy Cream

My Costco only stocks one pitiful brand of Heavy Cream (from Land-o-Lakes), in a quart size carton. And yes, this cream is adulterated with additional ingredients, like Carrageenan, Polysorbate 80, Mono and Diglycerides. Alas, cruel world! But, it’s only $4 for 32 ounces, which is a bargain.

Evaporated Milk

If you just need one can of evaporated milk, Costco is not the place to shop. You can only buy this as a bundle of 12 cans. Yikes. And, at my store, I only get a choice of one brand: Kirkland (Costco store-brand). Anyway, a dozen 12-ounce cans costs $13.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

There isn’t any. Go away.

Leavening

Baking Soda

I probably wouldn’t shop at Costco for a baker-size amount of baking soda. It’s only sold in a giant 13.5-pound sack. I bought this wholesale bag for other purposes, such as using in my garden and cleaning my house.

Baking Powder

Hahaha ha haaaa! No baking powder for youuu! Costco doesn’t sell that. At least, my store doesn’t. Go somewhere else, and cry.

Yeast

Yes, there is yeast, but only one brand: Red Star. I have no idea why you can buy yeast, but not baking powder. I was not consulted. Anyway, this “active dry” yeast is available as a 2-pound bag for $7.69.

Salt

I buy the Himalayan Salt in a 5-pound canister for $7.50. It’s annoyingly gritty/contains sand, but it’s cheap. You can also buy Kirkland Sea Salt ($3.29 for 30 ounces) and Morton Kosher Coarse Salt ($2.89 for 53 ounces). Or, if you’re feeling fancy, there is Kirkland Mediterranean Sea Salt ($7.39 for 26 ounces). And even Fleur De Sel Celtic Salt ($20 for 26-ish ounces).

Jams and Nut Butters

Costco only sells a few flavors of jam at a time, and a couple versions of peanut butter.

Peanut Butter

You can buy a two-pack of Kirkland store-brand Organic Peanut Butter for $10. Each jar is 28 ounces. Or, you can get SIX POUNDS of Jif Peanut Butter for $11.

Nutella

If spreading holiday cheer involves an absolutely enormous quantity of Nutella, Costco sells giant 2-packs for $15. Yes, this is 67 ounces total. At my store, I’ve never seen this go out of stock. It’s available year round. Pro-tip: it usually goes on sale once or twice a year, so it might be worthwhile to wait for that. If you can. This is made in Canada, and the ingredients are: Sugar, Palm Oil, Hazelnuts, Skim Milk, Cocoa, Lecithin as emulsifier, Vanillin: an artificial flavor.

Almond Butter

There’s a choice of Kirkland Almond Butter in a 27 ounce jar for $8.39. Or, Costco’s own Organic option in a 27 ounce jar for $10.

Fruit Jams

I like fruit jams as filling for cakes, or for the centers of thumbprint cookies. The staple jams at my local Costco are typically Kirkland Organic Strawberry Spread (42 ounces for $9), and Four-Fruit Preserves from Bonne Maman (36 ounces for $11).

I’ve also tried a Stonewall Kitchen Blueberry Jam, which had a fabulous whole-fruit texture, but wasn’t tangy enough. I’ve also found a French St. Dalfour Apricot/ Strawberry Fruit Spreads 2-pack ($10 for two 17.6 ounce jars; one of each flavor).

Since I don’t need this much jam, I usually buy my fruit preserves from Aldi. I can get an 18 ounce jar of Aldi Strawberry Preserves for $2.45, and the ingredients are stellar.

Specialty Items

Seasonally, Costco sells large jars of Fabbri Amarena Cherries in Syrup ($19 for 35.2 ounces), which are great for cakes and pastries. For the size, this is a much better deal than buying these cherries anywhere else. At least, anywhere else I’ve seen. If you’ve tried these delectable fruits before, then you know how delicious they are. Unforgettably yummy.

You can also get hefty 35.2 ounce boxes of Biscoff cookies, which are popular for crumb pie crusts. Happily, the cookies are packed in four individually-sealed sleeves, so you can open them one at a time and keep the rest fresh. The regular price is $8, but they usually go on sale at least once a year, for $6. So it might be worth waiting for that sale. And then hoarding them all year. Don’t ask me how I know.

Baking Mixes

At my Costco, there are boxed Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate Brownie mixes, but no cake mixes. The brownies are pretty much your only baking-mix-option. Strange choice, but OK. For $18, you’ll get six 20-ounce pouches, which equals 120 ounces total. Whew.