{"id":2131,"date":"2024-07-20T15:26:42","date_gmt":"2024-07-20T15:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/?p=2131"},"modified":"2025-07-23T23:35:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:35:31","slug":"costco-apple-pie-kirkland-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2024\/07\/20\/costco-apple-pie-kirkland-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Apple Pie (Kirkland) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s note: I wasn\u2019t paid (or compensated in any way) to write this review, and I have no affiliation with Kirkland or Costco<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you know, you know.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When I joined Costco 2.5 years ago, this Apple Pie was one of the first things I purchased. At the time, it was only $10, and I was blown away by what I got for the money. In fact, I immediately<\/em> got on Facebook and babbled into the void<\/em> about how much I liked this pie. Most of my friends and family are not<\/em> Costco shoppers, so I got a collective eyeroll, and a few pity reactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, you see \u2014 that’s because they don’t KNOW. You can’t<\/em> know until you try it. You’ve got to try it. That is all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Do I sound like a weird cult leader? I sort of felt like one, just now.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Side<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This pie is not currently as much<\/em> of a bargain (more about the price later), but still a dang<\/em> good pie. A dang<\/em> tasty dessert. Probably the best supermarket<\/em> apple pie I’ve ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of my co-workers promptly joined Costco after I fed her this pie. If you haven’t had it yet, I hope this post will convince you to try it. No, Costco isn’t paying me to say this. In fact, I don’t think Costco likes me very much \u2014 if you’ve read some of my other reviews, you know I snarkle<\/em> them pretty hard when I don’t like their food (such as this review of their Chicken Pot Pie<\/a> ). Hey, I’m just doing my snarkle-tastic job. Someone’s<\/em> gotta do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tiny caveat: you really need to “re-bake” Costco’s Apple Pie to get the best effect. More about that later<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Filling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

My favorite aspect of this pie is the apples. They are thick, perky, and fresh-tasting. Soft on the outside, but with structural integrity. Just the right tender-crisp texture. And there are a LOT of them. My word.<\/em> This pie is fairly bursting with apples. As someone who has cooked a number of pies from scratch, I know how apples shrink during baking<\/a>. The starting volume must have been enormous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(For another pie with “perky” fruit filling, check out my review of the Publix Apple Pie<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some fruit pies have too much gooey gel filling. Some have almost none. Costco seems to have chosen a crowd-pleasing compromise: there is<\/em> viscous, sweet, spiced gel surrounding the apples, but only enough to fill in the crevices. Mostly, you are getting a stack of real fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a sweetness scale, I would say this pie is about a 7 out of 10 for sugary taste. It will satisfy a sweet-tooth, but it won’t overpower and become sickening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Flavors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Flavor-wise, the filling has a pleasant-but-subtle tanginess (no-where near as tangy as Aldi Apple Pie \u2014 you can read my review of it here<\/a>), and a rich spice profile that leans heavily on Nutmeg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love Nutmeg. I love it so much, I’ve chosen to capitalize it, like the name of a cherished friend. Nutmeg, my old buddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Spiced<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There’s definitely a generous amount of cinnamon, too \u2014 but Nutmeg is the boss of this show. The warm, intoxicating aroma is unmistakable. Important side note: if you don’t love Nutmeg, we can’t be friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Crustage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to know about the crust? Of course you do. You’re still here! I like the crust. It’s not as good as Costco’s Four-Berry Pie<\/a>, but it’s good<\/em>. It’s thick, but tender, with a flakey-sugary-coating on top \u2014 making it a slightly<\/em> sweet crust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gets soggy in the middle if you refrigerate this for several days, but this is easily fixed by popping your slice in a toaster oven (or regular oven) and baking it up a bit. More about that later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Close-up<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It’s a big boy.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you read other online articles about this pie<\/a>, they often start off by mentioning it weighs 4+ pounds. Even though the label says 4 pounds, 11 ounces \u2014 mine always weigh a little more<\/em> than 5 pounds on my kitchen scale. The diameter is nearly 12 inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It IS a huge pie. A Thanksgiving-feast-sized pie. A Duggar-Family-sized pie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why my co-workers also<\/em> end up with pie when I buy it \u2014 because my lonely little Hobbit stomach cannot possibly consume it fast enough. Alas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Because of the gargantuan size, the slices are really long. Sometimes twice as long as a normal pie slice. Nothing wrong with this. Just a thing to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Costco Apple Pie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients from the label:<\/p>\n\n\n\n