{"id":9989,"date":"2025-07-08T20:54:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T00:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/?p=9989"},"modified":"2026-01-02T15:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T20:07:25","slug":"costco-basil-pesto-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2025\/07\/08\/costco-basil-pesto-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Costco Basil Pesto Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Author\u2019s note: This blog is officially 2 years old, and this is my 204th review!<\/strong> Whoop! Thanks to everyone who munched along with me on this silly, calorie-filled journey. As always, I wasn\u2019t paid or compensated in any way for this review and I have noooo affiliation with Costco<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heaven smells better than pesto, I think?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pretty sure everyone in the world already knows how good this pesto is. This is my third (or fourth?) time buying it, so I already know, too. Here’s why<\/em> I keep buying it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a jarred product, Costco’s Basil Pesto tastes surprisingly<\/em> fresh. It’s made with a special Genovese basil<\/a> imported from Italy. In fact, the herb is designated “D.O.P” \u2014 which translates to “Protected Denomination of Origin<\/a>” and is meant to guarantee the authenticity of the basil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Aldi’s imported Italian pesto<\/a>, Costco’s version is refrigerated (and therefore, not shelf-stable). I love how brightly colored it is. It looks like it just came out of a blender. Maybe it IS easy being green:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Who is the cheesiest one of all?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a generous<\/em> amount of cheese bits, including Pecorino Romano (from sheep\u2019s milk) and Parmesan Cheese. This is honestly thee cheesiest<\/em> store-bought pesto I’ve ever had. It’s also made with real pine nuts, instead of cheaper nuts like cashews or almonds. It’s full of rich salty taste; I found I did not need to add extra salt to my dishes when eating this.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Costco’s pesto has a heavenly aroma. I mean, probably<\/em> Heaven smells better than pesto. But, you know. Although the garlic is discernable, it’s mild and flavorful without<\/em> being hot. The sauce is brimming with basil, but the flavors are married so thoroughly that no one ingredient dominates the others. There’s just a touch of black pepper for flavor, without any spiciness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I like how thick this pesto is. It’s thin enough to pour, but has a pleasant chunky, natural quality. The garlic and pine nuts are in distinct, perky bits that provides a subtle texture.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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There’s a tad more oil than I would prefer. But apparently not so oily that I won\u2019t keep buying it! It’s a combination of sunflower oil and olive oil. It helps to shake up the jar thoroughly<\/em> before opening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(For another Costco product with garlic and sunflower oil, check out my review of the Kirkland Organic Hummus<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What did I do with my pesto?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I served it on this Scoiattolo Truffle Ravioli<\/a>, which was “fine,” but the basil-garlic flavor drowned out the delicate truffle aroma too much. Truffle is too precious to waste this way!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I liked it better on Costco’s Five Cheese Tortelloni<\/a>, which has an assertive cheesiness that stands up to the bossy flavors of the pesto. I paired mine with sliced Jones Organic Chicken Sausage<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I also spread my pesto on fried-egg-and-croissant breakfast sandwiches. Delicious! The oil soaks into the croissant, like melted butter, and the cheesy-basil flavors taste stoo-pendous with the egg. Yes, that’s a Costco Bakery croissant. No, I don’t work for Costco!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I also enjoyed this pesto over vegetables, like these carrots. And as a salad dressing. Seriously, what wouldn’t <\/em>you eat this on? Maybe chocolate cake. I wouldn’t eat it on chocolate cake.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ingredients in Kirkland Basil Pesto from Costco<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’m not mad about these ingredients:<\/p>\n\n\n\n