25 Best Kirkland Products You Should Buy at Costco
Many of warehouse club Costco's store-branded Kirkland Signature items get high marks for quality and value. Check out our picks.
Costco has aggressively turned on its head the notion that a store brand is a notch below a national brand. How? By using its coast-to-coast strength to strong-arm suppliers to put quality as well as value into its Kirkland Signature offerings. A quarter of Costco’s annual sales now reportedly come from its Kirkland product lines, which first hit store shelves in 1995.
It’s no surprise. Costco continually upped its array of Kirkland Signature products, currently numbering 364 individual items, according to Costco's website. Wary of store-branded items? Don't be with Kirkland Signature. Many, if not all, are manufactured by top national and regional companies, including Duracell, which makes Kirkland Signature batteries, one of our recommendations.
On some Kirkland Signature products, don't be surprised to see the name-brand manufacturer's name co-branded with the Kirkland Signature, including the renowned Stearns & Foster on a Kirkland Signature by Stearns and Foster mattress (starting at $1,049.99), and nationally known Ocean Spray on the Kirkland Signature Cranberry Premium juice.
You’ll find the Kirkland Signature logo on everything from coffee to chicken stock, and golf balls to cheese wheels. We took a closer look at several Kirkland products getting accolades from customers and critics. You should check them out, too.
Kirkland Signature Organic Animal Crackers
Whether you’re feeding your children or your own inner child, Kirkland Signature Organic Animal Crackers are off the leash. The sweet snacks, in case you forgot, are in the shape of bite-size animals. Kirkland organic animal crackers come in a 64-ounce barrel, priced at $9.99, or about 16 cents per ounce. Walmart was selling a 24-ounce barrel of Stauffer Biscuit Co. (non-organic) animal crackers for $3.98, or about 17 cents per ounce.
If you’re not a Costco member, you can order the same barrel of animal crackers on Amazon.com, but you’ll pay nearly double: $15.98, or about 25 cents per ounce. Shipping is free for Prime members.
Kirkland Signature Bacon
If everything is better with bacon, as the saying goes, then everything is super better with Kirkland Signature Bacon. The product-testing pros at Consumer Reports put bacon to the test and deemed Costco’s store-brand regular sliced bacon the top dog – make that the top pig. Testers raved about the taste, “noting its crispiness and balance of fat and meat flavors.”
They also raved about its price: Kirkland bacon typically sells for $1.50 less per pound than name-brand competitors. The Kirkland Signature sliced bacon comes in a pack of four one-pound individually wrapped packages for $18.99.
Kirkland Signature Batteries
With back-to-school shopping revving up and, ahem, the holiday shopping season not that far away, you're going to need more power for all those energy-sucking gadgets. Kirkland Signature batteries can keep all those electronic toys and devices charged up at bargain prices. A 48-pack of Kirkland Signature AA batteries -- made by Duracell -- is $13.99 (down from $15.99 in November 2020), or about 29 cents per battery. BONUS: The day I was there, Kirkland batteries were on sale for $4 off, making this packet of AA batteries $9.99, or 20 cents per battery.
Stepping into name-brand batteries will cost you more at Costco (and much, more at other places). A 40-pack of Duracell CopperTop AA batteries is $17.99, for example, or more than 44 cents per battery. (Costco often puts Duracell batteries on sale, however, so check the flyer or shelf tag if you must have a name brand.)
Meanwhile, Walmart was selling 24-packs of Energizer AA batteries for $16.24, or 68 cents per battery.
Kirkland Signature Cashews
Costco knows nuts, and its Kirkland Signature Whole Cashews are a prime example. That’s not just this nut speaking.
“Costco's nuts are always super-fresh and high-quality,” raves food and cooking website TheKitchn.com. “Unless you're a big-time baker, 2- and 3-pound packages of nuts might seem like a daunting purchase, but don't forget that they freeze beautifully.”
A 2.5-pound container of Kirkland Signature whole fancy cashews goes for $14.99, or $5.99 per pound, a good savings over the going rate for 2-pound, 1-ounce containers of Planters whole cashews at Walmart. They were selling for $18.98 per container, or about $9.49 per pound.
Kirkland Signature Cheese Wheel
Excessive, yes, but there’s an odd appeal to having your own 72-pound wheel o' cheese. Costco knows this and complies. The Kirkland Signature Whole Wheel Parmigiano Reggiano can be yours for $949.99 or $13.99 per pound (up fifty bucks from 2019, when it was $899.99, or $12.50 a pound). I’ve had a piece of said wheel and it’s exceptional.
That per-pound price is a bargain, by the way, compared to Wegmans Italian Classics Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese sold at the regional Wegmans supermarkets, where chunks were going for $20.99 a pound (in various size chunks). But alas, the question inevitably arises: What do you do with a whole wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano? One answer: Pasta – lots and lots of pasta. And some foodie sites note if properly stored, the aged cheese can last for many months, and some say it can be frozen.
Kirkland Signature Chicken Stock
For home chefs who do a lot of cooking, Kirkland Signature Organic Chicken Stock is a winner in taste and price. But be warned: You’re bulk-buying an entire case of chicken stock.
Still, it's a good investment. Stock has a long shelf life, and the six quart-size boxes of organic chicken stock you'll get at Costco cost just $10.99, or about $1.83 per quart. At Walmart, a single quart-size box of Swanson chicken stock was selling for $2.72; however, it is not organic.
Kirkland Signature Coffee Pods
If K-cups for the Keurig brand of coffeemakers help power you through your day, Costco has something for you to brew. Its lineup of boxes of Kirkland Signature K-cups include boxes of 120 medium roast pods for $34.99, or about 29 cents a pod.
You don't have to go far to price-compare. Costco sells other brands, including a box of 72 Dunkin Donuts original blend medium roast coffee pods for $36.99. That comes out to 51 cents a pod.
Not a podster? Costco features a whole lineup of Kirkland Signature ground and whole-bean coffee, plus those of competitors.
Kirkland Signature Diced Tomatoes
There's a lot of cooking going on in our house, even by me. We go through a lot of tomatoes, and turn to Costco for help. In my opinion, Costco's Kirkland Signature organic diced tomatoes -- in boxes of eight 14.5-ounce cans -- are the best. Each can is packed densely with tomatoes, whereas other, national brands are more watery. Each box sells for $5.99, or about 75 cents per can (and the price hasn't changed in years). At Walmart, similar-size cans of its store brand Great Value organic petite diced tomatoes sell for $1.08
Kirkland Signature Dishwasher Pods
If you run the dishwasher a lot, costs mount for those convenient dishwasher soap pods, especially if you’re buying name-brand detergent. You don’t have to.
Kirkland Signature Premium Dishwasher Pacs get the job done at a fraction of the price of national brands. You’ll pay $9.99 for 115 pods, or less than 9 cents per load. Costco also stocks packages of Cascade Complete Action pods for $15.99 for 90 pods, or more than 18 cents per load, twice the cost of the Kirkland brand. In recent testing by Consumer Reports, Kirkland’s pods bested all competitors including name-brand pods from Cascade and Finish.
Kirkland Signature Organic Brown Eggs
We go through a lot of eggs in our home, and the 24-pack of Kirkland Signature Organic Brown Eggs are always on the shopping list. They’ve been consistently good, and they come in at the right price: $6.29 for the 24-pack. That’s 29 cents per egg.
By comparison, a carton of 18 Walmart Marketside large organic was $5.74, or 32 cents per egg.
Kirkland Signature Energy Shots
Sometimes you need a little liquid encouragement to get through your busy days. Not that. This: Costco sells 48-count packages of 2-ounce Kirkland Signature Energy Shots for $34.99, or about 73 cents per shot. The day I was there an $8-off coupon discounted that price to $26.99, or 56 cents per shot.
By contrast, a single 1.93 ounce shot of 5-Hour Energy was selling for $2.78 at Walmart.
Kirkland Signature Food Wrap
Popularly known as “Saran wrap,” Costco can’t call its food wrap by that name because SC Johnson owns the trademarked Saran brand. By any name, however, the Kirkland Signature version is a winner on quality and price.
And here's one where Costco's Kirkland Signature co-brands with a national brand, Stretch-Tite. A single 3,000 square foot roll of Kirkland Signature Stretch-Tite Plastic Food Wrap sells for just $13.49, or about a half a cent per square foot. That’s 3,000 square feet of plastic wrap. At Walmart, a 225-square-foot roll of Reynolds Kitchens plastic food wrap was selling for $2.98, or about 1 cent per square foot.
Kirkland Signature Gasoline
Not every Costco has a gas station adjacent to it, but the club locations that do have them see steady, and strong, business. What gives? The savings. A Costco in central Virginia was selling regular Kirkland Signature Gasoline for roughly 9% less than nearby national brand stations. Sure, the difference is a few pennies per gallon, but on a fill-up you might save $3 or more – not bad if you’re heading to Costco anyway.
Factor in how valuable your time is, though. Even on a weekday afternoon, at least 7 vehicles were waiting in line, sometimes for 20 minutes or longer, to get to Costco’s gas pumps. That’s a lot of idling.
And one pro tip, fellow Costco gas guzzlers: Costco's hoses are extra long, meaning you don't have to drive up to the pumps on the side of the car where your gas tank door is located. If you're close enough to the pump, the hose will reach either side. Many people waste precious minutes waiting to pull up to the "right" side of the pump.
Kirkland Signature Golf Gear
When Costo released its Kirkland Signature golf balls in 2016, they were an immediate sensation, highly lauded by pros and amateurs alike. They also quickly sold out, as they were compared to the highly lauded Titleist Pro V1.
They're back. You can pick up a 24-pack of Kirkland Signature V2.0 Performance three-piece golf balls for $24.99. Costco-branded golf balls typically retail for 60% less than a Titleist.
But wait. There's more: The equally lauded Kirkland Signature KS1 Putter is on Costco shelves for $139.99. Need a bit more in your bag? A Kirkland Signature 3-piece golf wedge set is $159.99.
While you're at it, pick up a four-pack of Kirkland Signature golf gloves -- sizes vary -- for $19.99.
We can't guarantee this Kirkland Signature will improve your game, but we can guarantee you'll save a few bucks.
Kirkland Signature Honey
Costco is sweet on its Kirkland Signature brand of 100% U.S. raw, unfiltered honey in 3 pound jars. The price goes down easy: $8.99, or about 19 cents per ounce. A 12-ounce jar of Walmart's Great Value raw, unfiltered honey was $3.38, or 28.2 cents per ounce.
Kirkland Signature Italian Sparkling Water
If you like your Italian mineral water sparkling, you might often turn to the classic San Pellegrino. Costco knows that. It stacks cases of its Kirkland Signature Italian Sparkling Mineral Water near cases of Pellegrino. I detected no taste difference, but there certainly was a price difference.
A case of 24 16.9-ounce bottles of Kirkland Signature Italian sparkling water was selling for $12.99 (same price as 2019), while a similar size case of Pellegrino sparkling water was $17.99 ($1 more a case at Costco than 2019).
Kirkland Signature Laundry Detergent
So ... it does all come out in the wash.
Costco tapped its Kirkland Signature brand to help do the laundry, and less expensively than national brands, some stacked and stocked near the KS brand.
For comparison's sake, we spotted the Kirkland Signature UltraClean Premium liquid laundry detergent in 194-ounce jugs selling for $15.99 and yes, the packaging does look strikingly like Tide's signature colors. UltraClean comes in at 8 cents per ounce.
Nearby, stacks and stacks of 150-ounce jugs of Tide Advance Power laundry detergent challenged UltraClean. But Tide Advance was selling for $19.99, or 13 cents per ounce.
Kirkland Signature Olive Oil
Costco’s olive oil rises to the top, notes the University of California, Davis, which conducted a chemical and sensory study of olive oils. Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil was one of only a few imported oils that met international and U.S. standards for extra virgin olive oil. The many brands that fell short in the testing were diluted with cheaper oils and exhibited problems with quality and flavor.
What's also nice is the price. A 2-liter bottle of Kirkland Signature EVOO was $11.99, or about 17 cents per ounce. News flash: You can skip the Costco membership and get this same 2-liter bottle of Kirkland Signature EVOO on... wait for it: Walmart.com Um-hmmm. But it will set you back $34.24, nearly three times the cost at Costco.
Walmart does have its own branded EVOO. Its Great Value organic extra virgin olive oil is $9.86 for a 51-ounce jar, or about 19 cents per fluid ounce, and we're not sure if it's received accolades.
Note, too, the Kirkland Signature name is on a wide lineup of other cooking oils, including coconut, canola and corn.
Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter
When my wife finally weaned me off creamy (and delicious) Jif peanut butter and into the world of peanut butter made without sugar (just peanuts; maybe some salt), my snacking world changed.
Our go-to brand had been Smucker's organic creamy peanut butter, but after diving into Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter, that, too, has changed. It’s just as good as Smucker's, maybe even better, and there’s no arguing with the price. You can get two 28-ounce jars of Kirkland peanut butter for around $10, or 18 cents per ounce, while just one 16-ounce jar of Smucker's costs $4.48 at Walmart, or 28 cents per ounce.
Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chicken
The Costco I go to in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley must roast hundreds of chickens a day in its giant rotisserie oven, which is constantly getting loaded and off-loaded by the white-coated chicken changers. These Kirkland Signature Rotisserie Chickens are always tasty, and what’s not sold is repurposed in other Costco fresh foods made onsite. You can find some of that leftover poultry in Costco’s Kirkland Signature chicken noodle soup and packages of shredded chicken, great for creating a variety of your own dishes at home (and it freezes well).
The best part: Costco has consistently kept the price of each roasted chicken at $4.99, likely looked at as a loss leader. At a nearby Walmart, a lone rotisserie chicken was selling for $7.67 with nary a rotisserie in sight.
Kirkland Signature Toilet Paper
No one longs for the darker days of the pandemic, hunting down toilet paper anywhere you could. Some retailers, Costco included, limited how many packets you could buy. And most of what Costco sells in that department are 30-packs.
TP shortages seem to be a thing of the past. And not that it's anybody's business, but our house is Team Costco when it comes to TP. Kirkland Signature 2-ply bath tissue is a steal. Thirty high-quality rolls sell for just $16.99, a price Costco didn't up during the pandemic. That price has been steady for years.
Facial tissue is another story. One shopping expert we consulted knocked the quality of Costco’s Kirkland Signature facial tissue, earning it a spot on our list of the worst things to buy at warehouse clubs.
Kirkland Signature Organic Tortilla Chips
This one is fairly new on our Kirkland Signature amazing lineup of snacks: 40-ounce (2.5 pounds) bags of Kirkland Signature organic tortilla chips. At about $5 a bag, or 12 cents per ounce, the price is right and the chips are tasty and durable enough to stand up to my amazing salsa-with-a-burn (made with Kirkland organic diced tomatoes, naturally). Compare that to a 7.5-ounce bag of Simply Doritos Organic White Cheddar Tortilla Chips at Walmart. They sell for $2.98, or 40 cents per ounce.
Or if you crave the Kirkland Signature chips and you're not a Costco member, you can buy a 40-ounce bag on Walmart.com ... for $22.20.
Kirkland Signature Vitamin Water
Yes, bottles of the fruit-flavored, no-calorie and mineral-rich Kirkland Signature Vita Rain Zero are strikingly similar to Glaceau Vitaminwater Zero, but I dare you to find any difference in taste. There is a difference in price, which is significant to me; I drink a lot of this stuff.
Costco tabbed Kirkland’s 24-count variety pack of 20-ounce Vita Rain Zero bottles at $9.99, or about 42 cents per bottle. Walmart was selling Coca-Cola-owned Vitaminwater Zero Sugar Rise, electrolyte-enhanced water with vitamins for $4.98 for a six pack (these are 16.9-ounce bottles), or about 83 cents per bottle.
Kirkland Signature Vodka
Wine snobs are already familiar with Kirkland Signature wines (more on those later), but spirits snobs might still be in the dark about Costco’s store-brand booze. Costco isn’t allowed to sell liquor in all of its stores; many states limit the warehouse club to beer and wine. But some states do give the green light to Costco selling liquor, and its vodka is a hands-down winner, rave spirits experts including Bon Appetit.
I first stumbled upon Kirkland Signature Vodka while shopping at a Costco on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Not that I’m so into vodka, but I do know good from bad. Kirkland’s vodka ranks up there with my fav, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and it costs less.
Kirkland Signature Wine
Costco is the biggest seller of wine in the U.S., with estimated annual wine sales of $1.8 billion, and the warehouse club’s Kirkland Signature wines are a big reason behind the booming demand. As Annette Alvarez-Peters, who heads Costco’s wine-buying team, told Wine Spectator, "The Costco consumer is very loyal to the [Kirkland Signature] brand. They will always give the item a shot.” And why not? Wine rating websites typically give Kirkland Signature wines high scores in the mid-to-upper 80s out of 100.
One hint for picking especially good Kirkland Signature wines: When you see the Costco brand on the front label, turn the bottle around. You just might find the name of the source winery on the back label. That can tell you a lot about the experience of the wine maker and the quality of the grapes. Alternatively, read reviews online. This Costco-centric wine blog, for one, has taste-tested plenty of Kirkland Signature wines. In my own taste-testing of whites I found a nice Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and a Kirkland Sonoma County Chardonnay for $7.99 each. These are big boys, too,1.5 liter bottles, not the typical 750 milliliters for mass retailers' house wines, including Walmart, with its private label wines called Winemakers Selection, selling for about $5 to $12.99 per bottle, or Aldi, with its Winking Owl varieties, including chardonnay, pinot grigio, shiraz, zinfandel, merlot and cabernet sauvignon, selling for $2.95 a bottle.
