5 Totally Basic Costco Grocery Essentials That Beat The Name Brands In Our Taste Test

With thousands of square feet to explore and aisle after aisle stacked sky-high with food, it’s no secret that there’s an awful lot to consider and explore at Costco. And while there are fun buys to add to your haul like seasonal bakery additions that are so good they go viral and comforting prepared meals for quick dinners, Costco is a fantastic place to pick up grocery essentials.

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Costco is chock-full of basic items, and they’re often surprisingly good. Like, better-than-name-brand good. So, we’re sharing five of these grocery essentials that are totally basic in appearance but downright incredible compared to pricier name brand alternatives based on our taste test.

Vanilla Ice Cream

You could argue that vanilla ice cream isn’t an essential, but I’m not on board with that. Every freezer needs at least a small amount of vanilla ice cream on hand — you never know when you’ll need to break it out for a mid-day snack or a last-minute dessert after dinner. And if you’re going to keep your freezer stocked up on this grocery staple, you need to pick up Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream from Costco.

This vanilla ice cream has a cult following for a reason. It’s seriously high-quality, just like its “super premium” name suggests. And it’s a top-tier pick, with a smooth vanilla flavor, a densely creamy composition, and a richness that most private label ice creams could never match. It’s so good that this totally basic essential can improve everything you pair it with, from brownies to slices of cake to fresh fruit.

Coffee

There’s a whole lot of coffee to peruse at Costco, including both name brands and Costco’s own Kirkland Signature private label. And if you’re looking to pick up a basic coffee that’ll keep you caffeinated every day and actually taste decent, this is one essential you’ll want to grab on your next warehouse visit. Specifically, you’ll want to pick up one of Costco’s Kirkland Signature Organic bean varieties. 

There are a few different options under the Kirkland Signature name, including beans sourced from Mexico, Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Colombia. The best pick taste-wise? It’s the Mexico beans, which are wonderfully consistent and well-balanced. However, if you need ground coffee instead of beans, opt for the Kirkland Signature French Roast, which is just as reliable with a nicely mild flavor that won’t wake you up in all the wrong ways.

Olive Oil

You’ve gotta have olive oil on hand when you’re cooking, and frankly no one does it better than Costco if you’re looking for a great-tasting staple. While there are a number of higher-end olive oil choices sold at Costco, sticking with the Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Baena P.D.O. gives you a fantastic balance of excellent flavor and value. The fact that it’s sold in a 33.8-ounce container is another perk, since you’ll have a hard time running out in just a week.

After tasting every one of Costco’s olive oils, we found the Kirkland Signature version to have standout fruitiness and the least amount of bitterness. It was a crowd-pleaser, with better brightness than more expensive bottles and a flavor profile that makes it a perfect pick for finishing fresh dishes.

Maple Syrup

You can’t have a good plate of waffles or pancakes without a quality maple syrup, and we recommend you grab this grocery essential from Costco. Excellent maple syrup isn’t cheap, but Costco’s version is affordable, sold in a 33.8-ounce bottle that’ll keep you well-stocked on syrup, and it’s wonderfully rich-tasting. In fact, it’ll blow your average grocery store syrup out of the water.

The Kirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup might look pretty basic, but it’s one of the best things to buy at Costco. It’s so perfectly maple-y. It tastes like a more expensive syrup, and while it won’t please those who prefer the buttery flavor of non-maple syrups, it’s a standout at its price point. This is no corn syrup-filled alternative, and it’ll make you want to turn your back on those stuffed with filler ingredients.

Rotisserie Chicken

Much like ice cream, you could make the case that a rotisserie chicken isn’t a grocery essential — and it’s so much more than a basic. But frankly, I never leave Costco without picking up at least one of these cooked chickens. They’re a stellar value, incredibly versatile, and offer enough meat to easily feed a family. Plus, they’re always delicious — and having tried the weak rotisserie chickens offered at typical grocery stores, there’s simply no beating the Costco version.

Costco’s very own rotisserie chicken is one of the best comfort foods you can buy, and it tastes just like the kind you’d expect to see at a Sunday family dinner. Well-seasoned with a skin that’s just the right balance of crispy but not completely dry, the meat underneath is always a joy to dig into.