What to Buy at Costco for Your Summer Parties

Summer’s upon us! It’s time to grab a group of friends, find a commodious backyard, and hang outside until the mosquitos chase you indoors. If you’re anything like me (aka, a certified Costco freak), there’s probably a question on your mind right about know: What should we grab at Costco for all these fun summer parties we’re about to have? Well, if you’re looking for goods for the grill, we have you covered with our start-of-summer BBQ Costco haul. This list is about general summertime fun. We were looking for things that taste good after a dip in the pool, that you can chow down on while you shoot the breeze with pals on the patio, and sip around the fire pit on those long summer nights. Here’s our carefully curated list of what to buy at Costco for summer parties.

Vicolo Corn Meal Crust Pesto Margherita Pizza

I know, I knooooooowwww. I said this list wasn’t about things to cook on the grill, but this is a fun way to get some use out of the top-of-the-line Weber you talked your spouse into letting you splurge on. If you’ve never cooked frozen pizza on the grill, ya gotta try it. And this frozen pizza from Costco is more exciting than your basic pizza, too. A corn meal crust is sturdy and can hold up to the high heat, plus it has great texture. And those little globs of mozzarella? Yeah, those are gonna melt real nice. Grab a few of these pies for your next summer party, or just keep a couple in the freezer for an easy weeknight meal when cooking outside sounds nice but you don’t have the energy to monitor steaks or burgers.

Read our ranking of the best frozen pizza

Kevin’s Natural Foods Cilantro Lime Chicken

If you don’t have a grill (or can’t be bothered to release yours from its cocoon quite yet) but you still want food that tastes grilled for your summer party, this preseasoned chicken is a good alternative. Chimichurri is packed with fresh summer flavors, like parsley and cilantro, and the lime adds a nice pop of freshness that’ll pair perfectly with some frozen margaritas. What more could you want? These chicken breasts can even be cooked in the microwave. That’s a low-hassle hack to feeding your friends well, my dudes.

Amylu Basil & Parmesan Chicken Meatballs

What kind of party would it be if we didn’t have a crockpot full of meatballs waiting to be snacked on? Not one I’d want to be at, that’s for sure! I spotted these basil and parmesan chicken meatballs at Costco. They look promising but you know what sounds even better? Basil…parmesan…Costco. That’s right! Our favorite store bought pesto! Get a tub of Kirkland Signature basil pesto to serve with these these balls for a nice summer party app.

Read the full ranking of the best store bought pesto

Cedarlane Krab & Shrimp Louie Salad

Pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni salad. Lots of “salads” get love during the summer months, but seafood salad is seldom part of the convo. Let’s fix that! Throw this krab (yep, “krab” with a k) and shrimp salad onto the table over a bowl of ice to keep it chilled. It’ll help keep you and your friends cool and it will give everyone a break from your cousin’s “world famous” potato salad. Don’t forget the saltines.

Happy Days Japanese Party Mix

Every summer gathering needs a mix for guests to graze on, so naturally I had to add one to our list of what to buy at Costco for your summer soirees. I’ve had my eye on this Japanese party mix for a while and I think it’s finally found its time to shine. It has an array of ingredients, including almonds, mochi, corn squares, rice squares, corn cereal, and pretzels. You get sweet, savory, a boatload of crunch—everyone will find what they’re looking for if they resort to picking through. I myself am an advocate for the ol’ “fill your hand and slowly snack” route but you can choose your own adventure.

Read our ranking of the best snack mixes

Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop Variety Pack

Here at Sporked, we’re big fans of canned cocktails, so when I’m working on one of our Costco hauls, I always take a look at what’s new in the alcohol section. I’ll always find plenty of beer and hard seltzer, but on this visit I spotted this variety pack of sleek canned cocktails that are based on the 1994 song of the same name. You get gin and juice with a low ABV (just 5.9%) and four flavors: citrust, melon, passion fruit, and apricot. These are what I’m looking for! Every celebrity and their mother might be getting into the alcohol market now, but I appreciate the seamless integration for Snoop and Dre here. Also, you don’t see many melon or apricot canned drinks, so it’s time you added a little variety into your cooler.

Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate Chip Cookies

When you throw a party, no one expects you to labor over dessert—they just want something sweet to go with their savories. So we say put out a pile of cookies and forget about it! I would usually shy away from recommending something with chocolate when it comes to summer, but there’s something so crisp and refreshing about Tate’s cookies. The chips may get a little melty but the caramelized snap of the cookie will hold up, even in the heat. These are Sporked’s favorite chocolate chip cookies, so I’ll never pass up a chance to recommend them!