Costco's Most Popular Kirkland Signature Products Of All Time

Costco's private label brand, Kirkland Signature, offers a wide range of products from groceries and clothing to household essentials. Many of this brand's products have great allure due to their high quality and value. There are some big-name brands behind the popular private label at Costco. Who could forget the rumor that swirled for years that Grey Goose was the vodka responsible for Kirkland Signature's French Vodka?

Using one label, keeping product markups low, and emphasizing bulk shopping allows the warehouse to keep prices super reasonable for its members. And shoppers are noticing. In an end-of-year earnings report from 2024, Costco reported increased consumer demand for Kirkland Signature products, which contributed to overall revenue growth and membership retention. So, these are the most popular Kirkland Signature products that members believe you should always add to your cart. Note that prices may vary by location — the prices listed in this article are based on the state of California.

Costco's rotisserie chicken often gets hailed as the best value grocery store rotisserie chicken on the market. Costco shoppers find that the chicken is not only fresh, flavorful, and juicy, but that it's also much larger than most other grocery store rotisseries. Not to mention, the bird only costs $5, making it a fantastic value. Fans are so infatuated with Kirkland Signature's rotisserie chicken that there are threads online dedicated to sharing recipes on how to prepare and enjoy it. But the chicken is so flavorful it can be enjoyed all on its own, too.

The numbers speak for themselves on this versatile and tasty protein. In a Costco Earnings Report from 2023, the company reported selling 137 million rotisserie chickens, which was a 20 million increase from the previous year. The flavorful, seasoned bird can be used to make chicken tortilla soup, chili, spaghetti, and more. It can also be shredded and thrown into salads, baked potatoes, stir fries, or omelettes.

Olive oil is notoriously expensive, but it's a cooking staple that every kitchen needs, so it's convenient to buy olive oil in bulk. And extra virgin olive oil is the highest quality and most flavorful olive oil you can buy. Unfortunately, testing has revealed that some olive oil brands that claim to be "extra virgin" actually do not meet the requirements to be graded as such. In order for it to meet the standard, the oils must have less than 0.8% acidity per 100 grams and have no defects.

UC Davis performed testing on several popular olive oil brands to determine the quality and purity of these oils. Kirkland Signature's Extra Virgin Olive Oil passed this purity test and got the stamp of approval from the UC Davis Olive Center. Additionally, the product has a Bureau Veritas certification, which means it has been inspected and validated by independent testing as well. One Redditor even claims, "The Kirkland Olive oil is some of the best you can buy," and another tested the olive oil in a biochemistry lab and also found it to be pure.

Costco has an impressive selection of liquors and spirits that tend to be great value as well. One of the more popular liquors is the Kirkland Signature French Vodka. Tony Abou-Ganim, the self-proclaimed "modern mixologist" describes the vodka as having distinct notes of vanilla and caramel with a combination of citrus acidity that he found delicious.

It was so popular that a rumor started to swirl the name brand behind the Kirkland vodka was actually Grey Goose. People found that the Kirkland product had a similar packaging, taste, and texture to that of the high-end liquor brand, and the fact that both have French origin only fueled the rumors even more. However, Grey Goose officially put these rumors to bed in a statement on its website. Regardless, fans online agree that the Costco brand vodka is an excellent value. A massive 1.75-liter bottle runs you less than $20, which is tough to beat.

The Kirkland Signature Super Premium Vanilla Ice Cream receives praise from shoppers for its sweet and creamy taste and texture. But what some ice cream fanatics came to find was that the supplier behind this ice cream brand is actually the same as that of other grocery stores. Costco uses Humboldt Creamery for its premium ice cream because "they believe the flavor of the milk from Humboldt County is something very special."

Humboldt Creamery also supplies ice cream to other grocery store brands, including Trader Joe's. But what makes Costco the winner is its value. You get a half-gallon of ice cream for $16.90. This Reddit comment says it best: "Those are 'real' half gallons, not the 3 pint versions you get with most major brands. You are getting 33% more so the price is actually pretty reasonable." So it's safe to say you should always stock up on this ice cream at Costco.

Costco shoppers have a lot of good things to say about the Kirkland basil pesto. In fact, the product is so popular that it has even converted some longtime anti-storebought pesto lovers. In a Reddit post titled, "Costco's Kirkland brand pesto is so good I barely feel the need to make my own now," a poster described the pesto as "life-changing." And while it sometimes pays to make your own pesto, buying the Costco brand saves you the work.

It's popular for its high-quality ingredients, including Genovese basil, extra-virgin olive oil, and Pecorino Romano cheese as well as its thick consistency. Another review describes the product as tasting purely fresh, and a peek at the ingredient list will reveal it uses many of the same ingredients that homemade pesto recipes call for. But it is also applauded for its value. The 22-ounce jar costs $11.79, making it an excellent value deal.

Tuna is an excellent source of protein and a convenient and versatile product that can be used in a variety of dishes. But, when it comes to canned tuna it's easy to miss the mark. One obvious sign of low-grade canned tuna is when the tuna is mushy or slimy. According to online reviews, however, Costco's high-quality Albacore solid white tuna passes the test. One food reviewer stated, "The taste is more akin to that of a tuna steak and lacks the mushy quality and overly fishy smell of cheaper canned tuna. There is very little liquid in the can, making it much less wet when mixed with mayonnaise."

Fans on Reddit describe Costco's canned tuna as a steal — you get much more tuna because the chunks are tightly packed. One Redditor did a side-by-side comparison to the StarKist name brand and found that when mixed with other ingredients, the Kirkland tuna held up much better than the StarKist, which turned to mush. They went on to explain, "The StarKist is not even close to solid ... The Kirkland tuna from Costco looks like someone pushed the can into a fish ... It clearly shows it came from one chunk." The texture, quantity, and quality say it all.

Costco is known for its wide selection of organic food items, which are often praised for their high-quality ingredients. One product that is particularly popular is the Organic Creamy Peanut Butter, which comes in two large 28 ounce jars. The spread has no sugars, in fact, it only has two ingredients total: dry roasted organic peanuts and sea salt. CostcoFoodReviews on Instagram gave the product a 10 out of 10 rating for its clean ingredients, smooth texture, and impressive price point of only $8.79.

The peanut butter has even converted some longtime JIF lovers who have transitioned to the more natural Kirkland product. One Redditor commented, "If you switch to undoctored natural peanut butter, you'll get used to it, and then JIF will taste insanely fake ... We buy the Kirkland organic two pack of natural peanut butter." One thing consumers note is that with natural peanut butter, there will be more separation of the oils, but Redditors have a solution to this as well. If you store the peanut butter jars upside down, the oils settle toward the bottom of the jar instead. Problem solved.

Kirkland Signature Maple Syrup has only one ingredient, which Costco gets straight from the source: Quebec, Canada. Costco's organic maple syrup is hailed as one of the best on the market and is made from only pure maple syrup, without any of the additives that are often found in store-bought syrups.

A commenter online shared that they actually used to work at a maple factory and the Kirkland brand syrup was in the same line as many of the hoity-toity high-end glass-bottled brands that sell for far more than Costco's $14.99 per 33.8-ounce jug. Additionally, the organic syrup has a "Grade A Amber" label, meaning it meets purity standards and has a rich, full-bodied flavor profile. This makes it the perfect condiment to drizzle on pancakes or an excellent sweetener to add to any snack. This is one of many organic foods you should be buying at Costco.

There is much debate in the health and wellness community about which protein bars reign supreme. While these make for an easy grab-and-go snack, the sad reality is that many of these are packed with additives. Some of which even have more sugar in them than some candy. However, protein-lovers and macro-counters approve of Kirkland's protein bars, which come in four flavors: chocolate chip cookie dough, chocolate brownies, chocolate peanut butter chunk, and cookies and cream.

A self-proclaimed gym bro on Reddit endorsed the bars for their impressive macros: "I take protein seriously. For the price, they are the best bars on the market ... Highly recommend them. 10/10 macros. Magnificent." The macros vary slightly based on the flavor, but each bar has between 20 and 23 grams of protein for 170-210 calories. They are a good source of fiber as well. Food testers have also praised the taste of these bars, which are free from the artificial taste that protein bars are sometimes accompanied by. The chocolate chip chunks add a crunch while the bar itself remains chewy, giving the texture dimension.