12 Costco Kirkland Signature Groceries That Beat Out Other Brands

Costco is undoubtedly the heir to the department stores of old. Not only does it carry almost everything you'd want in a grocery store, at least if you're partial to bulk buys, but it offers just about everything else you'll need to take you literally from cradle (or crib) to grave. (Yes, the big-box behemoth even sells caskets.) While the aisles are filled with name-brand items, grocery and otherwise, the savvy retailer long ago realized that real bargain shoppers prefer generics, and it arranged to produce its own line that adopted the Kirkland Signature name back in 1995.

For the most part, Kirkland Signature products tend to be pretty affordable, and yet, they're usually of a quality that compares to bigger brands. In fact, many of them may even come from the same manufacturers. Sure, Kirkland Signature has had its share of flops over the years (ugh, those Mini Muffin Bites!), but we're not here to dwell on those. Instead, we're celebrating some of the best Costco generic groceries currently on offer, ranging from basic staples to budget-friendly luxuries. (The Kirkland Signature label encompasses non-edible items, too, but since we're a food site, our picks will be staying in this lane.)

Bacon is one of those foods that nearly always tastes great, and Costco's is no exception. Its many fans feel it can hang with the big brands, which is no surprise, since the brand behind Kirkland Signature bacon seems to be Smithfield. What makes this generic bacon stand out from the pack is its price tag, since four 16-ounce packages are currently selling for $18.72, or $4.68 per pound. You could pay nearly double this amount for the very similar (if not identical) Smithfield bacon at a different grocery store.

Chick-fil-A has long been one of America's favorite fast-food chains, but even fast food can be pretty pricey these days. A much more affordable alternative is to grab a bag of Costco's copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets, since a 4-pound bag of Kirkland Signature lightly breaded chicken breast chunks will only set you back $18.15. According to the package, each bag contains 22 servings, which is less than a buck apiece. With these savings, you'll be able to afford a wide range of dipping sauces.

Making lasagna from scratch can be quite the ordeal, especially if you cook your own sauce as well. For a much easier option that some say tastes almost homemade and others compare favorably to Stouffer's, you can opt for Costco's fan favorite frozen version. Two 3-pound pans of Kirkland Signature Italian sausage and beef lasagna, each one containing six servings, is priced at $20.42. As smart shoppers know, the convenient two-pack not only means that tonight's dinner is covered, but you'll have another entrée to keep in the freezer for a later occasion.

You can tell that Costco's pesto is extra-special because the label contains the magic abbreviation D.O.P. These three letters stand for Denominazione d'Origine Protetta and mean that an ingredient is guaranteed to have been produced in a certain region of Italy. In this case, it means the basil comes from Genoa, and yes, Genovese basil is the very best. (It's also something even Rao's pesto cannot boast.) Fancy though it may be, though, Kirkland Signature imported basil pesto only costs about 50 cents an ounce, since a 22-ounce jar sells for $11.34. Like any other condiment, a little can go a long way, so that amount could last quite a while. An open jar of pesto might see its flavor start to diminish after a few days, though, so you might want to freeze it in ice cube trays so you can thaw small amounts on an as-needed basis.

If you, like Ina Garten, always have to have the best of the best, then you're going to want imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to grate over your spaghetti. You needn't visit a specialty grocery, however, since the Kirkland Signature Parmigiano Reggiano cheese sold at Costco is authentic as they come and is something everyone will want to have in their cart. It's not the cheapest of cheeses, since it costs about $16.79 per pound, but other brands of imported parmesan can cost over $35 per pound at some other stores, so Costco's cheese is actually quite a bargain. (If you're not the type to clutch your pearls over pre-shredded cheese, you can also buy a 1-pound jar of Kirkland Signature shredded Parmigiano Reggiano for $20.42.)

Some cooks rave about imported Irish butter, but have you seen the price? Even at Costco, Kerrygold costs nearly 10 bucks a pound. Kirkland Signature's grass-fed butter, however, is just as good as Kerrygold, and it's imported, too (from New Zealand, which, as anyone who's seen the "Lord of the Rings" movies can testify, is also an Emerald Isle). The main point in its favor, though, is that it costs about $2 less per pound.

One "holy grail" find that many Costco shoppers agree on is something surprisingly basic: large bags of Kirkland Signature's mixed nuts. They rave about how cheap the nuts are as compared to smaller bags of other brands — for example, 3-pound bags of walnut halves cost just $15.54, while a single pound of Diamond walnuts could be close to $8. Snag more than 2 pounds of roasted almonds for $15.88, cashews for only $17.01, and unroasted organic cashews for $19.85. You can also find 1-½-pound bags of pistachios and macadamias for just over $20, while 2-½-pound bags of mixed nuts cost between $18.72 (salted) and $19.17 (unsalted). Affordable as these bulk nuts are, unless you regularly eat them by the fistful, you may want to divide your haul into smaller portions and refrigerate or freeze them. That way, the nuts won't become rancid before you can finish them.

Ice cream comes in a gazillion flavors, but Costco obviously subscribes to the school of thought that says it's better to specialize and do one thing right. This quality over quantity philosophy really pays off when it comes to Kirkland Signature super premium vanilla ice cream. This product, which is made by California's Humboldt Creamery, has fresh cream as its first ingredient and is flavored with real vanilla. True to the "super premium" designation, it comes at a premium price — $14.74 for two half-gallon cartons — but it's well worth the money. Costco shoppers claim it's pretty amazing stuff, and we rank it among the best grocery store vanilla ice creams out there.

Once upon a time, the idea of buying bottled water might have seemed as ludicrous as, well, paying for a membership to a grocery store. With what we've all learned about water pollution, however, nobody's drinking anything straight from the tap. Kirkland Signature purified drinking water, which costs $4.53 for 40 16.9-ounce bottles or $10.89 for 80 8-ounce bottles, is the next best thing to free, and what's more, it's manufactured by one of the major players in the industry. That's right, this generic water comes from the same high-quality wells that bring you Niagara. The difference, however, lies in the price, since a 24-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles of the name-brand product might set you back about $6 at a different retailer.

Yet another Kirkland Signature product may seem pretty familiar to Keurig owners – Costco's store-brand K-Cups are made by Green Mountain Roasters. (This isn't even a secret, as the brands announced their partnership over a decade ago.) Unlike the parent company, Kirkland Signature K-cups come in just three varieties, none of them flavored: Breakfast Blend, Pacific Bold, and Summit Roast. At $47.71 per box of 120 cups, though, they're quite reasonably priced. That amount works out to about 40 cents a cup, whereas 96 Green Mountain pods purchased on the Keurig website will cost 62 cents apiece.

Kirkland Signature doesn't always hit it out of the park. Case in point: a long-discontinued light beer that apparently wasn't popular. More recently, however, the brand debuted a different lager made by a well-respected Oregon company called Deschutes Brewing. Kirkland Signature Helles-style lager tastes like it's been imported from Germany, but without a tacked-on tariff. In comparison, Augustiner-Brau Helles Lager can cost upwards of $16 per six-pack, while a 12-pack of Kirkland's lager is selling for $15.69.

One of the most popular Kirkland Signature products is a vodka that some swear tastes just like Grey Goose, and others feel may be an improvement. In fact, one Redditor even went so far as to swear that "Kirkland's is 1000x better." Grey Goose has thoroughly debunked the rumors that it actually makes Kirkland Signature five-times distilled vodka, noting that its product is distilled just a single time and claiming this better preserves the taste of the grain. (Obviously, the aforementioned Redditor doesn't agree that this is a good thing.) One area in which Kirkland's vodka is the undeniable winner, however, is that of price. A 1.75-liter bottle of Grey Goose could be over 50 bucks, while the same amount of Kirkland Signature French vodka costs just $20.69 at Costco.