10 Frozen Costco Foods That Taste Homemade

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

There's plenty to love about a Costco membership, and since I shop at Costco every week, I've come across my fair share of excellent items. From the best Costco pantry staples to filling your freezer with goodies, shoppers simply aren't at a loss for finding great options across the warehouse.

I grew up in a family that largely made meals from scratch, so it was very rare to eat frozen foods in my house. As a kid, I found that most freezer aisle products didn't hold a candle to what my parents could put on the table anyway, so there was no real loss in missing these items. However, today, frozen foods have grown leaps and bounds. At Costco, there are even plenty of frozen foods that taste homemade. These items are so enjoyable that they rival some of the recipes I could put together in my own kitchen, making them excellent selections to round out your own freezer stockpile. Though it's certainly nice to have plenty of ready-to-go meals on hand, my roundup offers a collection of frozen meals, snacks, and even desserts to enjoy homemade-esque food at multiple levels.

Lasagna is one of those dishes that relies on a secret family recipe to get right. Unfortunately, I haven't cracked the code to assemble the perfect lasagna, so I rely on the best frozen lasagnas to fill that void. There are several great frozen lasagnas on grocery store shelves, but Costco's Kirkland Signature Italian Sausage and Beef Lasagna might convince my family that I've unearthed a long-forgotten family recipe.

Like most Costco items, Kirkland Signature's frozen lasagna comes in a two-pack of 3-pound trays. These lasagnas have all the all-star layers: tender lasagna noodles, USDA Choice ground beef, tomatoes, ricotta, and mozzarella. I normally find these lasagnas near the frozen pizzas in Costco's freezer aisles, and you should keep them frozen until you're ready to prepare them. If you're short on time, this lasagna is even microwaveable. Although you certainly can throw it in the microwave, it won't give you the same delicious smells that inevitably waft through your house once you pop it in the oven. After all, one of the best parts of a homemade meal is enjoying all those smells. Replicate the experience by making this one slowly in the oven.

Costco offers quite a few different types of pizzas, and one of my absolute favorites is the Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza from Motor City Pizza Co. I've had both the supreme and double pepperoni options, and they're both fantastic. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find the supreme flavor at Costco since the first time I tried it, but I have been pleased with the pepperoni as an alternative.

One of the best parts of Detroit-style pizza is the cheesy, crispy crust. This magic base is only possible because of the pan the pizza cooks up in, and these Motor City pies come with their very own cooking tray. This crust is what really sells the pizza, making it taste and feel freshly homemade. It has a flavor of authenticity and freshness that is awfully difficult to find in frozen food. At Costco, you'll get two pizzas in each box. Admittedly, these items take up a fair amount of room in your freezer because they are just so very thick with all of that pillowy crust.

Imperfection is a hallmark of a homemade item, and when a crunchy, cheesy crust crisps up under the pizza and around the sides, the slightly burnt-looking (but outrageously delicious) crust has that homemade, rustic look. Don't let the cheese moving about the bottom of the pan worry you. Those will melt into the crust in all the best ways.

The first time I tried Kirkland Signature's Cauliflower Crust Pizza, I was ready to hate it. However, it threw me completely for a loop and was actually very, very tasty. In fact, these pizzas became a total hyper-fixation lunch for me. The crust is crispy, and there's a delicious balance of veggies and cheesy goodness. Those following a gluten-free diet should be thrilled to find out that this product is safe to eat.

I love supreme-style pizzas, but my husband is more of a meat-lovers kind of fan. Still, he enjoyed these pizzas because the veggies weren't as hard and raw-tasting as some other veggie-heavy pizzas. Instead, they are roasted with just the slightest char. It's the taste and feel of these roasted veggies that lend this pie a homemade sort of quality. As enjoyable as these are, you'll love that they also come in a two-pack.

I've struggled to find a cauliflower pizza I enjoy before this one. Between the veggies that taste like they just came from the grill and the crust that has the perfect balance of cheesiness, the flavor is so enjoyable that I can't fathom it coming from a freezer.

If you haven't had Costco's vanilla ice cream, I imagine it's hard to get excited about vanilla ice cream. After all, the frozen foods aisle is packed full of vanilla options, but this one from Kirkland Signature tastes exceptional. With all the smooth, sweet, chilly goodness, it tastes like it's made right at home with all the time, love, and care needed for homemade ice cream. (Even if the company behind Costco's vanilla ice cream is Humboldt Creamery, not your personal ice cream maker.) Like the best vanilla ice creams, this frozen dessert isn't white. Instead, it has a pale yellow color, adding to its appeal and making it feel less artificial and more homemade.

When you go looking for this frozen treat, don't be surprised when you find it in a large two-pack. It comes in a box with both of the ice cream containers. If you happen to be shopping during a season that capitalizes on pie flavors, be sure to grab one of Costco's bakery pies to give this ice cream the à la mode treatment.

One of my favorite quick lunches is a chicken patty with mayo on a bun. In the past, I've just gotten Tyson chicken patties and used those. They worked just fine, but were nothing extraordinary, amounting to the very definition of basic. Then I discovered Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Fillet, and my lunchtime sandwiches have gotten quite the upgrade.

These chicken breast patties are hearty and full of that good poultry texture you want in a sandwich. They're very similar to the chicken patties you might get on a Chick-fil-A sandwich. The meat inside is tender, and the breading cooks up slightly crispy. For the homemade aspect, these have something of a rustic feel. Since the patties come in many different sizes and shapes, I recommend keeping a meat thermometer on hand to check the internal temp and determine when the chicken is fully cooked through. Biting into a frozen patty just isn't enjoyable. With the generous meat and irregular look, they seem to have been prepared at home rather than in a factory. Costco also has tasty potato buns that make a great complement to these chicken patties.

Is there a more perfect appetizer than mozzarella sticks? They're easy to share with the table and, if cooked to perfection, have an enjoyable cheese pull. I've tried making mozzarella sticks from scratch at home on more than one occasion, but have never gotten the texture or flavor quite right. This is one of those instances when the Petite Cuisine Mozzarella Sticks from Costco come in handy. They're better than homemade and, in fact, remind me of the exact mozzarella sticks I have ordered as an appetizer at restaurants. Compared to other frozen mozzarella stick brands, these were one of my absolute favorites.

In addition to tasting delicious, this bag of mozzarella sticks also has a ton of servings, with 82 to 92 sticks in each bag. The bag we bought for our freezer lasted for many evenings of snacking, even with hearty, generous servings. The only downfall of these mozzarella sticks is that they do not come with a sauce. Fortunately, making a quick marinara sauce is very easy to accomplish. Even better, making a homemade sauce will make these mozzarella sticks feel even more like a homemade appetizer. Of course, if you're short on time, Costco also has a decent ready-to-heat sauce to accompany the mozzarella sticks.

While we're on the topic of better than homemade, you simply must check out Bibigo Chicken and Cilantro Mini Wontons from Costco. These little frozen wontons come fully cooked and ready to prepare in your chosen method, and are very flexible. You can air fry, boil, or pan fry them. My favorite way to enjoy them is by adding them to soup for a tasty and quick weekday dinner. For even more options, the Bibigo website offers recipes utilizing the wontons in a variety of tasty ways. They feel homemade because I often use them as an ingredient in other dishes. By using them as an addition rather than the main feature, you end up with a homemade recipe rather than one that's simply been heated and served.

Though wontons can obviously be made by hand at home, mine never come out the way I hope they will. Learning just how to fold these dumplings the right way takes practice and time. That's why I love these frozen ones. They come out even better than my mess of a wonton that I attempt to create. While they do come frozen, they also cook up very quickly. If you're a fan of the mini wontons from Trader Joe's, you'll find Bibigo's offering very similar.

What makes a better appetizer for mini wonton soup than steamed dumplings? Not much in my estimation, and if my wontons are any indication, you can imagine the quality of the dumplings that I can make at home. So while I enjoy attempting to make my own, I far prefer Bibigo Chicken & Vegetable Steamed Dumplings to my haphazard, inconsistent attempts.

The cooking method for these dumplings is very satisfying. While they come frozen, they're microwaveable and steam right in the provided tray. If you really want to make them feel homemade, you can also make these dumplings in your very own steamer (like this one from Prime Home Direct on Amazon). Obviously, you'll want to remove the frozen dumplings from their tray before heating them in the steamer. Unlike the mozzarella sticks, there's even a dipping sauce that complements the dumplings well. The item tray has small indentations in it for the sauce, but I prefer to pour it into a separate dipping dish. Between the steaming cooking process and the sauce, these dumplings taste both fresh and homemade by skilled hands.

I fell in love with Starbucks Potato Cheddar Chive Breakfast Bakes when I first tried them at the coffee chain. So when these bites showed up in Costco's freezer, they went immediately into my cart. I keep a stockpile in my freezer for a quick breakfast or lunch, and they're just as enjoyable as the bakes you get right at Starbucks locations.

My only gripe with these bakes is that the preparation instructions are a little confusing. On the box, the instructions don't list anything about thawing. However, when you open the box and remove the little wrapped bites, each package says, "Keep frozen — thaw under refrigeration before use." This is very confusing and seems contradictory, but I've found it best to keep the box of bites in the freezer and take one package out the day before you want to eat it. Allow it to thaw in the fridge, then follow the cooking instructions. I've made them from their frozen state too, and while cooked through, they are more enjoyable thawed first.

The ingredients are what really sell these bites as tasting homemade. There are visible ingredients, including nice chunks of potato, which I especially enjoyed. These taste like mini casseroles, and with all of the casseroles I've made and enjoyed, these bites are as good as any homemade breakfast casserole.

Cuisine Adventures makes Costco's spanakopita offering. Coming in four trays with a total of 48 triangles per box, this frozen snack is a savory bite wrapped in phyllo dough, making it a great finger food for easy party hosting. It's like a contained bite of your favorite dip, no mess needed. The filling can be any number of savory, satisfying ingredients, but the variety you'll find at Costco is spinach and feta stuffed.

Of the many items I've tried from Costco, this is one of them on my "want to try" list. Reviews say that it's heavy in spinach flavor with a slight feta taste. For many, this balance is perfect, and customers share that the phyllo pastry is flaky and the snacks cook up to taste like homemade pockets of goodness, perfect for snacking or gathering with friends. Like the wontons, spanakopita benefit most from being prepared by someone (or at least a machine) who actually knows how to make them well, unlike my trained hands. Want to up your serving game? Pick up some of Costco's tzatziki dip to serve alongside your spanakopita.

To be considered enjoyable enough to taste homemade, the food item needs to be delicious (of course) but also lack any of that overly preserved feel or flavor. The texture often reveals a lack of a homemade feel, but none of these frozen products suffer from such pitfalls. In the vast majority of cases, I have tried these foods myself, so I am using my firsthand tasting experience to make these recommendations. For the frozen items I have not tried, I compared firsthand experiences across several sites to conclude that the item was up to homemade quality standards.