The 10 Most Overrated Bakery Items At Costco

The bakery section at Costco is one of the warehouse club's most popular, and we understand why. Not only does it have a wide variety of desserts and baked goods to choose from, but there is also occasionally the tantalizing smell of some items being prepped and baked. That alone can make it hard not to let a pastry sneak its way into your cart. Recently, there was even a new dessert find that had customers running to the warehouse club's bakery: madeleines.

However, as to be expected with a large assortment, not all products are a huge hit with all members. They may be liked by some while others, sometimes even a majority, feel that they are not good and are overpriced. That is why we decided to compile a list of the most overrated bakery items based on customer reviews. So the next time you're walking through the warehouse club's bakery section, you know which baked goods rise to the occasion and which ones fall flat.

Costco rolled out new muffins in late 2024, replacing its mix-and-match 12-pack of large muffins for $10 with an eight-pack of smaller muffins sold for around $7.99. Members have been disappointed with the switch, and it's become a Costco bakery item that gets returned so much it might just be better left on the shelves.

"One of the main reasons I became a member was the ability to buy the muffins they were famous for. Yesterday when I was notified about the change of their muffins with size, quantity and price, I was very upset about it," a customer on Reddit shared. "Costco is getting to be more like a Walmart. And I do not pay for a membership at Walmart." There was even a shopper who said that they would not be renewing their membership because of the change, adding that when visiting Costco they've noticed that no one is touching the smaller muffins. Additionally, another Redditor did the math and claimed that the new muffins are over 50% more expensive than the old ones when comparing the weight and prices.

Overall, members had a wide range of complaints about the muffins. Some felt the muffins taste weird or even bad, are dry and oily, and go bad quickly. Meanwhile, others described them as lacking flavor as well as gummy and chewy. The new muffins were called "stumps" by a couple of customers due to them lacking the typical muffin tops. "The blueberries had absolutely zero flavor," one customer explained. "I heated one up with a [...] ton of butter and it made it ok." On top of that, another member said the blueberries and cream muffins were so bad their toddler wouldn't even take a second bite, which they noted as "unheard of."

Another Costco baked good that customers complained had decreased in quality and claimed the warehouse club changed are the Kirkland Signature Gourmet Chocolate Chunk Cookies. They come in a 24-pack and this Costco bakery item is not as fresh as some members might assume, with bakery workers on Reddit explaining that they come frozen and are baked then packaged.

There were multiple members who theorized the cookies' recipe had changed as they have become brittle and crumbly. "They suck now, just bought some and they are so bad," a Redditor shared regarding their experience. "I can use them as a hammer, my nail is white from squeezing so hard." Commenters added that they noticed the warehouse club started using artificial flavors in the cookies and now they gave them really bad heartburn. "Am I the only one who was never impressed with them?" another shopper questioned. "I feel like they've never been chewy, just hard without being crispy, which is a terrible in-between texture for a cookie." Their assertion was met with agreement from others, who called them average and described them as being overly sweet with an assembly line taste. 

The cookies were also compared to ones you would get from Kroger or Meijer, causing customers to question whether or not to buy more. On top of that, one reviewer noted that the latest batch of cookies they bought were at least 30% smaller for the same price.

Now this next item might be shocking for some as Costco's 58-ounce Pumpkin Pie is fairly popular, especially around Thanksgiving. However, we discovered during our research that there are actually a number of shoppers who have been left unimpressed by the dessert.

"It's not to my liking. It's almost bitter," a customer said on Reddit after trying the pie for the first time. "There is a spice, possibly nutmeg? That is really strong. And the filling was almost too smooth, like pudding. We'll definitely force ourselves to finish it, as we hate waste, but I'll happily leave these for the die hard fans." In fact, the pie being bitter was a common complaint by reviewers, who also complained about it having a chemical-like aftertaste or being bland and flavorless. On top of that, when one family had a blind Pumpkin Pie tasting competition, Costco's pie received zero votes — which shocked everyone — due to it being wet and sloppy. 

The pie being mushy was actually an issue that multiple people had. An employee in the comments explained that when the pies first start being made a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, the quality control is strict and bad pies get thrown away, but as they get closer to the holiday the rules become more relaxed and most pies end up being soft and goopy in the middle. Additionally, members were unhappy with the crust being undercooked, and bland. There were some who recommended baking the pie again to fix the crust with one person specifically stating to cook it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Costco's bagels also received a fair amount of negative feedback from customers. The warehouse club used to sell its bagels in a mix-and-match 12-count for $7.99 but it appears that they are now sold in an 8-count for around $5.66.

There were numerous members, including New York natives, who felt that the bakery item was less like the traditional bagel they were looking for and more like hamburger buns or rolls with a hole in the middle of them. "A proper bagel shouldn't be steamed and soft — a bagel should have a chewy texture," one Redditor shared. "Costco bagels are bread shaped into a round shape. It isn't a bagel. I've lived in New York for 4 years then north Jersey for 12 years. Different products." There was a member who expressed that they missed the bagels the warehouse club had 10 years ago because they were better. Customers also complained about how quickly the bagels mold, causing a lot of them to be wasted unless they eat them within a couple days. There were recommendations to prevent them from spoiling by storing them in the fridge or slicing and freezing them then toasting when ready to eat.

Additionally, reviewers were unhappy with the flavor of the Kirkland Signature Everything Bagels due to them having fennel and caraway. "The fennel just overpowers everything else, and I feel like I'm eating Italian sausage," one commenter said regarding the bagel's taste. "It's supposed to be garlicky, salty, savory, and not just like fennel." There were multiple members who thought it was interesting the bagels have fennel and caraway considering the Kirkland Signature Everything Bagel Seasoning — a Costco seasoning you should leave on the shelves – doesn't.

The Kirkland Signature Artisan Rolls are another bread product from the warehouse club that members weren't impressed with. The bag comes with a total of 12 rolls, which are 270 calories each.

"Been buying these for about a decade, this last bag, the bread doesn't taste as good, the texture is a tad rubbery," a shopper said on Reddit regarding a decrease in quality they noticed. "I just think the flavor of the bread is different and the texture is different. I was a chef for many years and worked in food for a lot of my life." The rolls were also another item that customers complained about molding quickly and recommended freezing then air frying or toasting. On top of that, a Redditor claimed that the artisan rolls had shrunk, explaining that when cut in half the rolls used to touch both sides of their air fryer basket and now left a bunch of space. 

Additionally, members pointed out that the price of the rolls increased by a dollar last year, leaving them disappointed. Multiple bakery employees explained that the rolls come in frozen on pallets then are par baked. "I've noticed the quality drop off over the last few months on the ones we get to our store," one worker admitted. "I assume it's the same nationwide tbh, same thing with a bunch of the bakery stuff."

The Kirkland Signature Pumpkin Cheesecake with Whipped Topping is another pumpkin dessert shoppers felt didn't meet the mark. The cheesecake is advertised as having a sweet graham crust, pumpkin whipped topping, and toasted graham crumbles. It is supposed to have 16 servings that are 390 calories each, of course that depends on how large you cut the pieces. Costco did introduce a different pumpkin cheesecake in 2025.

"I tried it today and was disappointed. It hardly tastes like cheesecake," a member shared on Reddit regarding the new version. "It now tastes really light and fluffy which is a shame. I really enjoyed the rich flavor but this new recipe seems watered down." Another commenter compared the dessert to Halo Top Peanut Butter ice cream, tasting like it's made with "some sort of salty protein powder." There were complaints about the whipped topping not being as good as the previous cinnamon one. Customers also highlighted the price difference between the cheesecake and the warehouse club's pumpkin pie, stating that it was two or three times the price without being two or three times better. In fact, the cheesecake was given a fairly average rating of seven out of 10. "Definitely not worth spending $22 on. I actually didn't care for it," a commenter added. "Way too sweet for me, and halfway through the slice it started tasting just like butter/margarine in not a good way." 

Additionally, the preparation seems to be somewhat inconsistent as a Redditor received a cake that had a swirl of cream cheese running through the middle. Bakery employees in the comments explained this was likely due to a worker not thoroughly mixing the ingredients and scraping the bowl properly.

Another popular bakery item that didn't appear to be some members' cup of tea was the Kirkland Signature Apple Pie. On the warehouse club's website, the crust is described as being flaky while the filling is said to be apples in a cinnamon slurry. It is also supposed to amount to 16 servings that are 350 calories each.

"Costco apple pie sucks. Crust sucks, everything just taste[s] way too sweet and unhealthy," a shopper stated on Reddit. "It just tastes horrible. It's as far [from] a homemade apple pie as you can get. It taste[s] like plastic to me." In fact, the pie being overly sweet seemed to be the biggest complaint that a number of customers had, with one also describing the pastry as having a one-note flavor. 

As far as filling, reviewers felt it and the apples had an artificial flavor, with one adding that they consistently received hard apples. Additionally, some people had grievances with the pie's crust due it being undercooked, slightly doughy, pale, floury, soggy, and floppy. "The apple pie filling and bottom crust into the bakery frozen as one unit, with 8 pies per box set. From that point, they are latticed in house, gently misted, then a good coating of sugar, then making sure to mist just enough for all of the sugar to become transparent to become a glaze," an apparent bakery worker explained on Reddit. "The bottom layer of crust never gets a chance to be flaky. And the lattice becomes soggy if it is overmisted."

The Kirkland Signature Lemon Blueberry Loaf is a seasonal Costco bakery treat that's left some shoppers split. It is supposed to amount to 10 servings, which are each 340 calories.

"Hard pass ... when I purchased last time there were VERY few blueberries and only had an essence of lemon taste. Many others experience the same," one member stated on Reddit. Their assertion seems to be true, as our research discovered consistent complaints about the loaf's flavor having too little lemon or else tasting overwhelmingly of artificial lemon. The loaf was also regularly lacking in blueberries, with the ones it did have sinking to the bottom. Additionally, customers described the loaf as being dry and raised issue with the baked good's price. There were even two customers who said that they ended up giving the loaf away to coworkers or guests. 

"My guess is you got a loaf from the bottom of a bowl that wasn't mixed well. There are blueberries at the top because we top them after we drop them with more blueberries and streusel," a Reddit user explained. "For those saying they aren't getting lemon flavor, then the mixer forgot to add the lemon emulsion or, for whatever reason didn't add the correct amount."

While there were some customers who enjoyed the Kirkland Signature Caramel Tres Leches Bar Cake, others feel it is a Costco bakery item to avoid. It is described as a two-layer sponge cake with caramel custard mousse and caramel glaze. The cake is supposed to amount to 16 servings that are 190 calories each.

"Uh oh. I'm one that doesn't like it. It's not the best tres leches and the caramel flavor is like flan. It's confusing and too sweet," a Reddit reviewer stated. In fact, there were a number of members who took issue with the dessert due to them feeling it wasn't like an actual tres leches. The bar cake's flavor was repeatedly compared to pancakes with an abundance of maple syrup. Although, there was someone who felt it tasted of chemicals. People were also displeased with its caramel topping because of it having a strange gelatin-like texture and an unpleasant aftertaste. 

"It'd be a lot better without that caramel/coffee/toffee/butterscotch thing going on," one Redditor added. Additionally, the bakery item seemed inconsistent as it received complaints about being too wet and soggy – or dry. "I'd rather make the 140 mile round trip to Porto's," a commenter said regarding buying the bar cake.

The Kirkland Signature Carrot Cake Bar Cake is listed as having raisins, toasted walnuts, carrots, and pineapple with cream cheese icing. Unfortunately, the pastry's ingredients were not many customers' favorites.

In fact, there were many members who raised issue with the cake having raisins in it, although there were some who noted that technically a carrot cake is supposed to have raisins in it. Some shoppers were also shocked and confused to find out the cake had pineapple in it. "Am I the only one who thinks it tastes REALLY pineapple-y?" a Redditor questioned. "I don't exactly object, but it's the predominant flavor, and I'm getting almost nothing from the carrots." It was pointed out that the cake's frosting ratio was off as well. 

On top of that, a number of people felt the bakery item was not worth its cost. "This cake is overpriced and only decent. You can get much better carrot cakes at most grocery stores that are bigger for almost half the price," a Reddit reviewer stated. A blogger who tried the dessert explained that it had a coarse texture they found weird, adding that the cream cheese was a sticky smooth instead of the usual fluffy or buttery taste they got from the warehouse club. Even some bakery employees said that they preferred Costco's mini carrot cakes, and highlighted what a hassle cutting the bar cake can be.

Costco's bakery section has such a wide variety, from cakes and cookies to breads and bagels, the choices are endless. That's why we compiled a list of the most overrated bakery items, so you'll be informed the next time your sweet tooth kicks in or you just want to make an impulsive purchase.

We looked on Reddit for baked goods and desserts that posters consistently felt were too pricey and not worth it. We made sure to note those items, and then did more thorough research to see what members wrote about their flavor and quality. Knowing that people have different tastes, to ensure the list was accurate we weeded out the ones that only a few people disliked from the ones that consistently received complaints.