4 New Costco Bakery Items That Totally Bombed In 2026 (So Far)

Costco is known for its quality control, but the chain isn't immune to an occasional dud. While Costco's bakery has released plenty of exciting finds in 2026, not every item can be as rave-worthy as Kirkland's Pretzel Bagels or hazelnut beignets. The only issue? Those duds don't always seem like duds under bright bakery lights.

There's no surefire way to stave off buyer's remorse — but you can use others' misfortune to help yourself avoid regrettable purchases. People love to complain, so Instagram, TikTok, and Reddit are full of reviews warning fellow shoppers away from less-than-stellar bakery items. If you filter through enough reviews, trends will start to emerge.

Filtering through reviews takes time, though, so we've done the dirty work for you. The search yielded four new bakery items that Costco shoppers say you should skip. Just remember: There's no accounting for taste. Every item on this list had a few fans, so if you like your pain au chocolat dry and your lemon custard flavorless, stock up while you still can. You probably won't see these not-so-popular pastries returning next year.

Costco fans went wild when hazelnut beignets arrived earlier this year. The chain's recipe developers were probably hoping for a similar success when they created these Mini Pain Au Chocolat — but their efforts fell flat. Customers complained that the pastries were dry, dense, and unappealing.

"Bought them for the first time today. I'm so sorry to my hazelnut beignets for betraying them. I shouldn't have changed it up," wrote one Redditor, who added that the pain au chocolat was "dry and underwhelming." Even shoppers who enjoyed them claimed that they paled in comparison to the beloved beignets.

Stuck with a Costco-size box of Mini Pain Au Chocolat? Try heating them up. Many shoppers claimed that the pastries improved after a few minutes in the air fryer or oven. Some got creative. In one Instagram reel, influencer @checkoutvick experimented with eating the pastries with milk, cereal-style. The influencer gave the gussied-up treats a rating of 6.8 despite claiming that they were "dry" and "stale" fresh from the box.

Costco's sourdough breads are often controversial, and the Olive and Rosemary Sourdough is no exception. While some raved about the olive-studded loaf, others felt the flavor tasted off. "The taste of green olive was very strong throughout it," wrote one Redditor. "I love olives. It was just a lot," they added.

Mother-daughter influencer duo @megandmaddie highlighted the disconnect in an Instagram Reel. Their opinions were split between "delicious" and "not my favorite ... I think the olive is a little overpowering."

Not everyone who dissed the bread agreed that the olive flavor was too strong, though. "I choked down two slices ... Tried it again the next day and tossed it. Couldn't detect olive at all," one Redditor wrote, "and the rosemary flavor tastes like it was from infused oil, not chopped herb."

If you bought the Olive and Rosemary Sourdough, fellow Costco shoppers have a few tips for using it. Distract from the strong olive flavor with sandwich fillings, or complement the herby notes with infused butter.

Personally, I love anything lemon-flavored — not just for the tasty citrus tang, but because it's almost impossible to mess up. When it comes to cheap, artificial flavorings, lemon always wins over sickening strawberry or gag-worthy grape. As for treats made with fresh lemon? Heavenly.

Since lemon-centric treats are typically tasty, those rare duds are all the more disappointing. In pictures, Costco's Lemon Custard Pie promises lemony goodness. The ingredient list includes real lemon (albeit in the form of lemon juice concentrate). But, according to Reddit reviews, the pie might as well be entirely lemon-less. Shoppers complain that the pie is bland, with a barely detectable lemon flavor.

"This pie has no lemon flavor, and no custard flavor [...] The only flavor I could detect was whatever starch they used to thicken it," one Redditor wrote. "I was totally disappointed. No lemon taste, no tartness, artificial whipped topping, and crust like wet newspaper. I thought about returning it," added another Reddit user. Several shoppers did more than think about getting a refund. "I returned the lemon pie," explained one commenter. "They need to know what people don't like."

In March, Costco decided to pre-package one of the easiest possible desserts to DIY: strawberries and cream. While some shoppers raved about the treat, most felt that the $15 price tag was too steep for a tub of underripe strawberries and cream garnished with too much graham cracker crumble. One Redditor complained, " ... Sometimes you just get a spoonful of what feels like sawdust."

Others took issue with the ingredients. In theory, berries and cream only need two ingredients: berries and cream. Costco's additive-heavy cream features about 20 ingredients, from palm oil and high fructose corn syrup to tongue-twisters like sorbitan monostearate. While it's reasonable to expect a few stabilizers and preservatives in store-bought whipped cream, some customers complained of a chemical taste. "The cream has a weird fake taste to it [...] I get that their version of cream is probably more stable than fresh whipped cream, but it tastes odd ... ," a Redditor said.

"I bought the Biscoff cookies on sale and a pack of strawberries. Picked up a tub of Cool Whip and had multiple nights of a better version for the whole family," one Reddit user shared. Another used the item as inspiration for a kid-friendly cooking project with their 4-year-old son. They noted that the end result was cheaper than Costco's original — even with organic ingredients.