7 Kirkland Signature Food Products Costco Shoppers Say Are Overrated

For many, Costco is an absolute mecca of affordable groceries and household essentials. The retailer's business model is simple: Charge customers a membership fee rather than relying heavily on advertising, sell items in bulk, and keep prices low. Obviously, it's worked — according to Macro Trends data, Costco's annual gross profit in 2025 was over $35 billion, a 10% increase from the previous year, despite the fact that inflation is changing the way many people shop for groceries. 

Another major draw of Costco is its in-house Kirkland Signature label, which has garnered a positive reputation and proved it's not just a cheaper knockoff brand. Even a company that's talked about in a positive light can make mistakes, however. Not every Kirkland Signature item is a hit, and customers across the board have been disappointed by various products across different grocery store sections. 

Most of the time, whether or not you like a food item is a matter of personal preference, but these picks have let down a hefty percentage of customers. Whether it's because of their strange flavor, lack of value for money, or issues staying fresh for a reasonable amount of time, warehouse shoppers have not given these items their stamp of approval. Next time you go shopping, avoid these items and focus on the 10 most popular Kirkland Signature products in the history of Costco instead. After all, nobody wants to be stuck with a bulk supply of a product that they don't enjoy.

One of the most popular Costco food court items is the pizza — an affordable, greasy delicacy that many reviewers rank higher than options from established, well-loved pizza chains. It follows, then, that this retailer would be one of the best places to pick up some frozen pizzas to take home and heat yourself for an easy weeknight dinner. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. The Kirkland Signature Pepperoni Pizza certainly doesn't look like a bad deal, at just over $16 for four large pies loaded with cheese, pepperoni, and red sauce, but reviewers felt a major pang of disappointment upon taking their first bites.

According to reviews on Costco's website, these pizzas taste exceptionally cheap and flavorless, a far cry from the crowd-pleasing slices sold at the food court. According to one disgruntled customer, "It tastes like somebody who had never tasted pizza made pizza for their kids and were afraid of offending their palates. Imagine spreading a can of Spaghetti O's with hot dogs on a piece of stale bread and you'd be pretty close to the taste of this." Others said that the sauce tasted sugary and the crust was reminiscent of cardboard — truly scathing. While there were a few fans that enjoyed the price and convenience of these pizzas, the general theme was that there are much better options out there.

There's really nothing more convenient than a frozen breakfast sandwich. Easy to toss in the microwave or air fryer, packed with protein, and loaded with satisfying flavors that are the perfect way to start your day, it's not shocking they're such a popular product. Are Kirkland brand frozen breakfast sandwiches worth buying, though? According to many reviewers, not anymore. The sandwiches seem great at first glance, with a cage-free egg, slice of melty cheese, and a few pieces of bacon sandwiched between two spiral croissant buns, but according to reviewers, the brand has recently started cutting corners.

While many reviews on Costco's website say that the breakfast sandwich is one of their favorite products, others have stated that they've noticed a significant dip in quality, size, and value for money. "These WERE an incredible buy, but it seems that shrinkflation has struck. Either that, or greed. The croissant is now significantly smaller and the bacon is extra thin with a smaller portion," one frustrated customer shared. Other reviewers noted that following the package instructions for heating won't yield the best flavor or texture. Those that were satisfied mainly suggested cooking these sandwiches in the air fryer, but that doesn't negate the fact that customers aren't very happy with the recent decrease in size and have noticed consistent problems with missing bacon.

Who doesn't love mini muffins? Perfect as a snack, quick breakfast, or sweet treat, these little baked goods are crowd pleasers. Unless they taste like chemicals, of course. The Kirkland Signature Mini Muffin Bites look like a delicious and reasonably priced buy, but according to reviewers, the quality has gone downhill in recent months. Many on Costco's website specifically mentioned a plasticky, artificial, chemical smell and aftertaste emitting from these little bites. "[I]t tasted like a nail salon smells, I couldn't even finish eating them," one reviewer said.

Negative reviews echo this sentiment across the board, but some stated that this was their first negative experience after previous purchases that tasted totally fine. "We have bought these exact ones in the past and they were great. Something happened, the box we got a month ago has an awful chemical taste and smell," one customer stated. Whether it's just a bad batch or a change in formula that caused this chemical smell and flavor is unclear, but one thing is for certain — picking up these muffin bites is a big gamble, especially when you're buying items in bulk.

Beef stick brands like Chomps, Slim Jims, and Archer are known for creating delicious, savory snacks that are sure to fit into any bodybuilder's macros or satisfy those who want a bite that feels more substantial than a handful of chips. Not all dried beef brands are created equal, however, and according to buyers, Costco's Kirkland Signature line is falling behind in this department. While there are still some fans of the Kirkland Signature Grass-Fed Beef Sticks, reviews are mixed at best. 

Many customers on Costco's site are very happy with the nutrition profile on this product, saying they're nearly identical to another more expensive brand and don't have a ton of fat — but that could also be their downfall. Negative reviews say these sticks are difficult to eat and leave behind an unpleasant aftertaste. "EXTREMELY HARD, [a]lmost to the point of being unable to chew, very dry and hardly any flavor," one Costco customer shared. If you don't mind a hearty bit of chewing and are more focused on picking up a snack that can provide what you need nutritionally, these might not be a bad buy. If you're looking for something that's flavorful and easy to grab on the go, it's probably a good idea to consider another brand first.

Another product that gym-goers and nutrition watchers often reach for is the humble protein bar. Incredibly easy to grab, packed with nutrients to fuel your day, and often crafted to feel more like a delicious dessert than a grab-and-go snack, there's plenty to love. When it comes to the Kirkland Signature Protein Bars, however, even a few bites is too many. 

According to customer reviews, this Costco Kirkland brand snack bar isn't worth buying. Comments on Costco's website call these protein bars "too sweet," "grainy and unpleasant," and "inedible." "Both the texture and flavor of these are horrible. The Cookies & Cream is especially bad. They are hard, dry and grainy textured and no flavor except the stevia after-taste," one disappointed customer shared.

Most negative reviews echoed the same sentiment — the Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk flavor is bad, but the Cookies and Cream flavor is basically impossible to choke down. Thankfully, however, there are plenty of other options for protein and granola bars available at Costco if you're looking for a more pleasant snack. 

Kirkland Signature's Organic Greek Yogurt hasn't always garnered negative reviews — it even made our list of the six yogurts to buy at Costco in September 2025. In recent months, however, it seems to have fallen out of favor. While many reviewers on Costco's website are still a fan of this yogurt's high protein, lack of added sugar, and simple flavor — which can easily be doctored with a bevy of different toppings — the primary issue with this product has to do with its longevity. Unless you're willing to finish the entire container in less than two days, it will likely spoil before you have the chance to eat it.

For some unlucky customers, the spoilage was more immediate. Several negative reviews note their yogurt already had a layer of mold on top and an unpleasant smell upon opening, causing them to have to toss it right away. "[O]ver the past year and this year, there have been multiple instances where, upon opening a new tub, I found brownish-green mold on top of the yogurt," shared one customer. Upon further research, it appears this wasn't the first time Costco has had issues with its organic Greek yogurt spoiling. In 2024, the 24-pack of this product was recalled in Canada due to customers finding mold in their containers before they could've reasonably spoiled.

If you're a coffee lover, it's best to avoid the Kirkland Signature Organic Sumatra Whole Bean Coffee. While it might seem perfect for those who enjoy a darker roast and want a richer flavor profile, reviewers on Costco's website seem to have gotten the opposite impression from these beans. "This new Sumatra has absolutely no character or taste. I could just as well drink weak tea. Can not recommend this so-called coffee to any coffee lover. It [is] simply awful," one customer shared. The general consensus seems to be that these beans are nowhere near as flavorful as the Sumatra whole bean coffee Costco previously had on offer. Many customers bought this product when their old favorite became unavailable and were left very disappointed by the difference in flavor and roast.

Luckily, there are several other options for Kirkland Signature whole bean coffee, and we've already done the work of ranking them worst to best. While there are some people who enjoy the new Kirkland Signature Organic Sumatra beans, even positive reviews state that it's a lighter roast than expected and fairly mild in flavor — the opposite of what you'd normally expect from a Sumatra.

Here at Tasting Table, we're committed to bringing you information that's unbiased, supported by data, and accurate. So to determine which Kirkland Signature branded items were overrated, we looked to the most clear source there is: customers. Customer reviews on Costco's website were the primary source for our picks and provided a great deal of insight into what the actual product was like once it was brought home. 

We also narrowed the focus to items that had multiple negative reviews online that echoed the same sentiments on Costco's website. When possible, we backed up these reviews with comments that customers have shared on other platforms like Reddit and Facebook to widen our scope and confirm that issues customers were having were indeed widespread. While many of these items boasted quality ingredients on the label and were still a good deal quantity-wise — often cheaper than name-brand versions of the same product — they fell flat once they were actually in the hands of customers.