9 Costco Canada Items US Shoppers Wish We Had In Stores

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Bulk shopping is the norm for a lot of households. Plenty of people like being able to stock up on household essentials, whether they have a large family or prefer to make fewer shopping trips. Plus, the deals in bulk shopping can't be beat for a lot of items. Of course, one of the meccas of buying in bulk comes in the form of Costco, that big, beautiful warehouse stocked to the rafters with everything from toilet paper to gourmet goodies and more. At this time of writing, Costco operates in eight countries in the world, with 85% of its stores located in North America. What you may not be aware of is that your Costco membership extends to every one of those locations, including those not in your own country. 

While the layout remains more or less the same, the items on the shelves can differ, meaning that some countries, like Canada, offer incredible products you just can't find in American stores. (As a Canadian myself, I feel uniquely positioned to attest to the range of products found at Canadian Costco stores.)

Costco Canada sources lots of its items from local, regional, or national producers, including its meats and cheeses. However, it also has some products that would travel across the border a lot better than a freezer chest of elk steaks. If you're planning on taking a road trip to the Great White North or simply are close enough to the border for a quick jaunt, you might consider stocking up on some of these classically Canadian items the next time you visit a Canadian Costco.

One of the most important contributions to Canadian cuisine is poutine. This dish is a junk food classic that's ready to fill you up and leave you in a bit of a food coma –– and it also happens to be available at Canadian Costco food courts. Needless to say, Costco members across Reddit wish this was available stateside. 

For those unfamiliar with poutine, this dish begins with a base of golden, battered French fries that receive a generous serving of cheese curds. That the cheese be in the form of cheese curds is of vital importance. Any self-respecting Canadian will only be too happy to tell you that, if it's made with shredded cheese, sliced cheese, or any form of cheese other than curd, it does not qualify as poutine. Finally, this dish is finished with a ladleful of thick gravy. The gravy melts the cheese and gets the fries just a touch soggy for a greasy, cheesy, salty, savory masterpiece. Plus, being that this is Costco, the size you get at the food court is huge for a fraction of the cost you might otherwise spend in a restaurant or at a chip truck (another popular poutine spot for Canadians).

Unfortunately for those traveling from across the border, this Costco item doesn't travel well. You'll simply have to enjoy it on your next visit to the Great White North (or make your own classic poutine recipe at home).

Move over, Cheetos! Ask a Canadian and they'll tell you that Hawkins Cheezies are the fried Canadian cheese corn snack of choice. Since 1949, Hawkins has been offering its brand of crunchy, cheesy snacks to Canada. Unlike Cheetos, which offers plenty of different flavors of snacks, Hawkins has stuck to one thing only: Cheezies. However, when you do one thing extremely well, it only makes sense to stick with it. Made with real Canadian aged cheddar and no preservatives, the family-owned brand is a mainstay of Canadian pantries, Halloween bags, and Costco hauls.

In multiple Reddit posts asking what Americans should bring back from Canadian Costcos, Hawkins Cheezies regularly made the cut. Delightfully greasy, crunchy, and cheesy (cheezy?), the snacks are also great for sharing. Rather than one mammoth-sized bag, Costco Canada offers members a large bag filled with smaller snack packs, to parcel out amongst others or hoard all to yourself (we won't judge). If you're a fan of Cheetos, it's a pretty sure thing that you'll also take to Hawkins Cheezies.

Speaking of cheese, Costco is no slouch when it comes to offering quality cheeses at excellent prices. While Costco sells plenty of cheeses under its Kirkland Signature brand, in Canada they also stock cheese from a Canadian company called Balderson.

Operating since 1881 in Balderson, Ontario, the company has since expanded from its small, family-operated business into providing products for the warehouse superstore. While the cheesemonger has an extensive collection on its own, it also offers a few products in bulk for Costco members: an extra old cheddar, a heritage five-year cheddar, a 2020 reserve cheddar, and a two-year-old cheddar. The two-year-old cheddar also comes in bagged individual portions, and that's what really helps this Costco Canada item stand out.

I personally have picked up numerous bags of the Balderson 2-Year-Old Cheddar, which comes at a great price and is an easy addition to lunchboxes or as a quick snack alongside some crackers and fruit for a little personal cheeseboard. The flavor of the cheese is nutty enough to belie its age, but still approachable, with a texture that straddles the line of creamy and crumbly. The cheese is a must-try for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the dairy product, and worth buying on your next trip to a Canadian Costco.

The flavor of all dressed is slowly gaining momentum in the United States (Lays currently offers an all dressed flavor of its potato chips), but it's been a mainstay in Canada for decades. The flavor profile is a blend of sour cream and onion, salt and vinegar, ketchup, and barbecue. It's tangy, sweet, and a little sour, offering a taste that will tickle every taste bud.

While all dressed slowly makes headway as it moves down from up North, Americans aren't able to quite embrace this chip flavor the way Canadians do: via a gigantic bag of Ruffles All Dressed Potato Chips purchased from Costco. Ruffles are the ideal chip shape for this flavor, with those ridges operating as a vehicle to collect that all-important flavor dust (while making your tongue pucker up a bit in the process). This flavor is sold in an extra-large bag to really satisfy the snack-hungry among us, offering good bang for your buck. If you're looking for a symphony of contrasting flavors, All Dressed Ruffles are the bag to buy.

Butter tarts are a quintessentially Canadian dessert. They're made with shortcrust pastry and a gooey, brown sugar filling that may or may not be infused with maple. You can also find butter tarts with added walnuts, pecans, and raisins, if you'd prefer a deviation from the classic. They're sweet and nostalgic, and a beloved treat among many Canadians, which is why they also happen to be offered in bulk at Costco Canada.

In the Bakery section of the warehouse, shoppers can find a 15-pack of individually wrapped butter tarts from the homey-sounding company Grandmother's Bake Shoppe. The individual wrapping makes them ideal for slipping into a lunch bag or grabbing as a sweet pick-me-up on your way out the door for work or school. These particular butter tarts have deep pockets for the maximum amount of filling and a blonder crust that could taste underbaked, but doesn't. Alas, Americans will either have to cross the border to get their hands on this Costco Canada offering or find a friendly Canadian to bring some over.

Americans may be unfamiliar with the peanut butter brand known as Kraft, despite Kraft Heinz being an American multinational corporation. However, Kraft Peanut Butter, with its adorable teddy bear mascots, is distinctly and proudly Canadian. As such, that means Canadian Costco members can pick up a 12-pack of the new Kraft Peanut Butter Ice Cream Bars, one of the latest additions to hit Costco freezers.

These are vanilla ice cream bars that are swirled with Kraft Peanut Butter, covered in a peanut butter coating, and sprinkled with even more chopped peanuts. There's no jelly or chocolate here to dilute the creamy taste of that beloved legume. Fans of the new treat say that they're the perfect blend of salty and sweet, with the streaks of peanut butter in the ice cream helping to contrast that sweet vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately for American customers, however, with Kraft Peanut Butter being a Canadian product, these won't likely be hitting American Costco stores any time soon. Instead, take a trip up North once it's summertime and cool off with a bulk package of these new desserts.

If maple doesn't tickle your taste buds, and you're more of a chocolate person than a peanut butter person, you may want to swap out the bulk pack of butter tarts for a slab of Nanaimo bars. Nanaimo bars are a Canadian dessert made up of three layers: a coconut base (sometimes also made with walnuts, sometimes not), a yellow custard layer, and a smooth chocolate ganache top. They're a no-bake dessert but do require extensive chilling, meaning these sweet squares also happen to freeze very well –– a bonus when you're buying in bulk at a Canadian Costco.

At Costco Canada, you can buy almost three pounds of these dense, sweet treats, sold by the trayful under the Kirkland Signature brand in the warehouse bakery. Multiple Canadian Redditors say these Nanaimo bars are an excellent buy, especially since they keep so well in the freezer. They're great for big gatherings or events when you need something sweet but are still operating on a budget. Since they're also pre-cut, they're also incredibly easy to serve. However, they're a seasonal item only, and only on offer around Christmas time at Costco Canada.

While they share the same name, Canadian Smarties are nothing like American Smarties. American Smarties are those plastic-wrapped rolls of chalky, pastel colored discs, and are known as Rockets in Canada. (They're also one of Gordon Ramsay's least favorite candies.) Canadian Smarties, on the other hand, are closer to M&Ms, with a candy shell and a chocolate interior. When compared to M&Ms, however, Canadian Smarties look and taste slightly different. They have a slightly flatter shape, different colors (made without artificial food dyes), a thicker, snappier sugar shell, and better quality chocolate.

The candy is a staple on Canadian store shelves and in Halloween bags. More than offering just a fun size around the candy-centric holiday, Costco Canada also provides members with a 24-pack of 45-gram boxes of the colorful chocolate buttons, making them great for sharing with our American friends. Americans can also find boxes of Canadian Smarties in bulk packages with other chocolate bars like Kit Kat, Aero, and Coffee Crisp –– another Canadian delicacy. Perfect to enjoy by the handful –– what Canadian child hasn't funneled a pack of Smarties directly into their mouth? –– these chocolate treats also bake up well in cookies, brownies, and more.

If protein is the name of your game but you're sick of chowing down on yet another sickly sweet, artificial-tasting protein bar, you might consider making the trip to a Canadian Costco to grab a variety pack of snacks from Three Farmers Foods. Three Farmers Foods is a Canadian company that offers customers a range of protein-packed snacks that are made with natural ingredients, gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan.

At Canadian Costco stores, members can find a two-pack containing 18 individual pouches each. Each pouch contains either crunchy lentils, chickpeas, or fava beans that are dusted in seasonings like dill pickle, zesty cheddar, sweet chili, barbecue, and more. It satisfies the salty cravings while also offering a one-two punch of protein and fiber –– vital for those looking to hit their macros but still wanting something that's actually real food.

These packs are easy enough to keep in your car, throw in a bag for a snack, or store at your desk when you need something quick that won't throw you for a sugar crash. For the price, variety, and quality, this is definitely a good buy from Costco Canada.