5 Gluten-Free Costco Prepared Meals You Just Have To Heat And Eat

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No matter how much you love cooking and feeding people, there are some days when you need a quick, low-effort fix — whether that's takeaway, instant noodles, or heat-and-eat meals from Costco, which stocks some really great options. Between the plethora of frozen meals and prepared foods worth buying for a busy week, the warehouse chain sells a wide range of convenient dishes, even if you're on a restricted diet. Costco has gluten-free, vegan, halal, organic, lactose-free, and even non-GMO and Kosher options. We've curated a list of five gluten-free prepared meals with enough variety for your cooking-free evenings, from a hearty American classic to Indian, Asian, and Italian favorites.

People on exclusion diets often struggle with eating out. According to research published by Restaurant Dive, more than half feel they need to overspend on prepared meals, while over a third feel judged for their dietary restrictions. Costco's gluten-free selection of appetizers and fully prepared meals that you just have to heat and eat is quite exhaustive, which is good news for the gluten-sensitive crowd. For those days when you're in the mood for pizza or a chicken dish that can be on the table in minutes, Costco has a gluten-free version to offer.

The National Library of Medicine reports that almost 7% of the American population has some form of gluten sensitivity, which essentially means one in 15 people can't enjoy a traditional pizza without consequences. The Kirkland Signature Cauliflower Pizza is the answer to their collective prayers. 

This gluten-free pizza placed first on our worst-to-best ranking of Kirkland brand frozen meals, well above the frozen pepperoni pizza, which has a regular crust. "[The] best frozen pizza I've ever had, couldn't believe it was cauliflower," one Costco customer wrote on Reddit, with another saying, "I legit sometimes prefer the cauliflower pizza over some 'real' pizzas." 

The love for this pizza is almost universal. The product has a 4.8-star rating on the Costco website, with more than 250 of 300 reviewers giving it five stars. The crisp cauliflower crust is topped with rich tomato sauce, then loaded with mozzarella, parmesan, and Romano cheeses, pork pepperoni, sausage, and roasted vegetables, including three types of bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, and zucchini. The pack contains two 19.4-ounce pizzas that can be heated in a regular or convection oven. Get ready to dig in once the cheese turns golden brown, which should take 17 to 19 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes if you don't want to burn the roof of your mouth (yes, we've all been there).

Purchase Kirkland Signature supreme cauliflower crust pizza at Costco for around $12.

Although tikka masala has mysterious origins, with a long-running debate over whether it was invented in Britain or is just a version of butter chicken, what's not in doubt is that it is a great option for a warm and hearty comfort meal. This is especially true if you don't have to cook it from scratch — slow cooker chicken tikka masala sure is satisfying, but it takes four-and-a-half hours to make. In contrast, Sukhi's chicken tikka masala prepared meal from Costco can be on your dinner table in five minutes.

Chicken tikka masala is a dish with many layers of flavor, from the creamy, spicy tang of the tomato-based sauce to the smoky chunks of grilled chicken. Sukhi's version earned rave reviews from customers online. "I'd say this product is solid, as an Indian guy who grew up with home cooking," wrote one Reddit user. "The texture of the chicken is SO good for a microwave meal. Usually precooked chicken is like rubber," another posted. A number of commenters on the thread shared interesting tips to add some oomph to the dish, such as sprinkling on chili pepper flakes or garam masala. Since naans are out of bounds, you can pair your chicken with gluten-free lemon rice from the same brand, unless that sounds like too much effort for heat-and-eat night.

Purchase Sukhi's chicken tikka masala at Costco for around $19.

This one is both a meal and a mission in a bowl. Kevin's Frozen Bowls come with a note from Kevin about how he eliminated all artificial ingredients from his diet after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. This high-protein meal (34 grams per bowl) features sous-vide chicken, broccoli, zucchini, parmesan cheese, and a parmesan-basil sauce. It's even served in a 100% compostable bowl made from plant-based fiber. 

To prepare the frozen meal, heat it in the microwave for three minutes, stir the contents, and heat it for another minute-and-a-half. There are many customer reviews online that insist anything from Kevin's Natural Foods brand should be avoided at Costco, but the parmesan basil chicken bowl does have a reasonable 4.2 stars across 350+ ratings on the Walmart site, with over 75% of customers giving it four or more stars. 

While there are concerns about flavor and texture, the dish seems to work for those on restricted diets. "I am limited on what I can eat, and this is a great limited ingredient option [for when I am] unable to cook," one Walmart customer wrote. Another reviewer said this dish helped them hit their protein goals. "This meal is perfect, they wrote. "It is very high [in] protein, tastes great, and mimics a real meal."

Purchase Kevin's parmesan basil chicken frozen bowls at Costco for around $17.

Seeing as pad Thai is traditionally made using rice noodles it's a great gluten-free option for those who love noodles but can't eat many different types of noodles, from spaghetti to lo mein, because they're made from wheat flour. Green and Sunny pad Thai is the perfect fix if you're looking for a heat-and-eat meal that's not only gluten-free and vegan, but also free of preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors. To top it all off, this version thoughtfully comes with the ability to customize the spice level.

While Costco shoppers are fed up with the chicken pad Thai from Snapdragon, the vegan version from Green and Sunny gets a fair bit of love online. "I loved these! Add a lot of lime juice and Sriracha and a protein, and I found these to be filling and delicious!" one fan posted on Reddit. "Extremely delicious! But you have to warm it correctly," another Redditor wrote. 

According to the instructions on the package, the entire tray can be microwaved for two minutes, taken it out, given it a shake, and placed back in the microwave for another couple of minutes. To bump up the spice level, stir the sachet of chili powder into the pad Thai tray. One common complaint from customers is that the bean sprouts turn out soggy, so you may prefer to top the noodles with fresh bean sprouts or toss in some toasted peanuts to add extra crunch.

Purchase Green and Sunny pad Thai at Costco for around $18.

The Sabatino's story started in the hills of Palermo over a century ago, and while it's headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, today, it remains a family-run business committed to bringing homestyle Italian food to American dining rooms. The brand has many offerings, from meatballs and sausage varieties to mains, including Calabrian Chicken, Chicken Florentine, and Tuscan Style Chicken Piccata, which didn't fare too well when we reviewed 14 Italian products from Costco, but is popular on a subreddit for gluten-free foods.

One Redditor posting on r/glutenfree said the chicken piccata looked unappetizing, but tasted great. "Definitely not something to post on Instagram, but holy cow it tasted amazing!" they wrote. Another fan agreed wholeheartedly: "My wife doesn't like capers, so I was worried she wouldn't like it, but it's very well balanced." At just over $15 for 2 pounds of food, this sounds a bit like one of those offers you can't refuse.

Sabatino's Chicken Piccata consists of chicken breasts in a lemon and caper sauce, with sun-dried tomatoes adding a tangy surprise to every bite. It comes fully cooked and only needs to be heated on the stovetop or in a microwave for less than five minutes before serving. It can be eaten with rice, pasta, or just as it is.

Purchase Sabatino's Tuscan style chicken piccata at Costco for around $15.