Not Mangoes Or Figs: This Is Costco's Best Dried Fruit, Hands Down

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Be it a succulent date plucked from a charcuterie board or a moreish bag of banana chips, the simple pleasures of some good dried fruit should not be underestimated. Costco members who want the very best Costco dried fruit can now shop with confidence — Tasting Table awarded that honor not to mangoes or figs, but to Nature's Garden Probiotic Dried Apricots.

In our ranking of Costco's dried fruit, these stone fruits impressed with their fresh, balanced flavor and enticing plumpness. Our correspondent wrote, "They taste true to their form — sweet, with a hint of acidity and a touch of floral." While the unsweetened dried mangoes (which took second place) had a similarly balanced flavor, they were on the dryer side, lacking the juicy texture that made these apricots stand out. Our tester emphasized that the Nature's Garden apricots were a pleasure to eat in their own right, which is part of the reason they beat out the sun-dried figs that took the third spot. Though the insides were delightfully jammy, the outsides were decidedly tough. Combined with the stick-like tips of each fruit, these weren't quite as great for solo snacking.

As for those apricots, our taste tester couldn't say enough about the sheer range of applications to which they could be put, which contributed to their high ranking. They highlighted recipes like our five-ingredient goat cheese and apricot appetizer. Fortunately, if you don't happen to be a regular at Costco, you can also pick up Nature's Garden Probiotic Dried Apricots at Walmart.

Probiotics, for those unfamiliar with the term, are live bacteria and yeast that can have some health benefits. In the case of the Nature's Garden product, the dried apricots have added Saccharomyces boulardii and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG. The first of these is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, while the latter may prevent or treat some gastrointestinal infections, diarrhea, and certain allergic reactions. These dried apricots make use of Nature's Garden's patented microencapsulation technology, which is designed to carry the live probiotic cultures to your gut intact. They also have the added benefit of being a source of vitamin E, potassium, and fiber.

On social media, some echoed our critic's enthusiasm for these flavorful delights. One Reddit reviewer gave the following verdict: "Tastes like dried apricots. Pretty juicy ones, at that. Not a hint of the sourness that probiotically enhanced foods often have." Taking this recommendation to heart, one respondent promised, "Definitely adding this to my next charcuterie board!" Another Redditor commented, "My kids love these. And we've been eating them for years. They're one of the few dried fruits costco carries without added sweeteners."

If you do have a sweet tooth, however, these dried fruits could easily be rehydrated and used in our recipe for an apricot frangipane tart, which has the dual virtues of being both impressive-looking and scrumptious. Should you instead be looking to increase the amount of gut-friendly micro-organisms in your diet, you might also be interested in our ranking of 12 prebiotic and probiotic drinks.