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Frozen foods get a pretty bad rap. And honestly, they don’t deserve it. Sure, you have your mozzarella sticks, your pizza bagels, and your toaster waffles. But while these decadent snacks may have made up a disproportionate amount of our dorm room diets, they represent only a fraction of what the frozen food aisle has to offer. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Costco’s frozen foods section.
Take a moment to peruse Costco’s frozen food selection, and you’ll find everything from gourmet chocolate cakes to Wagyu beef burgers. King crab abounds—so does wild Alaskan salmon. And in true Costco style, both are available in 10-pound packs. Also abundant? Sets of fully crafted meals. We’re talking seared chicken breasts paired with cooked vegetables, grain-encrusted cod atop a bed of broccoli and cauliflower, and salmon filets served alongside sautéed asparagus spears. These are just three of the seven meals you can find in a single party pack. (And yes, the other four meals in the set sound exactly as delicious.)
Costco is proving that not only can frozen food be gourmet—it can feel genuinely special. Part of the allure of fine dining is that you get to eat something you could’ve never made yourself. Delivery and takeout offer a similar kind of convenience. But none of these options are as budget-friendly as a home-cooked meal. Genuinely nice frozen foods make it easier to close this gap. They invite you to indulge in delicious food you didn’t have to cook for yourself, while offering the convenience and (general) affordability of a home-cooked meal.
No, you probably can’t set up a Michelin Star restaurant from the comfort of your kitchen, but with a few of these foods, you can get pretty darn close. Date night in the Costco frozen food aisle, anyone?
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Kirkland Breakfast Sandwich
When you’re trying to get your kids dressed and out the door for school in the morning, quick breakfasts are a must. These frozen breakfast sandwiches are the perfect parenting solution, and they taste like something you would pay $10+ for at Starbucks.
“Costco’s Kirkland brand is off the chart. The best!” one happy shopper wrote in their review.
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Giordano’s Chicago Frozen 10″ Deep Dish Stuffed Pizza, 3-pack
Image Credit: Costco. A frozen pizza that will have you saying, “Takeout who?”, count us in. And apparently Chicagoans agree. Just take a look at this rave review:
“My parents lived in Chicago for a number of years and got to experience the variety of pizza places around the city (though more have popped up since they left) and when I visited I tried Giordano’s,” Ramonos4 wrote. “Once I saw that these shipped from Giordano’s themselves and not just some factory’s attempt at making something close to, I was even more excited. These have not disappointed – the tomatoes are great quality, the cheese is plentiful and gooey, the crust very buttery. I was definitely transported to the magnificent mile.”
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Mila Pork Xiao Long Bao Soup Dumplings
With nearly 400 rave five-star reviews, these tasty soup dumplings deserve a place in your shopping cart. The restaurant-style pork dumplings steam in just about 10 minutes, making them the perfect quick and easy dinner or snack.
“I love soup dumplings from restaurants like Din Tai Fung, and was hoping these would be 75% as good,” one shopper wrote in their review. “They exceeded my expectations and are about 80% as good as the restaurants.”
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Nuchas Empanadas Meat Lovers Combo, 4 Boxes
Image Credit: Nuchas. You may remember the name Nuchas from their appearance on Shark Tank. Renowned for its award-winning empanadas, Nuchas has reimagined the handheld meal. These mouthwatering empanadas are made with premium ingredients and contain a melting pot of flavors that all fit right in your hand. And the reviews? They’re pretty great.
“I recently purchased these frozen empanadas from Costco, and I couldn’t be happier with my choice. They are incredibly easy to prepare- it only takes 15 mins in the oven and the taste is amazing!”
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D’Artagnan Wagyu Burger Lovers Bundle
Image Credit: Costco. This decadent bundle comes with 12 Wagyu beef burgers, 12 brioche buns, 1.5 pounds of applewood smoked bacon, and one 8-ounce tub of black truffle butter—basically, a starter kit for the most gourmet burgers of all time.
It’s little wonder the frozen dinner kit has received 251 5-star ratings. One reviewer writes, “For flavor and texture, these burgers beat anything we can buy locally…Now, we’re spoiled and don’t want to go back to ordinary burgers.”
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Smoked Salmon
Image Credit: Costco. Smoked salmon can be incredibly hard to find, and you may be used to eating it only at bagel shops and brunch spots. But thanks to Costco, you can stock up on 5 pounds of delicious, artsinally seasoned smoked salmon all at once. The smoked salmon will come frozen and ready to serve, so you can save it for later or start enjoying it as soon as it thaws.
This massive smoked salmon bundle has received six 5-star ratings (it’s only been reviewed seven times). One reviewer kept it short and sweet, writing only, “Excellent.”
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Rastelli Market Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Image Credit: Costco. Though many of us absolutely love crab cakes, we’d never make them at home. Thankfully, Costco offers a 20-pack of frozen crab cakes, making it incredibly easy for us to get a taste of our favorite restaurant appetizer without ever having to leave our homes.
The crab cakes ship uncooked and frozen, so some prep work is involved. Still, popping something in the oven is much easier than making crab cakes from scratch.
This seafood bundle has received 106 5-star ratings. One reviewer notes that while they “had their doubts” about frozen, store-bought crab cakes, the appetizer turned out to be “fabulous.”
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D’Artagnan Gourmet Steak & Burger Grill Pack
Image Credit: Costco. This meat lover’s bundle comes loaded with eight bone-in ribeye steaks and 12 Wagyu beef burgers—a veritable feast. The meat ships uncooked and frozen, you can dole out the steaks and burgers over time or whip them all up during a single backyard barbecue.
This bundle has received 78 5-star ratings. “I bought this package for a family BBQ, and I can honestly say it was the best steaks and burgers we have ever had,” one reviewer writes. Another notes that the bundle made an excellent gift for his son.
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David’s Cookies Variety Cheesecakes
Image Credit: Costco. This decadent dessert bundle comes with two kinds of cheesecake: one turtle-style option (complete with chocolate, caramel, and pecans), and one triple-chocolate option. Each serves 14, giving you 28 servings of absolute deliciousness.
This bundle has received 94 5-star ratings. “Unlike many store-bought desserts, these were not dry tasting, and the toppings were ample,” one reviewer writes, adding that the portion sizes are “just right.”
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Chicago Steak Angus Beef Surf and Turf
Image Credit: Costco. Perhaps Costco’s most gourmet frozen offering, the Chicago Steak Angus Beef Surf and Turf bundle offers four filet mignons, four lobster tails, and eight steak burgers. Every item in the bundle ships uncooked and frozen, so you can enjoy them together or dole them out, one-by-one, over time.
The bundle has received 144 5-star ratings, with one reviewer assuring, “It won’t disappoint!”
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