8 Frozen Desserts At Costco, Ranked Worst To Best

If you're looking for desserts to feed a crowd, or you just like to make sure you've always got something sweet in your freezer, Costco is the place to go. The store's varied selection of frozen desserts offers something for every craving, from bright and fruity to classically decadent, in the store's signature bulk sizes. Whether you're a long-time shopper or it's your first time setting foot in a Costco, the frozen dessert section is well worth seeking out. Some of these deals are so good, you may be tempted to invest in an extra freezer just so you can take advantage of them all.

Purchasing desserts in this quantity is a commitment, so it's imperative to know which of these big buys you should make. I took on the arduous challenge of tasting eight of Costco's frozen desserts to determine which ones are worth the investment, and which ones you might want to skip. For this, I tasted each item and assessed it in terms of flavor, texture, and balance, and then took into account quality of ingredients, as well as quantity and price. I've ranked the results here, from worst to best.

The combination of mango and chocolate seems like an obvious home run. That's why I was surprised that Authentic Asia's mango on a stick was my least favorite Costco frozen dessert of the bunch. The box lists two ways to eat this treat: Either frozen, straight out of the package, or warmed up a bit to room temperature. I tried both, and while the partially thawed one was more flavorful, it still just didn't quite work.

The mango itself was tender and juicy, and even when it was fully frozen, it was soft enough to easily eat. The flavor, though, tasted a bit sharp and underripe. From the bright, rich golden color, I was expecting a super-sweet bite of fruit, but the unpleasant green, slightly sour note was unmistakable. Then there's the chocolate — compound chocolate is used here, which consists of more vegetable fat than cocoa butter. It's cheaper than using pure dark chocolate, and unfortunately, the difference is very noticeable. There's virtually no intensity to the flavor, which is going to surely disappoint folks looking for that deep, rich, dark chocolate experience. Since mango and chocolate are the only two elements of this dessert, and neither one works particularly well, this will be a skip for me in the future.

Kirkland's ice cream bars' are just as good as the Häagen-Dazs version, so don't take their low placement on the list as an indication that they aren't delicious. It's more of an indication that the competition in this category is incredibly stacked. The elements here are all solid: Rich, creamy, soft vanilla ice cream, a crispy, chocolatey coating, and crunchy bits of almond. If someone handed me one of these bars, I certainly wouldn't turn it down. I'm not recommending that you do, either.

While the textures here are all great, it's the flavor that's a little lacking. Once again, like with the frozen mangoes, it comes down to the chocolate. Just as with those treats, you may notice the box says "chocolate flavored," not chocolate. That means that the product doesn't contain enough cocoa butter to call itself real chocolate, but relies on vegetable fats instead — in this case, coconut and soybean oil. Now, of course, if these were made with real chocolate, they'd probably run you more than 60 cents a bar, and the vast majority of people probably won't be aware of the difference. However, it's my job (and sometimes my curse) to notice such things, so to me, these bars seemed somewhat underwhelming. 

I had never tried qatayef before tasting Costco's frozen version, so having no benchmark to compare it to, I'm going into this purely based on my experience with this iteration. This treat can be found throughout the Middle East and is often served during Ramadan. There are many different varieties, but at its base, qatayef is made from crêpe-like semolina pancakes wrapped around a filling. These can then be sealed and fried or baked, or they can be left partially open so the filling is visible — the latter is the variety here.

I first tried these simply thawed, as directed on the package. While the flavors were absolutely delectable, I did find the texture of the pancake somewhat unpleasantly spongy. I can only imagine one that's freshly made, and for a frozen and thawed treat, these are still quite delicious, odd texture aside. The filling, a sweet, fluffy, and tangy cream accented with orange blossom water, is rich and bright. The package comes with a separate container of crushed pistachios as garnish, which you can add if you wish, and they add a welcome crunch and lifted nuttiness. The box also has optional instructions for heating the qatayef, either in an air fryer or an oven. I tried the oven, and found that it did improve the pancake's texture somewhat, but I preferred the cream's texture at room temperature. I'm not sure I'd buy this again, but it made me want to seek out the real thing.

At first glance, the vibrant colors and cartoonish packaging made me assume that these cotton candy-flavored Jonny Pops were going to be overly sweet and artificial-tasting. If you've seen the packaging and thought the same thing, perhaps you've walked right by. Turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. These bars are made with all organic ingredients, and most surprisingly, no artificial colors — natural colorings like bright green spirulina (an algae often used in wellness products), and vegetable juice are used to get these stunning shades. They're vegan and gluten-free, too.

I could find no official confirmation of what these four cotton candy flavors actually are, but there's definitely some berry action going on in the middle, and I pinpointed the top layer as grape. The bottom tier remains a mystery to me — maybe it's meant to be just pure cotton candy? Regardless, the tastes are bright, fruity, and summery without being the least bit cloying. These bars are also exceptionally refreshing. They made me wish for a hot day so I could try one out in the sun to cool off. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for more Jonny Pops flavors whenever I'm at Costco.

When planning this ranking, Kirkland's vanilla ice cream was barely in the back of my mind. It's vanilla ice cream, I thought. I'm sure it'll be fine. I never expected it to be this far up the list. For just under $15 at my Costco, you get a gallon of the stuff in two containers. The package is so heavy, I thought for sure the ice cream inside would be way too thick and dense to be enjoyable. However, what that weight actually indicates is a gorgeously creamy, opulently rich ice cream with the perfect balance of sweetness, flavor, and texture.

Kirkland's vanilla ice cream is labeled super premium, which isn't just advertising copy — it's an actual category defined by the International Dairy Foods Association. Ice cream at this quality level is made with high fat and low overrun, which is the process of aerating the mix during production. These factors give Kirkland ice cream its incredibly substantial, intense texture. Because of this richness, it'll probably take most households a good long while to get through an entire gallon of this ice cream, so it's quite a steal at this price.

I'd seen the vibrant boxes of Melona bars a hundred times, but never purchased them until now. My store had the variety pack of melon, mango, and strawberry, and after tasting them, I'm kicking myself. How bland and boring my summers have been without these treats. Give me a time machine so I can go back and fill my freezer with Melona bars, and my life — perhaps the trajectory of all civilization — would unfold in a different and better direction.

Okay, maybe that's all a bit over the top. After all, these aren't even number one on the list. That said, trying these bars for the first time was a revelatory experience for me. I didn't expect them to be so buttery, so creamy, and so intensely flavorful. The contrast between the rich, silky texture and fresh, lively fruit flavors creates such a satisfying weave of sensations on the palate. All three flavors worked for me: Sweet and mellow strawberry, lush and juicy mango, crisp and aromatic melon. These are just so good. I'm guessing even 24 bars won't last long in my freezer.

As a lover of all things coconut, I had high hopes for Mavens pandan coconut dessert. Being unfamiliar with pandan, a Southeast Asian ingredient often used in sweet foods and baked goods, I wasn't sure what to expect from the flavor combination. Turns out, it's pure magic. The base of this non-dairy dessert is coconut milk, which provides a subtly nutty, sweet, and milky backdrop for the grassy, aromatic pandan. When this warms up a little and starts to sweat, even more aromas come forth, like tropical flowers and lychee. There's so much flavor complexity in this dessert, it reminds me of a glass of fine wine, with new sensations coming to the forefront as you enjoy it.

This dessert is on the pricier side, compared to most of the others on this list, considering I could probably eat these two pints in two sittings. I'd happily pay for it, though, and even more happily buy it again and again. If I were served a bowl of this at a high-end restaurant, I wouldn't blink an eye, and certainly wouldn't wonder if the pastry chef bought it at Costco on their way to work. In addition to the flavors and aromas being ethereally beautiful, the texture is wonderful, incredibly creamy for a dairy-free dessert.

It's-It is a Northern California staple, an iconic ice cream sandwich first invented in San Francisco in 1928, considered the first of its kind. The company now ships its products all over, and has concocted many different styles and flavors, but the classic It's-It is hard to beat: Vanilla ice cream between two oatmeal cookies, coated in a thin layer of dark chocolate. At Costco, you can grab a 24-pack of mini versions of this legendary treat. Having grown up around the It's-It epicenter, I'm sure there's some regional bias at play here, but I don't think there's a better ice cream sandwich in the world than this one.

It's been a minute since I've enjoyed the full-sized version, but I think I might actually prefer these little ones. You get more of that crackly chocolate skin in each bite, and the ratio of oatmeal cookie to vanilla ice cream filling is consistently perfect. It's really the cookies that set this sandwich apart from others. Not too thin, not too dry or crumbly, they hold up structurally without overpowering the other elements. Full of robust nutty flavor and a rich brown sugar sweetness, the cookies add a depth of flavor that many other ice cream sandwiches lack. If you haven't had the pleasure of an It's-It, don't hesitate to pick up this case. If you're already familiar, then I don't need to tell you that this is a Costco must-buy.

To select the items to be ranked, I shopped at my local Costco warehouse store and looked over their selection of frozen desserts. I chose a wide range of products, to have as much variety as possible. After making my purchases, I tasted each dessert individually, following preparation instructions on the package whenever necessary. After tasting each one, I went back to revisit them, putting certain desserts side-by-side with others to gauge which ones seemed best. After much tasting, melting, and messy note-taking, I came up with the final ranking. Items were assessed based on pure flavor, quality of ingredients, value, and in some cases, nostalgia and fun.