The 5 Best And 4 Worst Costco Kirkland Signature Organic Foods

If you're trying to avoid questionable ingredients in your Costco products, then opting for organic foods is generally a good way to do this. Costco's organic selection is pretty vast, and you can get a lot of your regular essentials in organic form. From eggs to chicken, cinnamon to coconut water, the retailer has a bounty of options to help you avoid all of those additives and preservatives you'd rather not have in your food. The price of some of its organic items is pretty reasonable, too.

Sadly, though, not all of Costco's organic foods are worth buying. There are some absolute winners out there, such as the brand's maple syrup and extra firm tofu being total fan favorites. However, other products like its brown sugar or its infamous "woody" chicken are ones that you should be avoiding like your life depends on it. 

With so many organic options available at the store, we knew that we had to be thorough in finding out what's bad and what's good. So, we listened to the people that matter most: the customers. We scoured customer reviews, as well as some professional ones, and looked at everything they had to say about the flavor, texture, and usability of these organic products, to help you decide whether they were worth buying or not.

If you're a yogurt fan (and honestly, who isn't?), then you should be grabbing yours from Costco. Not only because it sells its yogurt in huge tubs that will last you weeks, but also because its flagship organic option, Kirkland Signature Organic Greek Yogurt, is a total winner when it comes to flavor, texture, and value for your money. Costco's organic product comes in a massive 48-ounce tub, which is topped to the brim with rich yogurt. It may not be as dense as some of the other options out there, but its creaminess gives it real versatility, and it helps to smooth out the rougher textures of granola or cereal.

Kirkland Signature Organic Greek Yogurt also has a lovely sharpness to it, which customers adore. "That sharpness is surprisingly good with a spoon of jelly or some dried fruit and nut or granola," stated on fan on Reddit. "I like it because it's not too sweet and I can add my ingredients based on my mood. It's a perfect blank canvas for so many things." For Costco shoppers, it's a great everyday option and a perfect fridge standby.

The thought of organic chips is pretty appealing, so it's little wonder that Costco decided to roll out an organic tortilla chip in its Kirkland line. It pains us to tell you, though, that it's just not that good. It wasn't always this way: There was once a time when Kirkland Signature Organic Tortilla Chips were some people's go-to, thanks to the bounteous size of each chip and the corn-forward flavor. Unfortunately, though, at some point in the last few years, it seems that Costco might have changed its supplier for these chips from Mission to a different company. As a result, the organic chips have nosedived in quality.

So, what are they like now? Not great. Customers have observed that the size of the individual chips has shrunk to fairly dismal proportions. They don't have any of that rich corn flavor anymore either and now have a fairly bland taste to them. There also seem to be inconsistencies in the saltiness of each chip. Some customers say they don't have enough seasoning, while others find them too salty. Neither of those sounds particularly appealing to us, to be honest. It may not be one of the unhealthiest store-bought tortilla chips, but it's definitely not the tastiest.

Man, Costco really nailed it with this maple syrup. This all-time favorite is 100% pure grade A amber maple syrup, with none of the additives, flavorings, or preservatives that you might find from cheaper brands. This is a fact that customers love, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it translates to a consistently good flavor. Well, thankfully, in Costco's case, it does. Kirkland Signature Organic Maple Syrup stands up to other brands in terms of taste, and it has an authentic sweetness that's also super versatile. Customers love that it can go with pretty much anything: You can pour it into oatmeal, use it to sweeten drinks, add a splash for some sugar contrast in savory dishes, or glug it into baking recipes.

We've gotta hand it to Costco's product designer here, too: The bottle is a real highlight. Kirkland Signature Organic Maple Syrup comes in a jug-like bottle complete with a small handle, which is both ergonomic and aesthetically appealing. It's the kind of thing that won't look out of place if you leave it out on the counter. Costco, you've got our attention with this one.

Buying precooked hard-boiled eggs from a retailer can be a little bit of a risky game. This is not only because they have to be cooked just right to be good, but also because hard-boiled eggs have been the subject of a few major egg recalls. As a result, you really have to trust that the retailer you're buying from will offer a consistent product.

Unfortunately, that's not the case when it comes to Kirkland Signature Organic Hard-Boiled Eggs. Customers have noticed recently that the quality of these eggs has deteriorated significantly, with multiple shoppers stating that they often have a mushy consistency. What's even more stomach-churning is that some folks have found blood on the inside of their eggs. When they're not suffering on a texture level, they also seem to have a pretty poor taste, with Costco customers identifying a weird flavor to them, which they suspect may be due to preservatives. Elsewhere, folks have said that they taste sour and rotten. We're gonna be honest, guys: None of these things sounds particularly appealing, especially when it's easy enough to buy good-quality eggs and boil them yourself.

Finding a good olive oil brand that doesn't cost a fortune is difficult. Finding one that's also organic is even harder. So, imagine how proud we are to tell you that Costco's Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Olive Oil ticks all of those boxes. This cold-extracted olive oil comes in a two-liter bottle, but given its peppery, deep flavor and its versatility, you may find that you get through that amount a bit quicker than you think. These qualities are what keep customers coming back to it, and it's safe to say that it's got a fair few fans: It currently boasts a 4.8 out of 5 rating on Costco's website, based on just under 6,000 reviews.

Although this olive oil is extra-virgin, it makes a great everyday fat for lower-temperature cooking. It's also awesome in salad dressings or drizzled onto soups or dishes just before serving, thanks to the slight bite it provides in its flavor notes. Customers rely on this olive oil as a staple in their households, and we can't say that we blame them.

We bet you never thought that organic brown sugar could let you down, huh? Well, if you hadn't, you clearly haven't been buying it at Costco. This product sort of feels like it would be hard to mess up, but somehow, Kirkland Signature Organic Brown Sugar does just that. Multiple customers have expressed how poor they think this sugar is and have flagged quality issues that have prevented them from being able to use it properly. "We have used it, and now plan to throw it away," state one customer on Facebook. "It gets very clumpy and hard, and it is very grainy. Also, for baking, it seems too light, and completely lacks the molasses or caramel-like flavor that comes with other brown sugars."

All of this leads not only to a worse taste for baked goods, but also to difficulties in actually using it properly. Some folks have pointed out that it doesn't cream effectively with butter, and others have said that it produces flat, hard cookies, instead of the soft, gooey ones you might expect brown sugar to deliver. The strength of feeling around this product really is pretty incredible, with some customers saying that they hate it, and others saying that they'll never buy it again. Yikes.

Anyone who's ever bought tofu from a supermarket more than a few times will know how hit and miss the experience can be. You might end up with a block of tofu that's actually as advertised, and it delivers a subtle, yet complex flavor. Or you may end up with a jiggly product that's far from the "extra firm" that's promised, and it tastes of nothing. So, which version does Costco provide? The former, and it's seriously good.

Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Firm Tofu is a relatively new addition to Costco's product line, but already customers are raving about this organic Kirkland find nationwide. The main thing people love is its price-to-quality ratio, along with its robust texture. "Grabbed it last week. Super firm and held up great in a stir fry. Way better than I expected for the price," said one customer on Reddit. Other shoppers have said that it's a step up from Costco's former Nasoya brand flagship tofu.

It should be said that how firm you find this tofu may depend on your preference, and what you deem "firm" to be. Some customers have stated that it's not quite as robust as they'd like it to be, while others have said that it's firmer than Nasoya tofu. However, we personally think that the only way you'll know whether you like it is to try it yourself.

Oh, boy. Where do we start with this one? In the last couple of years, it feels like the chatter around Costco's chicken and its drop in quality has been nonstop. Time and time again, customers are noticing the same things: that Costco chicken has a gamey, woody quality, that it's surprisingly tough, and that it's quite unpleasant overall to eat. Sadly, this issue has affected Costco's organic chicken as well. Customers who have bought its organic chicken recently have highlighted how chewy it is, and its stringiness and poor texture are starting to become a real issue, both for shoppers and for the retailer.

Not only that, but beyond its texture, Costco's organic chicken can also exude a pretty nasty smell. It seems as though the retailer's selling a product that's almost ready to expire by the time people get it home, and some people have found that even its frozen organic chicken, which should be fine to use for months, doesn't feel safe to use. This has led to packs of chicken being thrown out, and customers wasting a lot of money. Want our advice? Avoid Costco's chicken entirely -– even its organic kind.

The line between good and bad coconut water is pretty thin. When it's good, it's light, refreshing, and ever-so-slightly sweet; when it's bad, it tastes flat, weirdly salty, and a little sulphuric. This can be even more noticeable when it's an organic product, as there's nowhere for the flavor to hide.

We come bearing good news, though: Kirkland Signature Organic Coconut Water is a hit with customers. Costco shoppers love this water's flavor, which is sweet but doesn't overpower the senses, thanks to the lack of added sugar. When it's chilled, it feels totally revitalizing, and it's the perfect drink for a scorching day (particularly to replace all of those electrolytes you've sweated out). People also love how well it mixes with other drinks. Because of its subtle flavor, Kirkland Signature Organic Coconut Water can be paired with other soft drinks like cranberry or pineapple juice, or you could even add a little soda. Whatever you choose, we know it'll be a refreshing drink.

When establishing this list, we determined which products were the "best" and which were the "worst" by looking at a wide range of customer comments and reviews. We sourced these reviews from sites such as Reddit, Facebook, and the Costco website itself as well as from websites like Abillion and Influenster. Social media was especially useful here, as comment threads gave us a broader sense when multiple customers were in agreement about the benefits or drawbacks of one particular product. To determine how much people liked or disliked Costco's organic items and to ensure accuracy, we checked for a broad consensus on each product.

Then, we had to figure out what people admired or detested about the "best" and "worst" foods. To do this, we looked primarily at the flavor and texture of the products we were focusing on. We also looked at the sheer ability to use the items being discussed (as was the case with Kirkland Signature Organic Brown Sugar), or their versatility (like with Costco's coconut water and olive oil). All of this gave us a greater picture of exactly why people were drawn to these products or what pushed them away.