5 Costco Salad Items That Are Worth Every Penny And 4 You Should Skip

Costco is an amazing destination to gather all of the tasty fixings to master your homemade, hearty, restaurant-level salads. The warehouse is packed with bulk ingredients that can upgrade your bowl — but not every product is a smart purchase. Buying in bulk usually offers excellent value, but you also must consider the freshness, quality, shelf life, and whether you will realistically use an entire product before it goes bad.

Salads are a customizable meal, so knowing what you like and which Costco salad products are actually worth purchasing is the first step in crafting your perfect bowl. We've collected customer reviews and ratings online on several of the salad products that Costco has to offer, from protein staples and crunchy toppings to fresh veggies, dressings, and flavorful add-ins. Based on our research, these are the products that truly deliver on taste and savings and the ones that you're better off skipping.

Not only do nuts add a welcome crunch to your salads, they also bring excellent nutritional value. Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, proteins, and fiber, all of which help you stay full for longer. Unfortunately, nuts can be expensive — however, Costco offers a great value on a variety of nuts and nut mixes that will bring some life to your salad. For instance, you can get a huge 3-pound bag of high-quality almonds from Costco for $14, whereas a 1-pound bag from Vons costs $10.

Not to mention, Costco has an incredibly diverse variety of nuts, so you can pick and choose what you prefer for your salads. If you're making a fall-inspired harvest salad, pick up a bag of U.S.-sourced walnuts or macadamia nuts. If you prefer a Chinese chicken salad, maybe grab a bag of cashews. If you're a fan of salt and want to add a strong crunch to a Thai-inspired salad, the Kirkland Signature Super Large Peanuts come highly recommended. Nuts are an excellent product to buy in bulk because they have a long shelf life, so you store them in the pantry for six months to a year and sprinkle them on top of your homemade salads as you please. For a little extra warmth and flavor, try toasting nuts for your salad.

Salad dressing is the make-or-break ingredient when it comes to building a bowl that is both tasty and nutritious. Store-bought dressings generally have a lot of hidden ingredients and additives that can drive down the nutritional value of your meal without you even realizing it. And while there are some store-bought options made with clean ingredients, it's often easier (and more affordable) to make your own at home.

Additionally, despite Costco's impressive lineup of products, the warehouse doesn't offer the best options in the way of dressing. Namely, they cover the basics, including Hidden Valley Ranch and Olive Garden Italian Seasoning, as well as some gallon-size offerings from Ken's dressing. The large bottles are often hard to get through before they go bad, and there are so many delicious and simple dressing recipes online, some involving as few as four ingredients. It's often worth spending a little extra time to make it homemade, and then you can customize it exactly the way you like it or add these chef-approved ingredients to upgrade your homemade salad recipe.

Feta is a Greek-style cheese made from sheep and goat's milk, but it can be used far beyond just Mediterranean-style salads. Feta is an excellent addition to several variations of salads because it brings a tangy, almost citric flavor to whatever it's added to. Also, it's lower in calories than most cow's milk cheeses and is an excellent source of protein and calcium, helping you feel full and energized.

Costco's 1.5-pound container of feta crumbles is the easiest way to add the cheese to a salad. The crumbles are the perfect size to shake over your meal and enjoy. Customers can be picky about their cheese, but the President brand that Costco carries gets the Greek stamp of approval, according to customers online. A customer on Reddit states, "President feta is delicious, and I was told at the local Greek Fest last year that they always use it, so I feel justified in paying a dollar more for it than the Athenos stuff."

Premade salad kits can be alluring when you're shopping, because they take all of the legwork out of creating the meal, but customers online warn against purchasing Costco's Caesar salad kit due to a drop in quality over the years and a poor ratio of ingredients. The kit is rather simple, including chopped romaine lettuce, croutons, shredded parmesan, lemon slices, and Caesar dressing. However, Costco members find lots of consistency issues with the salad.

In a thread dedicated to Kirkland Signature products that simply aren't worth it, one customer on Reddit explains that the Caesar salad kit has, "WAY too much lettuce, ingredients are basic and not flavorful. No spice packet. And the dressing is just plain bad." Another Redditor on a different thread explains that the quality has dipped in the past few years, and the quality of the romaine can be very hit or miss, while the cheese becomes wet and soggy from lying on the lettuce. Since a Caesar salad is simple to throw together, you can make your own in just about as much time as it would take to put the ingredients together from this package, and you'll likely be happier with the results.

Artichokes are a great way to upgrade your bagged salad or spruce up your homemade creation because they add a ton of nutritional value as well as a nutty, buttery flavor. They are a staple in Mediterranean-style bowls, but you can also add them to chopped Italian recipes, spring mixes, and pasta salads. One artichoke-lover on Reddit recommends chopping up artichokes, onion, celery, olives, salami, and string cheese to add to a bowl of tortellini for a delectable and fresh pasta salad.

Artichokes are a low-fat, high-fiber vegetable with tons of nutrients and antioxidants that help regulate blood pressure, improve cholesterol, and help manage digestive health. However, they can take between 30 and 45 minutes to cook, so buying them by the jar is a huge time saver. Costco's jar of artichoke hearts comes marinated in deliciously flavorful oil and they're already cut into quarters and halves, and ready to be added to your salad creation. Plus, these jarred artichokes are packing a bonus secret ingredient: You can use the oil from the jar to make salad dressings as well.

Bacon crumbles are a popular savory topping that add an unmistakable salty and smoky flavor to your salad, as well as a crunchy texture. While most commonly found on Cobb salads, bacon crumbles are extremely versatile and make an excellent addition to a wedge, Caesar, or broccoli salad as well. Costco's Kirkland Signature brand makes a convenient, large 1.25-pound bag of bacon crumbles that may be tempting, but customers online recommend you steer clear of this product if crunchy bacon bits are what you're looking for.

One Costco member on Reddit explains that this product used to be a staple for them, but they've noticed a change in quality over the past few years. The Redditor writes, "​​Recently it seems there is more fat than meat and gristle too. I can't imagine reaching into the bag and just dropping some on a salad. Hate that I now have to find a better source for my Crumbles." Another commenter on Reddit describes the crumbles as, "Weirdly chewy." You're better off frying up your own bacon and crumbling it over your salad if you want that classic crispy crunch that it's known for.

The Kirkland Signature rotisserie chicken often tops the rankings for store-bought chicken and receives high praise from customers online for its taste, texture, and value. One happy customer explains on Reddit, "For the price, you can't beat it. Juicy, tender, flavorful. Definitely worth trying if you haven't." In addition to being affordable at just $5 and a perfect Costco food for meal prepping, it's one of the most versatile Costco products that can be added to any dish in need of a protein upgrade.

If you're new to the homemade salad game, or just short on time and don't want to cook your own chicken to throw in the mix, this pre-seasoned juicy meat is the simplest way to bulk up your bowl. Whether you're tackling a fresh summer salad, a savory taco salad, a zesty Thai salad, or almost anything in between, shred or cube your rotisserie and throw it in the mix for some extra protein that is already super flavorful.

Produce is tricky to buy in bulk because they tend to have shorter shelf lives than most other products. And leafy greens are especially difficult because any moisture makes them wilt and rot quickly. At Costco, the leafy greens are packaged in plastic, and it's nearly impossible to avoid moisture getting into the packaging, making the greens spoil fast. Since these products come in such large packages, you end up throwing some away — and that can be wasteful.

Even if you closely inspect the packages for damage or moisture, wilted leaves may be hiding in the middle of the package, where you can't see them until you open it. You're better off purchasing your leafy greens like spinach, arugula, spring mixes, and power greens at a grocery store where they sell smaller quantities. To keep your greens fresh for as long as possible, store them in an airtight container lined with a paper towel to absorb moisture.

It's hard to resist this crunchy salad topping because it adds such a satisfying crunch to your meal. Croutons have a long shelf life, and so they are an excellent product to buy in bulk and store in the pantry. The Fresh Gourmet Organic Seasoned Croutons from Costco come in a 2-pound bag and will instantly upgrade the texture and taste of your salad. Plus, they are a much better value bought in bulk than at the regular grocery store.

One Redditor explained that they prefer to buy at Costco for their family: "I always bought the smaller portions from Aldi. But these are so much better and have a super long shelf life. As frequent salad eaters we love them!" These restaurant-style croutons are seasoned with garlic, onion, salt, and parsley, so they add a savory flavor as well as a crunchy texture to your dish. This can be a welcome contrast to softer leafy greens, and they are also a carb, so they will help keep you full and satisfied.