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The 28 Best Costco Bakery Items, Ranked

We have THOUGHTS about those iconic croissants.

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Costco is the closest thing we have to heaven on Earth. There's no other place in the world where you can enjoy free samples, wander vast air-conditioned aisles full of fun products, and enjoy a hot dog and soda for just $1.50. The bulk warehouse chain transforms an everyday grocery run into an entertaining experience.

The Delish team has spent many hours at our local Costco exploring their constantly changing stock. In the past, we've rounded up our favorite luxury groceries, kitchen equipment, and snacks at Costco. We've even consulted experts like Laura Lamb from @costcohotfinds to share insider tips when it comes to shopping at the store. (News flash: you're probably going at the wrong time.)

But, without a doubt, the best section of any Costco warehouse is the bakery. Each location bakes sweet and savory treats on site without any added preservatives, so you can rest assured that the products you're picking up are fresh. There are year round staples that Costco lovers swear by, but Costco keeps the bakery department interesting by rotating plenty of seasonal products.

That being said, not every Costco pastry has star quality. So we're rounding up the most popular products—both everyday and seasonally-specific offerings—and ranking them from worst to best. When you stumble across a new sweet and wonder if it's worth buying, odds are we'll have a hot take somewhere on this list.

28

Baguettes

Like they say in Ratatouille, you can identify the best bread by the sound of the crust. And at Costco, it's less of a crunch and more of a sad squish. These baguettes also go stale within a day.

27

Strawberries And Cream Bar Cake

This seasonal layered cake bears a striking resemblance to a fan favorite dessert that's comfortably seated near the top of our list. The strawberries and cream version, however, doesn't stack up. It's not bad by any means, but we desperately want these to be made with fresh strawberries instead of the syrupy packaged stuff.

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26

Pecan Pie

Costco's track record when it comes to pie is hit or miss, and this one is a miss. We wish the filling of this pecan pie had a deeper, more molasses-y sweetness. The crust also tends to be too soggy for our liking.

25

Mini Carrot Cakes

One of Costco's most exciting bakery categories is the mini cake—which is better described as a massive cupcake. We love them for the most part, but this carrot cake is the weakest of the bunch. There's not enough carrot and the spice level could be amped up a few notches.

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24

Mini Snickerdoodle Cakes

Fighting for last place in the mini cake category is the snickerdoodle flavor. We love snickerdoodles on their own, and we love cinnamon flavored desserts in general. But something about this mini cake isn't hitting. It's not spiced enough to be a solid fall dessert, in our opinion.

23

Confetti Cookies

Costco's cookies are in a league of their own. The confetti cookies aren't bad, per se. But they don't blow us away enough to justify buying an entire package.

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22

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

People go feral for Costco's chocolate peanut butter pie, and we don't blame them. Chocolate and peanut butter is one of the best flavor combinations on Earth. But it's almost so decadent and rich that we can't finish a single slice on our own, let alone the whole pie.

21

Bagels

We may be biased as New Yorkers, but the bagels at Costco are just okay. Laura Lamb from @costcohotfinds, however, swears by them. She keeps them in the freezer and uses them all week. They also get bonus points for coming in fun flavors like Parmesan.

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20

Butter Cinnamon Sugar Loaf

If you've ever eaten the Trader Joe's pancake bread, you probably have a good idea of what this butter cinnamon sugar loaf tastes like. It's sugary, soft, and a great stand-in for a basic pound cake. But it's a little too plain to enjoy on its own.

19

Double Chocolate Muffins

The double chocolate muffin is a year round offering at the Costco bakery, and fans love it. But our critique is like the one we have for the butter cinnamon sugar loaf—it's just a tad too plain for our taste.

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18

Sourdough Bread

Compared to an average supermarket sourdough loaf, Costco has the most flavorful and affordable version. It's pillowy soft in the center and has a mild tartness. Our only gripe is that its storage in a plastic bag decimates any semblance of a crunchy exterior.

17

Four Berry Pie

Costco uses four different berries in this pie. It strikes the ideal balance of sweet and tart, has a delightfully crispy crust, and is peak summer vibes. But at around $19 per pie, it's a little too pricey to be a regular purchase.

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16

Green Chile Cornbread

Cornbread has plenty of applications, but our favorite way to eat it is with a cozy bowl of chili. Their specialty cornbread is speckled with smoky (but not spicy!) green chile, which adds a lovely Southwestern twist to a classic treat.

15

Red Velvet Mini Cakes

Red velvet is a classic for a reason. And these mini cakes do not disappoint. There's a hearty layer of cream cheese frosting on top of a chocolate-y, super moist cake. If you're a red velvet lover like we are, buy a package.

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14

Pumpkin Pie

Costco's pumpkin pie is consistent. If you bring it to a Thanksgiving potluck, it'll get just as much praise as Grandma's recipe. That being said, we wish the warm spices were much more intense.

13

Cherry Filled Danishes

Costco danishes are the best way to recreate the experience of being in a luxurious coffee shop in your own home. Their cherry-filled danishes are flaky, buttery, and perfectly sweet. Your breakfast routine will never be the same.

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12

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is one of the many seasonal Costco bakery products that deserves to be sold year round. The pumpkin cheesecake is decadent, tangy, and perfectly spiced.

11

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

There's no way we can rank Costco baked goods without including the beloved chocolate chunk cookies. They're chewy, filled with chocolate, and have a certain nostalgia that you can't replicate with a homemade cookie.

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10

S'mores Cookies

The classic chocolate chunk is incredible on its own, but add marshmallows and graham crackers and it's on an entirely new level. These s'mores cookies from Costco are a relatively new offering, and we can already see them being a fan favorite.

9

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

A lemon meringue pie and a cheesecake walk into a Costco...and magic happens. It's dense, it's fluffy, it's sweet, it's tart, it's everything we want in a summer dessert.

Headshot of Gabby Romero
Gabby Romero
Associate Editor

Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture

Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education

About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like Dirty Martini Pasta and Aperol Spritz Trifle. Her features cover online trends like the Millennial Shopping Cart, rank everything from hard seltzers to frozen French fries, and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her three-part series about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views.  She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can. 

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