Costco is one of our usual grocery shopping spots. If you are able to stick to the staples, you can definitely save money on clean eating foods by shopping at Costco.
No, unfortunately, the TVs, jeans and giant pizzas aren’t the staples I’m referring to ;). Clean eating at Costco is definitely possible if you stay focused—let’s take a look at the specifics.
Preparing to Shop at Costco
First of all, you have to have a membership to shop at Costco, but they aren’t terribly expensive. I believe they will allow you get a one-day pass if you want to go in and explore before committing to a membership.
The shopping carts are huge, and the store doesn’t use bags. They have piles of cardboard boxes by the registers that you can take, or you can bring your own bags, of course.
These are my favorite cotton shopping bags that are still going strong after nearly five years. Keep in mind, many items will be too large to fit in bags.
If you bring your own bags, plan to bag post checkout. Their scales are ninja level (this is not Kroger), and I have been reprimanded for trying to sneak my bags onto the scale with the item :).
Costco is a bulk store, so this style of shopping may not work for everyone. I absolutely hate wasting food, so there are lots of foods I don’t to buy at Costco, because we just won’t be able to get to it all.
Other things we may could get to, but they would be way to tempting to buy in bulk size, ha! I created a Costco Clean Eating Grocery Guide (←printable version) that may be helpful for new Costco shoppers. You will want to use your own judgement as to what is “clean.”
Some will include naturally sweetened items, some won’t. Some want to avoid all additives while others are o.k. partaking minimally processed snacks on occasion. Make it your own!
Costco carries organic options for most of the foods on this list. To find out specifically which organic foods Costco carries, head over to my related post “Is Costco Worth It for Organic Foods?”
Best Costco Produce Bargains
One of the biggest appeals of Costco IMHO is their affordable organic produce. If you break down the cost of their bulk organic produce, it is usually similar to the price of conventional produce at a typical grocery store.
If the cost of organic is still too much, consider focusing on only buying The EWG’s Dirty Dozen organic. Produce makes the dirty dozen list by containing ridiculous amounts of pesticides or containing a particularly harmful pesticide.
Unfortunately, the U.S. allows some pesticides that are banned in other countries. The EWG’s list is often dominated by thin-skinned fruits and leafy greens. I included the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 on my shopping guide above as it’s hard to remember from year to year.
Some of my favorite Costco produce bargains are the large containers of spinach, spring mix, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini and squash, blueberries and strawberries. Can’t eat it all in a week? Consider dividing it in half when you get home and freezing the other half for casseroles and smoothies.
Speaking of smoothies, the large Kirkland bags of frozen berries are an amazing deal. They usually have a conventional and organic version. For berries, I’d splurge on organic, since they habitually make the dirty dozen list.
Frozen produce is another way to save money and still get in all of your essential nutrients. My son drinks a green smoothie almost daily, and the bulk frozen berries keep the cost down tremendously.
You will also find organic salad kits just be sure to read your labels depending on your level of clean eating. We love the ceaser salad kit, and it’s a lifesaver during busy seasons.
The Asian salad kits tend to be high in sugar due to the dressing so just be aware if you are trying to nix sugar.
Clean Eating Meat and Protein at Costco
Costco carries organic beef and chicken as well as wild-caught Alaskan seafood. The beef and chicken are fresh in the meat department, and the seafood options are either frozen or canned. Salmon, cod and shrimp are three frozen wild-caught options that I know of.
They also carry canned Wild Planet albacore tuna and wild-caught salmon. Tuna is a bit higher in mercury, so we don’t eat it too often. Much of the seafood at our local grocery is farm-raised or shipped from China neither of which screams healthy, so it’s nice to be able to buy those items at Costco.
Costco has the best price I have seen on pasture-raised organic eggs unless you have your own chickens, of course. We go in and out of the chicken game, but if we buy eggs, it’s usually from Costco.
Dairy and Non-Dairy Options at Costco
Costco carries Kerry Gold cheese and butter at nearly half the price of the typical grocery store. While Kerry Gold is not certified organic, it is made from Irish grass-fed cows—there is some seasonal non-GMO grain finishing you can research if you like.
I have been down that rabbit hole and am personally o.k. with the grain finishing. Grass-fed dairy provides substantially more Omega-3s than conventional dairy, so it sometimes outweighs the USDA organic label for me, but if you can find grass fed plus USDA organic, you are definitely winning at clean eating!
Costco also carries a 3-pack of no sugar added almond milk, and since almond milk tends to last longer than dairy milk, we (a family of 4) are able to get through the 3 containers before they expire just fine. They also carry organic cow’s milk and some yogurt options.
My local store carries an organic Greek yogurt with no sugar added. Yogurt is one of those common products where sugar is snuck in, so I always double check the nutrition label.
Best Costco Pantry Staples
This is one of the bigger money savers for us. You can get a 6-pack of organic chicken broth or bone broth and a giant bag of organic brown rice that will last you for months.
There are lots of options for natural sweeteners like organic pitted dates, maple syrup and honey. Maple syrup is our nutrient-dense sweetener of choice.
I’m not sure if protein powder is quite a pantry staple, but we keep ours in the pantry so there ya go! Costco carries Orgain plant-based protein powder, which is one of the cleaner brands that is widely available.
We use it sparingly as we try to get as we try to stick to whole foods, but it adds a nice creaminess to smoothies and can convenient when you are on the go. I prefer the vanilla bean flavor, while my husband and son prefer the chocolate fudge.
We don’t buy many canned goods, but I know they offer some beans, soups and pasta/pasta sauces.
Favorite Clean Costco Snacks
For an extensive list, check out my related post, 13 Clean Eating Snacks to Buy at Costco.
Costco carries giant bags of nuts, and some are organic like the raw cashews. One of my personal favorite clean Costco snacks is the dried mangos. If you don’t eat a lot of sugar, you will feel like you are eating Starbursts (no joke!)
The location of the dried fruit moves around from time to time, but recently it’s usually located in the produce section.
I have bought dried mangos at many places, and the ones from Costco are always the best! Warning: these are highly addictive. I have to take breaks … it’s that bad.
Maybe a stretch of the clean eating definition, but Costco carries Late July Chips. We have been trying the multi-grain tortilla option for nacho nights. They contain chia seeds, so I say that gives them a leg up on the competition.
We were buying the Kirkland Organic tortilla chips until I realized they contained canola oil (boo!).
School Lunch Items at Costco
You can go multiple routes with this. One option is to buy the bulk items and divvy them out into reusable containers. This is the most eco-friendly and economical way, but sometimes life happens, and you need to buy the small snack-size portions.
As far as individually packaged items, Costco offers snack size hummus, guacamole, BelGioioso Mozzarella Balls and apple sauce. We don’t do a lot of processed meat, but my kids love the occasional Paleo beef stick.
They also carry Stonefield yogurt tubes and Chobani bulk yogurt, which both have more added sugar than I prefer but may be a “better” option depending on where someone is in their clean eating journey.
Costco’s mini bell peppers and pre-cut bagged broccoli are perfect to go with the hummus and guacamole. You can also use the tortilla chips for dipping. One of my favorite treats is the Chocxo Coconut Cups.
Looking for clean eating tips and strategies for kids? Check out my related post, “How to Create Real Food Kids.“
Conclusion
Clean eating at Costco is definitely possible, and it can help you fit more high-quality items into the budget. You will spend more upfront, but assuming you stick to the basics (again, avoid the TVs, jeans and pizzas), the overall monthly cost should be lower.
Keep in mind that some items may last over a month. For us, that’s always the rice, chicken broth and tuna and sometimes more.
I hope you learned something you didn’t know from this post especially if you are new to clean eating or new to Costco. I undoubtedly missed some things, and the items available at Costco are constantly changing and vary by location.
