Are Costco's Prepared Meals Really Worth The Cost?

With its bakery churning out pre-made and house-made sweets, and the sweet sound of the bell harkening new, fresh rotisserie chickens, it's no wonder people choose Costco; not just for bulk-buys, but also when they're hungry and in a hurry. With that in mind, Costco also sells a wide array of Kirkland Signature prepared meals, which you can take home and eat, bake right in the tray, or put together however you like. They're convenient, for sure –- but are they worth the price tag?

Well, "worth" is subjective, but most customers appreciate how much time they save, how much flavor the meals impart, and for some, the volume of food they get for the cost (packages will vary in price since it's weight-based). For example, the Kirkland Signature Mac and Cheese features about 4 pounds of cheesy noodles for $3.49 per pound (around $14 total) — that's over a dozen 4½-ounce servings. It's almost half what you would pay for, say, the same amount of Panera Bread's ready-to-heat mac and cheese cups from Walmart.

Some of Costco's prepared meals are simply a better value than others because of the volume of food you get for the price. You have something like the Chicken Bacon Ranch Wraps, which only account for about 2½ pounds of food for $6.99 per pound (meaning the total is roughly $18). But it requires purchasing a side to make it a full meal for four people, which maybe isn't the best deal (add it to the list of Costco grocery products that aren't worth the price). But as mentioned, the mac and cheese tray is an excellent value, with around 4 pounds of food for just $14.

The ravioli lasagna features two hefty trays (3 pounds each) which are typically around $20 for both. You could bake one for dinner to easily feed a family of four and freeze the other package for when you need an easy meal in the future. There's also the roughly 3-pound street taco kit, which typically clocks in under $20 and includes 12 tortillas, chicken, cheese, and lime wedges. The chicken is cooked up and chopped into pieces, so there's literally no prep work needed — you can just assemble the tacos and eat.

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether or not Costco's prepared meals fit your budget and whether the trade-off between convenience and price is worth it. For some, they might find that it's not, since you can replicate many of the meals for less by making them from scratch and you can control exactly what you put into each dish.

Which brings up a good point: Costco's prepared meals are tasty, but they're not exactly nutritious. For example, with a single stuffed bell pepper (from a six-count tray) you would be consuming a third of your daily sodium intake — for just one pepper! If you're trying to eat heart-healthy, these meals likely won't fit your diet. That brings us to another point: Costco's prepared meals don't make any attempt to fit gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or keto diets – which is fine. It's just that if you have any of these food restrictions, you're not going to be able to eat many of these dishes with confidence.

If you're looking for a quick bite on the go, many of the meals do require baking or microwaving. So, you could head into Costco with the intent of picking up the street tacos to eat out of your car at your kid's soccer game, but when you get there, if they're all out of that meal, you're out of luck, unfortunately.