Best Snacks to Buy at Costco for Your Super Bowl Party - Consumer Reports (2024)

Which teams are competing in Super Bowl LVII? Does it matter? This day is as much about food and socializing as it is about the game. And this year is the first Super Bowl since the pandemic that will feel somewhat normal. Not normal enough that Tom Brady will take the field, but normal enough that you might have a bunch of friends and family crammed into your living room to yell at the TV while sharing communal trays of food.

Perfection! If anyone you know says they don’t enjoy pigs in a blanket, you’re right to suspect they’re a robot. The pack comes with plain piggies and piggies sprinkled with everything bagel seasoning. The franks are juicy and not too salty, while the pastry is crisp and tender at the same time. We’re not sure if the everything seasoned ones are worth 12 more calories a pop, but it gives them a little something extra. Provide your own mustard and ketchup for dipping.

These mini pizzas are so satisfying yet not at all satiating because we apparently cannot stop eating them. “They’re probably the best frozen pizzas I’ve purchased except for my favorite, Red Baron,” says a taster. “My daughter ate an entire one without hesitation, and she’s picky, so this was like winning the Super Bowl for me.” The thin crust gets nice and crisp, and there’s just the right ratio of sauce to cheese. Cut these 5-inch pizzas into quarters, and you have an ideal two-bite snack for your party spread.

Gotta love a dish that requires no heating. Costco’s shrimp are plump, sweet, and perfectly cooked. “They taste clean and fresh,” says a taster. The co*cktail sauce leans towards the sweet side, so get a bottle of horseradish to add a little kick. Actually, while you’re at it, get an extra bottle of co*cktail sauce, too. The party tray’s ratio of shrimp to sauce is a little off.

There were surprisingly few dip options at the Costcos we went to. Like, this was it, if you don’t count guac and salsa. Luckily, it turned out to be quite good—if spinach artichoke is your thing—because both flavors are prominent, as is the tartness of the cheesy base. While the package instructions say you could eat it hot or cold, we definitely recommend heating it in the microwave. Pro tip: Skip the potato and tortilla chips and pick up a package of Schwartz Brothers Organic Everything Bagel Chips (below) to scoop up the dip.

Skip the potato and tortilla chips, and pick up a package of Schwartz Brothers Organic Everything Bagel Chips to scoop up the aforementioned spinach-artichoke dip.

These enormous cooked wings in the deli section pack a flavorful garlic-lemon-pepper punch. (Note that some locations only have drumsticks in the same seasoning.) Reheating them is as easy as popping them into a toaster oven or an air fryer for 6 minutes. The bold seasoning even converted a chicken wing hater among us. And everyone prefers these to the wings you can find in the freezer aisle. “The dry rub on these wings is superior,” says one taster. If it’s buffalo wings you crave, Costco also sells Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.

Costco’s beef chili, found in the deli section, has a nice balance of seasonings. They don’t skimp on the beef, but there’s also a good ratio of meat to beans. If your party guests come expecting a meal, this four-pound vat of chili won’t disappoint, but we also picture it heaped atop Frito pie and nachos.

You can definitely taste the apple in these fat, snappy chicken sausages. The fruit makes them quite sweet, but it works. “It has a certain trashiness that’s very appealing, especially when paired with football,” says one taster. The bits of apple make the sausage look a bit like head cheese when sliced, so it’s not the prettiest-looking sausage, but this isn’t a beauty contest.

We wish there were more vegan snack options at Costco beyond raw fruit and vegetables, but at least we found these spring rolls. “They’re so delicious my family ate them for two meals,” says one taster. They come out super crisp whether you heat them up in a toaster oven or an air fryer. The only downside is the wrappers fray quite a bit, making them look a bit ragged. The plum sauce is more citrusy and complex than what comes with most Chinese takeout.

No one was excited to try cauliflower pizza, but was there a morsel left behind when we were done? Nah, it was gone within minutes. Everyone was wowed, in awe, at how good a cauliflower pizza crust tasted. Those who didn’t know it was a cauliflower crust thought it was a regular crust. It’s crisp, sturdy, and topped with well-seasoned sauce and toppings.

If you or your guests are vegetarian, Milton’s Craft Bakers Roasted Vegetable Cauliflower Crust Pizza has a nearly identical crust to the Kirkland (above) without the meaty toppings. It’s a little bland compared with the Kirkland and needs more cook time than the instructions indicate.

Getting a custom cake at Costco is not easy. You can’t call ahead or order online; you need to place your order in person one to two days in advance. Is it worth it, though? Heck yeah. The bakery also has premade cakes in their case—there’s just no guarantee there will be one with a cute football design on it. Our tasters insist this is the best grocery store chocolate cake they’ve had. “It reminds me of my all-time favorite recipe from Ina Garten,” says one taster. “It’s that good.” The chocolate is chocolatey, the cake is moist and tender, and the thin layer of mousse in the middle punches up the chocolate flavor and delivers a subtle textural contrast.

Slow clap for the person who pitched this in a meeting: Chocolate-covered pretzels, but make ’em thin mints. We didn’t know Girl Scout Thin Mints could be improved upon, but that salty crunch was exactly what we didn’t know we wanted.