- Insider had 16 Costco shoppers share their favorite grocery items to make breakfast with.
- Essentials like egg whites, bananas, and strawberries can be used in various morning-time recipes.
- Multiple shoppers were big fans of the croissants from Costco’s bakery and Dave’s Killer Bread.
Many Costco shoppers visit the wholesale chain to stock up on their breakfast and brunch essentials.
Though each person is shopping for the same morning-time meal, every shopper has a different grocery list.
Insider had 16 loyal shoppers — from a culinary judge to a Costco employee — share what they grab from the chain when they’re making breakfast.
Note: Product prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.
Costco shopper Abigail Abesamis Demarest buys her breakfast staples at the warehouse
She uses Kirkland Signature’s frozen-berry blend for morning smoothies
Kirkland Signature’s three-berry blend frozen fruit is great for smoothies.
Abigail Abesamis Demarest
Demarest uses a cup of Kirkland Signature’s three-berry mix, which includes raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, in her morning smoothies. She adds almond butter, almond milk, chia seeds, and cacao powder for a breakfast that’s ready in minutes.
Using frozen fruit instead of ice adds texture to the smoothie without watering down the flavor.
Each 4-pound bag contains about 14 servings and costs $9.99.
Demarest buys a box of Honey Bunches of Oats with 2 bags of cereal inside
Buy Honey Bunches of Oats in a larger size at Costco.
Abigail Abesamis Demarest for Insider
Honey Bunches of Oats is Demarest’s favorite cereal, and buying it in bulk saves her money.
It’s the same cereal she loves but in a larger package so she doesn’t have to worry about running out.
Each box contains 34 servings and costs $5.99.
A variety pack of Quaker instant oatmeal contains 3 different flavors
Quaker’s oatmeal comes in apples-and-cinnamon, maple-and-brown sugar, and cinnamon-and-spice flavors.
Abigail Abesamis Demarest
Apples-and-cinnamon, maple-and-brown sugar, and cinnamon-and-spice instant oatmeal make up this variety pack.
Instant oatmeal lasts a long time in the pantry and is ready in minutes, so it’s a breakfast option Demarest likes to keep on hand for busy mornings.
Each box contains 52 packets and costs $9.29.
Read Abigail Abesamis Demarest’s full Costco shopping list: I’ve shopped at Costco for over 10 years. Here are the 15 products I always buy in bulk.
Single shopper Alicia Diaz stocks up on essentials at her New York location
Aussie bites are Diaz’s go-to quick breakfast or light-snack option
Aussie bites are the perfect morning snack for those with a sweet tooth.
Alicia Diaz
The Aussie bites are a perfect fast breakfast item or on-the-go snack. They’re filled with rolled oats, dried fruits, flax seeds, coconut, and other ingredients.
Diaz loves them because they satisfy her sweet-tooth cravings and are super filling because of the rolled oats and flax seeds.
Each package comes with about 32 bites and costs $10.
Diaz picks up English muffins for her avocado-toast needs
Top English muffins with avocado, cream cheese, or jam.
Alicia Diaz
Diaz picks up English muffins to use for sandwiches and avocado toast or to serve with some cream cheese and drizzled honey.
She pops the English muffins in the freezer so they last a lot longer and she doesn’t have to worry about them going bad.
Each bag comes with two nine-count packs and costs $5.80.
Read Alicia Diaz’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a solo shopper at Costco. Here are the 15 things I always buy that make my membership worth it.
Mom of 10 Lisa Tanner buys plenty of items to feed her family
Tanner stocks up on enough sliced bacon to feed a dozen people
Sliced bacon from Costco makes a great side.
Lisa Tanner for Insider
Tanner usually bakes the bacon instead of frying it to cut down on the greasy splatter. It’s a favorite for breakfast, but she also adds slices to hamburgers and dices it up to use on top of baked potatoes.
Each package contains four 1-pound packs of bacon and costs $15.49.
Read Alicia Diaz’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a mom of 10 who’s shopped at Costco for 20 years. Here are 20 things I always buy in bulk.
Tara Zeller drives 4 hours to get to her nearest Costco
She buys Kirkland Signature’s maple syrup for her kids’ pancakes
Kirkland Signature’s maple syrup is organic.
Tara Zeller
Zeller likes to buy Kirkland Signature’s pure organic maple syrup.
It costs $8.99 for more than 33 ounces of syrup, and the jug lasts her family a while.
The Kirkland Signature K-Cups are convenient and make good cups of coffee
Kirkland Signature’s breakfast blend is a morning-time staple.
Tara Zeller
Kirkland Signature’s breakfast blend is Zeller’s favorite so she always keeps them in her pantry for a quick caffeine fix.
A box of 110 K-Cups is $36.99 — so every mug of coffee she brews costs less than 50 cents.
Read Tara Zeller’s full Costco shopping list: I drive 4 hours and spend $500 for every Costco trip. Here are 16 things I always stock up on.
Majed Kassis documents her Costco buys through her Instagram account
The cinnamon pull-a-parts from the Costco bakery are dangerously good
The cinnamon pull-a-parts from Costco’s bakery are sweet and delicious.
Majed Kassis
The cinnamon pull-a-parts are one of Kassis’ favorite items.
They’re made with sweet dough, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cream-cheese icing, and you get 12 pieces for only $6.99.
Pitaya Foods’ frozen organic dragon-fruit cubes are perfect for smoothies
Dragon fruit is a great additive for smoothies.
Majed Kassis for Insider
Kassis loves using Pitaya Foods’ dragon-fruit cubes to make smoothies because they pair well with pretty much every other ingredient and, as an added bonus, turn the drink pink.
She throws them in with a banana and some almond milk.
The 3-pound pack costs $9.99.
Red’s keto-friendly egg’wiches are Kassis’ go-to breakfast
Red’s egg sandwiches are keto-friendly.
Majed Kassis for Insider
Red’s egg’wiches use egg patties instead of bread and include turkey sausage and cheese.
In addition to being keto-friendly, these are packed with 17 grams of protein per serving and come in a pack of eight for $12.99.
They take only about a minute and a half to microwave and another minute to cool, making them the perfect quick breakfast or snack.
Read Majed Kassis’ full Costco shopping list: I run a Costco fan account with over 390,000 followers. Here are 12 of my favorite recent purchases.
Nutritionist Candace Nelson buys breakfast for 2 at Costco
Eggs are a great versatile breakfast staple
Wilcox Family Farm’s omega-3 eggs were laid by chickens that had a diet of flax seeds or other sources of the fatty acid.
Candace Nelson
Eggs are versatile, and Nelson eats a ton in her house since she’s a fan of breakfast burritos. She scrambles them with onions and peppers, chunks of potato, or even sauerkraut to mix things up.
The ingredient is a good source of vitamin B12 and also contains all nine essential amino acids, which means it’s considered a complete protein.
Dave’s Killer Bread is the perfect base for toast
Dave’s Killer Bread is full of seeds.
Candace Nelson
Dave’s Killer Bread is one of Nelson’s favorites because it’s packed with seeds, and it has 5 grams of filling fiber and protein.
She toasts the bread and spreads Kirkland Signature’s nut butter on top and adds sliced bananas.
Read Candace Nelson’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a nutritionist who shops at Costco for 2. Here are 15 things I always buy in bulk.
Olympian and semi-professional athlete Gemma Acheampong grabs her fruit at Costco
Strawberries are amazing when they’re in season
Strawberries from Costco are usually a great deal.
Gemma Acheampong for Insider
If Acheampong plans on making a Costco trip soon, she’ll hold off on buying produce from her local grocery stores because she usually gets the best deal when she buys in-season fruit from the warehouse.
She pays about $5 for 2 pounds of strawberries.
Golden kiwis are like tart, healthy candy for the Olympian
Golden kiwis are perfect alongside toast or eggs.
Gemma Acheampong for Insider
Golden kiwis are a bit less tart than regular kiwis, full of Vitamin C, and don’t have that weird fuzzy feeling that their green counterparts can leave behind at times.
Although Acheampong might buy other fruits outside of Costco, she always gets her golden kiwis at the warehouse. Costco has the largest size carton she can find, the cheapest price, and the best-quality selection.
She spends about $10 for 3 pounds of kiwi.
Read Gemma Acheampong’s full Costco shopping list: I’m an Olympian and semi-professional athlete. Here are 16 things I always buy at Costco for myself.
Personal trainer Rachel MacPherson picks up kefir for her family of 6
Kefir is good for smoothies and shakes
Kefir goes great in smoothies.
Rachel MacPherson
MacPherson’s local Costco carries a large jug of drinkable Good Moood Farm kefir, a tangy probiotic beverage that contains more healthy bacteria than yogurt.
She adds kefir to smoothies and protein shakes.
Read Rachel MacPherson’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a personal trainer who shops for a family of 6 at Costco. Here are 21 things I always stock up on.
Pro baker Alana Al-Hatlani and her chef boyfriend have found the best culinary treats at the store
Prosciutto is the couple’s breakfast go-to
Citterio’s 18-month-aged prosciutto di Parma is a product of Italy.
Alana Al-Hatlani
Prosciutto is Al-Hatlani’s go-to bacon alternative — she uses it on eggs Benedict and breakfast sandwiches.
The salty, cured pork packs a ton of flavor, but high-quality options are expensive and often sold in smaller, 2- or 3-ounce packages at traditional grocery stores.
Citterio’s 18-month-aged prosciutto di Parma comes with two 6-ounce packs and costs $11.29 at Costco.
Kirkland Signature’s oat milk is one of Al-Hatlani’s favorite nondairy beverages
Oat milk is a perfect nondairy alternative.
Alana Al-Hatlani
Kirkland Signature’s oat milk is Al-Hatlani’s nondairy alternative of choice.
Creamy, with a subtle oat flavor, this option is great in coffee but also a good substitute for whole milk in many baked goods.
This six-pack costs $9.49 and is convenient — the 32-ounce boxes can be stored in the pantry until opened.
Read Alana Al-Hatlani’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a professional baker and my boyfriend is a chef. Here are 13 of our favorite things to buy at Costco.
Couponer Rachel Weber loves all the deals Costco has in store
Kirkland Signature’s house-blend, medium-roast coffee is tasty and roasted by Starbucks
A bag of Kirkland Signature’s coffee will last you a while.
Rachel Weber
Weber goes through a lot of coffee, and Kirkland Signature’s option has never disappointed her.
At about $12 a bag, it’s great for daily drinking and seems to last forever.
You can even grind these coffee beans with the industrial grinders by the registers before you leave Costco.
Egg whites are a great, versatile protein option
Egg whites can be cooked up or even added to oatmeal.
Rachel Weber
Weber uses egg whites for her breakfasts and even adds them to her oatmeal.
She buys them in bulk for under $9, then freezes half of the box when she gets home.
Weber grabs a tub of top-tier Greek yogurt from Fage
Fage’s Greek yogurt is creamy and feels authentic.
Rachel Weber
Weber uses Greek yogurt almost daily, and she’s gotten pretty creative with new ways to incorporate it into her diet, like mixing it with peanut-butter powder.
She adds it to smoothies and makes super-filling, delicious yogurt bowls with fresh fruit and nuts.
Read Rachel Weber’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a 25-year-old extreme couponer who loves to shop at Costco. Here are 13 things I frequently buy.
Culinary judge Meredith Ochs loves to get her morning-time essentials at the warehouse
Kirkland Signature’s organic peanut butter contains minimal ingredients
Kirkland Signature’s organic creamy peanut butter is made with 100% US Valencia peanuts.
Meredith Ochs
Though Ochs grew up eating peanut butter loaded with hydrogenated oils and sweeteners, she’s loyal to Kirkland Signature’s organic option, made with only dry roasted peanuts and salt. For a non-emulsified nut butter, it’s incredibly creamy and consistent.
She spreads it on crackers, pretzels, and toast. And in her most “hangry” moments, she spoons it right out of the jar.
A two-pack costs $9.99.
Kirkland Signature’s butter croissants are an amazing deal
The croissants from Costco’s bakery are buttery and creamy.
Meredith Ochs
Ochs has enjoyed Costco’s croissants since the bakery changed to a 100% butter recipe a couple of years ago. She stuffs them with herbed scrambled eggs or a delicate tuna salad with thinly sliced avocado.
They become even flakier when gently warmed in a toaster oven. Ochs just recommends keeping an eye on them since, like most tender baked goods, they burn easily.
A dozen croissants sell for $5.99
Read Meredith Ochs’ full Costco shopping list: I’m a culinary judge who shops at Costco. Here are 12 things I recommend buying.
Costco employee Veronica Thatcher buys her kids’ favorites so they start their days off right
Thatcher always restocks on bananas at Costco
Bananas can be eaten on their own or sliced on top of pancakes.
Veronica Thatcher
Thatcher’s kids love bananas so her family goes through them pretty fast. Whether they’re eaten as a snack, sliced on top of pancakes, or used for banana bread, she needs this fruit in her house.
Costco offers a great deal of 3 pounds for $1.99.
Krusteaz buttermilk-pancake mix comes in handy every weekend
The mix from Krusteaz makes light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes.
Veronica Thatcher
Pancakes are a must for Thatcher’s family every Saturday. With the Krusteaz mix, all she has to do is add water to get light and fluffy pancakes that meet every expectation.
This mix can also be used to make waffles.
You can grab a 10-pound bag of the Krusteaz buttermilk-pancake mix for $7.99.
Read Veronica Thatcher’s full Costco shopping list: I work at Costco and spend $100 a week there to feed my family of 4. Here are 10 things we love to buy.
Christina Chandra is a busy mom who needs quick, simple breakfasts
The Greenfield turkey breakfast sausages seamlessly come together in the air fryer
The Greenfield breakfast sausages are perfect for hectic mornings.
Christina Chandra
Chandra pops the turkey sausages in the air fryer on weekday mornings.
She serves them with whole-grain toast and a side of fruit for a simple (and extremely fast) breakfast.
The El Monterey breakfast wraps can easily be eaten at the office
The El Monterey breakfast wraps have egg, sausage, cheese, and potato.
Christina Chandra
On weekday mornings, Chandra almost never has time to eat breakfast. By the time she gets to work, her hunger pangs kick in, so she keeps some breakfast wraps there.
All she needs to do is microwave a wrap on high for one minute and 30 seconds. She adds some hot sauce for a fulfilling breakfast with 10 grams of protein.
Read Christina Chandra’s full Costco shopping list: I’m a busy mom who shops at Costco. Here are 12 things I buy for quick and healthy meals and snacks.
Jenn Morson grabs what her family of eight needs at Costco
Morson adds the International Delight creamer to her coffee
Creamer is a staple for some coffee drinkers.
Jenn Morson
International Delight’s vanilla creamer is Morson’s go-to at Costco.
If the coconut-cream flavor is in stock, she’ll usually go with that one.
The bagels from the deli section are a favorite for Morson
Costco’s bagels are baked at the warehouse.
Jenn Morson
Morson isn’t a big breakfast person, but she loves a good bagel from Costco’s bakery. For her, they taste like the closest thing to bagels from a Manhattan deli one can find in the suburbs of Maryland.
She usually grabs one bag of everything bagels and one of plain as her kids prefer the latter.
Read Jenn Morson’s full Costco shopping list: I shop at Costco for my family of 8. From premade meals to pantry staples, here’s what I always buy.
Shopper and dad Ted Berg walks 20 minutes to shop at his local Costco
Annie’s cinnamon rolls are a sweet breakfast treat
Annie’s cinnamon rolls only take 20 minutes to bake.
Ted Berg
Berg’s local Costco stocks three packs of Annie’s organic cinnamon rolls, and he can never pass them up.
They’re ready in just 20 minutes, and though he likes them as a treat, he also acknowledges that society has decided that cinnamon rolls are an acceptable breakfast.
Read Ted Berg’s full Costco shopping list: I walk 20 minutes to shop at Costco for my family of 4. Here are 13 things I usually have in my cart.
UK shopper Matt Ng grabs food for his family on a monthly budget of $150
A pot of Onken yogurt has good probiotics
Onken yogurt comes in a mango-papya flavor.
Matt Ng
The Onken mango-papaya yogurt is a great source of probiotics and is creamy and delicious.
Ng uses it to liven up a dry bowl of cereal at breakfast.
Read Matt Ng’s full Costco shopping list: I shop at Costco for my family of 4 with a monthly budget of $150. Here are 11 things I like to get there.
Correction: December 19, 2022 — An earlier version of this story misstated that Dave’s Killer Bread is made with nuts. Dave’s Killer Bread does not contain nuts.