The 7 Costco Products Our Allstars Always Stock up on for Summer

When you’re gearing up for a summer soirée, or even just restocking essentials after spending months indoors, there's no better place to go than Costco. The big box store has extras of everything we need to get us through the hot days and busy weekends at the right price. The sun is shining and we are ready to get planning and go shopping. Who's with us?!

We asked some Allrecipes Allstars—our enthusiastic squad of 100+ brand ambassadors—to weigh in on their must-buy summer groceries from Costco and got back inspiration and ideas for seasonal fun.

1. Berries

Costco is the place to go for berries. Allstar Brenda Venable gives us the scoop: “[Costco] prices for organic produce just can't be beat, for any time of year, and I always keep their blueberries and strawberries on hand!” Kim Shupe agrees and loads up on “fresh and frozen berries. During the warmer months, our Costco has some of the best berries around.” Tammy Abdul is in that camp as well: “They have the best fresh berries—we mostly eat them plain, but they are also great for summer desserts and fruit smoothies,” she asserts. Diana Bishop goes for the “strawberries, for our summer tradition of making jam.”

2. Meat & Seafood

It’s not hard to get inspired to fire up the barbecue when browsing the cases at Costco. While Sarah Stone is picking up her hamburger patties and hot dogs (and Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce), she sees “a picnic about to begin!” Carol Castellucci Miller is thinking the same when she picks up the 1/4-pound hot dogs and 1/3-pound hamburgers, plus frozen shrimp and octopus for grilling. Venable recommends “Steaks … of course, and chicken parts and pieces.” If you’re looking for more seafood options, Abdul mentions, “They have great mahi mahi, which we love to grill.”

3. Rotisserie Chicken

For those busy summer days when time in the kitchen just isn’t an option, Costco is a go-to, especially for the rotisserie chicken—a “particular favorite for quick dinners!” according to Venable.

Stopping in for a perfectly pre-cooked bird means we don't have to turn on the oven, but can still make our Best Chicken Salad to pack and head to the park. It also makes throwing together weeknight chicken tacos a (summer) breeze.

4. Salad Staples

It’s not a trip to this big box store if you don’t add some staples to your cart. Shupe “stock[s] up on aged balsamic, extra-virgin olive oil, and hard cheeses for all those summer pasta and salad dishes.”

Comisar loves “ALL the Kinder’s spices” which are not only great for seasoning your goods for the grill, but also for adding to vinaigrettes and marinades.

5. Refreshing Drinks

All this time in the sweltering sun makes us thirsty. There is no better place to help fill the coolers than a club store. Abdul does just this. “I stock up on [the Kirkland Signature Vita Rain] water and their bottled water for taking on trips and hikes,” she notes. Stone says, “Definitely the lemonade.” Castellucci Miller opts for seltzer drinks like High Noon, White Claw, and sparkling water.

Venable gives a helpful hint here too, “For sangria, their box wines are great!” she adds (plus, it's another good use for the berries!). And Jane Wilcox goes for the vodka—which would help us make refreshing popsicocktails or your summer cocktail of choice.

6. Road Trip Snacks

Gearing up for a long drive to the beach? Or a short ride to the pool? Costco has you covered as far as snacks are concerned. Not only does it have our favorite chip flavor of the season but Lisa Lynn Backus loves to grab the actual Grillo's Pickles Pickle Chips themselves, too…”[They’re] so crunchy!” she states. While this isn’t necessarily a road trip snack, pickles are welcome anywhere, anytime if you ask us.

Abdul goes classic when looking for dippers for her fresh salsas: “[The Kirkland] brand of tortilla chips [is] so good and priced very, very well.”

Adawndria Fisher loves the lemon almonds from Costco. And she’s not alone. These Lemoncello Chocolate Almonds made by Sconza Chocolates are all the rage amongst those in the know. @costcodeals on Instagram agrees, posting a shout-out to this sweet treat: “If you have never tried one of these lemoncello chocolate almonds, you are missing out! They are soo good!”

Lisa Altmiller opts for the peanut butter-filled pretzels (as do I). “They don’t melt, so [they're] perfect for road trips, snacks for games, etc..” she says.

7. Picnic Blanket

Sarah Kornbrek has a non-food-related recommendation (which I’m about to add to my list). “I like their Pendleton outdoor blankets. They are great for the porch, yard, beach, and fireworks…”

I see a summer full of BBQs and s'mores ahead of us.