7 Popular Costco Freezer-Aisle Appetizers, Ranked Worst To Best

Ah, Costco — the beloved wholesale store where consumers can buy goods in bulk, and often at a deal (provided you have a membership). Anyone who holds the coveted Costco membership knows the store is invaluable when hosting any type of gathering, from soirée to a Super Bowl party, as utilizing the store for such occasions will make party planning a breeze. You can buy enough of any type of food to feed a crowd, but I was curious as to what the store offers in terms of small bites that can get your party started: frozen appetizers.

Sure, you could buy a pack of Costco's Kirkland bacon and painstakingly make dozens of bacon-wrapped dates for your next gathering, but wouldn't it be infinitely easier if you could simply buy pre-made frozen appetizers and heat them up? Fortunately for the party planner on a time crunch, you can — and many of Costco's picks fit the bill for yummy, hearty appetizers to make in a pinch. I tried seven of Costco's appetizer offerings and ranked them from worst to best based on how well they stood up to their self-description on the package, how they compared to other versions I've had before, their overall flavor and texture, and simply how well they stood on their own as an appetizer. On the whole, I enjoyed most of these appetizers, though a few definitely left me wanting more.

The bottom spot on my ranking of Costco frozen appetizers goes to one I didn't have high hopes for and was let down by anyway: bibigo's steamed chicken and vegetable dumplings. When I saw that the cooking process for these was a mere two minutes in the microwave, I was immediately skeptical, and unfortunately, I was right to be. These dumplings emerged from the microwave looking fairly lackluster — they were incredibly rubbery and not as stuffed as they looked on the box — and definitely not restaurant-quality frozen dumplings.

On the plus side, the company does include sauce packets with the dumplings, though it just tasted like a salty soy sauce and wasn't anything notable. One bite out of the first dumpling sent juice splattering across my table, which I actually took as a good sign, as I love a juicy dumpling. While I wouldn't call these dumplings bad, they had nothing to write home about. I thought their flavor was pretty lackluster, and there was virtually no texture variation. To their credit, though, they were amply juicy. Personally, I don't think the recommended microwave preparation is enough to do these dumplings justice, so next time, I'll pan-fry them slightly after microwaving just to give them some texture. I also don't think they can hold their own as an appetizer, and I would be more tempted to eat them in soup or even as an accompaniment to some fried rice.

The dumplings were the only dish I was really disappointed by — the rest, including this next pick, are appetizers I would absolutely have again, and ranking them wasn't an easy feat. However, Don Miguel's chicken and cheese mini tacos simply didn't do enough to earn a higher ranking on this list, though I did enjoy them. I decided to prepare them in the air fryer with expectations that would give them a delightfully crispy outside and soft, gooey inside. I was only partially correct.

My first thought upon biting into the mini taco was that it was pretty good — it was decently crunchy, tasted like enchilada filling, and the "mini" size was unique and appealing. However, as I kept eating them, I found myself wanting more than just the taco. I wanted to dip them in salsa and sour cream as the shell was a bit dry and thick. See how the taco filling bursts out the sides in the picture on the box? It was not so with the cooked mini tacos, and I kept hoping I'd run into some melty cheese with each bite. The shell also wasn't as crispy as I'd have liked. If these tacos had more cheese and were slightly crispier, they'd definitely have ranked higher, as I thought the flavors were great.

When I did a ranking of Trader Joe's frozen Asian-inspired foods, I placed the brand's chicken cilantro mini wontons in second place, so it goes without saying that I had relatively high expectations of bibigo's chicken and cilantro mini wontons. I was careful to prepare these as I did the other mini wontons, by pan-frying and lightly steaming them until cooked inside and a bit crispy outside. This didn't take long at all — about six minutes total — and if I had them in soup, I'd skip the frying altogether and simply boil them with the soup for a few minutes. 

When I first bit into these mini wontons, my first thought was that I may have a new favorite — bibigo's might actually be slightly better than the ones at Trader Joe's. They're definitely at least on par. They were delightfully crispy on the outside and the skin was thin enough to yield a simple, pleasant crunch upon biting into. I also really appreciated that the cilantro wasn't overwhelming, so I could see pairing these with a variety of soups. The mini wontons were full of flavor, and they were nice and juicy on the inside. The biggest reason these didn't rank higher on my list is because I didn't feel they held their own as an appetizer — though delicious, they were begging to be enjoyed alongside even a simple, hearty broth.

I should start by articulating my deep, pervasive love for mozzarella sticks. I think they're one of the best store-bought frozen appetizers; in fact, I love them so much that if I'm having a bad day, it's not unheard of for a friend to show up with a bottle of wine and a box of frozen mozzarella sticks. If there's a brand of frozen mozzarella stick, I've probably had it, and if a popular restaurant serves mozzarella sticks, I've probably tried them. To that end, it's safe to say I have a picky palate when it comes to mozzarella sticks, and my standards are high.

I had low expectations of Petite Cuisine's mozzarella sticks simply because I didn't want to be disappointed if they were lackluster. As it turns out, they weren't, and I enjoyed them quite a bit, though they're not the best frozen mozzarella sticks I've ever had. I made these in the air fryer, and they crisped up very well, which got my hopes up. When I bit into one, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the breading was very well seasoned, which is a gripe I sometimes have with bland mozzarella sticks. The cheese pull was ample enough, though I wouldn't call the cheese melty, and while these aren't restaurant quality by any means, they're pretty good for frozen mozzarella sticks.

My mom frequently made pigs in a blanket when I was growing up, and I haven't had them in ages, so Hebrew National's beef franks in a puff pastry blanket immediately gave me a small, pleasant dose of childhood nostalgia. I popped the cute little bites into an air fryer for about eight minutes, during which the pastry puffed up beautifully and cooked to a light golden brown, and I could hear the hot dogs sizzling when I took them out.

I immediately wanted some toothpicks to stick into these just for the vibes — they're the perfect tiny hors d'oeuvres I'd be hard-pressed to resist at a party. When I bit into one, the light, flaky, buttery puff pastry took my breath away, and then I was hit by the juicy hot dog full of flavor. So, I immediately had three more. The textures of both the puff pastry and the hot dog were delightful and flavorful without being too salty, which I'd been a bit concerned about. I also appreciated the balanced ratio of puff pastry to hot dog, as neither overpowered the other. The only thing I might do differently next time is make them a little gourmet — after all, who wouldn't love pigs in a blanket brushed with garlic butter?

There's no question that wings are one of the best appetizers to serve at a Super Bowl party, so if you're a football fanatic, you've probably found yourself looking for some palatable frozen wings on at least one occasion. I had only middling expectations for Foster Farms Buffalo Take Out Crispy Wings, as my experience with frozen wings has varied widely. Many that I've tried got stuck in my teeth, had too much gristle, or were too dry or chewy.

I prepared these in the air fryer before tossing them in a packet of Buffalo sauce supplied by the company, and though I only intended to eat one for the purposes of this tasting, before I knew it, all four were gone. The Buffalo sauce was admittedly a bit spicy (then again, I'm sensitive to spice, so you may disagree), but it was so flavorful that I didn't mind in the slightest. The wings were delightfully meaty, and I definitely didn't feel like the company skimped on the quality of their wings, which were full of flavor even without the sauce. The meat was tender and juicy, and it tore off the bones easily, which I absolutely adored. My single qualm with these was that they weren't quite as crispy as I'd have liked on the outside, but I'll just air fry them for another minute or two next time. 

My top Costco appetizer pick took me utterly by surprise. Admittedly, I've never had lumpia before, but as a huge fan of spring rolls, I did have some idea of what to expect from Summ!'s pork lumpia. I like spring rolls with crisp wrappers, and I like them juicy without being soggy, and I didn't want too much filling to be pulled out when taking a bite. I prepared a couple of these by air frying them for about eight minutes, and the crispiness I felt upon transferring them to the plate should have let me know that I was in for a delightful surprise. 

My first thought after dipping and biting into one was that these honestly felt restaurant-quality. They were incredibly crispy on the outside (thank you, air fryer) but miraculously didn't crumble all over the place. The wrap boasted some flavor, and the spring rolls came with a sweet chili sauce, which was delicious and just spicy enough to give the Filipino rolls a kick without overwhelming my taste buds. I could have used more filling in the wrapper, but the pork definitely came through, and each bite left me wanting to take another one. Though there wasn't much textural variety in the filling, I didn't mind one bit — the crisp exterior more than made up for it. 

To rank Costco's appetizers, I picked seven that my local Costco carries, though I must point out that Costco offerings vary by location, and your local store may have different options available than what I selected. In terms of preparing them, I stuck to package instructions and used my air fryer in place of an oven for consistency; the only thing I didn't air fry was the dumplings, as the package specifically said to only microwave them. Additionally, if the package included a sauce, I made sure to try that with the dish as well.

I've had versions of all of these appetizers before, so I had something to compare them to when tasting. This meant I could partially rank them based on how well they held up to other versions I've tried. In order to receive top marks, an appetizer had to both be full of flavor and have a good variety of textures, and it had to measure up to other versions I've had. Also important was whether I thought it could hold its own at a gathering. Some options on this list, like the dumplings, I'd be tempted to serve as part of a larger dish rather than by themselves. As an appetizer, the dumplings didn't have enough flavor of textural variety to enjoy on their own, so I'd be more inclined to pair them with a soup to make them more palatable.