Popular Costco Bakery Goods: What To Store In The Refrigerator

Across the globe, Costco is known for its amazing bakery, full of all sorts of pastries, cakes, and cookies. Additionally, Costco's bakery offers a variety of breads, from bagels to baguettes and, of course, our favorite: the rustic Italian loaf. The catch is, most of these items come in bulk packages that take up a lot of real estate in our homes. Since many of us struggle with limited fridge space, it's good to know which baked goodies must be refrigerated and which can sit just fine on our kitchen counters at room temperature.

It may surprise you to know that most items from the warehouse's bakery do just fine when stored properly outside of the refrigerator in a cool, dry space. Some baked goodies, like sandwich bread, can actually go stale faster in the refrigerator. With bread, after a few days and up to one week on the counter, it's best to freeze it to maintain freshness if you wish to keep it for longer periods of time. But what about more buttery and moist baked goodies, like Costco's rich and fruity muffins?

Muffins are one of the bakery items that Costco actually makes from scratch. Big, fluffy, and moist, Costco muffins are typically made with eggs, milk, sugar, and flour. Depending on the flavor of the muffin, the ingredients will differ. For example, some Costco muffins contain fruits, like blueberries and bananas, while others contain chocolate.

Typically, it is fine to not refrigerate these baked goodies and instead keep Costco muffins in an airtight container (or in its original packaging) for up to a week in a cool and dry space or at room temperature as long as it is not too humid in your house. After that, like with bread, it's best to freeze muffins for prolonged storage and freshness. If muffins with fruits have sat on your counter at room temperature for a few days, and you're unsure of their freshness, be sure to check for signs of spoilage. If the muffin smells sour, has visible mold, or the berries look slimy, it may be best to toss those muffins into the compost bin.

Let's say you just bought some Costco cinnamon rolls and want to have them for breakfast all week long. Do they need to be refrigerated? The answer is no. Beneath the sugary frosting layer is sweet bread, which can quickly turn stale, dry, and tough when refrigerated.

Similar to Costco muffins and bread, Costco cinnamon rolls will be just fine when stored properly in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature for a few days. Sugar, by the way, is also a natural preservative. It is actually difficult for pathogens, like bacteria, to grow on sugary frosting.

After about a week, you can freeze Costco cinnamon rolls for prolonged storage. Then, to thaw frozen Costco cinnamon rolls, defrost them on the counter at room temperature. Defrosting frozen cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator works too.

What is the right way to store your Costco cakes? With cheesecakes from the warehouse, refrigeration is a must, as the cake can easily melt or soften too much and spoil when it's left on the counter. Cheesecakes are also quite perishable and can spoil quickly when not refrigerated. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration generally recommends refrigerating moist desserts that contain dairy products and eggs. 

With other types of cakes from Costco, it's good to see how the warehouse stores them. Do they come refrigerated? If they do, it's best to keep these cakes refrigerated at home as well. If you're ever unsure about how to properly store a cake, like the one with fresh buttercream that you've just bought from Costco, it's also good to try asking a staff member who works in the bakery. 

So far, it appears only most of Costco's cakes will need refrigeration. But what about pastries, like the warehouse's super popular croissants? Just like with our homemade croissant recipe, the croissants you find at the warehouse are typically made with butter, flour, sugar, and milk. Every day, Costco bakes fresh croissants, so when you bring them home, they're typically the freshest they can be. 

Like with bread, Costco croissants don't need refrigeration and can sit on the counter for a few days. Note that some consumers have noticed Costco croissants developing mold after just a few days on the counter. So once again, it's best to always check your baked goodies for signs of spoilage prior to enjoying. When we bought Costco croissants, we had them on the counter for a week. By day seven, they were quite stale but unspoiled, and they perked up nicely in the toaster oven. After that point, it's best to store Costco croissants in the freezer rather than in the refrigerator, where they will dry out and harden. 

With that Costco cheesecake in your refrigerator, space is getting limited. You also had your eye on a pumpkin and pecan pie, both of which are creamy pies. Do they need to be refrigerated?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it turns out that creamy and chiffon-style pies must be refrigerated, especially if they don't contain any preservatives. This includes pumpkin and pecan pies, both of which can last for up to four days in the refrigerator. The reason is because both pies are made with highly perishable ingredients. The USDA also recommends you consulting bakery staff for the proper storage information for their baked goodies if you are ever unsure. 

If you don't enjoy cold pies, it's best to reheat them. The best way to reheat pie to perfection is to use an air fryer, oven, or toaster oven. You can reheat the whole pie or single slices. In the airfryer, heat the pie for a few minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In the oven, heat the pie at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. 

Finally, what about the fruity pies, like Costco's apple pies? Do they need to be immediately refrigerated? According to the USDA, the answer is no. The fillings of fruity pies, such as cherry or blueberry pies, are typically made with fruits and sugar rather than milk and eggs. Since fruity pies are less perishable, you can leave them on the counter at room temperature for one to two days. After that, the USDA recommends refrigerating these pies. Costco's apple pie will do just fine refrigerated for up to a week. Like with creamy pies, you can also reheat fruity pies using the aforementioned methods. 

Shopping at Costco can be quite magical, but reality hits when you return home with bulky items and realize storage space is limited. So hopefully this guide will save you from a lot of headache moving forward.