11 Costco Appetizers, Ranked Worst To Best

Appetizer or appe-teaser, no matter how you approach this intro course to your dinner, getting something that sets the stage for the delicious culinary adventures to come is key. We've gone with tried-and-true favorites like chicken wings and cheese puffs, but also like to switch it up occasionally with chicken skewers or fancy pretzel bites. No matter what's on the menu, however, making the most of our budget and serving something delectable are always important considerations. Finding appetizers for a crowd is easy when you're shopping in bulk at Costco. There are plenty of options in the prepared foods section, the frozen food aisles, and in the refrigerator cases. 

We've turned to these tasty options for years when planning parties, gathering for get-togethers, or just feeding our own family. You'll need to have a Costco membership to purchase at the wholesale store, but we've found that getting such great deals on everything from household paper products to baked goods more than covers the annual fee. There are plenty of available choices, so we've rounded up a few that we've used over the years. Here are our favorite Costco appetizers to serve, ranked in order, plus a few that get rave reviews from Costco customers all over the U.S.

If you're serving multiple apps, adding a little bit of whimsy can make things extra memorable. When we want to add something to appeal to guests' sense of fun, we turn to the Foster Farms mini corn dogs. They're a bit heavy on the cornmeal breading, which can get a little messy if you try to take small bites — we recommend just chomping down on each little corn dog in one bite.

This is a crowd pleaser for younger guests as well. Planning a party with food that will appeal to all ages can be tricky, but that's where a varied condiment bar can save the day. We like to put out a selection of gourmet ketchup, mustard, and other condiments to elevate this app for the adults. Kids like plain ketchup with a side of corn dogs on their plates. Either way, it's one tray to prepare and everyone is happy.

A bag with 84 mini corn dogs is less than $15, leaving plenty of room for extras in your party budget. The top is resealable, but we've found that we go through an entire bag pretty quickly, whether it's serving them as an appetizer or making a quick snack for just our family. The taste and convenience gets top marks from us, but because they're on the more messy side, this is an app that we tend to keep for the most casual get-togethers.

A more substantial appetizer that we turn to when we're thinking heavy hors d'oeuvres is pupusas. These are stuffed flatbreads that are popular throughout Latin America, especially El Salvador, where they originated. The Del Real pupusas from Costco are made with corn masa and stuffed with birria and cheese. You can top them with guac, salsa, more cheese, or other tasty ingredients but they're very flavorful as is.

Each box comes with 10 pupusas for around $18, so it's one of the pricier options on our list. We tend to keep these for appetizers for small group gatherings or when we want something handheld that will also provide some protein. Each serving has 11 grams and when you top it with veggies, you get other nutrients as well. 

You can eat these for lunch or dinner as well, but don't overlook them as a hearty app. If you're planning to serve multiple rounds of food with longer stretches between, keeping something more substantial on the menu is helpful.

For a twist on a traditional buffalo chicken wing, we like the Pilgrim's Korean BBQ-style chicken wings. You can find this four-pound giant bag of wings for around $20 in Costco's freezer section alongside other chicken, including the much-loved breaded chicken chunks. We've served them side-by-side on an appetizer board and gotten rave reviews from family and friends. Four pounds may sound like a lot of wings, but the top of the bag is resealable, so you only need to take out what you'll use for a specific meal.

The Korean barbecue taste is initially intrigued us and what keeps us returning to these small bites. They're made with a spice rub, plus a generous amount of soy sauce on the outside. Not only are these wings juicy, but they also have a ton of umami-packed flavor. While most appetizers tend to include cheese, bread, or both, the wings are a protein-rich option that still stands out. The only downside is that they're a little messy, so make sure that you have plenty of napkins on standby.

We love the Costco shrimp cocktail platter from the prepared foods section because it includes everything that you need to get your appetizer on the table. This platter of ready-to-eat shrimp comes with cocktail sauce and lemon. You can put it right out with almost no prep, especially if you don't mind that the presentation is a little lackluster. These shrimp are tail-on and require peeling, but that's pretty standard for most shrimp cocktail that we've seen.

There are around eight servings in each platter, which makes it perfect for a small gathering. If you have a lot of people, or are serving people who just really love shrimp, you may want to go with two or more platters. It's around $19 for a 24-ounce package, which is a little bit expensive compared to some other stores. However, these shrimp are jumbo size and you don't need to get any extra cocktail sauce or lemons. They are a tasty and popular appetizer, but fall a little in our rankings just because they're one of the more expensive options. They also don't come in a neat circle like some brands — they are packed more haphazardly in a tray instead.

Jalapeño poppers are a popular restaurant appetizer and you can recreate them at home with the Partini jalapeño poppers. They have plenty of cream cheese on the inside and crispy breading on the outside. These are a pretty traditional app option that satisfies that craving for a crunchy, fried bite. They're also a nice alternative to mozzarella sticks because they have a similar cheesy inside without being too stringy or chewy. A 2.2-pound box costs around $19, which is considerably cheaper than you'd get if you ordered these while out to dinner as an app.

Each of the poppers has a lot of cream cheese, which balances well with the breading. What's missing is a nice crunch of jalapeño, which tends to get overwhelmed by the other two ingredients. Don't expect a burning inferno, but they still have a little bit of a kick. If you like your popper on the tamer side of spicy, these are perfect just as they are. You can always dress them up with some super spicy hot sauce if you want to kick things up even further.

The Amylu chicken meatballs are a must-buy from Costco and make it onto multiple lists of products we love from the warehouse store. They're made with antibiotic-free chicken, they have 17 grams of protein per serving, and they just taste delicious. We favor the basil and Parmesan version, but you can also opt for teriyaki pineapple if you're going for a more tropical menu. There is a slight difference in cost, but both are less than $18 for a 46-ounce package. We put these in the Crock-Pot with sauce and let guests grab them out with toothpicks during a game night for casual fare.

Amylu's version has a slight edge over the Kirkland Signature frozen meatballs, which also work for an appetizer. Those are our go-to choice when we're planning to serve them with marinara because they're flavored with Italian seasoning or if we're bringing a dish for a large crowd, since the Kirkland Signature package comes with a whopping six pounds. Amylu's is a little bit smaller and more expensive, but is made with leaner meat and has more variety.

What's a more classic appetizer than pigs in a blanket? To get the same results with almost no actual effort, try the Spring Valley cocktail beef franks. Each little frank comes wrapped in puff pastry and all you need to do is put them on a tray in the oven for between 15 and 20 minutes. Make sure to leave a little bit of room between the franks because they expand during the baking process. We like to serve them alongside a condiment bar, but you can also just put out some ketchup for an easy app. 

Each box has between 75 and 80 puff pastry-wrapped cocktail weenies and costs just over $25. They can stick together in the freezer, so you may have to gently pry them apart before you put them on a tray. The only thing that would make this option better is a resealable box or bag. Instead, you have to open the entire box and secure it yourself with a clip if there are any that you don't want to cook. Eighty cocktail weenies is a lot, even for a large party, so we tend to make half or less for one appetizer. Sometimes, we intentionally make extras as a dinner appetizer and then pack them for lunches the next day. They're already cooked, so all you have to do is heat up the leftovers.

Appetizers don't always have to be fried and heavy — just look at the Garden Lite Veggies Made Good mini frittatas. Each little bite is packed with spinach, tomatoes, onion, and red bell peppers. Egg whites and mozzarella cheese keep everything together and provide a hit of protein. When you prep these in the oven, they come out crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, perfect for a two-bite app.

The mini frittatas are also vegetarian-friendly, which is why we opt for them over some of the other egg bites available at Costco. We like to include appetizers with some nutritional benefits so that guests don't leave feeling sluggish. Each $15 box comes with 20 bites, which are individually wrapped. You can put them all out as an appetizer or keep a few for yourself for the next day. They also make an excellent quick and nutritious breakfast that's ready in less than a minute when you heat them in the microwave. Because each frittata is individually wrapped, you can make exactly what you need and save the rest for later.

The Bistro 28 pretzel bites box is a newer addition to our favorite appetizer lineup, but one that we're sure to return to for future meals. Each box holds around 50 small bites, plus three sauce packets. There are two cheddar cheese dips and one mustard dip, which you'll have to pour into serving bowls for the best presentation. You also need to brush the tops with water or butter, then sprinkle the included salt.

You can heat these pre-made pretzels in the microwave in just over a minute, but we recommend the air fryer or oven to get the best crispy exterior. They only take five or six minutes to cook, and the extra time is definitely worth it. Plus, you can make up the entire box using just a couple of trays quickly. Overall, these take a little bit longer and a bit more assembly than some other appetizer options, which is why they ended up lower on our list than their taste might warrant. We love a ready-to-eat appetizer or one that we can assemble ahead of time so that we're not scrambling as guests are arriving. If you're going for a more casual feel in the kitchen and want to let guests help put things together, these would be perfect.

For a rich appetizer that looks like you spent a lot of time making it, try the Cuisine Innovations feta and caramelized onion puff pastry bites. Each little bite begins with a flaky, buttery puff pastry shell and is topped with feta cheese and caramelized onions. The combination of rich pastry with salty feta and sweet onions makes this one of the most sophisticated appetizers on our list. It has a more savory element than a simple bite of fried cheese, plus they look very impressive on a tray.

Make sure to leave some space between the bites on the tray so that air can circulate around them. You can pop them into the oven for around 15 minutes or in the air fryer for around five. Once you pull them out, let them sit on the counter for a couple of minutes to keep the edges crisp. They'll curl up slightly, which helps keep the cheese and onion in place, making them into a delicious little one-bite morsel.

Each box of 36 costs around $15, which is on the pricey side when you compare it to cocktail weenies. However, you'd likely pay more for all of the required ingredients, not to mention the time required to assemble all of these appetizers yourself. These are a top choice if you want something that looks fancy but doesn't require much work.

Another all-time Costco favorite in our household is the West End chicken skewers. The grilled Mediterranean-style chicken is so tasty that we'd eat it for any meal or as an appetizer. The meat is tender and delicious whether you eat it hot or cold, with just the right amount of char on the outside to add flavor while still working as a neutral base for toppings or sauces. You can dip them, top them with guac or salsa, or even pull them of the skewers and use them in other appetizer and mains. If you can't get the famous Costco rotisserie chicken for a recipe, these are a close second.

We like them as appetizers because they're a bit more substantial than other options out there. For a party serving heavy hors d'oeuvres, these skewers provide 24 grams of protein per two-skewer serving, plus plenty of flavor. They cost around $19 for 14 skewers, which come in two packs. You can open one and keep the other vacuum sealed to preserve freshness. If you're serving smaller bites, simply slide the pieces chicken off the skewers and arrange them on a tray with barbecue sauce for dipping.

We've served all of these appetizers at get-togethers for friends and family or enjoyed them when hosted by others, as well as used them for casual meals with our family. While they're all delicious and ones we would buy again, some work better for casual gatherings and others are a bit more upscale with elevated ingredients.

To rank them, we looked at taste and versatility as well as ease of preparation. The last thing that we want to do is spend a ton of time assembling intricate bites when we have guests arriving (or ever), so appetizers that are ready to serve or required little work to get ready tend to be our preferred choices. We also looked at cost and made note of which ones we'd splurge on for smaller gatherings and which are great when you want to keep a large scale budget in mind. Some of our favorite tasting apps cater more toward adult palates, but the ones that rose to the top of the list appeal to just about everyone.