The 12 Best High Protein Snacks At Costco

If you're already a Costco member, you know that it's a great place to stock up on items like baking essentials, frozen breakfasts, and pantry staples. That being said, the warehouse store can also be part of a protein-rich plan that includes snacks meant to provide fuel for your entire busy day. While you're at the food court picking up a hot dog or enjoying the many free samples in the aisle, toss some of these snacks in your cart. You might even be lucky enough to catch one of them at a sample station to try it for yourself, but you can rely on these recommendations since they are all snacks that we've turned to with our own family.

Because things are sold in bulk, the best options are ones that you'll eat and enjoy over and over. Taste was our top criteria, followed closely by nutrition that includes protein to fill us up and little or no added sugar. Picking snacks that can be incorporated into your daily routine in different ways is also key to making the most of your purchase. These also make fantastic things to keep on hand whether you're trying to meal prep for yourself or in charge of bringing fuel for the little league team. You'll need a Costco membership, but you can enjoy the many perks of shopping at the warehouse store.

Costco's store brand, Kirkland Signature, offers some fantastic deals and the giant container of Greek yogurt in the refrigerated section is perfect for breakfast, snacks, and smoothies. Fuel up with this tangy, refreshing snack that has 18 grams of protein per ⅔ cup serving. It comes in a large 48 ounce container for under $8, which is even better when you consider that this yogurt is organic.

It only comes in plain, which means you'll need to mix in some extra ingredients if you want flavor — but that's a great hack to maintaining control over how much added sugar ends up in your snack. You can sweeten plain Greek yogurt with things like honey, agave, or maple syrup.

Plain Greek yogurt can also be used in place of sour cream to add extra protein to taco night. This is one item that we always have in our fridge because of its versatility.

The Kirkland Signature plain Greek yogurt is low in sugar and offered at a great price, which makes it our go-to Greek yogurt, but you can also grab the flavored individual cups of Oikos Greek yogurt for a more convenient option.

If you're looking for protein-rich snacks and haven't started stockpiling Kodiak Cakes mixes, you're definitely missing out. Fortunately, Costco has a 72-ounce box for around $15 that will transform your breakfasts, snacks, and even breads and muffins. You can make pancakes that are just as fluffy as other brands, but with an extra protein kick. It has 14 grams of protein in a single serving.

The box does take up quite a bit of room in your pantry, but it comes with two separately sealed bags inside. Unless you're making pancakes for a large crowd, there's a good chance that it will take you multiple sittings to get through the entire box. Each bag can be resealed to keep the mix fresh and ready to use.

One of the things that we look for in a great Costco product is the ability to use it in various ways and recipes since we're buying in bulk. This mix can also be used in muffins and casseroles, replacing your standard flour mixture. It's on our list of baking staples to stock up on at Costco because you can use it in so many different ways.

Edamame is a perfect snack for those looking for plant-based protein. At Costco, the organic edamame in the freezer case comes in a large 6-pound bag with 12 servings. Individual 8-ounce servings are each in a steamable bag, which helps them get the perfect texture when you cook them. Each bag delivers 12 grams of protein in only 140 calories. Edamame are young soybeans, which is the legume with the highest amount of protein.

The entire bag costs around $16, making each snack serving less than $2. If you're looking to boost your protein intake and save some money compared to pricey convenience snacks, this is a good option.

Just take out as much edamame as you'd like for a snack, pop them in the microwave, add a little bit of salt, and enjoy. This snack takes a bit more work to prepare than something you can grab-and-go, but it's free of any extra additives and sugar. You can also prepare them as a side or add them to a bowl of ramen to make it more filling.

Sometimes, you just need a protein bar that you can grab on your way out of the door, but there are so many options that it's hard to tell which ones are the best — even at Costco. RXBar protein bars don't have a lot of extra ingredients and sugar, making them a standout among the convenience bars on the Costco shelves. The ingredients are listed right on the front of the package and include things like egg whites, nuts, and dates for added sweetness.

Each bar has 12 grams of protein, and the box — which costs around $21 — comes with 14 bars. They're a bit more expensive than other snacks, but super easy to throw in your bag to avoid the temptation of junk food while you're out. The chocolate sea salt is a great combo of sweet and salty, while the blueberry bars have a fruitier sweetness to them.

The Costco $5 rotisserie chicken is our secret weapon for just about everything. You can throw protein-rich chicken into a quick dinner or lunch or make a tasty snack for cheap. Just add a little bit of dipping sauce to switch things up when you want a different flavor.

Each serving has 19 grams of protein and the chickens are a whopping 3 pounds, although you get roughly 2 pounds of meat once you carve up the bird. That's still a phenomenal deal and one of the iconic perks of maintaining a Costco membership.

We love to cut it up for chicken salad, but you can do just about anything with a rotisserie chicken, including adding chicken to street tacos, putting it in chili, or making a quick sandwich. One Costco rotisserie chicken can be stretched to an entire weeks' worth of snacks and lunches by meal prepping.

This chicken is by far one of the best deals at Costco and you can count on always getting a fresh rotisserie bird — but you'll need to walk past all of the other products on display to get to the deli case, which is what Costco is counting on to lead to impulse purchases.

Country Archer grass fed beef sticks are a high-protein snack that you can unwrap and enjoy anywhere. It's our go-to choice when we're at youth sports because the beef sticks can be eaten with one hand quickly in between innings of baseball or quarters in soccer. Each full-size stick has plenty of protein — 9 grams to be exact. For around $18, you'll get 16 individually-wrapped beef sticks. One makes a good snack, and if you eat any more than that, you'll need quite a bit of water to go along with the salty flavor.

You can also get mini versions that work well for kids. These are roughly half the size and have 4 grams of protein in each stick.

Both the full-size and the minis are made of grass-fed beef without any added sugar, a key component when it comes to packaged convenience snacks. If you follow the Paleo diet, these are compatible and a great way to get quick protein with no prep work needed.

Break open a can of tuna to get some protein from the sea. The Kirkland Signature tuna is wild-caught and has an incredible 42 gram of protein in each can. It is made with albacore or "white tuna," which is widely considered one of the highest quality types of tuna out there. It is mild and meaty without a distinct fishy smell or taste.

You may end up splitting a single can between multiple people or snacks, especially if you're mixing in other flavorful ingredients. When it comes to getting the most protein for your buck, though, it's hard to beat tuna.

Each box comes with eight 7-ounce cans for around $18. They're packed in water rather than oil, which keeps them on the lighter side based on texture. You can eat them right out of the can for a simple snack or add briny olives, crunchy celery, or a dash of hot sauce to taste.

These are easy to keep in the pantry for a protein-rich snack that doesn't require any special storage. Just mix with a little mayo or Greek yogurt — also rich in protein — to make a quick and easy tuna salad.

Nuts can be a good source of protein and healthy fats. A handful of the Kirkland Signature snacking nuts provides as much as 11 grams of protein, depending on which style you choose. The box of 30 individually-wrapped packs comes with 10 of each: peanuts, cashews, and almonds. The peanuts have the most protein, but all three are great sources of protein that are also delicious and easy to eat. All of the nuts are lightly salted, which enhances the flavor and helps satisfy the salty snack craving with some extra nutritional benefits that you wouldn't find in other snack options like chips or pretzels.

These 1.6-ounce snack-sized packages keep you from eating too much. They're also easy to take on the go, since the packs are flexible and not too big. The box costs around $20, making each pack just 67 cents. It's not the cheapest way to get nuts at Costco, since the bulk packages have as much as 3 pounds for less than $15. However, the big bags don't come with the same variety or convenience as these snacking ones.

Another great source of proteins that includes nuts is the Nature's Garden organic trail mix snack packs. These individual-sized trail mix packs combine protein-rich nuts like almonds and walnuts with other nutrients from dried fruit and seeds. Each pack contains 5 grams of protein.

We love that there are extras both for nutrition and flavor in these packs. The dried cranberries are a big hit with our kids with a sweet tooth, while the seeds add a satisfying crunch to the mix. This is exactly why trail mix makes such a great snack for us — it provides a little bit of everything that we need to fuel up.

The box comes with 24 snack packs for around $16. This comes out to 67 cents, roughly the same as the Kirkland Signature snacking nuts. If you like the extras that come in trail mix, this is a fantastic option. The ingredients are all organic, which isn't the biggest factor for us, but might be for some. In our family, the taste and texture of this trail mix is what keeps us reaching for these when we want a snack that we'll enjoy that will also give us long-lasting energy.

Sometimes, you just need a snack that you can grab and enjoy while you're going about your day. A good protein shake will fuel you up without requiring any attention or prep work. Costco carries the Fairlife Core Power protein shakes, which have 26 grams of protein in each 14-ounce bottle. We're partial to the chocolate flavor, which reminds us of suped-up chocolate milk, which is good because it's the only one on the Costco shelves.

Protein shakes can be high in sugar, but this version doesn't have any added sugar. 

The case of 10 costs around $33. This is a bit steep if you want to make the most of your budget, but it's still a good deal for a protein shake — if you were to grab one from a convenience store while you are running around, you'll likely pay just as much or more for a smaller bottle. Stock up on these at Costco if you know you'll want a protein shake that is super convenient and made with high-quality ingredients (and not a lot of sugar).

The Go Raw organic sprouted snacking seeds are one of our new favorite snacks. If you're getting bored of nuts or trail mix, give these a try instead. They have a similar salty, crunchy appeal but switch things up with different flavors.

The protein comes from pumpkin and sunflower seeds, with between 4 and 6 grams of protein per pack depending on the type of seeds and flavor. At 0.75 ounces each, these are on a smaller side and the package comes with 15 bags total for around $10.

Each pack combines protein-rich seeds for a nutritional boost with tasty flavors like sea salt and chili lime. If you (or your kids) love the flavor of Takis, but want something with more nutritional benefits that can provide much-needed energy during the day, the chili lime snacking seeds are the perfect answer.

For a savory snack that's served hot, head over to the freezer case to get a pack of Red's Egg'wiches with turkey sausage. These take a bit more prep work, but after just a minute in the microwave, you'll be rewarded with a savory snack that is full of flavor as well as nutrients.

This breakfast sandwich makes a great mid-day snack and can even be the basis of a nice lunch. Each one has 17 grams of protein not just from the sausage, but from the scrambled egg exterior "bread" as well. It ranked high on our list of frozen breakfast sandwiches, coming in second only to Costco's Kirkland Signature version. These are higher in protein, however, so if that's your goal, the Red's Egg'wiches should be high on your list.

The box of 8 costs just under $18, making them one of the most expensive snack options on our list. Considering they're also one of the most substantial and can pull their weight as breakfast or lunch as well, however, they're still one worth checking out.

We're frequent Costco shoppers and enthusiastic snackers, so it wasn't hard to come up with a long list of favorites from the warehouse shelves. Narrowing it down to snacks that provided the protein we needed to fuel up during the day while also being tasty enough to grab repeatedly proved a bit harder. Fortunately, we had plenty to choose from when making our list, looking at our own pantry as well as taking a trip to Costco to see what jumped out at us.

We looked for snacks that had a good amount of protein per serving and not a lot of added sugar. We also considered convenience and taste, since the best snacks are ones that you'll enjoy eating. Finally, we looked at cost. While not the most important criteria for this list, which focused on protein and high-quality, delicious ingredients, we noted which ones would work well for budget-conscious shoppers and which ones were a bit more of a splurge.