Buying in bulk at Costco can save you shopping trips and make meal planning easier, but only if your family can actually use everything before it goes bad.
That’s where the freezer comes in.
A lot of the foods I buy at Costco freeze surprisingly well. Instead of passing on a large package because I know we won’t finish it in time, I’ll portion it out and freeze what we aren’t going to use right away.
Some foods come out of the freezer almost exactly as they went in. Others have a texture change after thawing but are still perfect for cooking, smoothies, soups, or other recipes.
Here are 20 Costco foods worth making room for in your freezer.
Bread
I almost always freeze my extra loaf of bread. Costco packages are often more bread than we can finish while it’s fresh, so the freezer solves that problem.
I freeze the extra loaf and pull out individual slices whenever I need them. If I’m making toast, the slices can go straight from the freezer into the toaster.
This works especially well if your household doesn’t go through bread quickly enough to justify buying multiple loaves at once.
Bagels
Bagels are another bakery item that freezes really well.
The important part is slicing them before they go into the freezer. It’s much easier to grab a frozen, pre-sliced bagel and put it in the toaster than it is to try slicing a frozen one.
If you’re worried about buying a large Costco package of bagels because you won’t finish them quickly enough, freezing half right away is an easy solution.
Costco Muffins
Costco muffin packs are huge, which is part of what makes them a great deal, but it can also be difficult to finish an entire package while they’re fresh.
They make an easy grab-and-go breakfast or treat without feeling like you have to eat all of the muffins in a few days.
Croissants
Costco croissants can also go in the freezer. There’s no way my family of four can finish a pack of croissants before they grow moldy. But the $5.99 price for 12 croissants is too good to pass up.
Freeze the extras while they’re still fresh rather than waiting until they’re starting to get stale. When you’re ready to eat one, warming it can help bring back some of that crisp, flaky texture.
This is one of my favorite tricks for making a large Costco bakery package more manageable.
Dinner Rolls
If you buy rolls for holidays, parties, or family dinners, don’t feel like you have to finish the leftovers immediately.
Freeze the extras and take out only what you need for another meal.
This can be especially useful around Thanksgiving and Christmas when there always seems to be more bread in the house than anyone can realistically eat.
Tortillas
Tortillas are easy to keep in the freezer and useful to have on hand for quick meals.
If you’re freezing a large stack, separating portions before freezing makes it easier to take out only what you need.
Use them later for tacos, quesadillas, wraps, breakfast burritos, or a quick lunch.
Raw Chicken
Raw chicken is one of the Costco foods that makes the most sense to portion before freezing.
Instead of putting the entire bulk package in the freezer, divide it into amounts that make sense for your household. That way, you’re not thawing several meals’ worth of chicken every time you want to cook dinner.
Labeling the packages before freezing can also make meal planning much easier.
Ground Beef
I use the same strategy with Costco ground beef.
Divide a large package into meal-size portions before freezing. You can portion it based on whatever amount your family typically uses for burgers, tacos, meat sauce, chili, or other recipes.
Doing a few minutes of prep when you get home from Costco can save you time later.
Steaks
Buying multiple steaks at Costco doesn’t mean you have to cook all of them immediately.
Keep out the steaks you’re planning to use soon and freeze the rest individually or in meal-size portions.
Individual portions are especially convenient because you can thaw the number of steaks you actually need instead of defrosting the entire package.
Pork Chops
Pork chops are another bulk meat purchase that’s easy to divide and freeze.
Portion the package based on how many your household normally cooks for one meal. This is a simple way to turn one Costco shopping trip into several future dinners.
Bacon
If a Costco package of bacon is more than your household can use quickly, freeze the extra packages or portions.
This is especially convenient if you only use bacon occasionally for breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, soups, or recipes.
Instead of feeling pressured to use a large amount after opening your Costco purchase, you can keep the extra in the freezer for later.
Rotisserie Chicken
Costco rotisserie chicken is great for more than dinner the night you buy it.
Remove the leftover meat from the bones and freeze it in portions. Then you have cooked chicken ready for future meals.
Use it for tacos, quesadillas, casseroles, soups, sandwiches, pasta dishes, or other recipes where cooked chicken is needed.
This is also a good strategy if you know you aren’t going to finish the entire chicken within the next few days.
Butter
Butter is one of the easiest Costco staples to freeze.
If you’re buying a larger package, keep what you’ll use in the refrigerator and put the rest in the freezer.
This can be especially helpful around the holidays if you bake frequently or like stocking up on basic ingredients.
Shredded Cheese
Shredded cheese can be frozen, although the texture may change somewhat after thawing.
That’s why I especially like frozen shredded cheese for foods where it’s going to be melted anyway.
Think pizza, quesadillas, casseroles, scrambled eggs, soups, pasta, and other cooked dishes.
Portion a large Costco bag before freezing so you aren’t repeatedly thawing the entire package.
Berries
Costco’s large containers of berries can be challenging if your family doesn’t eat them quickly.
Freezing the extras gives you another way to use them.
For loose frozen berries, wash them if needed, dry them thoroughly, and freeze them in a single layer before transferring them to a freezer container or bag. This helps keep them from freezing into one giant clump.
The texture will be softer after thawing, so frozen berries are better suited to smoothies, sauces, oatmeal, baking, and similar uses than eating like fresh berries.
Bananas
If the bananas on your counter are getting too ripe, don’t automatically throw them away.
Peel them and freeze them for smoothies or baking.
You can also freeze ripe bananas specifically for banana bread, which is an easy way to turn fruit that might otherwise go to waste into something you’ll actually use.
Avocados
Yes, you can freeze avocado, but there’s an important catch.
The texture changes after freezing, so I wouldn’t freeze an avocado expecting to thaw it and have the same firm texture you’d want for a salad or beautiful slices of avocado toast.
Frozen avocado is better for uses where texture isn’t as important, including smoothies, sauces, dips, or mashed avocado.
If you bought more avocados at Costco than your household can finish before they get too ripe, freezing can still be better than letting them go to waste.
Guacamole
Guacamole are one of my favorite foods to freeze because my family can never finish all the containers of guacamole fast enough.
The unopened containers can be frozen for later. Thaw a tub in the refrigerator when you need it.
You may notice some separation or a slight texture difference after thawing, so give it a stir before serving.
Costco Cake
You can freeze leftover cake.
This is especially useful with Costco-sized cakes because you may have quite a bit left after a birthday, graduation, holiday, or other celebration.
Instead of trying to finish it all in the next few days, divide the leftover cake into individual portions and wrap them well before freezing.
Then you can take out a piece when you actually want dessert.
Hummus
Hummus is another Costco food you can freeze if that big container or multipack is more than your family can finish in time.
Plain hummus generally freezes better than varieties with lots of toppings or mix-ins. You may notice some separation or a slightly different texture after it thaws, but giving it a good stir can help bring it back together.
Individual hummus cups are especially convenient for freezing because they’re already portioned. You can keep what you’ll use soon in the refrigerator and freeze the extras, then thaw one in the refrigerator when you need it.
Frozen and thawed hummus works well for dipping vegetables and pita, spreading on sandwiches and wraps, or adding to bowls.
For the best results, check the storage instructions on the specific hummus you’re buying before freezing.
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