Healthy Vegan Costco Finds: What Plant-Based Pros Buy at the Big Box Store
Following a whole-food, plant-based diet isn’t just good for your health; it’s also a smart move for your finances, withresearchshowing that plant-based eaters tend to spend less on food than omnivores. Big-box stores offer a way to make plant-based diets even more affordable. With its wide array of fresh and frozen produce and shelf-stable staples, Costco is the budget-conscious home cook’s best friend. We tapped whole-food, plant-based pros for their favorite vegan Costco products and rounded up top recommendations from ourFacebookfollowers, as well. Add these to your shopping list and you’ll be on your way to a well-stockedplant-based kitchen.
Pro Picks
Whole-food, plant-based pros share which products make their Costco memberships worth the spend.
Unsweetened Dried Cherries
“Costco has a great price forCherry Bay Orchards No-Added-Sugar Dried Montmorency Cherries. They’re tasty in oatmeal, pancakes, and cookies or savory dishes like rice pilaf, rice salad, and whole grain bread stuffing. Or sprinkle them over some banana nice cream!” —Katie Simmons, Chicago-based personal chef and founder ofPlants Rule
Salt-Free Seasoning
“Kirkland Signature Organic No-Salt 21 Spice Blend Seasoningis my go-to sodium-free seasoning. I like that it has strong aromatics, such as onion and garlic flakes. It has just a hint of Italian herbs, so I find that I can use it in many different cuisines without it making a dish taste distinctly Italian.” —Darshana Thacker Wendel, whole-food, plant-based chef and author ofForks Over Knives: Flavor!
Vitamin B12
“Costco has a few vegetarian-friendly B12 options, includingKirkland Signature B12andNature’s Bounty B12, and at least one is typically on sale.” —Cleodia Martinez, author ofAy Sus! Whole Food Plant-Based Global Filipino Cuisine
Guacamole
“Costco has individual containers of oil-freeKirkland Signature Organic Chunky Guacamolethat they sell in bulk, so you can have a serving or two and then the rest doesn’t get brown. These are great with carrot sticks, baked chips, corn cakes, or rice cakes for a snack on the go.” —Matthew Lederman, MD, co-author ofThe Forks Over Knives Planand co-founder of kinectin.com
Heat-and-Eat Rice Cups
“TheMinsley Cooked Brown Ricemicrowavable cups are super expensive on Amazon and hard to find elsewhere, but they’re always cheap at Costco in LA. This one-ingredient wonder is great to keep at the office or take on a trip if you know you’ll have access to a microwave.” —Elizabeth Turner, editor in chief, Forks Over Knives
Salad Greens
“Costco is the only place to shop! It’s worth the price of a membership just for theEarthbound Farm Organic Power Greens, a blend of baby chard, baby spinach, and baby kale, which these days costs about $7 for 1.5 pounds. Baby greens are the most delicious, and I eat them in my daily huge salads.” —Chef AJ, culinary instructor and author ofUnprocessed: How to Achieve Vibrant Health and Your Ideal WeightandThe Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss
Dry Quinoa
“Costco sells quinoa for significantly cheaper than I’ve seen at other grocery stores, with 4.5-lb. bags ofKirkland Organic Quinoafor around $12.” —Del Sroufe, plant-based chef and author ofForks Over Knives—The CookbookandThe China Study Family Cookbook
Crackers
“I enjoy the whole grain and seed texture ofMary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Crackers. They’re satisfying plain or with hummus or avocado.” —Melissa Mondala, MD, co-founder ofDr. Lifestyle
Pitted Dates
“TheMade in Nature Organic Datesare a go-to. We use these plus walnuts to make delicious dessert truffles!” —Alona Pulde, MD, co-author ofThe Forks Over Knives Planand co-founder of kinectin.com
More Vegan Costco Favorites
We also polled Forks Over Knives Facebook followers on their must-have vegan Costco products. These are the products that came up again and again.
Frozen Foods
Flav-R-Pac Broccoli Florets
Imperial Garden Organic Edamame
Kirkland Signature Stir-Fry Vegetable Blend
Kirkland Signature Three Berry Blend
Refrigerator
Del Monte Organic Cubed Fresh Butternut Squash
Earthbound Farm Organic Power Greens
HouseFoods Organic Tofu
Josie’s Organics Organic Baby Spinach
Kirkland Signature Organic Chunky Guacamole
Nuts & Seeds
Carrington Farms Organic Milled Flax Seeds
Kirkland Signature Supreme Whole Almonds
Kirkland Signature Whole Fancy Unsalted Cashews
Nutiva Organic Black Chia Seeds
Rodelle Toasted Sesame Seeds
Yupik Organic Hulled Hemp Hearts
Whole Grains
Bob’s Red Mill Quick-Cooking Steel-Cut Oats
Dave’s Killer Bread
Guerrero Corn Tortillas
Lundberg Organic Short-Grain Brown Rice
Minsley Cooked Brown Rice
Pantry Basics
Heartland Dry Black Beans
Kirkland Signature Creamy Almond Butter
Kirkland Signature Organic No-Salt 21 Spice Blend Seasoning
Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter
Kirkland Signature Organic Pure Maple Syrup (Grade A)
Kirkland Signature Organic Quinoa
Made in Nature Organic Dates
Mary’s Gone Crackers Super Seed Crackers
Organic Imagine Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth
Volupta Organic Unsweetened Cacao Powder
To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit ourPlant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check outForks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.