The Baking Essentials You Should Be Buying at Costco

If this is a regular occurrence for you too, buying ingredients in bulk is the way to go. And what better store for that than Costco?

It's no secret we're big Costco fans. We like buying everything from Parmesan cheese to smoked salmon there.

Costco is especially great for stocking up on baking essentials. Here are the ones I always pick up at my local wholesale store. Product availability varies based on your location, but most stores have some version of these items. 

For chewy breads or lofty cakes, King Arthur Baking Company is our go-to flour. Luckily, my local Costco stocks both 25-pound bags of all-purpose flour and 10-pound bags of bread flour. 

Keep in mind, depending on which size bag you choose to purchase and how quickly you go through it, you’ll want to make sure it’s well sealed in a dry storage container to prolong freshness and keep out critters.

Not only are these essentials important for drizzling over pancakes, waffles, and yogurt bowls, they’re also common ingredients in baking recipes such as Pouding Chômeur or Peanut Butter and Honey Crispy Rice Cereal Treats.

If you don’t use up honey quickly enough, it can crystallize, so keep in mind how much honey you go through. If your bottle does crystallize, you can rescue it by adding a little corn syrup.

Nuts are pricey, so buying them in bulk is a great way to save some money. Costco sells virtually every type, but I like to buy a few versatile favorites. For me, these are walnuts and almonds, which I love to add to salads, homemade granola, and a variety of baked goods such as Banana-Walnut Muffins. For you, this could be pecans and pistachios! The options are endless.

We all know vanilla is expensive, and buying imitation vanilla may be the best way to cut costs without compromising flavor. But if buying the real deal is important to you, Costco is a great resource. Not only do they have large bottles of vanilla extract but often also whole vanilla beans—perfect for making anything from crème brûlée to vanilla sugar.

Ah, butter, arguably the most important baking ingredient. Costco sells multiple types of butter, including salted, unsalted, grass-fed, and higher-fat European brands such as Kerrygold.

I like to stock up on unsalted Kirkland butter for general baking like cookies and Kerrygold for spreading on sourdough or using in baking recipes such as croissants where more flavorful, higher-fat butter is beneficial. The butter is sold in multipacks, so I keep one in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. 

In the summertime, I absolutely love a fresh fruit dessert such as Peach Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake or Mixed Berry Buckle. Whether you want to save your farmers’ market splurges for snacking on plain or your preferred fruit isn’t in season, Costco is a great backup option. Year round, their prices on fresh berries are typically better than any supermarket. If you’re eyeing a recipe that requires boatloads of fresh fruit like Fresh Peach Pie, why not buy it in bulk?