Bland chowder, soggy noodles, and way, way too much salt. If you're looking for a quick and easy Costco meal, you can't beat the refrigerated soups. Just be warned: they're not all winners. Here's how we ranked them, from worst to best.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Bland chowder, soggy noodles, and way, way too much salt. If you are looking for a quick
00:07and easy Costco meal, you can't beat the refrigerated soups. But just be warned, they're not all
00:13winners. Here's how we ranked them from worst to best.
00:17We're kicking off our list with our least favorite, Blount's Family Kitchen Clam Shack
00:22New England Clam Chowder Soup. It's gluten-free, good news for diners on restricted diets,
00:28though it's loaded with clam stock, clam meat, and codfish powder. Plus, a shellfish warning
00:33meant to ward off anyone with a fish or iodine allergy.
00:38It's also pretty bland, both in color and flavor, despite the inclusion of onions and
00:43garlic in the recipe. Maybe the fact that the primary ingredient is cream keeps the
00:47more intriguing flavors from surfacing. Bits of clam do their best to add texture to the
00:52mild seafood sweetness, but we found none of it to be terribly impressive.
00:57We paid $14.99 for the two-bucket package. Each serves up six bowls, so the per-serving
01:04price turns out to be $1.25, which is pretty affordable for chowder fans. Anyone with a
01:10taste for homebound clam chowder may be thrilled to have an at-home experience, but we'd gladly
01:16throw this soup back in favor of a more exciting catch.
01:21Blount's version of lasagna soup at Costco includes tomatoes, turkey sausage, onions,
01:26cream, pasta, and Parmesan cheese, all of which can get expensive if you're looking
01:31to make it from scratch at home. Buying two packs of Blount's lasagna soup at Costco,
01:36on the other hand, costs around $13, making for a potentially attractive purchase that
01:41saves both time and money.
01:43The best things about this lasagna soup may be how easy it is to heat up and its low cost,
01:49There are several issues. First is the texture of the disappointingly soft lasagna noodles.
01:55The other problem is the overwhelming taste of fennel, anise seed, and black pepper. Often,
02:01canned and packaged soups go heavy on salt and seasoning to make up for tasteless ingredients,
02:07and this soup leans on that crutch too heavily.
02:10Anyone with a cold should head to Costco to pick up a tub of chicken noodle soup, which
02:14is made from surplus rotisserie chickens. Each spoonful brims with chunks of celery,
02:20carrots, chicken, and noodles, while the broth is as thick as egg drop soup, to the point
02:25where some people recommend thinning it out with a bit of water before enjoying. That
02:29makes it perfect for those days when you need comfort food, but don't have enough energy
02:34to make it for yourself.
02:35I want soup. Then make soup. We don't have soup.
02:38The most positive thing about this soup is its fresh ingredients, especially the Costco
02:43rotisserie chicken. But that doesn't mean it's actually good. First, the overpowering
02:48salty flavor makes it hard to swallow. Meanwhile, the chunks of veggies and chicken are so large
02:53that you might have to use your spoon to cut them into a size that will actually fit in
02:56your mouth.
02:57Finally, the noodles are thick and floury, contributing to the heavy feel. A more delicate
03:03pasta would have been a far better choice.
03:07Rich with kale, garlic, and homestyle sausage galore, Ivar's Rustic Zuppa Toscana Soup
03:13sounds like the soup of the season for Italian food fans of all stripes. There's spice aplenty
03:18from the sausage, providing warmth with warmth that permeates the broth. Bits of carrot lend
03:24texture and unexpected bursts of veggie-fresh flavor, against the umami overtones. Enjoying
03:31a bowl with a Caesar salad would provide a refreshing one-two punch to temper the boldness.
03:37For the budget-friendly price of about $11.50, you can get 10 servings from a single purchase.
03:43Five per container in a two-container package for around $1.15 per serving. It's delicious,
03:50but the strong seasonings here may be a hard sell to pick your eaters. This might be a
03:54soup best enjoyed by those with a taste for robust cuisine.
03:59Serve fresh tomato basil soup from Costco if you want to take your grilled cheese to
04:04the next level. This refrigerated soup by Boudin Sourdough is a rich, thick mix of tomato,
04:10basil, and cream. Its flavor of fresh tomatoes can bring the essence of midsummer right onto
04:16your tongue, even on the coldest winter day. You'll be further warmed by the fact that
04:20the price is accessible at about $10 for 60 ounces. The smooth texture is pleasantly creamy,
04:27but the overly sweet flavor is problematic. The first spoonful draws you in, but by the
04:33time you finish your bowl, your taste buds will want something less sugary.
04:37A glance at the label reveals that sugar is the fourth ingredient. Sugar usually isn't
04:42found in high amounts in soup, but this isn't even the highest sugar content among the soups
04:48we reviewed.
04:49That's a lot of sugar. Okay."
04:54Some soups may leave you hungry after you eat them, but this broccoli cheddar by Panera
04:59surely never will. When you stir the tub after microwaving it, you'll come across thumb-sized
05:05chunks of broccoli that fit on your spoon perfectly, as well as inch-long slices of
05:10carrot. Those ingredients come together to make an alluring lunch. Your office mates
05:14won't even complain about it because this soup isn't stinky like a lot of broccoli dishes.
05:19Hey, what's that smell?
05:23Here the aroma is barely noticeable. Even better, a pack costs around $10 and should
05:29fill up about eight bowls. The best aspect of this broccoli cheddar soup is the amount
05:34of vegetables in it, namely the noticeable chunks of broccoli and ribbons of carrot.
05:39The flavor is boldly cheesy and tastes just as broccoli cheddar soup should. It is unfortunately
05:45powerfully salty, with 990 milligrams of sodium per serving.
05:50The gumbo from Costco is tremendously flavorful and packed with morsels of shrimp, chicken,
05:56and sausage, as well as the classic addition of okra. In Blount's soup, okra is the fourth
06:01ingredient on the label and makes its appearance as half-inch squares. You'll also dig out
06:06pieces of celery, bell pepper, and rice, with the price tag for two sleeves coming out to
06:11$11.
06:13There are some unappetizing things about this soup, the sludge-like color and chewy texture
06:18of the shrimp, but it contains the perfect level of spice, finely chopped pieces, and
06:23a well-balanced ratio of ingredients. In one of these tubs, the gumbo tastes nearly homemade
06:29and is ready to serve much faster than making it at home from scratch.
06:33Being a vegetable-based cream soup, Panera Autumn Squash Soup is vegetarian rather than
06:38vegan, something to consider when purchasing a package if you have milk-sensitive eaters
06:43around your table. A sprinkling of croutons or toasted pumpkin seeds on top is enough
06:48to dress up the dish for its seasonal debut.
06:51Pumpkin is the main ingredient, so we were expecting an earthy flavor here, but we found
06:56the soup to be quite sweet, more of a butternut squash concoction thickened up with cream,
07:01cream cheese, and milk for an ultra-silky texture. There's brown sugar in the mix, too,
07:07as well as apple juice and honey, ensuring a balanced arrangement of flavor notes. But
07:12beware, these sweeteners also ramp up the sugar to 20 grams per serving, of which 16
07:18grams are added sugars.
07:20At around $11.99 for a two-pack, each containing six servings, Costco's dollar-per-bowl price
07:27more than bests the Panera listing in-store. If your family is eager for a mellow autumn
07:32lunch or supper that doesn't test their taste buds too aggressively, this is a great soup
07:37to start with.
07:39The aroma of Ivar's Loaded Baked Potato Soup is enough to drive away the autumn chill,
07:44but that's nothing compared to what a spoonful can do for a weary, soup-craving soul. The
07:49texture is beyond chowder. It's more akin to a thickened stew, with a generous potato
07:55base providing a sturdy foundation for chunks of uncured bacon. Cheddar cheese, garlic,
08:01and black pepper all pile on the flavor to make what we'd call a soup with the works.
08:07You could freshen it up with some grated cheddar or a few snips of green onion on top, but
08:12it's just as hearty and tasty without. Price-wise, a two-pack is around $9.99, so you'll be paying
08:19about $1 for each bowl if you divvy up a container, at the five serving instructions
08:24on the label. Its comfort food spirit is enough to inspire potato soup devotees to split the
08:30tub in half and call it dinner. Serve with a salad in a crusty roll, and you have one
08:35of the best Costco soups to serve you and your family.
08:38Oh, I love soup. If the only thing I could do is lay in bed all day and eat soup, I'd
08:42be happy."
08:44Kirkland's Chicken Tortilla Soup is nothing short of delicious. It's packed with little
08:49squares of chopped red and green bell peppers, shredded chicken, cubes of carrots, and kernels
08:54of corn in a tomato base. The flavor is spicy, sweet, and salty. It could make a big splash
09:01at a dinner party if you served it with additions like sour cream, avocado chunks, crushed tortilla
09:06chips, cilantro, and lime wedges.
09:09Guests would have fun putting in just what they like, and even better, you could have
09:14everything ready in a matter of minutes. It won't cost you much, either. In this case,
09:18a little over nine bucks for two tubs, which makes it the cheapest soup on this list.
09:23The slightly tough texture of the chicken is the worst thing about it, but everything
09:27else is top-notch. Even the level of spice is just right. It'll wake up your taste buds,
09:33but it's still mild enough that most kids will be willing to eat it.
09:36If you try only one soup from Costco, it should be this one.