It seems like everyone is on a high-protein diet nowadays, but it can get costly, especially if you love beef. But one store stands out as a favorite for shoppers looking for lots of protein at an affordable price: Costco.
Members of the ultrapopular warehouse store took to Reddit to recommend their favorite high-protein Costco purchases that became an “instant rebuy.” Here are some of the top responses of affordable groceries to buy if you’re trying to eat more protein.
Rotisserie Chicken
$5
You knew this one had to be on the list, right? It’s one of the most famous Costco items, and at only $5, it’s cheaper than a whole raw chicken you’d have to cook yourself. Most Redditors in the thread recommend using it as a protein addition for other healthy meals.
“Yeah that Caesar salad is fantastic with the rotisserie chicken as a meal or great by itself as a side,” said one, referring to the bagged Caesar salad kit.
“We have ‘salad bar’ with rotisserie chicken once a week. Sometimes I will chop up a few veggies and sometimes it’s just Caesar salad. Either way, everyone is happy.”
Wild Planet Canned Albacore Wild Tuna
$18.99 for six 5-ounce cans
Canned tuna will always be a cheap protein staple, and Costco carries a few options. People especially recommend the Wild Planet brand albacore — “This brand is excellent” — but people also like the cheaper Kirkland version as well.
Mayorga Organics Chia Seeds
$9.98 for 3 pounds
Chia seeds are a great way to add fiber and protein to your diet, and many Costco members recommend the Mayorga Organics brand to add to smoothies, pudding, and everything in between.
“When I was traveling in Mexico last month at a restaurant I ordered agua Fresca de limon con chia (lime water with chia). So now we’ve been on a kick to make ice tea or aguas Fresca and I add chia. I have a giant glass every day. So delicious.”
Kirkland Signature Eggs
$10 for a 5-dozen box
“Eggs are healthy [and] cheap. For breakfast, for dinner. Hard boil six at a time, have them as snacks.”
“Even when egg prices were high they were still just over $20 for 60 eggs. That was like $4 a dozen.”
“Eggs of course are a staple – cheap and consistently high quality.”
Kirkland Plain Greek Yogurt
$7 for 48 ounces
“My Costco trips revolve around when I run out of Kirkland Greek yogurt. So good and impeccable macros.”
“Vanilla protein powder mixed in my Greek yogurt with a little unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Top with frozen dark berries and a smattering of nuts. Heaven. Bonus points for a honey drizzle.”
“Their Greek yogurt. But it’s gone up like 50% in price and I’ve found it cheaper and the same thing at Trader Joe’s.”
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Ground Turkey
$29 for four 1.67 pound packages
“I love their ground turkey. Have you ever made turkey meatloaf bombs? That’s what we call them. I use Jamie Eason’s recipe. It’s so good! I make a big batch and freeze so I have an easy protein option all the time.”
Kirkland Signature Quinoa and Celery Salad With Apple Cider Vinaigrette
$5 per pound
“Yo that quinoa salad is DOPE. Pair it with their poke and you can FEAST.”
“Quinoa chickpea salad. I add extra lettuce and chicken. It’s so filling plain or with the added chicken.”
“I’ve been on a several week groove with that quinoa salad, so good!”
Raw Nuts
Prices vary
There are a number of large containers of various raw nuts for both snacking and using in recipes, and people recommend many of them.
“Costco has quite a large container of shelled, lightly salted, extra large Virginia peanuts for like 8 bucks. Go nuts.”
“I used to buy a container of mixed nuts from BJ’s or Target for like ~$20. Now, I buy huge bags of Kirkland walnuts, cashews, and almonds and mix them together myself. For about $35, I’m able to refill that same container like 7-8 times. The savings from this alone more than covers the cost of my executive membership.”
“Kirkland cashews are an absolute steal.”
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Kirkland Signature Organic Hummus with Pine Nuts
$6
“For a high protein snack, we always have the Kirkland Hummus with Pine Nuts. We pair it with pita, sliced bell peppers (the six-pack is terrific), or cucumbers. It also makes a surprisingly creamy and flavorful pasta sauce and is great on top of steamed vegetables.”
“There is never a day I don’t have a big tub of Costco hummus in my fridge. The one with the pine nuts, herbs and spices sprinkled on the surface. Solid quality, tasty, great price.”
Pro2go Antibiotic Free Grilled Chicken Strips
$15 for 2 pounds
“I like the gluten free low carb chicken strips.”
“These precooked refrigerated chicken strips are great. I’m not a meat person and don’t love to eat white meat but these are great! They’re a great price too.”
“We always get the prepackaged cooked chicken breast…. So easy for salads and wraps.”
Kirkland Signature Farmed Atlantic Salmon
$34 for 3 pounds
“Frozen salmon. (I bake it with whatever sauce looks good from the grocery store).”
“Prep it for sushi, got some seaweed paper, sticky rice/sushi rice (depending what’s more convenient) and eat a pound of salmon with low carbs by making hand rolls. I’ll throw some yuzu if I want some variety.”
“Individually frozen cod and salmon fillets. Pop it in a bowl of water and put it in the fridge in the morning and it is ready by dinner time.”
Kirkland Signature Organic Peanut Butter
$11 for two 28-ounce jars
“Their brand of natural peanut butter. It doesn’t require a ton of mixing.”
“It is SO GOOD.”
“1000% organic peanut butter. It has gotten a little more diluted with peanut oil but still way better and cheaper than anything else out there.”
Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Firm Tofu
$6 for four 1-pound packages
“It’s such a good value. 4 pounds of extra firm for like $5.50 or around that price.”
“Often I add it to one of the ramen soups I buy from Costco as well because the soups alone aren’t very filling for me.”
“Press it, cube it, marinate it (soy, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper), air fry it!! Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.”
Orgain Organic Plant Based Protein Powder
$33 for 2.7 pounds
“I love the vanilla Orgain protein powder. It’s way better than the one in the giant black bag.
I mix 4 scoops with a large handful of walnuts, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 18 oz whole milk, a banana, 3 eggs, a couple TBSP olive oil, 12 oz of raw oats and a ton of ice. Everything is bought from Costco.
Then I blend in my Vitamix. Makes 4-5 large glasses of high calorie, high protein shakes that are unbelievably good.”
“Kirkland nonfat Greek yogurt, Kirkland protein powder. Mix the two and you have a nice little high protein snack.”
Kirkland Signature Egg Bites
$12 for 10 egg bites
“The Starbucks-dupe egg bites. They’re easy to cook, filling, and most of all delicious.”
“When I wanted to stop going to Starbucks, finding these made it painless.”
“We had a phase of doing these in a breakfast sandwich with avocado, tomato and lettuce/spinach on toasted Ezekiel bread.”
Kirkland Signature Oven Browned Turkey Breast
$5 per pound
“We get the Kirkland Roasted Turkey Breast and slice it ourselves. It’s 120 calories and 24 grams of protein for a four ounce serving. It only has four ingredients. Turkey, broth, sea salt and sugar. But the sugar has to be a microscopic amount because it shows zero grams of added sugar so it has to less than half a gram per serving. It doesn’t taste as great as a lot of the deli turkey but its good and soooo much better for you.”
“I use to always buy this and chop them up for prep for the week!”
