2 months ago
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We’re test-tasting 4 popular grab-and-go meals that are easily affordable in a Costco vs Sams Club comparison!
Do you have a Costco and Sam’s Club nearby?
If you’ve walked past the refrigerated prepared food section at Costco or Sam’s Club, you’ve seen the wide variety of ready-to-heat meals and sides. This is one of my favorite departments to scope out since these meals make for an easy night without cooking—perfect for busy weeknights or easy entertaining.
It’s Sam’s Club Vs. Costco in our prepared foods taste test!
Today, my family and I will be taste-testing 4 popular Sam’s Club and Costco prepared foods! I’ll be going through the cost, plus the taste and texture differences I notice between the two warehouse versions of the same meal. We will ultimately be picking a winner of the best chicken taco kit, chicken pot pie, stuffed peppers, and chicken alfredo- YUM!
In case you’re like me and have both a Costco membership and a Sam’s Club membership, I hope this comparison post is helpful!
Sam’s Club Vs. Costco Prepared Foods Taste Test
1. Chicken Tacos
(Costco is pictured on top, Sam’s Club on the bottom.)
Taco night doesn’t get easier than this! Each kit has seasoned chicken, tortillas, cheese, cabbage, salsa, cilantro lime crema, and limes to build your own tacos. The size is big enough for my family of 4 to enjoy.
Sam’s Club Chicken Taco Kit
Per Pound Price: $5.48 Total Weight: 2.65 lbs. Total Cost: $14.52
Thoughts after tasting:
- The chicken is tender and has a nice sauce with lots of flavor.
- I love the cilantro crema sauce and salsa together.
- Lots of tortillas. We had some left over.
Costco Chicken Taco Kit
Per Pound Price: $5.49 Total Weight: 2.93 lbs. Total Cost: $16.09
Thoughts after tasting:
- The chicken is a bit drier and not as flavorful
- Everything else about the kit seems to be the same flavor and quality as the Costco version.
Result: Sam’s Club is the Winner! 🏆
These kits are about the same, but the Sam’s Club version had the best-tasting chicken. It was a bit spicy and had a nice sauce. The Costco version seemed a bit dry, but you could always add some taco sauce and additional taco seasoning to fix it up!
My family will never turn down any taco, and this was a yummy and easy meal! I appreciated the convenience of having all the toppings ready to go.
2. Stuffed Bell Peppers
(Costco is pictured on the left, Sam’s Club on the right.)
Stuffed bell peppers are one of my favorites because they’re a balanced meal with roasted bell peppers, rice, and ground meat. Topped with cheese, the roasted pepper becomes sweet and tender, making it both delicious and filling. Each pan has 6 nice-sized stuffed peppers ready to bake in the oven.
Hip Tip: Make stuffed bell pepper soup as a quick and easy way to enjoy these same flavors in a warm homemade soup, perfect for chilly weather!
Sam’s Club Stuffed Bell Peppers:
Per Pound Price: $4.98 Total Weight: 3.82 lbs. Total Cost: $19.02
- The bell pepper roasted well and was tender.
- The filling was about half of what Costco has, so one pepper wouldn’t be enough for a meal.
- The flavor was good but a bit less spicy than Costco’s. It had more cheese than meat, which was tasty.
Costco Stuffed Bell Peppers:
Per Pound Price: $4.99 Total Weight: 3.63 lbs. Total Cost: $18.11.
Thoughts after tasting:
- These peppers have twice as much filling than Sam’s Club. In fact, the cooking time was also much longer at 60 minutes.
- The roasted pepper was also sweet and tender.
- The sauce with the filling was more flavorful and moist, plus I loved the addition of fresh parsley and herbs.
Result: Costco is the Winner! 🏆
I love the taste and texture so much! There is so much more meat and rice filling per pepper, so to me, Costco peppers win! 4/4 of my family members voted Costco!
It’s worth noting that the Sam’s Club peppers are also tasty, but if I had to choose one, I’d pick the Costco version of stuffed peppers over Sam’s Club.
3. Chicken Pot Pie
(Sam’s Club is pictured on the left, and Costco is on the right.)
Chicken pot pie is a classic childhood favorite with a creamy filling of veggies and chicken and then topped with a flaky crust, which most of us know is the best part! It’s pretty much the definition of comfort food, yet it’s a bit labor-intensive to make completely from scratch, so buying it prepared makes sense for busy evenings!
Both the Costco and Sam’s Club pies have 18 servings and take about an hour to bake in the oven.
Hip Tip: I make an easy Sheet Pan Chicken Pot Pie using puff pastry as a shortcut, and it’s delicious!
Sam’s Club Chicken Pot Pie:
Per Pound Price: $3.79 Total Weight: 5.08 lbs. Total Cost: $19.20
Thoughts after tasting:
- The sauce was thin, with average peas and carrots.
- The chicken was soggy, and my slice had a thick, rubbery piece of skin—definitely a thumbs down. However, the filling tasted delicious, similar to Marie Callender’s chicken pot pie, which we love.
- The crust was flaky and buttery but thinner than Costco’s.
Costco Chicken Pot Pie:
Per Pound Price: $3.99 Total Weight: 5.51 lbs. Total Cost: $21.98
Thoughts after tasting:
- The veggies in this pie are larger and fresh – not frozen.
- The filling in this pie is more of a translucent color and has more fresh herb flavor. It’s more of a gourmet or grown-up-tasting pot pie than the Sam’s Club, for sure.
- The chicken pieces are SO MUCH BETTER! There are lots of nice pieces of roasted chicken in here that have lots of flavor.
- The crust is thick and SO perfect.
Result: Costco is the winner! 🏆
This Costco chicken pot pie was the clear winner, with a 4/4 majority vote from my family. The quality of ingredients is higher with the Costco version and seems more gourmet.
I will say that the flavor of the Sam’s Club cream filling was actually my favorite taste-wise, but I couldn’t get past the soggy, tasteless pieces of chicken, and if I had to pick one over the other, I’d go with Costco!
4. Chicken Alfredo
(Sam’s Club is pictured on the left, Costco on the right.)
Chicken alfredo is a rich, creamy pasta dish featuring lots of parmesan cheese, butter, and cream. It’s a crowd-pleasing, savory Italian dish that my family sure loves. My kids like to order this meal at restaurants, so I was excited to try this take-and-bake version from both Sam’s Club and Costco!
Sam’s Club Chicken Alfredo:
Per Pound Price: $3.98 Total Weight: 3.28 lbs. Total Cost: $13.05
Thoughts after tasting:
- The ratio of chicken to spiral noodle pasta was much less, meaning it was mostly pasta.
- I followed the directions on the package, but would maybe cover the dish in foil next time to avoid drying out. It was pretty dry.
- It was tasty but seemed to lack sauce, which meant it lacked flavor compared to Costco’s.
Costco Chicken Alfredo:
Per Pound Price: $4.49 Total Weight: 4.06 lbs. Total Cost: $18.23
Thoughts after tasting:
- The Costco version has penne noodles and tons of creamy and cheesy sauce. The sauce itself was very flavorful and appealing.
- There was also so much YUMMY chicken. I loved that they did not skimp on the chicken and it genuinely tasted great!
Result: Costco is the winner!
These dishes taste pretty different. Costco’s has much more sauce and chicken and it was overall a better-tasting experience. I would opt for Cocto on this dish even though it was more expensive. 4/4 of us voted for this Costco version of chicken alfredo!
Sams Club prepared meals vs Costco Prepared Meals Results:
- Best Taco Kit – Sam’s Club
- Best Stuffed Peppers – Costco
- Best Chicken Pot Pie – Costco
- Best Chicken Alfredo – Costco
Overall – Costco for the win! 🏆
Even though Costco won for these direct comparisons, their prepared section has a great selection and seemed actually to offer more variety than Costco. I think both stores have a strong, prepared foods section. We have favorites from each.
Do you agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments!
We’ve got all of the current Costco deals for ya right here!
