The 10 Best Costco Kirkland Signature Items That Are Packed With Protein

No matter your nutrition goals, Costco's exclusive line of Kirkland Signature goods includes a protein-packed product to meet them. Whether you're using bulk buys to bulk up, or simply supplementing with snacks to meet your macronutrients minimums, the options feature whole ingredients with little to no artificial or processed padding. For some, the preferred route to protein looks like getting hands on bars or jerky.

That said, those who want more creative control over their mealtime flavors are not without ample selections. A series of canned goods make opportunities to build cuisines of all kinds, like burgers, melts, salads, and tacos. Alternatively, there is a seed that handily fills the role of a grain with an added bump of protein. Further, a favorite for smoothies — or even just adding amino acids for desserts that fuel like ice cream or the best protein milkshake — has come to be a standout for Costco members since it was added to the Kirkland Signature inventory.

If it's a ready-to-eat meal you're after that will help you really rack up your protein intake for the day, canned tuna is a surefire selection. Fortunately, Costco members benefit from access to Kirkland Signature's pack of eight cans of wild caught, Albacore solid white tuna. Produced for the warehouse by the well-known San Diego-based Bumble Bee Tuna, each 7 ounce can brings with it 42 grams of protein at less than 190 calories.

In addition to being a source of Omega-3 fatty acids, a nutrition fact that lands fish on a Harvard Medical School list of 10 superfoods, consumers should exercise caution with how much canned tuna they eat. The reason to enjoy the fish in moderation stems from the extent to which metals like arsenic and mercury are still found in the products. ConsumerLab.com found over 100 micrograms of arsenic in a serving that equaled about half of a Kirkland Signature 7-ounce can. Still, when canned tuna is peppered into your diet, if you find Costco's offering too bland like some Redditors, you can always add some extra mayonnaise whether you're making a tuna salad, a tuna melt, or something else.

There's a reason the fit-focused frequently turn to chicken breasts as a go-to source of lean protein, and the nutrition fact's label on Kirkland Signature's canned chunk chicken breast bares that out. When drained, these 7-ounce cans offer up about three and a half servings of 13 grams of protein with 1 gram of fat at only 60 calories. If 2 ounces of canned chicken doesn't seem like it will cut it for your appetite, crushing the can in one go provides you nearly 50 grams of protein — so long as you aren't concerned about the 270 milligrams of sodium in each serving.

Now, cracking one of these cans open to eat as-is will hardly seem palatable to many, but there are lots of ways that fans of this Costco product enjoy heaping helpings of protein. The ease of mixing it with other ingredients make this product a go-to for dishes like chicken salad, chicken quesadillas, buffalo chicken dip, and even as a standalone topping to add protein to greens.

Rather than catching yourself feeling guilty for thoughtless snacking, those experiencing the mid-meal munchies can put their cravings to work with Kirkland Signature's Cashew Clusters. About five of these bite-sized crunchy creations are accounted for in every serving which provide 5 grams of protein. In other words, each piece is roughly equivalent to adding 1 gram of protein to your day for little more than double that in carbohydrates and fat.

This snack with a fan following on forums also touts being gluten free and Kosher with each 2 pound bag said to be comprised of 50% cashews. The short list of simple ingredients features almonds as the second-most prevalent, followed by cane sugar, pumpkin seed kernels, rice syrup, sea salt, and honey. A creative way to enjoy them as more than just a handful pulled straight from the bag is mixed with a serving of yogurt — means more protein, too. The biggest setback appears to be that many find it difficult to stop eating at one helping.

Ever the popular protein-packed snack to tide the hungry over while on the go, beef sticks are often judged on their flavor and price. That is exactly what many consumers kept in mind when writing customer reviews for Kirkland Signature Grass-fed Beef Sticks. A 12-count pack from Costco comes out to over a dollar per stick, each of which promises 10 grams of protein and 100 calories.

Those same figures make the Kirkland Signature product a direct match for Chomps beef sticks, which similarly tout 0 grams of sugar. However, over on Reddit, fans of both offerings seem to think that the Costco exclusive is a better buy, in large part due it the fact that it delivers less of a hit to the wallet. While the flavor also has some steering toward favoring Kirkland Signature, some further suggest the texture makes them a tad more like beef jerky than the typical beef stick.

Snack bars have come a long way from their old-school wartime roots, appearing in some form or another on hiking trails and in countless school lunchboxes. Their convenient portability and favor across age ranges make them an ideal bulk buy and, as it happens, Costco offers a case of 30 of its own brand, with 5 grams of protein in each individually wrapped snack. The Kirkland Signature Nut Bars also boast of being high in fiber, bringing the net carbs down from 17 grams to 9 grams for those tracking those numbers.

Beyond the almonds, cashews, and pecans, the bars with a cocoa drizzle and sea salt include a dark chocolate flavored coating, sunflower seeds, crisp rice, and other ingredients tallying up to 200 calories per bar. Consumer opinions name them as reminiscent of Kind bars with some even preferring the Kirkland Signature brand. Where savings are concerned, the Costco cases hold eight more bars than the available packs of Kind and still come in at a lower price.

On a list of things it's possible you didn't know about quinoa, up there with it frequently being referred to as a grain even though it's a seed, is the fact that it's packed with protein. At 6 grams of protein per serving, the Kirkland Signature 4.5 pound bags of organic quinoa certainly fit that bill and then some. While higher in carbohydrates than some sources of protein, its taste and texture make it versatile enough to double as the ingredient in some recipes or be the star of its own dishes.

A point of contention raised by longtime fans of the product is that it ceased being a gluten free food. Photos of purchased bags on Reddit confirm it, showing the product's gluten-free branding has disappeared, replaced by an updated allergen warning that rattles off known allergens including wheat. Some believe the change to be little more than a caution to cover all bases, but for those with more severe sensitivities that is enough to rule out further enjoyment of the Kirkland Signature quinoa.

Providing 9 grams of protein per each 1 ounce serving, the Kirkland Signature Premium Extra Thick Steak Strips are built on a base of top round steak — one of the ideal cuts for beef jerky. With that, the cured and dried snacks rely on seasoning, sugars, and an added smoke flavoring to deliver on the taste that makes this jerky a standout among Costco members. Each of the 12 servings per package bring along 60 calories.

Part of what makes this protein-laden snack standout from other similar products is that it isn't as dried out as jerky tends to be. In fact, the amount of moisture still present in the Kirkland Signature bags is part of why this tender treat needs to be stored in the refrigerator versus the pantry or glove compartment of your car. That said, some have attested to finishing their bag before refrigeration becomes a concern, sometimes even before getting home from the store.

There are twice the ways to double up on protein with Kirkland Signature Protein Bar variety packs. Each of these 20-count cases offer Costco members two different options for gluten-free bars with more than 20 grams of protein. Blending whey protein isolate with milk protein isolate, these single-serve snacks are a go-to for natural ingredients including real chocolate and nuts at less than 200 calories and a net of 12 grams of carbohydrates.

If you're less inclined to the pairing of Cookies and Cream with Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk, you can sink your teeth into a case of Chocolate Brownie and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Of course, for some, the fact that the combo packs leave you with the potential of having to settle for a flavor you aren't keen on will be a bit of a letdown. On the subject of flavor, Kirkland Signature recommends the bars be stored in a freezer to preserve their freshness, and reminds that they should be thawed before enjoying.

Tuna isn't the only canned fish available for Costco members as the Kirkland Signature brand brings the protein and more Omega-3s with a six-count pack of wild caught pink salmon from Alaska. While the usual concerns about overdoing it with canned goods remain, the fact these cans containing nearly 35 grams of protein are sourced from the wild go a long way toward their being included as fish you can eat regularly rather than avoid. As opposed to farmed salmon, which tends to be less expensive, there are usually lower levels of carcinogens in the wild schools.

Just like tuna, those looking to make the most of the protein from their canned salmon have a lot of options with reviews recommending their own preferred use with fish fritters and fish tacos. Alternatively, you could try a very simple salmon burger with only a few ingredients, a nonstick skillet, and a stovetop if you don't want to add the extra steps with fresh fish.

A favorite of the fitness-focused, Kirkland Signature garnered considerable excitement from Costco members when it launched the warehouse-exclusive whey protein. At 5.4 pounds, these bags of creamy chocolate flavored powder estimate about 70 servings per package, each with 25 grams of protein. What's more, the 35 gram scoops measure out to 130 calories with only 4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.5 grams total fat.

To meet these metrics, Kirkland Signature combines both whey protein isolate and concentrate without any added sugar. Also left out are artificial preservatives, soy ingredients, and milk products from recombinant bovine somatotropin-treated cows. Growth hormones like it are used to increase milk production by dairy farmers. That comes with the added risk of infections requiring antibiotics and potential links with consumption and higher risks for cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. In addition to steering clear of those concerns, reviews of the product good for supplementing meals or building a workout shake find it comparable on nutrition and taste to similar protein powders.