Healthy Costco Grocery Shopping List by Aisle {Best Blood Sugar-Friendly Finds}

I’m a registered dietitian who’s been living with diabetes for 30+ years and this is my Costco shopping list with healthy Costco foods!

Costco can be a really intimidating store, and if you’re also managing something like diabetes, celiac disease, or another chronic health condition, it can feel even more overwhelming. Having a go-to list makes such a difference. It helps you skip the random impulse buys, stock up on foods that actually work for your life, and walk out with a cart full of things that support blood sugar balance instead of leaving you wondering why you spent two hundred dollars and still do not have dinner. 

If you want a grab-and-go version, I’ve got a printable Costco shopping list by aisle. And if you want help turning these groceries into actual meals and snacks, I also put together a Costco meal plan for people with diabetes.

Healthy things to buy at Costco

One of the most common questions I get, both as a dietitian and as someone living with diabetes, is what are the healthiest things to buy at Costco. Costco has so many good products at discounted prices, but not everything there is especially helpful if your goal is balancing blood sugar, following a gluten free diet, or building easy meals.

So in this post, I’m sharing my favorite Costco foods for people looking to support blood sugar, manage diabetes, and stock up on practical, budget-friendly staples. Here’s a quick rundown to find what you need:

1. Costco healthy snacks
2. Costco oats and other breakfast foods
3. Diabetes friendly baking supplies at Costco
4. Convenience meat options at Costco
5. Top dairy finds at Costco
6. Best Costco gluten free finds
7. Low carb noodles at Costco and other grains
8. Bulk foods to buy at Costco
9. Healthy canned drinks at Costco
10. Low blood sugar treatments at Costco

What makes a Costco food blood sugar-friendly?

When I’m shopping at Costco, I’m usually looking for blood sugar balancing foods that offer some combination of fat, fiber, and protein. That does not mean every food has to check every box, but overall, I want my cart to be filled with foods that help build more balanced meals and snacks.

Costco foods for people with diabetes

Costco sells a lot of foods that can work really well for people with diabetes, and it is also one of my favorite places to stock up on low blood sugar treatments in bulk. The list below includes foods rich in fat, fiber, and protein, along with some faster-acting foods to keep on hand for those moments when blood sugar needs to come up quickly. 

1. Costco healthy snacks

There are so many great healthy snack options at Costco. This is definitely not an exhaustive list, but these are some of my favorites that I buy regularly. Most of them offer a nice mix of fat, fiber, and protein, which is exactly what I want when looking for the best packaged snacks for diabetes.

If you’re on the run and need energy and protein, check out the best energy and protein bars for diabetes!

Best bars at Costco

Some snack bars that are almost always on my Costco shopping list include Made Good Bites, That’s It bars, Kirkland Nut Bars, and Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Peanut Bars. Costco is one of the easiest places to buy bars in bulk without paying the usual grocery store markup.

Popcorn options at Costco

There are lots of popcorn options at Costco, but my go-to is the big bag of SkinnyPop. It does not have huge amounts of added oil or salt, but it still tastes really good. Most Costco locations also carry the single-serve SkinnyPop bags, which are nice for lunches or throwing in a bag when you need a quick snack.

Costco crackers

My go-to crackers at Costco are the Simple Mills Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers and, when they have them, the Simple Mills Seeded Crackers. They check the nutritional boxes I usually look for in a cracker, and the larger Costco box is such a good deal. I also love grabbing the single-serve Kirkland hummus cups to go with them.

2. Costco oats and other breakfast foods

The breakfast aisle at Costco has a lot of budget-friendly and blood sugar-friendly options, and several of them stay pretty consistent even when the seasonal products rotate in and out.

My favorites include Catalina Crunch cereals, Kodiak Cakes pancake mix, One Degree Organics oats, Quaker Oats, and Kirkland almond butter and peanut butter. These are all easy staples to keep on hand for breakfasts that combine carbs with protein, fat, and fiber. 

3. Baking supplies at Costco for blood sugar-friendly desserts

I love to bake, and specifically I love to bake desserts that fit into real life with diabetes. Costco has some of the baking staples I use all the time like almond flour, maple syrup, oats, avocado oil, vanilla extract, and parchment paper. My go-to flour combo is almond flour plus ground oats, and Costco is one of the best places I’ve found to get those ingredients at a good price. 

If you like to bake too, my dessert cookbook is The Easy Diabetes Desserts Book. Because apparently buying almond flour in bulk was just the beginning.

And if you are as obsessed with Heavenly Hunks as I am, my copycat oatmeal cookie Heavenly Hunks recipe is worth bookmarking.

4. Convenience meat options at Costco

Costco has a huge selection of fresh meat, but I often find it is not always priced much better than a traditional grocery store. And if you do not have freezer space for that much meat, it can be more trouble than it is worth.

But Costco does have several canned and frozen protein options that are always on my shopping list, including Wild Planet canned albacore tuna, Jones Dairy Farm fully cooked chicken sausage, Kirkland smoked salmon, and the classic Kirkland rotisserie chicken. These are all easy ways to add protein to fast lunches and simple dinners. 

5. Top dairy finds at Costco

The dairy room at Costco always feels like a speed challenge because it is freezing in there, but it also has a lot of great options at really good prices.

My usual picks are Tillamook cheddar, both the whole block and snack portions, Frigo string cheese, whole milk, Kirkland Organic Pasture Raised Eggs, and Greek yogurt. These are all solid high-protein staples to keep around for meals and snacks. 

6. Best Costco gluten free finds

A lot of the foods I’ve already listed are some of my favorite gluten free foods at Costco, but there are several others I always want people to know about too.

Some of my favorite Costco gluten free finds include Cape Cod Potato Chips, Harvest Snaps Green Pea Crisps, Heavenly Hunks Chocolate Chip Cookies, Canyon gluten free bread, Brazi Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread, and Golden Platter Organic Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets. 

If you are trying to stock a gluten free pantry without spending a fortune, these gluten free grocery shopping tips to help you save money are a really helpful next step.

Gluten free chips at Costco

My two favorite chip options at Costco are plantain chips and Cape Cod Potato Chips. Both have pretty minimal ingredients and are not super greasy like a lot of chip options.

Gluten free snacks at Costco

If you are looking to try some new gluten free snacks, I highly recommend the Harvest Snaps Green Pea Crisps. They are perfect for that crunchy snack situation that seems to show up at the most inconvenient time.

Gluten free cookies at Costco

To say I’m obsessed with the Heavenly Hunks cookies at Costco is the understatement of the year. They are just so good. If you want to make your own version at home, try my copycat oatmeal cookie Heavenly Hunks recipe.

Gluten free bread at Costco

The fact that Costco offers gluten free bread at such a good price is incredible. Gluten free bread can get ridiculously expensive at a regular grocery store, so this is one of my favorite aisles to check.

Depending on your location, you may find Canyon Gluten Free Bread, Udi’s Gluten Free Bread, or B Free Gluten Free Pita Bread. And make sure to check the frozen section for Brazi Bites Brazilian Cheese Bread.

If you want more guidance on what to look for in bread, my guide to best bread for diabetes including brands carbs and sugar is a really helpful companion resource here.

Gluten free chicken nuggets at Costco

If your house is anything like mine, you absolutely need some form of chicken nugget in the freezer at all times. The Golden Platter Organic Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets are always on my Costco shopping list.

7. Low carb noodles at Costco and other grains

I always keep some easy-to-prep pasta and grain options on hand for quick dinners. My usual Costco picks are Seeds of Change Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa pouches, Banza Chickpea Pasta, and Rao’s Marinara Sauce. 

I know the marinara sauce is not technically the grain, but I highly recommend grabbing it. The Costco price is hard to beat, and it is one of the few tomato sauces without added sugar that still tastes really good. The Kirkland marinara is also a great option.

And if you need an easy dinner idea for that pasta, this creamy chickpea pasta with spinach and rosemary is one of my favorite weeknight meals.

8. Bulk foods to buy at Costco

One of the best things about Costco is the bulk selection and pricing on frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh produce, and nuts. 

Frozen fruit and veggies at Costco

My top frozen fruit and veggie buys from Costco are edamame, vegetable stir fry blend, riced cauliflower, green beans, broccoli, strawberries, blueberries, mixed fruit smoothie pouches, and cherries.

Fresh produce at Costco

If you know you are going to eat it before it spoils, the produce section can be such a good value. I typically buy broccoli, bananas, apples, avocados, baby carrots, spinach, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, and kale salad mix.

Nuts at Costco

Costco has bulk bags of several different raw nuts including almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, and cashews. These are great to keep on hand for snacks, baking, and quick meal add-ons.

9. Healthy canned drinks at Costco

I always have some kind of no sugar flavored sparkling water on my Costco shopping list. They’re some of the best packaged drinks for people with diabetes! Depending on your store, you may find Waterloo, LaCroix, Kirkland flavored sparkling water, and Gatorade Zero. 

10. Low blood sugar treatments at Costco

Costco is also one of my favorite places to buy low blood sugar treatments in bulk. Having these stocked at home, work, in the car, and in the places you go most often is so helpful.

Some of the best snacks for low blood sugar at Costco include Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars, Mott’s Fruit Snacks, Kirkland Organic Dried Mangoes, organic applesauce pouches, Kirkland Organic juice boxes, and Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice. 

Dietitian-approved Costco grocery list

If you want all of my favorite Costco finds in one place, you can download my printable Costco shopping list by aisle.

Costco meal plan for people with diabetes

And if you want to take your healthy Costco grocery list and turn it into actual meals and snacks, here is my Costco meal plan for people with diabetes.

FAQs About Healthy Costco Foods for Diabetes

What are the best Costco foods for people with diabetes?

Some of the best Costco foods for people with diabetes are foods that help build balanced meals and snacks, like nuts, Greek yogurt, eggs, tuna, chicken sausage, almond flour crackers, oats, chickpea pasta, and no sugar sparkling water.

What snacks should I buy at Costco for blood sugar balance?

I usually look for Costco snacks that offer some combination of fat, fiber, and protein. Good examples are Kirkland Nut Bars, Simple Mills crackers with hummus, SkinnyPop, nuts, Greek yogurt, and some of the better bar options.

Does Costco have good low blood sugar treatments?

Yes. Costco is a great place to stock up on low blood sugar treatments in bulk, especially fruit snacks, applesauce pouches, juice boxes, dried fruit, and fruit bars.

What are the best gluten free foods at Costco?

Some of my favorite gluten free Costco foods include Canyon bread, Brazi Bites, Heavenly Hunks, Cape Cod chips, Harvest Snaps, and Golden Platter gluten free chicken nuggets.

Is Costco good for meal prep with diabetes?

Yes. Costco is one of my favorite places for meal prep staples because you can buy proteins, grains, frozen vegetables, nuts, dairy, and drinks in larger sizes and keep a lot of your weekly basics on hand.