Before Costco's Soft Serve Ice Cream, There Was Another Creamy Treat That Reigned Supreme

The reasons to love Costco are many — of course, there are the super savings on pantry staples, but there's also the even more-fun extras — killer deals on gas, a smorgasbord of free samples, and of course, the beloved food court staples worth lining up for. One of Costco's best loved treats, right up there with Costco's wildly popular pizzas and truly iconic hot dogs, is the ice cream — everyone's favorite little sweet treat after trekking up and down the double-wide aisles.

While something frozen and sweet has always been on the Costco menu, the exact options of ice cream and ice cream adjacent treats have changed many times over the years. Currently, full fat ice cream is the option d'jour, but only a handful of years ago it was frozen yogurt, instead. Offered in vanilla, chocolate, or swirl for as little as $1.39 for a healthy serving size, the creamy nonfat treat would have been available nationwide at food courts.

File this under trivia facts only true Costco food court fans would know, but the chain first pulled the chocolate frozen yogurt flavor in 2018 — leaving the vanilla and swirl options. Then, mid-COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Costco axed frozen yogurt altogether to make room for the new full fat ice cream. The switcheroo to a more indulgent treat was largely, but not entirely, well received by fans — some who love the creamier, richer option, with others lament the loss of a lower calorie, low fat option.

Since Costco first opened its modern-day food courts in the early '90s (before this, you'd find rudimentary hot dog stands outside stores), frozen treats have been on the menu in some shape or form. Only super fans paying close attention could keep up with the dizzying myriad of menu tweaks and flavor swap outs over the years, though. While Costco is stubbornly old school in some ways (looking at you, pen-and-paper cake order system), a brief jaunt Costco food court memory lane illuminates the retailer's efforts to cater to trends of the era.

Costco's low fat fro-yo option dominated menus until 2018 — roughly aligning with the peak of the 2010s frozen yogurt craze, when build-your-own fro-yo shops dotted every strip mall nationwide. Then, on the heels of açaí bowl era, Costco put their spin on the trend, swapping out chocolate fro-yo and introducing a bowl of fruity sorbet with granola and fruit toppings in its place. Currently, low fat is a thing of the past when it comes to frozen Costco treats — with full-fat decadent sundaes and cones on the menu.

Available first only in vanilla, Costco then added a strawberry ice cream swirl option, and more recently swapped berry out for chocolate, bringing us to the menu as it currently stands. What swaps and changes are next on the horizon though, as Costco continues to innovate and attempt to please hungry shoppers, only time will tell.