The Crunchy Kirkland Snack Costco Shoppers Say Is Way Better Than The Name-Brand Version

Among the many tips and tricks first-time Costco shoppers should know, believing the hype around many Kirkland Signature products is key. While Costco members primarily enjoy shopping at the mega-wholesaler for its impressive bulk inventory and stellar cost savings, Costco also offers a wide range of high-quality private label products that you can't find anywhere else. As long as you avoid the Kirkland products that are made with low-quality ingredients like the beef hot dogs and breakfast sandwiches, you're bound to find certain products that taste better than their name-brand competitors, such as Costco's Kirkland Signature Nut Bars. With 30 bars costing $17.99, these convenient snacks, which are full of mixed nuts and partially covered in chocolate, are also a total bargain. 

In fact, for many Costco members, their flavor supersedes that of Kind bars, which are a similar, and much more well known, name-brand product. In one Reddit thread, a Costco member even admitted to eating up to three Kirkland Nut Bars at a time — they're that tasty. Another Redditor described them as a "decent knock off of the Kind bars" while, in the same thread, another user described them as a must-have snack. Not to mention, these bars have many more positive reviews on the Costco website itself. As one customer enthused, "I've bought these bars for years. Not too sweet, with just a small amount of chocolate."

When it comes to bars that have similar ingredients to Costco's favored variety, the two closest options on the market are Trader Joe's Simply Nutty Bars and, of course, Kind bars. Better yet, while Kind bars have long been considered one of the best protein bar brands to fuel your day, many Costco members continue to prefer the wholesaler's private label alternative for factors related to both cost and taste. Sure enough, when taking a closer look at the actual ingredients that make up all three contenders, there are a few obvious differences. For starters, Kirkland Nut bars include a wider range of flavorful ingredients than the other two varieties. While Kind bars and one variety of TJ's bars are primarily made with almonds and peanuts, Kirkland Nut Bars include almonds, cashews, pecans, and sunflower seeds. 

Costco's bars and Trader Joe's also contain crispy rice for a much-needed dose of added texture. Furthermore, when it comes to sweeteners, Kind bars are made with cane sugar and glucose syrup, Trader Joe's bars are sweetened with honey, and Kirkland Nut Bars are mixed with sugar, honey, and rice syrup. All in all, the nutritional makeup of each bar is relatively similar. However, it's crucial to keep in mind that while there's much to appreciate about Kirkland Nut Bars, unlike Kind bars, Costco's variety contains milk. Therefore, if you have a dairy allergy, you may need to choose a comparable alternative, or simply stick to the pricier name-brand variety.