Sam’s Club Vs. Costco: Who Has The Best Prepared Foods?
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!
I agree, though Sam’s Club has a platter with a roasted chicken, a large container of mashed potatoes and a large container of salad (with dressing) for $9.99. Feeds a family of 4 and can’t beat the value. Great for busy nights when you still want real food.
Oh I haven’t see that one – I’ll look for it next time- Thanks!
You may not find it. It’s a limited supply and not on the layout anymore.
Thank you for doing these comparisons. I had always wondered about their prepared foods, but never actually purchased any. These are some of my favorite H2S articles and I hope you continue to do them.
Oh thanks so much for your feedback!
I never actually tried any of these dishes at Sam’s or Costco. I was, however the prepared foods department manager at Sam’s and I can say some opinions seem a little biased. Sam’s alfredo has a ton of sauce and just as much cheese. Also the pot pie crust is not thin at all. Like this generation it will fall apart at touch, but not thin.
Sam’s has a prepared chicken enchilada dish that is very good. Both my kids eat it.
Awesome – I’d like to try that one too!
Took the chicken enchilad dish to my brother in law’s and they raved about it. Got it at Sam’s and it was delicious.
Oh nice! Thanks for sharing that Sue! Yum.
This was great! Not surprised that Costco came out ahead. H2S should do a cafe comparison next. Costco’s hot dog/pizza/etc vs Sam’s. I’m curious!
Thanks so much for the request!
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Gotta include the BJ’s cookie for $1
I love this post. Please do some more comparison posts between these two stores. I barely ever try these pre made meals, but will definitely try the Costco ones. Thank you.
Oh thanks for your feedback Ann!
Costco also has a chicken street taco kit in the deli that is amazing. $15 for 12 tacos and all the fixings including a delicious cilantro lime sauce. That’s $1.25 a taco which is cheaper than Taco Bell and obviously much better tasting!
Yes we love that taco kit too!!! I recently tried the new Gyro kit- It’s not a kirkland brand though, and was disappointed. The taco one is great!
Why “obviously”? Taco Bell is awesome!
I’ve brought the Sam’s Chicken Alfredo and it’s terrible! It looked so good but the taste was so bad I had to make something else to eat.
Thanks for sharing LoJo- Yes we preferred the Costco version for sure!
Costco’s prepared foods are great for a cooking break! Their chicken enchilada casserole and shepherd’s pie are really good too.
I need to try these!
Is there any deal for new members in Costco??
Hi Deena! I’m not seeing one at the moment. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out!
Hi, if you are a sprint rewards member, there is a Sam’s Club Exclusive for 40% off a new membership. They also have Costco for $60 in savings if you join as a new member.
I would love to try Costco
Any deals going on
Costco is definitely better. I wish I had one by me!
I love Costco’s chicken pot pie. If I drive all the way there and it isn’t available I am so disappointed. I also am a big fan of their chicken salad and their shrimp cocktail tray. Their shrimp is always tasty and cleaned well. Worth the money!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing!
My Sam’s Club makes a Waldorf Salad mix that is absolutely great! Have not tried the Costco ready made foods but have tried Sam’s. The Enchilada’s are good. The alfredo is pasty horrible. The chicken salad made fresh in the store is great. Thank You for these posts! Love the articles and feedback from everyone!
The chicken enchiladas at Sams are amazing!!
The Costco fresh made chicken noodle soup is also delicious.
Oh YUM! Thanks for sharing
I am not commenting on taste but I have always said that Costco has a better food presentation. Sam’s meals always look sloppy in comparison to Costco’s. This is the reason I had always bought Costco’s meals. Just look at the pictures above. You can definitely guess which one is which.
My Costco recently had beef bulgogi in the prepared section and it was seriously drool-worthy. I’m still dreaming of it!
Oh yum, I would love that. Will have to look for it!
You are correct. This is fantastic. We buy it all the time.
I will have to look for that! They have a 4-pack in the freezer section, and they make a yummy lunch.
Yes, it was SO GOOD!
Thank you for doing these posts. I am always needing things to take to events, other families, or serve my crew. This is so helpful and the prices make it so reasonable.
Yes I agree! Thanks so much for your feedback
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I’ve actually taken the Costco chicken Alfredo out of the container, put it in my own baking dish and taken it to parties. Of course I won’t lie that I didn’t make it, but it’s that good!
HA HA – that’s awesome! I love that idea <3
We tried a Sam’s club macaroni and cheese. It was in a large container just like these entrees. My family of 4 had it for dinner with pork on Sunday, then left over on Monday and now again today… and we will be eating it for days. Nobody loved it and I am sick of it. We wanted to try it though. It was $7.99, which is like the cost of 8 to 10 boxes of the boxed stuff… Next time I will just make a box of Mac-n-cheese. I would like to try some of these others in the comments, especially a Costco Beef Bulgogi. That sound good.
Thanks for sharing Sally! That’s a bummer about the mac and cheese.
If you have a Costco nearby, try their mac n cheese. It’s pretty amazing and freezes well.
Thank you for this post! I will add that we tried Costco’s meat loaf last week and everyone loved it. I’m not big on meat loaf, but really liked this one. It came with mashed potatoes, and they were also delicious.
Oh wow! Sounds yum- thanks for letting us know Tricia, I’ll look for it next time I’m there!
This is a staple in my family, as well. The mashed potatoes are very buttery and the meatloaf is moist. One tray feeds 2 adults and 3 kids if I add some veggies on the side.
Thanks for the comparison and giving your vote .. I feel better as we get these a lot from Costco !
100% disagree. They are exactly the same in every way. No difference whatsoever.
Thanks for your feedback! It’s interesting when you taste them side by side like this how different things can taste
Costco Street Taco kit is delicious. We do this about 1/week. My kids all love it. Paired with rice and a can of black beans I can feed my family of 6 for under $20 and still have leftovers. We also love the Costco meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Pair with a frozen veggie and you are done. “Home” cooked meal!!
I can’t wait to try the meatloaf everyone keep mentioning – yum!
I like Costco, there are so many products I never would have purchased before I tasted them
Yes I agree! My family loves it too.
Just FYI, I don’t believe that Sam’s entrees are by weight because they are all $9.98 in the cases.
Does BJ’s have prepared meals? If so, can you do a comparison? BJ’s is just opening here in Michigan. Still contemplating a membership. Ty!
I’ll share your request with the team – thanks Lee!
Oh, yes please, on the sam’s club vs bj’s.
Costco always clean and fresh products #1 always for ever thing
I agree with the results also. I want to include that their pizza and salmon are also better!
Oh thanks for your feedback on those Jazzy!
I’m not surprised by the results. Just by looking at the pictures, a couple of the Sam’s versions look sad.
The Costco stuffed peppers are amazingly delish and perfect for just my husband and me. We’ll have 2 of the peppers for supper the day I get them and some garlic toast. I then freeze the other 4 peppers in 2-serving meals using the vacuum sealer. That’s 2 more meals I don’t have to prepare.
For us this is not only time-saving, but also budget friendly. And IMO, they are healthy.
Give me a break. I do not trust any competition where there is only one winner.
All these posts are great! I love hearing the comparisons. Last week I went to Costco’s and picked up 4 entrees so I could take a break form cooking. After almost 30 years of every night, it gets old. Plus it’s nice eating dinner after
someone else prepared it. What a treat!
I purchased the Enchilada Bake, the Manicotti stuffed with Cheese and Spinach, Chicken Soup that I served with grilled cheese, and of course their Rotisserie Chicken Salad that was great with Pita crackers, and sandwiches for
lunch for my husband.
After reading these tips I am set to shop this coming week for at least 4 dinner entrees. Yay!!! So nice to take a
break and enjoy their food!
Thanks for the feedback Laurie! Yum! These sounds great!
Can anyone give a comparison of Sam’s Club Mac n cheese to Costco’s? My family loves Costco’s Mac n cheese but we recently got a Sam’s membership. Do they taste similar?
I find it odd that Costco won everything.. sponsored? Sam’s roasted chicken, meatballs, soups, shrimp cocktail.. everything has been fantastic so far!
Ha no, just honest. Everyone just has diff taste. I do remember Sam’s won the pumpkin pie taste test in our family last year that I posted.
Is this an updated post? I have a feeling that there will be variations on these foods on any given day, depending on many factors, including who is filling the trays, if they are stingy on cheese or “Oops! Blessed that tray with a little extra sauce” and how long the food has been sitting there. I’m a little disappointed that both Sam’s and Costco are featuring almost the same stuff.
Sure I agree! A few are older taste tests but the tacos were done a few days ago. Both stores feature these similar items and we thought it would be fun to compare. Pricing is all of last week in my local stores as both mine had all these available. I feel like they each have other items to try too that are unique too. Bottom line I love both! Hope that helps. Dee!
Costco because they believe in equality
Sam’s has great broccoli salad and a Mediterranean salad with pasta, kale and sun dried tomatoes. Both are awesome
Yum! I’ll have to keep an eye out for the broccoli salad. Thanks for sharing a few of your favorites, Norita!
My family loves Sam’s Club’s stuffed Salman and their prepared Enchiladas.
Sounds delicious, Beth!
Sam’s Club really has some amazing options – so glad your family loves them! 
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My family loves the Sam’s club chicken pot pie over Costco. Costco’s is way too dry. Anyone else have sushi at their Sam’s. It’s the best!
Appreciate you sharing your family’s favorites, Erin!
I’ve heard great things about Sam’s Club sushi too – awesome to hear it’s a hit with you! 