Finding the Best Frozen Appetizers to Get at Costco for Party: REVIEW

I paid about $15 for a 3-pound package of 30 chicken-and-cheese taquitos, making these a fairly inexpensive offering on this list.

Although I didn’t dislike any of the appetizers I tried, I was somewhat surprised to learn that the El Monterey taquitos turned out to be the least compelling of the bunch — especially because I’ve had them before without complaints.

They were ready after about 10 minutes in the air fryer, though they cooked a little unevenly — the outer edges of the taquitos were much crispier than their middles.

The filling was pleasantly cheesy but not especially flavorful, with just a light hint of taco seasoning and sparse, small chunks of chicken. I served them with a Sriracha crema sauce, which was delicious, and they’re an effective delivery method for a good sauce.

I’ll probably skip them next time in favor of similar, better options I found, but I’d still eat them if someone served them at a party I attended.

For a Super Bowl party, or any other gathering tied to a large sporting event, wings feel like a must.

Although it’s fairly easy to make Buffalo-style wings from scratch in an air fryer, a frozen option is far more convenient because it means you’re not dealing with raw chicken while you’re busy pulling your party together.

So I thought the Foster Farms take-out crispy wings, at $19 for a 4-pound bag, might make a solid alternative to my own homemade wings.

The best wings have a crunch, so I followed the “extra crispy” cooking instructions on the package. Although I air-fried these for more than 20 minutes, the skin never really got crispy.

These came with a Buffalo sauce that was decent, with a nice vinegary bite, and the meat stayed fairly moist even after the extra cooking time.

However, I’d be disappointed if these were the wings served at a Super Bowl party, so I wouldn’t serve them myself.

There was a wide variety of dumpling options to choose from at my local Costco.

Looking for something classic, I settled on the Ajinomoto Japanese-style gyoza, which cost me $15 for a package of 60 dumplings. These are hane-style gyoza, known for the crisp lace that forms on the bottoms of the dumplings when they cook.

The box conveniently included five trays of 12 gyoza, making it easy to cook these in smaller batches if needed.

I followed the recommended method of pan-frying these without oil, which produced very crunchy, crispy browned bottoms.

And though I liked the crispy part of the dumpling, I thought the steamed part came out a bit soft and limp for my liking.

These came with a dipping sauce that seemed soy-sauce-heavy and tasted fairly bland to me. The gyoza didn’t have as much flavor as I’d have liked, either.

The Tyson Thai-style chili crispy wings, which cost $18 for a 3-½ -pound bag, seemed intriguing as an alternative or complement to the traditional Buffalo variety.

These are dry-rubbed wings, so they didn’t involve the additional hassle of tossing them in sauce after they cooked.

My kids love mozzarella sticks, so I always keep some in the freezer for emergencies. Most often, it’s the 5-pound bag from Petite Cuisine.

I got it on sale for $13.50 (3.50 off) on the day of my most recent Costco visit.

The mozzarella sticks were ready after only four minutes in the air fryer, and I know from experience that it’s important to be vigilant — if they get too hot, the cheese will explode out of the breading and make a mess.

These are delightfully crispy on the outside with a nice garlic flavor in the breadcrumbs, and the cheese inside turns deliciously molten when it’s hot.

Disappointingly, I was fresh out of marinara at the time of our taste-test, but I know these salty mozzarella sticks are nicely complemented by a sweet sauce for dipping.

The only real drawback to these is the amount of freezer space the massive 5-pound bag occupies.

In my book, a pizza counts as an appetizer if you cut it into small pieces and call it “flatbread.”

I generally do not like cauliflower and had never tried a cauliflower-crust pizza before, but I was still curious to try the loaded Kirkland Signature pies.

They weren’t very expensive, and the photo on the box seemed appealing. I paid $12 for a pack of two.

Each pie featured a nice, colorful array of toppings — heavy on peppers, pepperoni, and sausage — and only took about 20 minutes to bake in my oven.

The cracker-thin, crispy crust was the best part. It had no noticeable cauliflower flavor, and I preferred its texture to that of the gluten-free pizza from my local pizzeria.

None of the toppings were especially flavorful, but the sweetness of the peppers and tomato sauce, combined with the saltiness of the cheese, pepperoni, and sausage, made for a satisfying bite.

This would be a nice option for any get-together, especially if some guests are gluten-intolerant.

As far as I’m concerned, pigs-in-blankets are the standard-bearer for hors d’oeuvres.

They’re not hard to make on your own with cocktail franks and premade dough, but buying already constructed pigs-in-blankets means one less thing to think about on the day of a party.

These were the most expensive appetizers I tried at $22, though the hefty package did come with 2 ½-pounds of pigs in a blanket.

After about 15 minutes in the air fryer, the pastry shells were an appealing golden brown, and the cocktail franks were sizzling hot.

The franks themselves are just OK, but the pastry crust comes out brilliantly flaky and tasty — these are just a perfect finger food.

I’ve served these to guests before, and I’d definitely do so again.

We hadn’t tried these yet because I’d been intimidated by the bag’s massive size, and my 5-year-old daughter — our family’s primary consumer of chicken nuggets — has very particular taste in chicken nuggets.

However, they’re a mainstay of the Costco freezer section and a must-buy for a lot of families.

So, for this taste test, I paid $15 for the 4-pound bag of Kirkland Signature lightly breaded chicken-breast chunks.

Chicken nuggets — or chicken-breast chunks — are consistently easy to air-fry, and these crisped up and took on a nice golden hue after about 10 minutes of cook time.

The meat inside stayed moist, and the breading had a slightly peppery kick, which made these too “spicy” for my daughter’s tastes, but great for mine.

I liked them enough on their own with some honey mustard, but I also plan to try tossing them with sauce to serve as “boneless wings.”

At $16 for a package of 12 buns, these Laoban Chinese-style barbecue pork bao buns felt a bit pricey — especially by Costco standards.

However, I typically enjoy a good barbecue pork bao bun, and I’d never had one at home before, so I gave them a shot.

The buns come individually wrapped in microwavable bags, but I didn’t like their texture as much out of the microwave as I did after steaming them for 10 minutes.

The moist, sweet, squishy bun made for a nice change of pace among so many salty and crunchy appetizer options. The Berkshire pork filling was earthy and sweet with a hint of five-spice seasoning, and moist without seeming goopy.

My only hesitation in serving them would be that they’re a little big for a typical party appetizer, but I probably won’t let that hold me back.

My family loves soup dumplings, but we’re particular about them. I’ve never before found a frozen option that comes close to the ones at our nearby takeout spot.

The Mila pork soup dumplings are the type of thing I normally don’t take chances on at Costco — I don’t want to risk committing that much freezer space to something we’re not actually going to enjoy.

However, I took the plunge for the taste test and spent $13 on the 44-ounce bag.

I was worried when I pulled the dumplings from the bag and found they’d frozen together into a giant mound, since any in the delicate dough would mean all the soup would spill out during prep.

But after I let them thaw for a few minutes, I was able to carefully pull individual dumplings apart and steam them using the included steamer liners.

They came out perfectly soft, moist, and intact, as though I’d gotten takeout. And the flavor, while mild, was tasty and comforting.

These dumplings would be a great way to welcome guests in from the cold, and I’ll be repurchasing them now that I know everyone in my family approves.

At Costco, I also picked up a box of Cuisine Adventures Firecrackers filled with white-mean chicken, green chiles, and cheese.

Based on the description, they seemed similar to the taquitos I tried — chicken and cheese inside a crispy wrapper.

The 30-ounce package, which contains 30 pieces, was on sale for $9.50 ($3.50 off) and looked promising.

After 10 minutes in the air fryer, it became clear that the Firecracker wrapper is more like an egg roll than a tortilla — it crisped up far more evenly than the taquitos.

The filling was delicious, with distinct chunks of chicken and green chile, plus yellow kernels of corn that add a nice pop of sweet flavor.

These taste like something you might see sold as “southwestern egg rolls” in a restaurant, and I’ve definitely had southwestern egg rolls in restaurants that weren’t as good as these.

I served these with the same Sriracha crema I used for the taquitos, and again, it made for a nice addition, but I can imagine a broad range of sauces pairing well with these.

In the past, my family has enjoyed the Kirkland Signature tempura shrimp, which have a lighter, puffier batter, so I was excited to try a differently breaded option.

Shrimp can get a little pricey, but this seemed like a pretty good deal at $20 for a 2-½-pound box containing about 40 to 50 pieces.

These shrimp looked golden and ready after 10 minutes in the air fryer. The panko breading was crunchy with a tasty hint of garlicky seasoning, and the shrimp inside was perfectly tender.

They were delicious on their own and a hit with my family, but I could imagine pairing them with a marinara or cocktail sauce for dipping.

The tails make a great little handle when these shrimp are served as finger food, but I also plan to slice a few tails off these to use them in sandwiches.

I will absolutely serve this Kirkland Signature find as an appetizer at my next party.