Find out what fruit is the best to buy at Costco. We break it down by season so you know what you should be looking for at what time of year.
One of the biggest issues I have heard from people over my years of blogging is that they don't know when to buy fruit. Often fruit is available at all times of year, but the quality is lacking quite often.
If you are a Costco shopper, I want to help you pinpoint when you can find the best fruit of the season by looking what I buy spring, summer, fall, and winter.
🌼 Spring
In recent years there has been a revolution in seedless table grapes. No longer is flavor ignored and grapes just called red or green. You know can find grapes with all sorts of great flavors.
The spring time offers up some great choices that are imported from Mexico and South America. I love the dark Sable seedless grapes. You will find the name right on the package. These grapes have a tropical Muscat like flavor. They are unique and will change your mind if you haven't been a fan of black grapes in the past.
Other grapes you can look for include Candy Snaps, Candy Hearts, and Candy Dreams. All of these have a fruity flavor unmatched by other grapes. Grapery from California releases these varieties in their Gum Drops line - which isn't available at Costco
Near the end of spring I look for the best white nectarines. Look on the side of the boxes they come in for the "Honey Pearl" White Nectarine. They have an off the chart sweetness and really good flavor to boot.
Also Costco offers a variety of different melons as we get close to summer such as the Tuscan Melon. These melons are similar to a traditional Cantaloupe but have a strong flavor and are sweeter. You will notice their green striping.
☀️ Summer
I will have to say that this time of year I don't buy as much fruit at Costco because I am shopping more at the farmers market or picking fruit in orchards myself.
Blueberries are the best berry to get at Costco in the summer. The price is the best of the year, especially if you live in Michigan or in Washington. Both of these states grow a ton of blueberries and Costco carries them.
Washington cherries will now be in the store offering the best prices of the year on that fruit as well. You may be able to spot the lighter colored Rainier cherries. They are a family favorite for their sweet flavor.
Pluots (part apricot, part plum) under the Dinosaur Brand label can be found at Costco. My kids always called these dinosaur fruits. I can't argue with the marketing approach! August is the peak season for pluots so look for them in the plastic clamshell packages like in the photo above.
🍂 Fall
Fall is all about apples. Both Gala apples and Honeycrisp apples are best in September and October. It's the only time of year I actually but them.
🎧 RELATED - Want to learn more about the Honeycrisp apple and what it's future holds? See why I think it will one day be replaced as the most popular apple in the US. Listen to my podcast episode - The Future of Honeycrisp
Costco also carries SweeTango apples which are a cross between a Honeycrisp and a Zestar. When they are good, I pick them over Honeycrisp. But sometimes they aren't that great, so I will say they are more of a gamble.
The season for stone fruits like peaches and plums is coming to the end. I don't like getting peaches at Costco even if they are still available in early fall. They usually are lacking in flavor and the texture isn't as good - think mealy!
But one piece of stone fruit that I do recommend are Sierra Honey Plums. These are sweet flavor bombs. My son's favorite fruit is plums, so he would probably eat the whole package if I didn't stop him!
Next up are fresh Pomegranates. These are harvested in California at this time of year. Costco carries them in boxes that usually contain around. They will last in your fridge for a while so you shouldn't have to worry about not getting them all. It's much cheaper to buy the whole pomegranate than to buy the containers of just the arils that have become popular in recent years.
💡 Tip - Learn how to know when a pomegranate is ripe.
❄️ Winter
If you live in a cold weather state, you think of strawberries has been a fruit you go picking for when the weather warms up. But strawberries are actually a great winter fruit to buy as they are in season in warm places like Florida and California.
I don't seem them all the time, but I have found some greenhouse grown strawberries at Costco. I think these are amazing. They come at a higher cost normally, but you will be rewarded with berries that are more red all the way through and have a better flavor.
Winter also equals citrus. Costco carries various brands of smiley face mandarins like Cuties or Halos. But I find those don't have consistency in quality. They actually use different types of mandarins throughout the season, some taste better than others.
What I really like getting at Costco is Cara Cara Navel oranges. These look like a Navel orange but are pink/red on the inside. They have lower acidicity and a berry like flavor. I have seen Cecelia Packaging Cara Cara Navels at Costco before and they are one of my favorite brands.
🛒 What Else to Buy at Costco?
I hope that you find this post to be very useful and that is helps you find the best fruit at Costco throughout the year. We have plenty of other guides on the blog as well including our most popular guides that talks about the prices of beef at Costco.
Check out these ones as well:
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