The snack aisles at Costco are a dangerous place for me and my diet with one of the big reasons being the amazing selection of nuts. Nuts are packed with nutrients and are generally considered heart healthy but are also nutrient dense and loaded with calories.
Costco usually has a decent selection of pistachios and I have a hard time walking by without grabbing a bag. Keep reading and we will look at:
- Types of Pistachios at Costco
- Ways to Use Pistachios
Unshelled Pistachios at Costco
My local Costco has two types of unshelled pistachios; Kirkland Signature and Wonderful.
The Kirkland Signature unshelled pistachios, which come in a three pound bag, are roasted and salted.
The unshelled pistachios from Wonderful, which also come in a three pound bag, are roasted then seasoned with salt and pepper.
The Salt and Pepper pistachios cost a little more than the Kirkland pistachios ($0.35 vs $0.31 per ounce) but are worth the extra money to me as I think they are extra delicious.
The Salt and Pepper pistachios are the ones that I buy when I decide to reward myself with a relatively healthy snack. I love that these nuts have the shells on because when the shells are off, like you get for your Costco Almond choices, it is easy to eat too many.
Shelled Pistachios at Costco
If you are looking for shelled pistachios then Costco has you covered there as well.
Your first option is the 1.5 pound bag of roasted, salted bag of Kirkland shelled pistachios.
Your second option is the 1.5 pound bag of chili roasted shelled pistachios from Wonderful.
The more seasoned pistachios from Wonderful are slightly more expensive than the Kirkland product but the price difference is not that significant.
I refuse to buy either of these products as it is too easy to grab handful after handful of nuts and gorge on them. I really need to have the shells on to slow me down when I am eating them!
Ways to Use Pistachios
There are a lot of ways to utilize pistachios other them eating them by the handful straight from the bag. Some of my favorites are summed up in this great list of 48 Ways to Use Pistachios from the folks at Bon Appetit.
These include:
- Adding to ice cream
- Making Pistachio Brittle
- Blending with yogurt to make sauces
- Adding to broccoli salads
- Topping grilled pineapple along with a drizzle of honey
- Baking into brownies and cookies
In general pistachios are known to have a lot of health benefits but don’t let that trick you into eating too many of them. All of the pistachio options I have seen at Costco are salted and too much salt is not going to do your heart any good.