The Costco Pesto, made with 100% Imported Italian Basil, is one of my favorite finds at the warehouse. The pesto is sold under the Kirkland Signature brand.
The label on the pesto indicates DOP status but I believe this is for the origin of the Genovese basil only. The pesto itself is made in the USA and therefore could not have a DOP designation.
Summary Review
Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto is delicious and a great value. Here is a quick look at the pros and cons of the sauce.
On the Positive Side
- The Pesto is Delicious
- Authentic Flavors
- Fairly Priced
On the Negative Side
- Large Container with Short Shelf Life
- Not a Low Calorie Food
Overall Thoughts
The Kirkland Pesto at Costco tastes amazing but I do not buy this very often as I can hardly ever finish the jar before it goes bad.
Nutrition and Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this jar of pesto.
Nutrition Facts
You get 22 ounces of pesto in each jar. One serving is one quarter cup and there are about 10 servings per jar.
The nutritional facts for a single serving are:
- Calories: 330
- Fat: 30g (38% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg (0% DV)
- Sodium: 630mg (27% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 9g (3% DV)
- Protein: 6g
Ingredient List
The pesto has the following ingredients:
- Basil
- Sunflower oil
- Parmesan cheese
- Pine nuts
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pecorino Romano cheese
- Garlic
- Ascorbic acid
- Citric acid
- Black pepper
Both the basil and the Pecorino Romano cheese are labeled as DOP.
Taste Test!
The pesto is rich, flavorful, complex and absolutely delicious.
This sauce has 330 calories per 1/4 cup serving and you can taste and savor each and every calorie.
The brightly colored basil provides an excellent background for the richness of the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. The Pecorino Romano comes in with an earthy, almost spicy, note and the fruitiness of the olive oil holds all of the players together.
This is the some of the best pesto I have ever had.
The pesto is so rich that it does not pair well with everything.
For example, the pesto was absolutely amazing when paired with Costco’s slightly bland Chicken and Cheese Ravioli but was too much when paired with Costco’s incredibly rich Lobster Ravioli.
Another downside to the richness is that, while the sauce is delicious, it is not something that I want to eat more than once a week. That wouldn’t be a big deal except that the jar only lasts about a month and I hardly ever finish the whole thing in time.
Storage
The pesto is not shelf stable and must be refrigerated.
The label has a Best By date that is about a month past your purchase date.
The pesto can be frozen where it will last about three months with no noticeable loss in quality. I have seen people pour the sauce into ice cube trays and make frozen pesto cubes that are easy to work with later.
I have not tried freezing the sauce since my freezer is a bit of a Black Hole where I toss things in and never see them again 🙂
Costco Value
The pesto is Item Number 990551 and is found in the refrigerated coolers near the deli. I bought the 22 ounce bottle of this pesto at Costco for $9.49 which works out to a cost of $0.431 per ounce.
In comparison, if you buy the most popular pesto at Target, Barilla Classic, then the 6.2 ounce bottle will cost you $2.99. This works out to a cost of $0.482 per ounce.
This means that you will save $0.051 per ounce (10%) by purchasing the larger jar at Costco. This is not a huge savings but, given how amazing the pesto tastes, I really don’t care if I am saving any money.
