Smoothies have become an increasingly popular healthy drink option over the past few years. Pre-packaged smoothie mixes offer a convenient way to quickly blend up a nutritious beverage at home. With their large inventory and competitive prices, Costco is a favorite shopping destination for many looking to buy smoothie mixes in bulk. But does the popular warehouse store actually carry pre-made smoothie packs?
What Are Smoothie Packs?
Smoothie packs, also sometimes called smoothie kits, are pre-portioned mixtures of frozen fruits, vegetables, and other smoothie ingredients that allow you to easily blend a smoothie at home. Most smoothie packs contain pre-cut frozen fruits and vegetables along with a powdered base or liquid that provides flavors, protein, fiber, or other nutrients.
Smoothie packs come in resealable plastic pouches or cups that you simply empty into your blender along with water or milk and blend. The pouches contain the perfect smoothie recipe portions so there’s no measuring or prep work required. Smoothie packs are available in a wide variety of flavors from green vegetable blends to tropical fruit medleys.
Benefits of Pre-Made Smoothie Packs
There are several reasons why pre-packaged smoothie mixes have become popular, including:
Convenience
Smoothie packs eliminate much of the work of making smoothies from scratch. You don’t have to chop and measure ingredients or buy a huge selection of fruits and veggies – just pour the pouch into the blender. This makes it fast and easy to whip up a nutritious smoothie.
Portion Control
When you make smoothies yourself, it’s easy to overdo it on ingredients like fruit that are high in natural sugar. Smoothie packs contain pre-measured portions designed to make one healthy serving. This helps keep calories, carbs, and sugar in check.
Nutrition
Many smoothie packs are designed to provide balanced nutrition in each serving. They contain fiber, protein, healthy fats, and a mix of vitamins from fruits and vegetables. This makes it easy to get a wide range of nutrients in one drink.
Variety
With the array of smoothie pack flavors available from green powders to chocolate cherry, you can get a different smoothie experience every day. Smoothie packs add variety and novelty to your daily smoothie routine.
Affordability
Although not as cheap as making your own, pre-packaged smoothie mixes are generally very affordable. Bulk packs at warehouse stores like Costco provide even more value per smoothie.
Smoothie Pack Options at Costco
Costco is known for its wide selection of bulk-size packaged grocery items and frozen foods. However, smoothie packs have not traditionally been a mainstay in their product lineup. Here is a look at what types of smoothie packs you can expect to find at your local Costco warehouse:
Kirkland Signature Organic Superfood Smoothie Packs
Costco’s private label Kirkland Signature brand offers an organic superfood smoothie option. The packs contain a blend of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, coconut milk, turmeric, cinnamon, and maca root. Each pack makes one 10-12 ounce smoothie. The Kirkland smoothie packs come in a case of 16 pouches.
Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Smoothie Packs
Some locations carry the Bolthouse Farms brand of superfood smoothies in the produce department’s refrigerated section. The Green Goodness variety contains kale, mango, banana, and coconut milk. The packs are sold individually instead of in a case. Supply can be intermittent as inventory depends on the Costco warehouse.
Dole Fruit Smoothie Shakers
Dole fruit smoothie shakers are essentially shelf-stable smoothie kits in portable plastic containers. Just add water or milk and shake. Options like Strawberry Banana are sometimes stocked seasonally with the packaged fruits and snacks. Quantity is usually limited to a case of 6 or 12 shakers.
Odwalla Berries GoMega Smoothie Kits
Odwalla’s Berries GoMega frozen smoothie kit includes a resealable pouch of mixed berries and a second pouch with a vegan omega fatty acid blend. Finding it at Costco is hit or miss as seasonal inventory varies. When available, it comes in a 4 count case.
Daily Harvest Smoothie Packs
Daily Harvest ships frozen, ready-to-blend smoothies nationwide and sometimes partners with retailers like Costco for limited-time sales of their popular smoothie packs. Offers are promotional and only occur while supplies last.
Smoothie Pack Brands Unavailable at Costco
Here are some of the pre-made smoothie brands that are not carried at Costco locations:
Smoothie King Smoothie Packs
Smoothie King retail locations and website sell their signature smoothie flavors in bulk frozen smoothie packs. However, these are not available at Costco stores.
Jamba Juice At-Home Smoothie Kits
While Jamba Juice sells their pre-made smoothies in grocery stores, the chain’s ready-to-blend at-home smoothie kits are not stocked at Costco.
Naked Smoothies Green Machine Smoothie Packs
Naked Juice’s lineup of single-serve smoothie packs cannot be found on Costco shelves. Their green vegetable and fruit smoothie blends are primarily sold at mainstream grocery retailers.
Mr. Smoothie Smoothie Packs
The smoothie franchise Mr. Smoothie has its own brand of fruit and veggie smoothie pouches sold online and in select grocery stores. But these are currently unavailable from Costco.
Owl’s Brew Boozy Smoothie Packs
Owl’s Brew sells indulgent spiked smoothie packs with wine and spirits, but Costco does not stock this niche product.
Best Practices for Finding Smoothies at Costco
Smoothie packs are not a heavily promoted item at Costco, but they pop up from time to time. Here are some tips to improve your chances of spotting them:
Check larger Costco locations
Bigger warehouse stores tend to carry a broader range of products including seasonal, limited-release, and trial items like smoothies.
Look in multiple departments
Smoothie pouches may be in the frozen section, with produce, with packaged fruits and snacks, or even in impulse buy areas. Scan the entire warehouse to maximize finds.
Ask customer service
Ask employees if they have any smoothie packs in stock including temporary or promotional inventory. They can check current availability.
Look for natural and organic foods
Smoothies often get merchandised alongside other refrigerated natural foods and fresh produce. Focus your search in these areas.
Be willing to buy in bulk
If you spot smoothie packs, Costco may require you to purchase a large case quantity. Buying bulk ensures you get plenty of smoothies.
Watch for seasonal offerings
Late spring into summer is when you’re most likely to see smoothies show up on Costco shelves in anticipation of the warm weather months ahead.
Check Costco.com
Sometimes online inventory varies from in-warehouse. Search “smoothie packs” on Costco.com to uncover options that can be shipped directly to your home.
How Costco Smoothie Prices Compare
One of the biggest advantages of shopping at Costco is getting affordable prices on bulk quantities of groceries and household essentials. How do the prices on their limited smoothie selection stack up?
| Smoothie Pack | Price at Costco | Average Price at Other Retailers |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkland Organic Superfood Smoothie Packs – 16 pack | $19.99 | $32.00 |
| Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness Smoothie – 1 pack | $3.99 | $3.49 |
| Odwalla Berries GoMega Smoothie Kit – 4 pack | $19.99 | $22.49 |
As you can see, Costco delivers solid value on the smoothie packs they carry, with savings of 25-50% off regular retail prices. Thereported prices at Costco were gathered from user comments and may vary by location.
Smoothie Pack Alternatives at Costco
If you strike out finding pre-mixed smoothie pouches at your local Costco, don’t despair. There are lots of ingredients and shortcuts you can use to DIY delicious smoothies. Here are some great items to pick up:
Frozen Fruit
Costco has an amazing selection of frozen berries and tropical fruit like mangos, pineapples, and acai that make perfect smoothie bases. The prices are hard to beat.
Frozen Veggies
Load up on nutrient-dense frozen spinach, kale, and superfood medleys to boost the nutrition in your smoothies. Costco’s frozen produce prices are very budget-friendly.
Nut Butters
Nut butters like almond and peanut butter add protein, fiber, and healthy fats to smoothies. Costco carries many organic options in large, value-sized jars.
Chia Seeds
A spoonful of chia seeds thickens smoothies and adds an extra nutrition punch. You can get large bags of chia at a fraction of normal grocery store prices.
Protein Powder
Whey, plant, and nut protein powders can all be purchased economically in big tubs or packs at Costco. Add to smoothies for a protein boost.
Coconut Water
For the liquid base, grab bulk packs of coconut water at Costco instead of juice. It provides electrolytes and natural sweetness.
Greek Yogurt
Non-fat Greek yogurt adds protein and creaminess to smoothies. And a tub of it costs much less at Costco versus standard grocers.
Tips for Making Smoothies From Costco Ingredients
It’s easy to craft nutritious, delicious smoothies at home using Costco ingredients like these:
Use frozen fruit as the base
Always start with frozen fruit which will thicken and chill your smoothie. Berries, mango, pineapple, and banana are prime picks. Let fruit thaw 5 minutes before blending if too icy.
Add yogurt or nut butter for creaminess
For a creamy, frothy texture, add a couple spoonfuls of Greek yogurt or nut butter like almond or peanut butter. They’ll enrich the smoothie nicely.
Include leafy greens for nutrition
For a superfood vitamin boost, throw in a handful of Costco frozen spinach, kale, or other greens. You won’t taste them mixed with the fruits.
Supplement with chia, protein, or coconut
Sprinkle in chia seeds, stir in protein powder, or use coconut water or milk for extra nutrients and thickness.
Blend ingredients together
Let ingredients mingle in the blender until fully smooth. Add more liquid if needed to blend. Pour smoothie into a glass and enjoy!
Get creative with flavors!
Change up the ingredients to keep smoothies exciting. Swap greens for carrots, use different fruits, add spices like cinnamon, or blend in avocado for an ultra-creamy texture.
Top Smoothie Recipes with Costco Ingredients
These tasty recipes use 100% ingredients readily available at Costco:
Very Berry Smoothie
Frozen mixed berries, banana, vanilla Greek yogurt, milk, chia seeds
Mango Kale Smoothie
Frozen mango, kale, Oikos Triple Zero vanilla Greek yogurt, orange juice, honey
Green Pineapple Smoothie
Frozen pineapple, spinach, bananas, vanilla protein powder, almond milk, flax seeds
Peaches and Greens Smoothie
Frozen peaches, baby kale mix, Chobani plain Greek yogurt, honey, orange juice
Almond Joy Smoothie
Frozen banana, cacao powder, almond butter, chocolate protein powder, almond milk, shredded coconut
Are Smoothie Packs Worth Buying at Costco?
So should you hold out hope of snagging smoothie packs on your next trip to Costco? Here are some pros and cons to consider when deciding if purchasing pre-made smoothie pouches at Costco is worth it:
Pros:
- Convenient, mess-free smoothie preparation
- Portion-controlled nutrition in each pack
- Timesaver compared to making smoothies totally from scratch
- Lower price point than other retailers for bulk packs
- Helps you get more fruits and vegetables
- Easy way to try new flavor combinations
Cons:
- Limited flavors and brands available at Costco
- Still costs more than DIY smoothie ingredients
- Must buy bulk multiples instead of single pouches
- No guarantee your Costco will have them in stock
- Contains processed ingredients instead of just whole foods
- Less customization control than making your own
The Bottom Line
While Costco may not be the ultimate smoothie pack destination, their limited selections can offer a bit of novelty and value over traditional grocery sources. Your best bet is to take advantage of Costco’s quality produce and add-ins to blend affordable smoothies from scratch. But keeping an eye out for pre-made pouches in the freezer aisle and snagging them when available provides a handy shortcut to enjoy this popular nutritional drink.
