Costco is famous for keeping its customers happy, but even the warehouse giant serves up a dud now and then. A recent roundup from The Takeout gathered up the complaints on four new bakery items from 2026.
The reviews come from Instagram, TikTok and Reddit, where shoppers are never shy about warning each other off. One pie in particular has some customers saying it has no lemon taste at all.
“I’m So Sorry To My Hazelnut Beignets For Betraying Them”
Costco fans went wild when hazelnut beignets showed up earlier this year. The bakery’s Mini Pain Au Chocolat looks like an attempt to repeat that success, but shoppers say it fell flat.
The complaints are that the pastries are dry, dense and unappealing. “Bought them for the first time today. I’m so sorry to my hazelnut beignets for betraying them. I shouldn’t have changed it up,” one Redditor wrote, calling the pain au chocolat “dry and underwhelming.”
Even shoppers who enjoyed them said they could not compete with the beloved beignets. If you are stuck with a Costco-size box, many reviewers say a few minutes in the air fryer or oven helps.
Some got creative. Influencer @checkoutvick tried the pastries with milk, cereal-style, in an Instagram reel and gave the treat a 6.8 rating, even while calling it “dry” and “stale” straight out of the box.
Olive And Rosemary Sourdough Splits The Room, Right Down The Middle
Costco’s sourdough breads have always been a bit controversial, and the Olive and Rosemary Sourdough is no exception. Some people raved about the olive-studded loaf, while others felt the flavor was off.
“The taste of green olive was very strong throughout it,” one Redditor wrote. “I love olives. It was just a lot.”
The mother-daughter duo @megandmaddie showed the divide in an Instagram Reel. Their opinions landed somewhere between “delicious” and “not my favorite … I think the olive is a little overpowering.”
Not everyone who disliked the bread agreed about the olives, though. “I choked down two slices … Tried it again the next day and tossed it. Couldn’t detect olive at all,” another Redditor wrote, adding that the rosemary tasted like it came from infused oil rather than chopped herb.
If you bought a loaf, fellow shoppers suggest using sandwich fillings to tone down the olive punch. Others recommend herbed, infused butter to play up the rosemary.
The Lemon Custard Pie Reviewers Say Has “No Lemon Flavor, And No Custard Flavor”
Lemon treats are usually a safe bet, which makes a bad one sting more. In photos, Costco’s Lemon Custard Pie promises plenty of citrus, and the ingredient list includes real lemon in the form of lemon juice concentrate.
Reddit reviewers tell a different story. They call the pie bland, with a barely detectable lemon flavor.
“This pie has no lemon flavor, and no custard flavor […] The only flavor I could detect was whatever starch they used to thicken it,” one Redditor wrote. Another said, “I was totally disappointed. No lemon taste, no tartness, artificial whipped topping, and crust like wet newspaper. I thought about returning it.”
Some shoppers went past thinking about it. “I returned the lemon pie,” one commenter explained. “They need to know what people don’t like.”
A $15 Tub Of Strawberries And Cream That One Shopper Says Felt Like “A Spoonful Of Sawdust”
In March, Costco pre-packaged strawberries and cream, one of the easiest desserts to make at home. Some shoppers loved it, but most felt the $15 price was steep for a tub with underripe strawberries and too much graham cracker crumble.
One Redditor complained that “sometimes you just get a spoonful of what feels like sawdust.” Others took aim at the ingredients, since the cream features about 20 of them, including palm oil, high fructose corn syrup and sorbitan monostearate.
Some customers said the cream had a chemical taste. “The cream has a weird fake taste to it,” one Redditor said.
The home-kitchen fix got plenty of praise. “I bought the Biscoff cookies on sale and a pack of strawberries. Picked up a tub of Cool Whip and had multiple nights of a better version for the whole family,” one Reddit user shared.
Another shopper turned it into a cooking project with their 4-year-old son, and said the finished dessert cost less than Costco’s version even with organic ingredients.
Before You Buy Another Bakery Box, Try These Moves
The Takeout reminds readers there is no accounting for taste, and every item on its list had a few fans. Still, a little homework can keep you from hauling home a box you will not finish.
- Search the item name on Reddit or Instagram before you buy. If several people mention the same problem, take note.
- Think about the size. Costco bakery items come in big packages, so a flop means a lot of leftovers.
- Warm up pastries that seem dry. Shoppers say a few minutes in the air fryer or oven helped the pain au chocolat.
- Try a home version of simple desserts. Cookies, strawberries and whipped topping cost little and let you control the ingredients.
- Remember the return counter. As one shopper pointed out, the store only learns what people dislike when they say so.
Costco’s bakery has had hits this year, and plenty of fans will still swear by these four. Next time you spot something new under the bright bakery lights, check what other shoppers have said before it goes in the cart.
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