Convenient and hearty meal but missing something!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. The opinions in this review are strictly my own. I am not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. I am just a fan of the company. I write these reviews to help my fellow shoppers.
I love a good bowl of chili in the winter, the chili my mom makes is my absolute favorite (yes Cheryl, if you’re reading this you make delicious chili) but I wanted to try the Costco Kirkland Signature Beef Chili so I picked it up to review. This is a new item that I think Costco has introduced to Western Canada only in the last month or two. Today I’m reviewing the new Costco Kirkland Signature Beef Chili! This can be found in the pre-made meal section and the item number is 24299
Taste
This isn’t the greatest chili I’ve had but it’s okay! It has kidney beans, beef and or veal (according to the ingredients), corn, pinto beans, tomatoes, onions and green peppers. I’ve never been a fan of corn in my chili so I just picked the corn out after trying it initially. It’s mildly spicy and not overly salty. The flavor is a bit blah and I feel like it’s missing something, I’d say it tastes similar to something you might find in a canned chili. I did appreciate the abundance of beef, veal or whatever it is!
Cost
I paid $13.71 Canadian for the Costco Kirkland Signature Beef Chili. The price of the chili depends on the weight. This was enough for two huge bowls of chili with some leftover.
Convenience
The preparation instructions recommend you bring the chili to a simmer in a cooking pot. I prepared the chili both in a pot and by microwaving it and it tasted the exact same using either method. The chili is already fully cooked so you’re just reheating it. The best before date is about four days from the date it was packaged. This is a quick and convenient dinner or could be a lunch. You can also transfer the chili to a freezer safe container and freeze it.
Nutrition
1/6 of the tray is 300 calories, 15 grams of fat, 890 mg of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, five grams of fibre, seven grams of sugar and 21 grams of protein. If you eat 1/6th of the tray this isn’t that bad but if you have a third of the tray you’re looking at a lot of calories, fat and sodium. The ingredients list is also very long with some chemical type ingredients.
There really wasn’t anything I disliked about this chili it just wasn’t amazing and I can’t see myself wanting to purchase it again in the future, I’d much rather make my own chili or convince my mom to make her chili for me.
Taste: 7.5/10
Cost: 6/10
Convenience: 9/10
Nutrition: 3/10
Who makes your favorite chili?!
Under the Nutrition header, you list carbohydrates twice with two different figures, with nothing listed for protein. I’m assuming one of those is protein?
Yes! Thanks so much. I fixed it.
It was difficult to taste any of the flavors due to the overwhelming saltiness. 1410 mg per serving? That’s enough salt for 3 days for me. I am sad that the other ingredients are disguised by this unnecessary sodium overkill.
I certainly don’t consider myself a chili “snob”, but I enjoy good chili. I’ve seen people review this chili from bland to excellent so now that it’s back in stores I decided to try it for myself.
Long story short – I really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t say that it was “bland” as spiciness is certainly a subjective term. I’ve had spicy chili that still tasted like crap because everything else was problematic, and the spiciness can’t overcome that. In other chili’s I’ve learned to add some additional Cayenne Pepper or Chili Power to suit my own taste. What I really care about is consistency, convenience, general overall flavor, and ingredients. By those standards, this is really good chili. I’d give it a 9/10.
Will it win a chili cookoff as is? Probably not, but who cares? That’s not what I expect from it or buy it for. Does it provide a hearty and tasty platform where I can add spices to my own personal preferences that make a really satisfying meal? Absolutely.
For me – this is a winner and I’m happy to make space for it in my fridge.
Exactly! I couldn’t have said it any better! Thanks for the review.
I recently tried Costco’s chili myself although the US variation I purchased in Florida is slightly different as there is no corn & it has shredded cheese on top which I greatly appreciated. I will agree with you, the flavor is quite bland but I found when I add exactly one packet of KFC hot sauce to an average to slightly greedy sized portion, It doesn’t make it spicy but gives it exactly the flavor it needs to turn out absolutely delicious. I enjoyed this chili with crumbled up saltine crackers and ate on it for three days. Not the best chili in the world but with the help of a hot sauce packet it does turn into some pretty damn good chili!
Me and my husband are both from Texas and we absolutely love Kirkland’s brand chili. I give it a 10 out 10. My grandkids love it as well. It is definitely a hit in our household. I love it so much that I was angry when I found out that it was a seasonal item and I had to wait until October 2023 to purchase it again. Try adding a few Doritoes to it and it’s even better.
I’m so glad I read your comment because I had been in Costco last month (August) looking for this chili and they would only say they “didn’t offer it now”. I assumed maybe they discontinued it like they’ve been discontinuing a number of things we liked in the past year or so.
I’m happy to hear it will be back soon, then! I will check in with them next week when we’re into October! I’m definitely going to stock up on the chili!
It’s good, not great chili, but super convenient. To make it great, I top it with minced round onions, diced tomatoes & shredded cheddar cheese after its reheated. And a little Tabasco for a spicy kick.
to the chili i topped it with dollops of cornbread then baked.
awesome combination! 👍🏼
I live alone, and I have to be careful not buying too much at Costco (big portions),but I bought this and ate a third of it and put the rest in the freezer portioned out for future meals
This chili is superb. Very meaty, lots of beans that are well cooked and stewed tomatoes. I don’t like breakfast food, so this is my breakfast. Starts my day of by awakening my mouth with richness and a little. Heat. Yum.
My mother and I love this chili. First of all the convenience when you have to work during the week and you don’t feel like cooking you just grab a couple of bowls, pop it in the microwave, warm it up and there you go the cost of the chili itself in my opinion. It is a tad bit high, but again the convenience makes it worth paying the money. Now the taste in my opinion is superb. The flavor is on point with just the right amount of spiciness. There is a lot of protein in the chili ground beef, pinto beans kidney beans it’s not oily. In my opinion it’s just right. I would rate Costco’s chili at least an 8/10.
I love this chili!!!
It has just a touch of heat but packed with flavor.
No corn and a huge amount of meat.
Definitely worth having.
I tasted this at the warehouse and thought it was good- bought it and it is very disappointing. I was searching to see if I need to add more tomatoes, sugar? I want to use it- but?..
Chili was delicious. Why is it so difficult to post the serving size, and nutritional values?
Hi Bill! I’m not sure I understand your comment, do you mean Costco posting it on their packaging?
I purchases the chilli and found it to be excellent. I did add a little hot sauce.
I have to say that I found the chili delicious. I added some red pepper flakes and a little tabasco and it was very good. Saves a lot of time cooking. Add your preferred spice blend and heat it and it is wonderful.
Bought chili at Costco in Strongsville, Ohio. No corn, all beef and I have to say, absolutely delicious.
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed your meal.
Me too I was disappointed when I went to get more and was told it was seasonal, can’t wait till it’s back
Thanks for the review. I’ve purchased this Chile twice and believe for the taste/convenience factor is represents decent value. ‘Freezibility’ is a definite plus.
thank you for the info , I bought it already and was looking how to cook it .thanks for the effort
Thanks for doing this. I was wondering about whether it was a good or a good deal or not. I believe they make these products to use up meat that didn’t sell that day. Perhaps they just dumped a bunch of products together, which may be why its blah tasting.