We wanted to know if the Sam’s Club membership was really worth the money, especially for someone following the keto diet. We checked out this popular wholesale grocery store, and are bringing you our top 10 Keto Sam’s Club buys and a list of what to avoid.
Sam’s Club is lot like Costco when it comes to bulk pricing, and it definitely carries a lot of our favorite keto staples and snacks. Before you get too excited, make sure to check out our list of items to avoid. We’ll help break down nutrition info and ingredient lists, so you don’t make any wrong purchases.
What to Buy for Keto at Sam’s Club
1. Meats
- Pre-Cooked Meats
- Organic Grass-Fed Ground Beef
- Rotisserie Chicken – Only $5.00!
- Kiolbassa Sausages
- Charcuterie Meat Packs
Sam’s Club offered a wide variety of pre-cooked meats ready for salads, quick lunches, and dorm room dinners. The following meats are low-carb and can make the keto diet accessible to busy people who don’t have much time to cook.
- Pulled Pork
- Smoked Turkey Legs
- Sous Vide Beef Sirloin
- Beef Fajitas
- Beef and Chicken Strips
- Pork Chops
2. Keto Snacks at Sam’s Club
We were please with the snack options at Sam’s Club, especially when they had some of our favorite meat sticks.
- Cheese Snacks
- Pork Rinds
- Dukes Sausages
- Pre-Portioned Almonds
- Oh Snap Pickles
Pork Rinds
We like to have pork rinds on hand for dipping into our Brie Taco Dip or our Buffalo Chicken Dip. You can even use them as a crunchy topping to Keto Mac and Cheese or as a breading for Sweet and Sour Pork.
Always look for pork rinds cooked in their own fat or “lard”, not with refined seed oils like soybean or canola oil which can have negative effects on your health. The ingredient list should just list pork, salt, and seasoning.
Cheese Snacks
There was a large selection of cheeses at Sam’s Club, which scored big keto points for us. We think cheese is the perfect snack when you’re in a hurry or on the road.
- Cheese Strings & Sticks
- Parm Crisps
- Panino Fingers
- Grass-Fed Cheese
3. Keto Drinks at Sam’s Club
It’s always a treat trying out a new keto drink and Sam’s Club had a great selection of some of our favorites.
- La Croix – We recommend adding some liquid stevia if you like drinks to be on the sweet side.
- Sparkling Ice Drinks – Sam’s Club carried variety packs which we loved.
- Powerade Zero – Find an even better supplement for electrolytes in our Keto Supplement Guide.
- Bai – Antioxidant Infusion Drinks – Sweetened with erythritol.
- Premier Protein Shakes
- Heavy Cream – The best coffee creamer on the market.
- Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
4. Fats & Oils at Sam’s Club
You can usually find a decent cooking oil option at most grocery stores, and we definitely found a few at Sam’s Club. It’s important to know what to look for when shopping for a cooking oil. The price and processing are two ways to determine the quality. Our Guide to Healthy Cooking Oils is a great starting resource.
- Organic Cold-Pressed Unrefined Coconut Oil
- Avocado Oil – One of the better vegetable oils for cooking at higher temperatures.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Look for a dark, small bottle to ensure freshness.
- Kerry Gold Butter – Grass-fed butter is higher in fat-soluble vitamins.
Coconut oil is a staple in our keto kitchen since we add it to our bulletproof coffees and teas almost every day and regularly make fat bombs with it. If you don’t like a strong coconut taste, choose a refined coconut oil.
5. Keto-Friendly Nuts
Sam’s Club offered keto-friendly nuts galore, but be weary of added ingredients like sunflower oil and soybean oil. Your best option for roasted nuts and nut butters is an ingredient list that contains just nuts and salt.
- Pre-Portioned Almond packets – Great option since nuts are easy to overeat.
- Almond Butter
- Almond Flour – Sam’s Club had 3lb. bags of finely sifted almond flour on for $13.00.
We always buy “super fine” almond flour for our low-carb baking recipes to ensure good texture and consistency. Many keto recipes won’t turn out the same if you accidentally use “almond meal”.
Another great alternative to wheat flour is coconut flour. It’s still low-carb, but not as calorie-dense as almond flour.
6. Frozen Pre-Riced Cauliflower
Keto-dieters are no stranger to cauliflower, the low-carb veggie that can replace high-carb foods like potatoes and flour. Sam’s Club carried a bulk bag of frozen, pre-riced, cauliflower and if you’ve ever turned a whole head of cauliflower into rice, you know how sweet this deal is.
If Cauliflower doesn’t bring on the bloat for you, serve it with Keto Butter Chicken, as Keto Fried Rice, or alongside Coconut Chicken Curry.
7. Bacon at Sam’s Club
You’re bound to find some good bacon at Sam’s club, whether it’s pre-cooked and ready for quick breakfasts or bacon bits for salads.
Bacon Bits
Megha loves adding these to Egg Salad, but they’re also a tasty addition to omelettes and pizza.
Pre-Cooked Bacon Strips
Sam’s Club had large boxes of pre-cooked bacon that we think would be ideal for week-day breakfasts before work or school. Have them with meal prepped Egg Bites.
Regular Bacon
Avoid “maple” flavored bacon which usually contains more sugar, but don’t get too caught up in looking for high quality bacon. Most generic brands use a little sugar to cure the meat, but a few slices won’t mess with your ketosis.
8. Sweeteners at Sam’s Club
Sam’s Club luckily carried Truvia erythritol packets, which are great for taking on the road and adding to coffees.
Our favorite sweeteners are liquid stevia, monk fruit, and erythritol, for a number of reasons. Try adding flavored liquid stevia to your morning coffee or to flavor desserts.
Some people find stevia to have a bitter after taste, and some people get digestion discomfort from erythritol. Baking with a blend of stevia and erythritol can ensure no bitter aftertaste and easier digestion.
9. Bulk Seasonings
Stocking the pantry with bulk seasonings from Sam’s Club is a veteran move. Spices like cinnamon, curry powder, and chili are going to come in handy when you start trying out new keto recipes.
People tend to do a lot more cooking once they start the keto diet. It takes out the guesswork of how much sugar might be in something at a restaurant and makes it easier to customize the fat and protein in the meal.
10. Keto-friendly Dips
Sam’s Club carries large tubs of Pimento Cheese dip and Palmetto Cheese dip. We love a creamy dip served with some fresh veggies. They’re an easy lunch when paired with some ground beef or chicken and of course, make the perfect keto appetizer.
Store-bought dips like these are usually made with mayonnaise and refined seed oils which some people avoid for health reasons. If you prefer to make your own, we have a Pimento Cheese recipe on our blog. Use sliced cucumbers or zucchini for dipping!
Our Sam’s Club Keto experience was definitely a good one and we found a few new items we’ve never seen in Costco before, like most of the prepped meats. They may not carry specialty items like Whole Foods where we can find raw cheese and avocado mayonnaise, but at least they had some grass-fed ground beef and healthy cooking oils.
What should you avoid at Sam’s Club?
Bottled Pesto {Avoid}
Flavorful sauces can be an easy way to amp up the fat content of any keto meal. Unfortunately, most salad dressings, marinades, and pasta sauces are made with refined vegetable and seed oils that increase inflammation. It may seem impossible at times to find a brand that uses healthy oils like avocado or olive, but in our opinion, it’s worth the extra effort.
The pesto at Sam’s Club was made with canola oil which is highly refined. We recommend making your own pesto at home with a healthy cooking oil that’s not so high in Omega-6 fatty acids. A great brand to look for when shopping is Primal Kitchen since they make all of their sauces with avocado oil and coconut oil.
Soybean and Peanut Oil {Avoid}
Oils are a fragile food and heating them at high temperatures can cause them to oxidize and turn rancid. It’s best to avoid soybean and peanut oil when frying and use animal fats when possible. The best fat for frying is tallow or beef fat – it’s actually what most restaurants used for frying before saturated fat was demonized!
We also like to use coconut oil and avocado oil which both have moderately high smoke points. They have better omega fatty acid ratios and aren’t as refined. Coconuts and avocados are naturally fatty fruits and it’s not a difficult process to extract their fat, whereas removing the fat from soybeans requires chemicals and high heat.
Bulletproof Coffee Cold Brew {Avoid}
Don’t fall prey to the “bulletproof” buzzword. One bottle of their Bulletproof Cold Brew contains 20g of carbs. This is why you should always read the label – especially on “keto” products! If you want a keto version of cold brew, try our Iced Bulletproof Coffee or head to Starbucks with some MCT Oil.
We do like the Collagen Protein Bars by Bulletproof if you are interested in trying them. They are a little high in carbs, but use wholesome ingredients. When shopping for keto protein bars, this is the balance we like to land on. We’re willing to let a few more carbs creep in, if it means there are less processed ingredients in the label.
In Summary
Sam’s Club is a lot like Costco, but doesn’t have nearly as many specialty keto items. If you’re just looking for a great deal on the basics like eggs, cream, meat, and nuts, then this membership might be for you. We encourage you to check it out for yourself and let us know why you love Sam’s Club for keto shopping!
- Meats – Especially fully-cooked meat options.
- Snacks
- Zero-Sugar Drinks
- Fats & Oils
- Nuts
- Cauliflower Rice in Bulk
- Bacon
- Sweeteners
- Bulk Seasonings
- Keto-Friendly Dips
Do you have a Sam’s Club membership? What is on your Top 10 list? Let us know in the comments below!
