This Is Costco's Best Frozen Appetizer for Holiday Entertaining With Zero Stress

Over the summer, I agreed to host my family over the holidays. I’m excited about this, but with the holidays looming, the full scope of the endeavor is coming into focus. To ease the pressure, I decided to buy some hosting insurance in the form of frozen appetizers.

With nearly seven years of experience in food media, I’ve tasted and tested a broad range of homemade and store-bought appetizers. I felt confident that I could find options I would be happy to have on hand to serve. (Who knows if my prep and cooking timeline will fall apart, or if disaster will strike in the middle of a new recipe!)

I wanted to find something that would satisfy most of my guests from a flavor standpoint and also feel appropriate for a special event. I also hoped for something that I could store relatively easily in my small freezer. I tested the most popular frozen appetizers at Costco, and only one earned a permanent slot in my hosting roster: frozen puff pastry bites.

Why I Keep This Box in My Freezer

The actual pastry puffs up beautifully, and the fillings are plentiful, but not overpowering. I’ve encountered similar puff pastry appetizers where the filling has oozed out and burned on the pan, as well as some that are seemingly all pastry, which is happily not the case here.

In addition to the texture and ratio of pastry to filling being on point, I was also happy with the presentation. If I’m going to serve a frozen appetizer, I don’t want it to look like my 12-year-old self raided the freezer aisle at the grocery store. These were suitably impressive, but still easy to grab and eat without a mess. 

I particularly love this Costco freezer find as a host. There are four flavors in each package, which means everyone at the party will find something to love.

Each box contains a dozen each of pastries stuffed with roasted red pepper and cheddar; spinach and Parmesan; artichoke, Monterey Jack, and jalapeño; and caramelized onion and ricotta. And, the flavors are packaged in separate, individually wrapped trays, so it’s easy to pull out one or two and save the others for your next party. (One qualm: It’s tricky to tell which flavor you’re looking at in the pastries’ frozen state.)

The separate packages also make it easier to store these in the freezer. Once I baked the first set, I ditched the large cardboard box and fit the slim trays in the nooks and crannies of my small freezer. 

How To Dress up Frozen Puff Pastry Bites

While I’m perfectly happy to serve the bites as-is, you could dress them up before serving for a little more visual appeal and a touch more flavor. After plating, I'd focus on the garnish. All of these bites would do well with an herb garnish, such as a small sprinkle of chopped chives or cilantro or a small sprig of rosemary. You can also drizzle a small amount of a sauce or dressing over the top.

For example, a balsamic glaze may work well with the spinach and Parmesan bites, and the caramelized onion and ricotta bites could lean sweet with a small amount of good honey.

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