Costco Seaweed Snacks - Kirkland Signature (Organic)
Seaweed isn’t just for wrapping sushi. Costco Seaweed Snack aka nori is a healthy, fun, and unique snacking item that the whole family can enjoy.
Roasted Nori Seaweed Snack at Costco
Costco sells a 10 pack of their Kirkland Signature Organic Roasted Seaweed for $10.49. The seaweed packs are located in the Pantry and Dry Goods area of the store near other items such as the Paleo Bars, Salsa, and the Canned Salmon.
Each individual pack weighs 0.6oz and costs $1.49. The roasted seaweed is USDA organic, flavored with sesame, and made in Korea.
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This seaweed snack comes from dried edible seaweed. Seaweed is typically known as Nori and has a plethora of uses in Japanese cuisine. Most often known as a wrap for sushi or onigiri (rice balls). It can also be used as a garnish for flavoring in ramen, rice bowls, salads, or even as mock seafood flavor.
Nori is created from harvested seaweed directly from the ocean. Nowadays, the seaweed is mechanically harvested and processed to create the final product which is a paper thin, dark green, dried sheet. The seaweed snack is roasted and flavored in the process.
Kirkland Signature Organic Seaweed Snack is Winter Harvested
Winter harvested seaweed is generally regarded as the best tasting seaweed. The cold water allows the seaweed to grow slower and more naturally.
This allows the seaweed plant to absorb more natural nutrients and this, in turn, creates a lighter and crispier texture than seaweed harvested in different seasons.
Kirkland Signature Roasted Seaweed Snack Price Comparison
When I shop at Costco, I expect to buy in bulk and I expect to get a good deal. Costco does not disappoint with these Kirkland Signature Seaweed Snacks. At a price of $10.49 or $1.49 per .65oz pack these might be one of the best deals for snacking seaweed.
I took a look at some nationwide competitors such as Sam’s Club, Amazon, and Target. I’ve compiled their prices below, and the big takeaway is that Costco provides by far the best price per ounce.
Some of the seaweed packs will cost about the same per pack, but the competitors’ seaweed snacks are often half the size or even less compared to Costco’s.
Price | Price Per Pack | Price Per Ounce | |
---|---|---|---|
Costco Seaweed Snacks (10 pack - .6oz each) | $10.49 | $1.49 | $2.48 |
Sam's Club Ocean Halo Seaweed (20 pack - .14poz each) | $9.98 | $0.50 | $3.57 |
Amazon Gimme Organic Roasted Seaweed (6 pack -.16oz each) 1st Result | $11.38 | $1.89 | $13.55 |
Target Gimme Organic Roasted Seaweed (1 pack - .35oz) | $1.99 | $1.99 | $5.69 |
We can throw away Amazon’s price as that is absolutely ridiculous. Never buy food from Amazon, you will always be paying a premium. You can purchase this exact $10.49 Costco Seaweed Snack from Amazon for $35. Stay away from Amazon!
Sam’s Club’s seaweed was at least somewhat competitive, but Costco still had the best price and it wasn’t even close.
Kirkland Signature Seaweed First Impression
Costco’s seaweed snack packs are filled to the brim with nori. The seaweed sheets are standing straight up and lined up like soldiers in the plastic container. There’s too many to count and at least 50 sheets of seaweed in each carton.
Each sheet is about 3 inches long by 2 inches wide and is thin, light, and extra crispy. When held up to the light, you can see the true texture of the Kirkland Signature seaweed snack.
It looks like ground seaweed that is processed and formed into a snack size sheet.
The smell of the seaweed is very distinct and unique. Costco seaweed snack smells like the ocean and has that recognizable seafood smell. The aroma of the sesame is also very noticeable as well as the iodine which is heavily present in nori.
Costco Seaweed Snack Review
I like to eat Costco seaweed both on its own or with other typical Japanese foods. This particular seaweed snack is not a full size nori sheet and lives up to its name as snack sized. It’s utility is limited because of its size and texture, and it can’t be used for making sushi rolls, spam musubi or other wraps.
Kirkland Signature Seaweed snack is very tasty. Every single sheet of seaweed snack is packed with flavor and combines a salty, earthy, sea taste. These are roasted with sesame oil and the sesame taste is very noticeable. With at least 50 in a pack, these go quick and are really easy to eat.
My one complaint would be that these can be a little on the salty side. Seaweed is naturally salty, but there is also additional salt added to the product. Eating more than 10-15 pieces of seaweed on its own can be a little much and just a bit too salty. I wonder if that additional salt is actually needed and if I would enjoy the product more with no added salt.
I did enjoy the seaweed snack with a bowl of shoyu ramen that I also purchased at Costco. The savory seaweed went well with the soy sauce ramen and added an extra depth of flavor that elevated that ramen bowl to the next level. I’m sure even adding shrimp tempura or some steamed dumplings would be a major upgrade to the seaweed ramen bowl.
Additional Uses for Seaweed Snack
Personally, I like to eat these seaweed snacks as is, I find them light, savory, and very tasty. The package does list a few additional uses for this seaweed such as a salad or pizza topping, or even wrapping spam musubi.
I can see the appeal of adding the salty and rich flavors of nori as a topping and spam musubi is absolutely wonderful, but I don’t think it’s realistic to use this seaweed snack as a musubi wrapping. Kirkland Signature Seaweed is a snack seaweed and size-wise, it’s on the smaller end. The seaweed is super crispy and with its small size, it’s going to be quite the challenge to wrap a spam musubi the way they did in the photo. You are much better off getting a full-size nori sheet to make some yummy spam musubi.
Nutritional Information
This Costco seaweed snack contains only 4 ingredients. They are organic seaweed, organic sunflower oil, organic sesame oil, and sea salt. This is a fairly simple food item, and it’s actually quite healthy for you.
Each box of seaweed contains 5 servings, and each serving contains only 20 calories. There are 1.5g of fat, 0g of carbs, and 1g of protein in each serving, and the total for each box is 100 calories, 7.5g of fat, 0g of carbs, and 5g of protein. I’m surprised there is so much protein in seaweed, and these actually make a great keto snack!
This doesn’t come without some drawbacks. Seaweed absorbs nutrients from the ocean waters so it’s possible there is some potential that the snack could include some toxic metals such as aluminum, lead, or cadmium. The risk is very low, but I feel the need to mention it.
Are seaweed snacks good for you?
There are many benefits to consuming dried seaweed. Seaweed snacks are a great source of Vitamin A, B, C, and E, and also contain iron and iodine. It can be good for thyroid health as well as gut health.
With no carbs, but a moderate amount of fat and protein, depending on your diet, nori can make a great snack to graze on.
Final Thoughts
This is a great snacking food from Costco. Kirkland Signature seaweed snacks are sold at a nearly unbeatable price, have a great shelf life, and can satisfy a salty craving while minimizing calories. My daughters love these and I like to keep these on hand as a unique, easy, and healthy midday snack.
Costco Food Database User Reviews
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Greg Larkin is the founder and managing editor of Costco Food Database, the premiere site for honest takes on all things Costco food. A self-proclaimed Costco super-fan since childhood, Greg turned his obsession in a mission to properly rate and review all of Costco’s delicious buys. When he’s not busy navigating Costco aisles, you can find Greg smoking Kirkland Signature meats, meal prepping, or perfecting his homemade jerky recipes.