Recently, when I had to host a watch party for friends on a weeknight with no time to make snacks from scratch, the hero of the evening was the frozen appetizers in the back of my freezer. It’s a situation many of us can relate to: you’re having people over, but you don’t have the time, energy, or ingredients to whip something up on the spot.

When you’re in an entertaining pinch, having a selection of ready-to-bake appetizers on hand can turn a casual evening into a memorable night with crowd-pleasing food. As always, when looking to stock up on something delicious for the future, Costco remains one of our go-to grocery stores for affordable, easy-to-prepare bites that are full of flavor.

In addition to meeting last-minute hosting needs, many of this grocery giant’s appetizers have gained popularity due to their versatility. Costco customers also turn to these top-rated options to complement weeknight meals or make savory late-night snacks.

No matter how you plan to use the starters that are stocked in your freezer, these frozen favorites from the warehouse retailer are sure to deliver the results you’re looking for.

Bibigo Vegetable Spring Rolls with Soy Ginger Sauce

If vegetable spring rolls are always a must-have in your takeout order, stashing a fan-approved version in your freezer is an even more convenient (and budget-friendly) option. The rolls’ miniature size also makes them perfect for entertaining.

Each pack of Vegetable Spring Rolls from Costco — which comes from the major Korean food brand Bibigo — features 50 crispy rolls filled with a mix of leek, jicama, edamame, onion, carrot, cabbage, and sweet potato. The fried appetizer also comes with a soy-ginger dipping sauce on the side.

Kirkland Signature Tempura Shrimp

Coated in a crunchy, golden-hued batter, the Kirkland Signature Tempura Shrimp can be baked or air-fried and are ready to eat in just eight minutes. In an entire Reddit thread dedicated to recommending these shrimp, one Costco customer confirms that “We have served these at a few parties; can highly recommend!”

Each pack includes 30 tempura shrimp and a soy dipping sauce, but if you’re not feeding a crowd, the crispy morsels come in a resealable bag for easy storage in the freezer. Quite a few shoppers suggest using these shrimp as a quick upgrade for easy meals, like turning them into shrimp tacos or serving them with udon noodles.

Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks

These might seem almost too simple to serve to guests, but the Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks are perfect for making boneless chicken “wings” without having to order takeout. The chicken pieces are coated with a light breading and pack 16 grams of protein per serving.

Once you bake or air-fry these morsels, toss them with Buffalo sauce, barbecue sauce, or a Korean-style glaze, and you have an appetizer worthy of a football game ready to go. As an added bonus, keeping these on hand would definitely make packing school lunches for kids a lot easier.

Phillips Maryland Style Crab Cake Minis

The Phillips Maryland Style Crab Cake Minis from Costco stand out for their fresh flavor, with two major Costco fans noting that the crab cakes don’t taste like they were frozen. Each bag contains 36 small, round crab cakeswhich are easy to serve on a platter with toothpicks for sharing.

The crab cakes are made with wild-caught crab meat, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, paprika, parsley, and breadcrumbs. This frozen find doesn’t include a dipping sauce, but making a quick spicy mayo or tartar sauce would take them to the next level.

Cuisine Adventures Puff Pastry Bites

This pack of puff pastry-based appetizers is perfect for when you’re worried about pleasing everyone. They also look elegant and wouldn’t be out of place at a dinner party or holiday gathering.

All of the Puff Pastry Bites are savory, and the pack includes four filled pastry flavors: roasted red pepper and cheddar; spinach and Parmesan; artichoke, Monterey Jack, and jalapeño; and caramelized onion and ricotta. If you have any cheese lovers in attendance, it’s safe to say they’ll be happy with any of these.