The Best Bakery Treats At Sam's Club, Ranked

When you spot a crowd at a get-together or office party, there's a good chance it's gathered around a tray of the best bakery treats at Sam's Club. Its Member's Mark brand goodies are a popular pick when you need to bring something to a potluck, work event, or big family dinner on the cheap. But which treats are actually worth your time and money?

Walmart's Sam's Club just celebrated its 40th anniversary of providing members with unbelievable deals. Maybe you're a loyal shopper for your bulk supplies (and the free samples of course) but if you've never tried its baked goods, you're missing out. That said, not all of the bakery's items are equal. Bringing home a treat that turns out to be not so great is one thing, but the stakes are higher when you end up with 4 pounds of a pastry you don't like. We've laid out some of the best Sam's Club goodies you'll be happy you bought in bulk.

This strawberry tres leches cake from Member's Mark is something you probably won't find duplicated in other grocery bakeries and, depending on your taste, that could be a bad thing or a good thing. The elements are all scrumptious but they aren't ones you typically expect to see together so it's on the list as one of those must-try items if only for the experience. 

If you went by looks and didn't read the label you'd think this was a strawberry cream cake and you'd be half right. It does have that fluffy Cool-Whip style frosting, pecans, fresh strawberries, and a layer of sweet seedless strawberry jam inside. It's the yellow cake where the tres leches style comes in — a traditional Latin American cake soaked in three milks (hence the name): evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and whipping cream. 

This creates a very moist texture that no one is going to expect from the cake's appearance. If someone grabs a slice without paying attention they're going to have a rude awakening when they bite into milk-soaked cake. That said, the cake isn't soaked enough to pull off tres leches either. One reviewer from the Five Minute Eats YouTube channel said, "This one is going to be a thumbs down for a tres leches cake because that it is not." This cake might be the fusion for you or it might be having an identity crisis, but it's certainly unique.

At the bottom of the list, we have Member's Mark sandwich croissants. Croissants are so famously difficult that even some experienced home bakers won't try to make them, but that's fine because the Sam's Club bakery offers a 12-pack of these buttery beauties for under $6.

They're called "all butter" croissants because they don't rely on hydrogenated oils to create that signature flakiness and to-die-for taste. All butter, all the time. It's a surprisingly short ingredient list and isn't packed with artificial preservatives –- but that might be a bug as much as it is a feature. These croissants would be higher on the list but fans of the pastry complain in the reviews that they have a short lifespan on your counter. One buyer wrote, "I was able to eat one before the rest molded three days after purchasing this bread. Sam's, you can do better than this."

They're amazing fresh and a steal at that price so the key is to eat them quickly. They're sized for sandwiches so slice these babies in half and get to sandwiching. Breakfast sandwiches are an obvious go-to. but for lunch, ham and Swiss in a warm croissant is heavenly. If you have a sweet tooth, elevate your plain croissants with Nutella or homemade frangipane, which is easier to make than you'd think. If you still can't finish them in a couple of days, there are plenty of options for what to do with all those leftover croissants.

Member's Mark's breakfast tray assortment is exactly what you're looking for if you need to provide treats during a meeting or as part of a continental breakfast on the cheap. It comes with a total of 40 treats in six different types. You get eight slices of a raspberry swirl loaf cake (which is just downright pretty) and eight slices of refreshing lemon loaf cake with a sweet glaze. The assortment comes with six of each of the other four pastries: mini crumb cakes, chocolate chip mini muffins, orange cranberry mini muffins, and glazed apple fritters.

It's lower on the list because each pastry is good but nothing to write home about if you're looking to stockpile breakfasts for yourself. That said, they're all good enough that they will be amazing from the perspective of someone getting them free at a meeting.

If you've been waffling on whether or not it's worth it to bring breakfast pastries to meetings, consider the boost to morale it may actually provide. Offering pastries will make meetings more effective because being treated improves people's moods, sugar gives tired employees a little boost, and it encourages attendance — because who doesn't like free food? The tray isn't free to you, but at $0.52 per pastry, it's a great deal.

Offer guests what's arguably the best part of going out to eat: warm, honey-sweetened bread rolls. Nothing makes a meal somehow feel both fancier and homier than a basket of oven-warmed bread that tastes homemade. At only $0.16 per roll, Sam's Club's yeast dinner rolls are a great way to feed a crowd on less. People can't resist a basket of bread on the table (especially if you serve the rolls with an herby compound butter) so they're more likely to feel full and sated at the end of the meal.

For that true restaurant feel, you need to warm up your rolls before serving but as anyone who has thrown a sandwich in the microwave knows, it's easy to ruin bread by reheating it. Your best bet is to put your rolls in an oven-safe dish and cover them tightly with aluminum foil to prevent moisture loss, then slide them into an oven on a keep-warm setting, which is around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You can toss in a damp paper towel or two if you're concerned about them drying out.

Sam's Club bread isn't packed with preservatives, which is great but also means these rolls are not going to last forever. If you have leftovers after your event, consider freezing them in an airtight bag until you're ready to eat them.

This three-flavor gourmet brownie platter comes in at a whopping 3-½ pounds of goodness to satisfy a chocolate-loving crowd. Each of the 24 squares is topped with rich chocolate icing and then topped a second time with either dark chocolate fudge swirls, white chocolate drizzle, or silky caramel. It's an indulgent, very sweet dessert and you get a ton of it. If nut allergies are a concern, while they don't contain nuts they also aren't made in a nut-free environment.

As good as they are, these brownies are not for everyone. Despite the different toppings, they're pretty one-note when it comes to flavor. It's a fantastic note if you love chocolate, but if you don't there's no respite in these tiny fudgy bricks. They are also so densely rich that some may find they can only have a few bites before it becomes too much. If rich, dense chocolate is your happy place, though, these are for you.

When you hear Sam's Club, you're probably not immediately thinking of authentic naan bread but here we are. Member's Mark naan bread is baked in a traditional tandoor tunnel oven at over 900 degrees Fahrenheit and if it seems unlikely that every Sam's Club has a tandoor oven in the back, that's because they don't. Some baked goods are made in-house, but these come from a Member's Mark facility in Canada that has all the equipment to make traditional naan bread right.

The result is soft, salty, and delicious. In a review on the Sam's Club website, one customer said, "This naan is honestly some of the best I have ever had!" and they're not the only reviewer with that sentiment. To maximize your enjoyment of this naan, you'll want it to be warm. There are many methods to reheat naan from microwaving to air frying. As long as you keep an eye on them and add a little water at the start, you should be fine.

For under $6, you get 10 naan, which comes out to over 2 pounds of chewy, bubbly bread at around $0.55 per naan. Plus each naan contains a surprising 8 grams of protein –- that's two more grams than you get from an average egg.

Sometimes occasions call for something you can't grab pre-made off the shelf and Sam's Club has a surprising range of affordable custom cakes. With a 46-page catalog detailing all the different ways you can personalize them, there's something for every occasion. 

The various sizes can serve anywhere from 15 to 66 people. Sam's offers sheet cakes, one-tier cakes, two-tier cakes, three-tier cakes, cupcakes (great for portability), and a two-layer cookie cake, which is a great option for people who don't like cake. Like other Sam's Club bakery treats, these cakes are much more affordable than those found at traditional bakeries. The store's most expensive offering is a three-tier wedding cake for only $69.99.

When ordering, you get to choose the flavor of cake, frosting, and color from 17 shades; there are even 15 types of sprinkles. The catalog features 30 suggested decoration themes, including unicorns, sharks, sports, cartoon characters, or realistic succulents for plant lovers. The catalog also has 130 edible images that can be printed on the cake.

Sure, the cakes are pretty, but are they any good? There are plenty of Redditors who actually ordered their wedding cakes from Sam's Club who say the cakes weren't just beautiful and cheap, but also delicious. One user wrote, "No one would've guessed it was a $65 Sam's Club cake." The combination of the quantity and quality of cake for the price along with the high level of customization pushes this one up the list.

This eight-pack of mini cheesecakes is perfect to bring to a family function or gathering of friends. Each person gets their own individual 3-inch cheesecake. There's no hassle of cutting slices and no sharing required.

For variety, each package contains three different toppings so there's something for everyone. For the fresh and fruity, four of the mini cheesecakes are topped with a classic combination of mixed berries and cream. The other four are for the folks who like it sweeter. You get two brownie cheesecakes (big chunks of brownie, pecans, and caramel sauce) and two turtle cheesecakes (pecans, chocolate curls, and caramel sauce). They're cute and scrumptious. Best of all, they look fancier than they cost, which sets them above the others in the middle of the pack.

That said, this isn't going to cut it for a party of more than eight people or where there won't be easily-accessible tables and silverware. This and the inclusion of nuts limit their appeal to all families and gatherings so we'll keep hoping Sam's Club offers a bigger, nut-free option soon.

Cupcakes are an absolute party staple and Sam's Club has perfected its recipe with this 30-pack of white and chocolate cupcakes. The cake-to-frosting ratio on these is just right; not too little and not too much. Fans of both flavors will be happy since the tray is split into half chocolate cake and half vanilla cake. 

This is one of the Sam's Club's items that people will think you spent way more money on than you did. It's 30 cupcakes for under $16. You would think the quality would suffer at that price but Member's Mark's recipe is everything you want in a cupcake.

The fact that cupcakes are a grab-and-go dessert has to be appreciated too. It makes them ideal for standing functions or backyard barbeques. Fancy personal cheesecakes are great and all but cupcakes are portable. They don't need utensils or plates and they appeal to a wider age range if you know you'll be feeding young children. If you're debating cupcakes versus cake, all the convenience benefits aside, these cupcakes are so tasty no one is going to be thinking about cake.

You can't get a blue-ribbon-winning apple pie at most bulk and bargain stores but you can at Sam's Club. This apple lattice pie won the 2019 American Pie Counsel Championship in the commercial category of Super Gourmet Apple Pies. (Member's Mark also won Super Gourmet Pumpkin Pie that same year.)

With a taste that's classically American, it's everything you expect and more -– and when we say more, we mean it. This pie clocks in at 12 inches across while an average pie dish is only 9 inches in diameter. The pie serves 16 and weighs in at over 4 pounds so it's great for large family get-togethers or if you want a Thanksgiving with plenty of leftovers. The scalloped lattice work keeps the pie looking elegant and professionally crafted, even at such a bulky size.

While this pie is an award winner, it's not higher on the list because it's not the best choice for gatherings where people aren't sitting down. Also, some people think of apple pie as exclusively a fall flavor and are less likely to be interested in it the rest of the year, even when warmed up and served à la mode.

If you're feeding a large gathering and your biggest priorities are variety and price, this 84-count assorted cookie tray comes with a mix of chocolate chunk, white chocolate chunk macadamia, oatmeal raisin, and mini candy cookies. This is what you bring to a crowd when you want a winner every time. It's the people pleaser with the most portions and the most options for different taste buds. The price for the tray comes out to under a quarter per cookie and that's going to be hard to beat anywhere.

This cookie assortment has something for all ages. Chocolate chip is classic.; everyone has a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Mini candy cookies are great for kids and they're perfect for little hands. White chocolate macadamia is nice for a more adult palate. For those thinking no one is going to want oatmeal raisin, think again because these are pretty tasty and you might be surprised how quickly they get eaten.

There are only two downsides that kept these from the top spot. One is that there are simply so many cookies that it needs to be for an event. A couple looking for an affordable treat is going to be overwhelmed by 84 cookies. The other is its lengthy allergen list, which states the cookies may contain peanuts, cashews, macadamia nuts, almonds, walnuts, pecans, and coconut.

The tuxedo bar cake with chocolate mouse is our must-try pick. It's the definition of decadent with moist chocolate cake surrounding layers of smooth chocolate mouse and mascarpone cream cheese filling –- all topped with dark chocolate ganache. This cake shines above the rest because it is so balanced. The sweet ganache is offset by the less sweet mascarpone and tangy cream cheese layer so each bite is as delectable as the first. It's elevated but still chocolatey enough for kids to love. In a review on Youtube, Kevin Dunn says, "It's not as sweet as you might think it would be. It is sweet, don't get me wrong, but it's more a rich chocolate flavor than a sweet chocolate flavor."

The cake is listed as serving eight to 10 people but it's so rich you could get away with thinner slices. It's a little pricier than some of the other available options but it's easily worth the money. You couldn't get something like this at an artisanal bakery for double the price.

Most of the bakery treats at Sam's Club are on the casual side but the decoration on the tuxedo cake is exquisitely detailed. The fancy appearance will steal the show at a casual event or, if you move this cake to a platter, you could confidently serve it to people wearing ties, gowns, and maybe even tuxedos.