Costco Fans Claim Its Kirkland Butter Is Suddenly Not Up To Snuff

It's easy for shoppers to tell when a favorite product changes. Even minor ingredient tweaks can affect everything from shelf-life to taste and texture (not to mention consumer satisfaction). Recently, some Costco customers have found that this sad turn of events may be the new reality for Kirkland Signature salted butter. 

Usually a popular choice for Costco members, suspected sudden changes made to the product have cast doubt on its quality. Apparently, some bakers who have used Kirkland butter in recipes for years have noticed that their creations aren't turning out like they used to. For many people, the butter is the clear culprit, and spoiler alert: They aren't happy about it.

Costco customers on Reddit are already talking about switching to different brands or even giving Costco's grass-fed butter a try instead. While no official announcement has been made regarding changes to the butter, shoppers have recently noticed something different about it. Over the holiday season, several members bought the butter to use in familiar recipes and immediately knew things were off. One incorporated it into their pie crust recipe only to see the dough disintegrate. After switching to another butter, however, the pie crust recipe worked as usual. Another customer took to TikTok claiming to have faced the same problem, with a different brand of butter also coming to the rescue.

Clearly, something's up with the Kirkland stuff. While the changes are unclear, some customers have theories about what could be causing these issues.

One Reddit user speculated that the different effects of the Kirkland butter might have something to do with a change in its water content, a sentiment echoed on another Reddit thread comparing it to Kerrygold. Since many customers reported crumbly pie doughs this year, a dearth of moisture might be the culprit. Still, there's no way of knowing exactly since the label on the box does not disclose the exact percentages of its ingredients. 

To prevent further baking disasters, some Costco members have contacted the bulk retailer to ask if any changes have been made to its butter. For now, customers will have to appraise the butter (and its box featuring colorful text) themselves to see if it also affects their baking projects.

When a beloved product changes, it can be devastating in more ways than one, so if you're a fan of Kirkland's butter, it's understandable if this news hits hard. But who knows, you might like the allegedly updated version.