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    Home » Frugal Pantry

    Real Food Products We Love: Real Maple Syrup from Costco

    Published: Mar 24, 2015 · Modified: Apr 24, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    I didn’t used to be brand loyal, but now that we’re working to improve our diet, I love finding products that are just simple good food. This is part of my Real Food We Love series. It is not a sponsored post.

    Real Food Products We Love - Real Maple Syrup

    I grew up pouring pancake syrup on my breakfast, not realizing that it wasn’t really “maple syrup”. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I noticed the “maple-flavored” on the label. I remember feeling a little insulted, that I’d been duped all those years, thinking that it was maple syrup I was dousing my pancakes with.

    The first time I bought the real deal, I was a little taken aback by the price. Ouch! But, I’m one for sticking to principles and I wanted real maple syrup. Eventually it became a habit and I got acclimated to the price that was higher than maple-flavored corn syrup.

    There’s no looking back for me now. I love the flavor of real maple. I could just eat it off the spoon. I also prefer its texture over pancake syrup. The alternative is really stringy and sticky. True maple syrup doesn’t get stringy. Now one of the tricks about this different texture is that it pours out very quickly. We’ve solved the problem of the child pouring $2 worth of syrup onto his plate

    We make a stopper of sorts out of the safety seal on the top of the jug. By cutting an X in the seal, we allow some syrup to flow, but not all the syrup. Works super well!

    Last year during our sugar fast, we relied on maple syrup and honey to sweeten things. It was a great way to have a little sweetness that was closer to the natural product.

    Typically we buy these big jugs of syrup at Costco. The price hovers around $12.

    Real Maple Syrup from Costco - Review

    What we make with real maple syrup:

    • Oaty Maple Breakfast Cake
    • Buttered Maple French Toast Casserole
    • Maple-Sweetened Chocolate Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
    • Maple-Brown Sugar Cinnamon Rolls
    • Maple Vanilla Almond Granola
    • Pancakes with Apples and Whipped Maple Butter

    The best thing about this maple syrup is that that’s all there is in it! It’s just pure maple syrup.

    Disclosure: Costco does not know I exist, so this is certainly not a sponsored post. But, I thought it would be fun to share some of the real food products that I’ve found. Stay tuned for more “real food products we love“.

    « Easy Chicken Fajitas
    Sausage and Potatoes Recipe with Sour Cream Sauce »
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Hank

      December 04, 2015 at 3:52 pm

      How do you know this is pure Maple Syrup?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 05, 2015 at 1:45 pm

        It’s marked accordingly.

        Reply
    2. Rhonda

      April 02, 2015 at 7:25 pm

      Love good maple syrup and Costco brand isn’t too bad!

      Reply
    3. Denise

      March 30, 2015 at 4:01 am

      We get the same syrup- mostly because my son is allergic to corn, but now I’d never go back to the fake stuff! My son likes maple syrup in his gluten free oatmeal- every morning. Because it was so hard to be consistent with how much went into his bowl, I finally put the entire jug into a pump dispenser bottle intended for tempera paints that I found at the local teacher store. Now it stays in the door of the fridge and is so much easier!!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 30, 2015 at 7:10 am

        Clever idea!

        Reply
    4. Donna

      March 26, 2015 at 7:08 pm

      Nothing like maple syrup! I have a cousin in VT that taps her trees and makes syrup every year. I get a gallon from her and savor every drop. Nothing like it!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 30, 2015 at 7:10 am

        That is such a treat. Jealous!

        Reply
    5. Janet

      March 25, 2015 at 1:50 pm

      For baking and cooking I always use real maple syrup. When it comes to pancakes and waffles we are a house divided. My husband wants the corn-based syrup he grew up with. He does not use maple syrup on his pancakes or waffles (nor does my oldest daughter).

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:25 am

        He is the “picky” one, isn’t he? 😉

        Reply
    6. Courtney

      March 25, 2015 at 10:34 am

      Costco doesn’t exist in my neck of the woods, but we do have a Sam’s Club and they also sell real maple syrup for around $12/liter.

      Reply
    7. Julie

      March 25, 2015 at 7:57 am

      We don’t have a Costco within 100 miles of our home, but we do have a few maple trees. Three years ago we started tapping our trees to get maple syrup. It’s a time-consuming process, but it’s very simple.

      Reply
      • almas.nathoo

        March 25, 2015 at 11:28 am

        Hi,
        Please I would like to tap maple syrup from my tree. Ist too late now or I can still do it.
        Please send reply my email address so I get doing it.
        thanks
        almas nathoo

        Reply
        • Julie

          March 25, 2015 at 12:48 pm

          You can collect maple sap when the daytime temperatures are above freezing but the night time temperatures are below freezing. The farther north you live, the later that season is. We got our start at http://www.tapmytrees.com. Good luck!

    8. Julie

      March 25, 2015 at 7:56 am

      We don’t have a Costco within 100 miles of our home, but we do have a few maple trees. Three years ago we started tapping the maple trees to get maple syrup. It’s a time consuming process, but it’s also very simple.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:25 am

        That is a great thing. So happy for you!

        Reply
    9. Melissa F

      March 25, 2015 at 7:07 am

      Maple syrup doesn’t go bad – it’s kind of like honey. I do refrigerate mine after opening.
      The jug I buy at Sam’s looks exactly the same, just a different label and costs around $12 as well.
      Thanks for the tip to keep it from pouring out so quickly. I have taken an old small glass maple syrup bottle and pour some into it then warm on the stove in a small pot of water. Yummy!

      Reply
    10. Sandi

      March 25, 2015 at 6:40 am

      This is the one I have as well. I need to go check to see if the bottle says, but does the stuff ever go bad? I use it so very rarely (just not a pancakes and waffles kind of girl, so I rarely make those, especially now the kid is grown) and my plan to make those chocolate cupcakes always seems to get derailed by other choices, so it just sits there in the pantry, taking up space.

      Reply
      • Laurette

        March 25, 2015 at 10:22 am

        Freeze it or refrigerate. Honey can be left on the counter. REAL Syrup will mold if kept at warm temperatures; don’t waste your money by leaving it on the counter. It will crystallize on the bottom over time. You can dissolve that, or you can eat it like candy or sprinkle it on cake :).

        Reply
      • Laura C

        March 26, 2015 at 7:24 pm

        Keep it in the fridge, I usually buy it once a year, we don’t use a ton of it either but it lasts just fine that way.

        Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:24 am

        Yes, I think it needs to be refrigerated.

        Reply
    11. Bob

      March 25, 2015 at 5:32 am

      If you by it in the largest size you can freeze it to keep it longer

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:24 am

        I did not know you could freeze maple syrup! Thank you!

        Reply
    12. Laurette

      March 25, 2015 at 4:22 am

      My brother has his own bush as he lives in upstate NY (Cross Country Farms). Try substituting it in your breads as a sweetener such as you would with applesauce. My 2 favorites are maple candied yams and on top of maple walnut ice cream. Neither are healthy, but both taste absolutely amazing. I believe St Albans, VT makes a maple cookbook and sells it at its annual maple festival happening soon. http://www.vtmaplefestival.org/Cookbook.html if you are looking for things to do with it besides on your pancakes. VPR’s VT edition has a special today at noon on sugaring(3/25 VPR.Net) if you are at all interested in the science behind why it tastes sooo good. You can also boil it down to a candy and put it on top of snow if you still have some in your yard; we call it sugar on snow.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:24 am

        I would love to have a sugar bush, but that would mean living someplace cold! lol

        Reply
    13. AlysonRR

      March 24, 2015 at 10:47 pm

      You know, the other thing that Costco in my area just started selling is the wonderful Kerrygold butter! I don’t eat much bread, so when I do I really want it to taste good and that butter certainly does it for me. You don’t need much to add great flavor, and it goes well with real maple syrup (see, I brought it around to topic, LOL).

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:23 am

        I’ve been afraid to buy that! It’s so pricey, I’m afraid we’d like it too much. Ha!

        Reply
    14. AlysonRR

      March 24, 2015 at 10:45 pm

      We get the Costco maple syrup, too, and it’s tasty and a good deal for the real thing. I prefer the lighter color pure maple syrup, but I’ve had trouble finding it since we moved back to WA from the East coast…

      I have to say that when my 13-yo or 16-yo have a slumber party I do NOT serve the real thing. Most of the kids around here haven’t ever tasted it and I can’t convince them not to pour 3+ oz onto their plate (ack!). So they get the best fake stuff I can find or, preferably, homemade coconut or berry syrup.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:23 am

        It’s a travesty when they pour that much! We’ve been there. I totally get you on the fake stuff. An alternative would be to make a sugar syrup instead. I’ve got one in the GCE cookbook. There’s also a recipe on the side of Mapleine. We’ve done that when we couldn’t swing the real stuff.

        Reply
    15. AmyG

      March 24, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      My birthday was last week and I spent my birthday money for a Costco membership. One of the main reasons for getting the membership is the price of the maple syrup. Costco should have you as a spokesman, as making the decision to get a membership was based on reading your blog and realizing that it could benefit even my small family. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:22 am

        Well, I hope it is a success, esp if you did it because of me! Haha! We’ve really benefitted from it over the years. I just need to find the prime time to go to avoid the crowd. The best time is to send my husband on his way home from work. Unfortunately, he blew out his knee over a week ago and isn’t quite better yet. That’s a long walk through Costco.

        Reply
    16. Melissa

      March 24, 2015 at 7:23 pm

      I have become hooked on real maple syrup. I am trying to wait patiently to go buy it at the end of the week when it’s payday and budget will allow it. My favorite way to use it is in hot chocolate.milk. Maple syrup and cocoa powder warmed on the stove. My boys love it!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        March 28, 2015 at 10:20 am

        Sounds like a great combination! I bet you could make the syrup ahead of time and add it to hot milk?

        Reply
        • Melissa

          March 29, 2015 at 5:44 pm

          Another food blog I follow has a recipe for a make ahead chocolate syrup that you just stir into milk. This makes me want chocolate!

        • Jessica Fisher

          March 30, 2015 at 7:09 am

          Sounds yummy!

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