What oil does Costco Food Court fry in?
Costco Food Court cooks with No deep fryer in the food court. The hot dog is all-beef and grilled/steamed, pizza and the chicken bake are oven-baked, the churro is finished in a convection oven rather than fried, and the 2026 chicken tenders were rolled out nationwide explicitly marketed as oven-baked, not fried. What PUFA is there comes from the canola/olive oil blend in the chicken bake and pizza dough, soybean oil turning up in some processed fillings, and the Caesar-style dressing used on wraps and salads; soft serve and sundaes are dairy fat..
The 5 cleanest things to order at Costco Food Court
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Hot Dog & Soda Combo | 3.0g |
| Cheese Pizza Slice | 5.0g |
| Pepperoni Pizza Slice | 6.0g |
| Chicken Bake | 8.0g |
| Combo Calzone | 8.0g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the Costco Food Court report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does Costco Food Court use beef tallow?
No. Costco Food Court cooks with No deep fryer in the food court. The hot dog is all-beef and grilled/steamed, pizza and the chicken bake are oven-baked, the churro is finished in a convection oven rather than fried, and the 2026 chicken tenders were rolled out nationwide explicitly marketed as oven-baked, not fried. What PUFA is there comes from the canola/olive oil blend in the chicken bake and pizza dough, soybean oil turning up in some processed fillings, and the Caesar-style dressing used on wraps and salads; soft serve and sundaes are dairy fat., not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.