12 Gourmet Sam’s Club Finds You Can Get for Fast Food Prices

There are plenty of ways to squeeze every dollar out of your Sam's Club membership, from purchasing shelf-stable items in bulk to saving money on glasses with a Sam's Club optometry visit.

If you eat out frequently and are trying to switch to more affordable home-cooked meals, Sam's Club is also a great place to score fancy foods that cost even less than buying fast food.

Keep reading for a list of gourmet items worth adding to your grocery list as cheaper, tastier substitutes for pricier meals.

Editor's note: Prices and availability are subject to change and may vary by location.

Price: $11.98

If you love Starbucks' bite-sized egg bites, you'll love stocking up on 21 ounces' worth of bacon-and-three-cheese egg bites so you can indulge with your morning coffee without even leaving the house.

Sam's Club's egg bites are made with cage-free eggs and real butter, and each bite packs a whopping 20 grams of protein, so you can start the day right.

Price: $8.48

If you often end up at Panera Bread for a quick soup-and-salad lunch, save yourself time and money with a microwavable alternative. Each serving comes to just $1.56, and with seven servings per container, you'll have enough to last you the full workweek and more.

Made with real heavy cream, cream cheese, uncured bacon, and vegetable stock, the soup itself is enough to satisfy, though you can always enjoy it as a side dish.

Price: $14.88

Instead of swinging by Panda Express or Pei Wei's for a quick and tasty chow mein lunch, throw one of these nine-ounce packs in your microwave for a meal ready in three minutes. At just over $3 per microwavable packet, you'll save time and money without sacrificing flavor.

Price: $8.52

Richly flavored with tomato, paprika, fenugreek, and butter, Patak's butter chicken simmer sauce makes it easy to bring the flavors of your favorite upscale Indian restaurant home.

With a grand total of 30 ounces for under $9, you won't run out of your household's favorite simmer sauce anytime soon. Cube some Member's Mark Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts ($2.77 a pound) and toss them in your pan, then cover with the delicious sauce, and your meal is ready.

Price: $8.78

Replicate the savory flavor of slow-cooked barbecue baked beans without the hassle or time with a 40-ounce container of Member's Mark brisket-steeped barbecue side dish.

In place of high-fructose corn syrup, you'll find real molasses, brown sugar, beef brisket, and apple cider vinegar in the ingredients list.

This product has over 3,000 five-star reviews on Sam's website. Shopper Gabe left a review a few days ago saying, "Like homemade."

Price: $12.88

A good teppanyaki-style meal complete with fried rice, cooked vegetables, and your favorite teriyaki beef or chicken doesn't come cheap.

You can tackle the fried rice portion yourself in five minutes with this tender fried rice made with corn, peas, carrots, onions, soy sauce, and rice wine. Each nine-ounce packet comes to just $2.61 — a price that can't be beat by either fast-food or sit-down restaurants.

Price: $18.28

Beef Birria is a traditional, flavorful beef soup that usually takes hours of slow-cooking to render. Deal Real preserves the meal's traditional flavors by cooking the broth in small-batch kettles with seasonings like paprika, chili pepper, and garlic.

Each serving comes to just $3.04 — far less than the cost of a plated meal at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Price: $5.58

The best part of a sit-down teppanyaki-style meal might be the sauce. With Sam's Club, you can bring home the gourmet taste without the price tag: whether you're looking to step up your marinade game or you want a top-notch sauce to go with your favorite side dishes, Kinder's 27.5-ounce bottle of sesame-ginger sauce has you covered.

Price: $13.98

At $0.53 per ounce, Sam's Club's signature brand brings you fully cooked, authentically seasoned pork carnitas for far less than the cost of a single taco from either your local taco truck or nearest Taco Bell. Simply add your favorite soft taco shell, shredded cabbage, and hot sauce to enjoy your own taco Tuesday at home.

Price: $16.43

These restaurant-worthy pork soup dumplings bring gourmet flavor straight to your freezer. Made by a trusted brand and packed with rich, savory broth, they're a luxurious bite that costs less than a couple of combo meals. Just heat and enjoy for a quick fix that feels indulgent without the splurge.

Price: $16.98

You won't find imitation crab meat in these Member's Mark delicacies. Instead, enjoy small-batch, handmade cakes with fresh-caught blue swimming crabs, bell peppers, green onions, and other gourmet flavors.

With six cakes per box, you'll spend just $3.45 per cake — far less than the cost of a Red Lobster side dish.

Price: $14.78

Instead of spending a fortune ordering cheesecake from your nearest dessert shop or Cheesecake Factory, wow your family and friends with a ready-made cheesecake from Sam's Club. The cake comes pre-sliced and is made from scratch with real graham cracker crust, butter, vanilla beans, and cream cheese.

You shouldn't have to compromise flavor to save money on groceries. Add these gourmet items to your shopping list the next time you head to Sam's Club.

Also, keep in mind that meal planning for your week in advance can avoid wasting money on last-minute fast-food lunches. Your budget (and your taste buds) will thank you.