If you’ve been anywhere near Costco’s frozen aisle lately, or honestly, anywhere near Instagram or TikTok, you’ve probably seen them. Tiny, round, impossibly cute panda-shaped buns that look like they belong in a stuffed animal collection, not a freezer. But here we are. Synear Foods’ Panda Buns with Custard Filling have landed at Costco, they cost about $14 for a box of 24, and people are losing their minds trying to get their hands on them.
This isn’t one of those products that gets a polite nod from shoppers and quietly sits on the shelf for six months. This one went viral almost immediately, sold out at multiple locations, and has Costco fans across the country refreshing their local store’s inventory like it’s concert tickets. So what’s the deal? Are they actually good, or is this just another case of the internet getting excited about something cute?
What Exactly Are Panda Buns?
If you’ve ever been to a dim sum restaurant or an Asian bakery, you already know what a custard bun is. It’s a soft, fluffy steamed bun (called bao) filled with a sweet, creamy custard made from egg yolks, sugar, and milk. They’re a staple in Chinese cuisine. The difference here is that Synear shaped them to look like little pandas, complete with black eyes and ears pressed into the white dough. When you pull one out of the steamer, it looks like a cartoon character you feel slightly guilty about eating.
Each box comes with two trays of 12 buns, so you’re getting 24 buns total for somewhere between $13.59 and $14.49, depending on which Costco you’re shopping at. That works out to roughly 58 to 60 cents per bun. For a frozen snack that looks this good and reportedly tastes even better, that’s a pretty solid price point.
Why They Went Viral So Fast
Let’s be real. The panda shape did a lot of heavy lifting here. In a world where people photograph their food before they eat it, a frozen bun that looks like a baby panda is basically engineered for social media. Food influencers were all over this one. Laura Jayne Lamb from the Instagram account CostcoHotFinds spotted them early and gave them a strong endorsement. SF Foodies, a Bay Area food account, posted that they “sprinted to grab 2 boxes” the moment they saw them in store. The Houston food account HTX Food called them “so squishy with a smooth and creamy custard filling.”
Once those posts started circulating, the product blew up. Comments sections were flooded with people tagging friends, asking which locations had them in stock, and begging for the buns to come to their region. One commenter on a popular post summed up the general feeling with a single word: “Neeed!!” That kind of organic buzz is hard to manufacture, and it clearly worked.
The Taste Test Verdict
Cute is great, but cute doesn’t matter if the thing tastes like cardboard. Fortunately, that’s not the case here. Multiple reviewers have rated the panda buns a 9 out of 10, calling them one of the best new items at Costco in a long time. The exterior is described as pillowy-soft, which makes sense since the dough is made using a traditional Chinese fermentation method. The custard filling inside is smooth, rich, and creamy, sweet but not aggressively so.
Reviewer Listiani Hartono put it simply: “It is so totally worth the wait! Fluffy, yummy and the custard-filled is so good.” Some shoppers compared them to Portuguese egg tarts, another beloved custard-filled treat, though they noted the panda buns have a more subtle sweetness since they’re steamed rather than baked. The one common piece of constructive criticism? Some people wished there was a little more filling inside each bun. But that’s a minor gripe for a product that’s otherwise gotten almost universally positive feedback.
How to Prep Them (It Takes Two Minutes)
This is one of those frozen products where the prep is almost too easy. You’ve got two options. The traditional way is to steam them for about 11 to 13 minutes. If you have a bamboo steamer, great. If you just have a regular pot with a steamer basket, that works perfectly too. Steaming gives you the best texture, that soft, slightly sticky exterior that makes a good bao bun so satisfying.
If you’re in a rush (or just impatient, no judgment), you can microwave them for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on how many you’re making. The microwave version won’t have quite the same texture as steamed, but it gets the job done when you want a quick snack. Either way, you’re going from frozen to eating in under 15 minutes, which puts these in a different category from most frozen meals that require preheating an oven and waiting around.
Where to Actually Find Them
Here’s where things get frustrating. The panda buns initially launched at Costco locations in San Diego and the Southeast region around Chinese New Year. Since then, they’ve expanded to additional areas including Texas, the Northwest, and the Bay Area. But they’re still not available everywhere, and they keep selling out at the locations that do carry them.
The product has been tracked across over 400 Costco warehouses, and some stores have already cycled through their inventory so fast that clearance pricing (as low as $4.97 to $6.97 per box) has popped up at select locations. That’s not because the product flopped. It’s because those stores blew through their allotment and are clearing out the last few boxes before restocking. If you see them at that price, grab them immediately. That’s a steal.
Your best bet is to call your local Costco and ask if they have Item #1891306 in stock. Shopping midweek also helps, since shelves tend to be better stocked before the weekend rush. Multiple commenters on social media have mentioned that they had to visit two or three different Costco locations before finding them.
Who’s Behind These Things?
Synear Foods USA is based in Chatsworth, California, and was established in 2015 as a subsidiary of Synear Foods, a frozen food company headquartered in Zhengzhou, China, that’s been around since 1997. They’re described as China’s largest exporter of frozen rice and noodle products, and they hold the distinction of being the only Chinese brand to land in Costco’s frozen section.
Judy Zhu, the CEO of Synear Foods USA, said the company focuses on “traditional Chinese recipes that infuse quality, taste and authenticity with every bite.” That tracks with what people are tasting. The panda buns don’t feel like a gimmick dressed up as food. The bao dough and custard filling are both legit, not some watered-down American approximation of the real thing. The panda shape is the marketing hook, sure, but the quality of the actual bun is what’s getting people to come back for a second box.
How They Stack Up Against Other Costco Frozen Finds
Costco’s frozen section has been on a roll lately. The panda buns are far from the only product generating excitement in 2026. Other standout additions this year include the Kirkland Signature Crispy Wings with Classic Buffalo Sauce (a heat-and-serve option that’s air-fryer friendly), the PuraVida Fire Roasted Primavera Mistura (a veggie side dish running about $13.79), and the When We Eat Mango On a Stick (a frozen fruit treat at $12.89 for 14 sticks).
In the broader affordable frozen meal category, Costco continues to be hard to beat. The Sandwich Bros Chicken Melts Pita Sandwiches break down to less than a dollar per sandwich. The Authentic Motor City Pizza Co. Detroit-Style Deep Dish Pizza runs under $8 per pizza. And the Kirkland Signature Italian Sausage and Beef Lasagna has Reddit users calling it the “best frozen lasagna out there.”
But none of those products have generated the same level of frenzy as the panda buns. There’s something about the combination of a genuinely good custard bun, a price that works out to about 60 cents each, and a shape that makes people stop scrolling and pay attention. Costco has always been good at stocking products that feel like a find, something special you can’t get at a regular grocery store. The panda buns fit that mold perfectly.
Should You Actually Buy Them?
Yes. Honestly, yes. If you can find them, buy them. They’re a limited-time offering, which means there’s no guarantee they’ll stick around permanently. The fact that they were launched to celebrate Chinese New Year and are still generating buzz months later says a lot. Costco pays attention to what sells, so there’s a chance the product could become a regular item if demand stays high enough. But banking on that is risky.
At $14 for 24 buns, you’re looking at a snack, a dessert, or a fun side that works for kids and adults alike. Steam a tray for a party and watch them disappear. Microwave a couple at midnight when you want something sweet. They’re versatile in the way that only a really good, simple food can be.
The only downside is the hunt. You might have to check a few stores, call ahead, or time your visit right. But if you’re a Costco regular, you’re already used to that. Half the fun of shopping there is stumbling onto something new before it vanishes. The panda buns are that product right now, the one everyone’s talking about, the one people are driving across town to find. If you see them in the freezer, don’t think about it. Just grab a box. Or two.
