Delight in this vibrant and delicious copycat Costco Quinoa Salad, perfect for health enthusiasts and foodies alike! Packed with protein-rich quinoa, crunchy veggies, and a tangy lemon dressing, this colorful and healthy salad is perfect for any meal or occasion. Make this scrumptious salad for your next family gathering, potluck, or meal prep, and enjoy the irresistible taste of this delightful dish.
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What Makes Costco Quinoa Salad So Good?
Costco salad tastes just as amazing as it looks. Don’t let all the healthy ingredients fool you. This vegan-friendly blend of quinoa, red lentils, brown rice, and plenty of fresh veggies tossed with a tangy dressing tastes much better than most sides and perfectly complements a variety of meat-based and vegetarian main courses.
Whether you are already a fan of the Quinoa Salad Costco sells or are just looking for something new, you will love this dish! This refreshing summer salad is perfect for picnics, potlucks, and backyard BBQs.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Sure, you can pick up a package of this healthy salad at your local Costco if you are a member, but there is no need to make a special trip to the store when you can whip up a batch at home.
Feel free to tweak the ingredients to suit your taste, like adding diced red onion, mung beans, fresh herbs like parsley, feta cheese, or swapping fresh tomatoes for sundried ones. Shaved broccoli also makes a good replacement for kale.
Costco Quinoa Salad Ingredients
For the delicious lemon dressing, you’ll need:
- Fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vegetable oil
For the salad, you’ll need:
- Roma tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red bell pepper
- Kale
- Cilantro
- Tricolor quinoa, cooked
- Brown rice, cooked
- Red lentils, cooked
Ingredient Notes
Roma tomatoes are ideal in this salad, but any plum or grape tomato will work well.
Each of the three kinds of quinoa that make up a tricolor blend has a unique flavor and texture. The different types add variety to the salad, but if you prefer, you can always use just only favorite.
To put this salad together quicker and for easier meal prep, you can buy precooked quinoa, brown rice, and red lentils, but cooking them yourself is cheaper and not too difficult.
You can substitute extra virgin olive oil for vegetable oil but note it will solidify when refrigerated.
How to Make Costco Quinoa Salad
Here are the steps for preparing this copycat Costco quinoa salad recipe.
To prepare the dressing:
- Combine the fresh lemon juice, Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground cumin, and apple cider vinegar in a mixing bowl.
- Slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil as you whisk vigorously.
- Dress the salad or transfer the dressing to an airtight container and put it in the fridge. Whisk well before using.
To prepare the Quinoa Costco Salad:
- Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds from the cucumber and tomatoes.
- Dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, kale, and cilantro into small pieces.
- Add the cooked tricolored quinoa, brown rice, and red lentils to the chopped vegetables.
- Use two serving forks to toss well.
- Cover the salad and put it in the refrigerator, or add to the dressing and serve.
What to Serve This With
Since this is a light, very flavorful salad, it goes well with summery dishes like grilled chicken or fish. You can also serve it with steak to bring a little extra acidity to help balance the richness of the meat.
To keep it vegan, serve the salad with roasted root veggies to bring out the dish’s earthiness, or add richness by topping it with sliced avocado.
How to Store
Keep the prepared salad in an airtight container in the fridge. Toss well before serving.
How Long Does It Last
Quinoa Salad will stay good in the fridge for up to three days, but it is better to consume it within 24 hours after making it.
Costco Quinoa Salad FAQ
Since the quinoa salad from Costco contains primarily vegetables, seeds, whole grains, and legumes, it is lower in fat than a salad that includes animal products. Although the dish doesn’t contain a lot of calories, most of them come from carbohydrates and fat, not protein.
Freezing Quinoa Salad from Costco is not recommended because it will change the texture. But to make preparation faster, you can freeze the cooked quinoa, rice, and lentils in separate containers and thaw them overnight in the fridge the day before preparing the salad.
Yes. There are no animal products in this dish.
Since the Quinoa Salad Costco sells doesn’t contain wheat, barley, or rye, it is naturally gluten-free
Favorite Salad Recipes
- Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Brussel Sprout and Kale Salad
- Copper Penny Salad
- Cucumber and Onion Salad
- Dill Red Potato Salad
- Grape Salad
- Macaroni Salad
- Olivier Salad
- Sauerkraut Salad
- Thai Noodle Salad
Popular DIY Recipes
Check out more of my easy salad recipes and the best DIY recipes on CopyKat!
Costco Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Salad
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
- 1 medium cucumber seeded and chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped kale
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 cups cooked tricolor quinoa
- 1 cup cooked brown rice I love Success Brown Rice Boil in the bag
- 1 cup cooked red lentils
Instructions
- Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
- In a large bowl, combine the red bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, kale, and cilantro and toss to combine.
- Pour the dressing over vegetables. Then add the quinoa, brown rice, and red lentils and mix well.