Costco Quinoa Salad (Copycat Recipe)
When you want a healthy salad that is filling enough to be a main dish, then you need this Costco Quinoa Salad recipe. Cooked quinoa gets combined with chopped veggies and a delicious lemon dressing. Skip the store-bought version and make this copycat version at home instead!
If you’ve never had the Costco Quinoa Salad from your local Costco pre-made meal section, then you are missing out! But, that’s okay because I’ve re-created it for you today.
The simple salad has a delicious mixture of brown rice, quinoa, and lentils, plus lots of chopped veggies like cucumber, bell pepper, kale, and tomato. It’s the perfect gluten-free summer salad that I also often bring to as a gluten-free potluck side dish.
The seasonings and homemade dressing for this vegan salad are really simple. Everything gets tossed together and tastes just like the store-bought version. The benefit is that you get to control the quality of the ingredients and you don’t have to make a trip to the store.
Why You Need This Recipe
- This salad is very healthy because it’s made using real food ingredients with lots of vegetables and fiber. One serving of this healthy quinoa salad recipe has about 255 calories, 7 grams of protein, 11 grams of fat, and 6 grams of fiber.
- You can enjoy this delicious salad as part of your weight loss program, or just as a meal with wholesome ingredients. I also re-created the Costco Potato Salad!
- Instead of using canola oil and soybean oil which is what Costco uses, I used olive oil instead. Olive oil is considered to have a much healthier nutritional profile than either canola oil or soybean oil. Read more about the healthiest cooking oils.
Costco Quinoa Salad Ingredients
- Baby Kale: Baby kale adds a mild, slightly peppery flavor and a tender texture to the salad.
- Red Lentils: Red lentils contribute a subtle earthy flavor and a slightly chewy texture. The original recipe also uses mung beans, but I’ve chosen to leave them out of this recipe as they don’t provide much flavor.
- Quinoa: Quinoa serves as the hearty base of the salad, offering a nutty flavor and a fluffy texture.
- Red Bell Pepper: Red bell pepper brings a sweet, crisp bite and vibrant color to the salad.
- Cucumber: Cucumber adds a refreshing crunch and a mild, watery flavor, helping to balance the more robust ingredients.
- Oil and Vinegar: A simple dressing of oil and vinegar binds the salad together, adding richness from the oil and a tangy acidity from the vinegar.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice imparts a bright, zesty flavor that lifts the overall taste of the salad.
- Parsley: Parsley contributes a fresh, herbaceous note and vibrant green color.
- Salt and Pepper: Salt and pepper are essential seasonings that enhance the flavors of all the ingredients, bringing out their natural tastes and adding a slight kick from the pepper.
Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Let me show you how easy it is to make this copycat version of the beloved Costco Quinoa Salad with a super easy lemon and olive oil dressing.
Step One: Cook your brown rice, lentils, and quinoa on the stovetop. You can use red quinoa or white quinoa, or a mix.
Step Two: While grains and lentils are cooking, chop your veggies and add them to a large mixing bowl.
Step Three: Prepare the ingredients for the dressing.
Step Four: Toss the salad with the dressing.
Chill this recipe or serve it right away. Hope you agree that this homemade version is a great salad in addition to being a nearly authentic copycat recipe.
This fresh salad is a great way to get lots of fresh vegetables with fresh herbs and a tasty dressing.
Serve the salad immediately, or chill it to serve later.
Recipe Tips
- Serve it as a main meal or a side dish. It’s perfect for summer salads or at any time of year for a healthy lifestyle.
- One-fourth cup of dry brown rice will yield one cup of cooked brown rice.
- One-half cup of dry uncooked lentils will yield about 1 cup of cooked lentils.
- One-half cup of dry uncooked quinoa will yield two cups of cooked quinoa.
- You can substitute more or less of the rice, lentils, or quinoa. Overall for the salad, you’ll need about four cups of cooked grains or lentils.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, both the store version and this copycat version of the salad are vegan and vegetarian. My version is also gluten-free (the store version may have some cross-contamination for gluten). The store version also contains soybean oil. My version is soy-free.
In general I recommend keeping the salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days maximum.
Yes, this recipe is very versatile and adaptable. Feel free to make adjustments based on your personal preferences or based on what you have on hand.
The ingredient label includes: quinoa, mung beans, cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, kale, red lentils, white beans, brown rice, soybean oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, basil, garlic, salt, black pepper, parsley, and citric acid.
More Healthy Salad Recipes You Might Like
- Romaine Salad with Simple Vinaigrette
- Mango Avocado Salad
- Sweet Potato Beet Salad
- Vegan Tuna Salad
- Dairy-Free Southwestern Chicken Salad
- Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
Or, check out my entire index of Clean Eating Salad Recipes.
Don’t Miss These Copycat Recipes!
Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad Recipe
When you want a healthy salad that is filling enough to be a main dish, then you need this Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad recipe. Quinoa and lentils get combined with chopped veggies and a delicious lemon dressing. Skip the store-bought version and make it at home instead!
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup cooked red, brown, or green lentils
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 red bell pepper, de-cored and chopped finely
- 1 large tomato, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 cup baby kale, chopped finely
- 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the cooked rice, lentils, and quinoa in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- Next, add the red bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, parsley, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.
Notes
- You can use red or white quinoa, or a mixture of both for this recipe.
- You can cook for rice, lentils and quinoa up to several days ahead of time prior to making this recipe.
- One-fourth cup of dry brown rice will yield one cup of cooked brown rice.
- One-half cup of dry uncooked lentils will yield about 1 cup of cooked lentils.
- One-half cup of dry uncooked quinoa will yield two cups of cooked quinoa.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 255
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 400.9 mg
- Fat: 11.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.9 g
- Fiber: 6.3 g
- Protein: 7.6 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Don’t forget to join my newsletter list to get exclusive clean eating recipes and tips. The newsletter is 100% free with no spam; unsubscribe anytime.
About the Author: Carrie Forrest has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. She is a top wellness and food blogger with over 5 million annual visitors to her site. Carrie has an incredible story of recovery from chronic illness and is passionate about helping other women transform their health. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.
What other spice can be used instead of cumin, I don’t like it. I know is wiil change it from being an exact copycat recipe.
Thank you. I love your recipes!
You can just leave it out! 🙂
Hello I’ve made this several times excellent you can make your own variations. The one thing I will not change is the salad dressing recipe. That’s what makes it copycat! Love, love, love.
My go-to recipe when I am craving quinoa salad. I don’t like the red lentils in this sort of salad, so I learned to omit them. Personally, I usually add twice to thrice the amount of lemon juice, but that’s because I really like the acidic flavor. Letting this salad sit over night really improves the flavor and makes it oh so yummy.
Awesome thanks for sharing! I love extra lemon flavor too! 🙂
can i substitute cilantro for the parley? I do not like parsley.
Yes absolutely!
I Love Quinoa Salad Daily! My Costco uses Mung Beans instead of Lentils. Is this healthier?
They might use mung beans in addition to lentils. You can add use both or either! 🙂
I’m wanting to try this. All of your recipes are great. What do you think about using wild rice in place of brown?
Feel free to make adjustments! Wild rice would be great!
I haven’t yet made your copycat recipe, but looking at the ingredient list, you’re spot on. One quick question, in Costco’s salad it list’s sugar, whereas your recipe lists maple syrup. May I ask why you chose MP syrup over sugar? I would think it would affect the flavor and I’m not sure I understand it being used here.
I’m giving 5-stars before trying because I just know it’s going to be great! Thanks for sharing your clean-eating recipes!
You can use sugar instead but I find maple syrup is less processed and blends in easily with the dressing. I promise you won’t be able to taste it…it just adds a touch of sweetness. That said, feel free to use 1 tablespoon of white sugar instead, if you prefer.
Can’t wait to try your recipe!! I’m eating Costco salad right now actually and noticed that some of the ingredients look sprouted. Would you recommend sprouting anything in your recipe?
Interesting! Which ingredients do you think are sprouted? It might be the bean sprouts?