This easy quinoa salad recipe features brown lentils, brown rice, fresh vegetables, and a tangy vinaigrette.
It's a great salad that's perfect for quick and easy dinners. All you have to do is toss everything with the dressing and you're ready to serve!
Whether you haven't had Costco's quinoa salad, or you're a longtime fan of it, you'll find yourself making this recipe again and again!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Made with healthy ingredients! This Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad is packed with whole grains, healthy fats, and vegetables.
- Quick and easy. If you cook your grains ahead of time, you'll be able to make this salad in just 15 minutes!
- Meal prep friendly. The salad can keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, and the dressing can last you for up to a week.
Ingredients You'll Need
Get all the details on these simple ingredients in the recipe card found at the bottom of the post.
- Quinoa. You can use both white quinoa or three-colored quinoa.
- Brown rice. It has more fiber than white rice and a chewier texture.
- Lentils. I use canned lentils to make this recipe easier. You can also use red lentils, but I think brown lentils give more texture to this salad.
- Vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumber, and red bell pepper are the trio we need for this recipe. I like to use English cucumbers because they're sweeter and less bitter.
- Olive oil. I use extra-virgin olive oil, but if you don't have it on hand a neutral vegetable oil works just fine.
- Maple syrup. It adds just the right amount of sweetness to the salad dressing. It can be substituted with agave syrup.
- Cilantro. I love the freshness and flavor cilantro gives, but if it's not your jam, you can use fresh parsley as well.
- Lemon juice. Use fresh lemon juice for the best results! If you want a bit more tang, you can add the zest as well.
- White wine vinegar. As you can guess, it's made from white wine and has a light fruity flavor. If you don't have it on hand you can use apple cider vinegar.
- Spices. Only salt and pepper are enough here.
How to Make Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad Recipe
- First, chop all of the vegetables and the fresh herbs. You want to dice the veggies into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, add the cooked quinoa, brown rice, and lentils, alongside the chopped vegetables and the cilantro or parsley.
3. Make the lemon dressing by mixing all of the ingredients in a small bowl,
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated.
5. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, black pepper, or lemon juice to taste. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate for 1-2 hours!
Top Tips
- Prepare the rice, lentils, and quinoa ahead of time! They're the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but if you cook them ahead of time, you'll be able to make this salad in just 15 minutes!
- Make sure your grains have cooled completely before assembling the salad. If you add them hot, you'll wilt the fresh veggies and the salad will become soggy.
- Add the dressing right before serving! This is considered best practice when it comes to any salad. Once you add the dressing, your salad starts to wild, so add it as last-minute as possible.
- Use baby kale. It's softer than other types of kale and its texture fits the rest of the ingredients better. And also, you won't have to massage it, which is less effort.
Frequently Asked Questions
I think this salad tastes better when it's cold, but you can also serve it at room temperature. Don't serve it hot though, it's meant to be fresh and bright.
Yes! Both mine and the store-bought versions are vegan and vegetarian-friendly. My version is gluten-free and soy-free as well, because it doesn't contain soybean oil, and is made with olive oil instead.
The only added oil here comes from the dressing, so if you'd like to omit it, you can make my oil-free dressing instead.
Rinse 1 cup of uncooked quinoa under cold water. Then, add it to a pot, alongside 1 ¾ cups of boiling water, and some salt. Cover with a lid and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Once ready, remove the pot from the heat and let it steam with the lid on for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let cool to room temperature before using.
Variations
This recipe is versatile and flexible. You can add more or less of anything you like, and even substitute some of the ingredients with the following:
- Mung beans: The original Costco salad has mung beans, so if you'd like to add some, I recommend adding up to 1 cup.
- Chickpeas: For more protein, you can add up to 1 cup of cooked chickpeas.
- Red onion: A little bit of onion goes a long way, just make sure to dice it finely. You don't want big chunks of onion in the salad.
- Fresh fruits: Pomegranate seeds, chopped apples, and even strawberries will be delicious in this healthy salad!
- Feta cheese: You can crumble some vegan feta on top of the salad before serving. I mean, cheese makes everything that much more exciting, right?!
Serving
This Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad is the perfect side dish to serve alongside gluten-free lasagna, vegan risotto, and even veggie burgers!
If you want to serve it as a main meal and you're looking for something complimentary, try our marinated tempeh, salt and pepper tofu, or balsamic bruschetta.
Storage Tips
Store leftover in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For best results, store the dressing and the salad separately.
The dressing alone can last for up to a week if stored in the fridge.
This recipe is not freezer friendly.
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Copycat Chick Fil A Superfood Salad
- Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Three-Bean Salad
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Vegan Avocado Pasta Salad
- Hummus Pasta Salad
Recipe
Copycat Costco Quinoa Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup cooked and cooled brown rice (~½ cup uncooked)
- 1 cup cooked and cooled brown lentils (I use canned)
- 2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (~⅔ cup uncooked)
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- 1 medium cucumber, diced (if using English cucumbers, use 2 or 3)
- 1 cup baby kale, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped (or use parsley)
Dressing
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- If you haven't already, dice the vegetables, and chop the cilantro (or parsley), and the baby kale.
- Add all of the ingredients for the salad into a large mixing bowl- brown rice, lentils, quinoa, red pepper, tomato, cucumber, baby kale, and fresh herbs.
- To a small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the dressing- olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined. Taste and adjust the flavor as needed, adding more salt, black pepper, or lemon juice to taste.
- If serving right away, pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate for 1-2 hours! If serving later, transfer the salad and the dressing to separate containers and refrigerate until ready to use. Combine before serving.
(Please refer to the post above for instructional photographs and other helpful information for this recipe)
Notes
- Prepare the rice, lentils, and quinoa ahead of time! They're the most time-consuming part of this recipe, but if you cook them ahead of time, you'll be able to make this salad in just 10 minutes!
- Make sure your grains have cooled completely before assembling the salad. If you add them hot, you'll wilt the fresh veggies and the salad will become soggy.
- Add the dressing right before serving! This is considered best practice when it comes to any salad. Once you add the dressing, your salad starts to wild, so add it as last-minute as possible.
- Use baby kale. It's softer than other types of kale and its texture fits the rest of the ingredients better. And also, you won't have to massage it, which means less effort.
Nutrition
Post photography by: Petranka Atanasova.
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