Are you wondering if an Easy Costco Quinoa Salad Recipe is out there? Yes, there is. This salad can easily be made at home and is so delicious! But, let me say, I add a little more dressing and flavor to my salad as I find the original store-bought version just a touch bland for my taste.
This a healthy salad that is packed with goodness and flavor. Not sure where to find quinoa in the grocery store? I wrote an article all about this. This recipe can also be made with sprouted quinoa for added health benefits, more on this below.
Costco's quinoa salad can be used as a main or side dish.
Ingredients list
- Quinoa- This can be either cooked or sprouted quinoa. If you are using sprouted quinoa, there is no need to cook it unless you want to. I cooked tricolor quinoa, but you can also use white or red. The flavor will be the same. These whole grains add a health kick to the salad.
- Brown Rice- Brown rice is much less expensive than quinoa and is a great filler for the salad, plus the texture is so good!
- Cucumbers- I love cucumbers as they add a delicious flavor and crunch to the salad. I love the texture and flavor of an English cucumber but you can use any you like.
- Red bell peppers- You can either use red pepper or green bell pepper if you prefer. The red is just for color, nothing more.
- Mung beans-Have you ever used mung beans in your cooking? They are pretty new to me- I have only been using them for a few years, but I love them! I did not add them to the salad I photographed but I frequently do.
- Kale- Dark leafy greens are so healthy!
- Tomatoes- These add quite a bit of flavor to an otherwise mild salad.
- Red lentils- Another healthy addition to this salad. They also add protein to this vegetarian salad.
- Parsley- You can use either cilantro or parsley, I went with parsley because of the dressing I used.
- Olive oil- This will be used for the dressing on the salad.
- Lemon juice- Fresh lemon juice is best for flavor in the delicious lemon dressing.
- Minced Garlic- Be sure this is fresh garlic and not powdered for flavor.
- Dried oregano- This adds depth to the dressing. You can leave it out, but I don't recommend you do.
- Salt and pepper- These will be added per personal taste.
Making the salad
Putting together this copycat Costco quinoa salad recipe is a little time-consuming but well worth the effort. The salad has a lot of parts to it. None of them are hard to do, but there are several components.
Start by cooking brown rice, quinoa, mung beans, and lentils. I love Cookie and Kate's instructions for cooking quinoa. I also really like her recipe for cooking brown rice as well.
Once the beans and grains are cooked, cool them all the way.
Next up, chop up those vegetables and parsley.
Mix the salad dressing. I like to do this in a mason jar. Add all the ingredients, tighten the lid, and give it a good shake, and it is ready!
Last, add everything to a big bowl for mixing. I like to mix this with a rubber spatula to keep it from mushing altogether.
I prefer letting this sit in the fridge for about an hour before serving. This will give the salad dressing a chance to seep into the quinoa and vegetables.
Tips and suggestions
- You can always add more vegetables if you want. I had made this with grated carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, etc. and all are so good!
- I know it seems like a lot of salad dressing, but the quinoa and brown rice absorb a lot of that within the first couple of hours.
- This salad is best eaten within 2-3 days.
- Be sure to chill the salad after you have made it for at least an hour. This will help all the flavors to meld together.
- If you don't eat the whole salad in one setting, store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Red wine vinegar can also be subbed for lemon juice. I prefer the lemon juice though.
Easy Costco Quinoa Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1 cup cooked mung beans
- 1 ½ cups chopped cucumbers
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped greens I used spinach, but you can use whatever you like.
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Dressing
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- I chopped my vegetables a little larger than Costco does, but this is up to you. I like a more rustic salad.
- Gently combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl, mixing with a rubber spatula.
- In a mason jar or small bowl, combine all ingredients for the dressing.
- Pour this over the salad and gently mix it in.
- I like to let this sit and marinate for at least an hour. This can be at room temperature or chilled.
- Whatever you don't eat, seal in an airtight container and it can sit in the fridge for up to 3 days!
Notes
- You can always add more vegetables if you want. I had made this with grated carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, etc. and all are so good!
- I know it seems like a lot of salad dressing, but the quinoa and brown rice absorb a lot of that within the first couple of hours.
- This salad is best eaten within 2-3 days.
- Be sure to chill the salad after you have made it for at least an hour. This will help all the flavors to meld together.
- If you don't eat the whole salad in one setting, store it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Red wine vinegar can also be subbed for lemon juice. I prefer the lemon juice though.
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