This amazing kale salad is a copycat version of the Taylor Farms salad kit sold at Costco with an avocado-oil based dressing. And you can customize it how you want!

Grab a large bowl, friend. It’s time make a killer kale salad!

I’m a big fan of the Costco salad kits . You know what I’m talking about — the ones made by Taylor Farm (Plus Costco has some good ones in the deli section, too)

The Sweet Kale Salad is one of my favorites though!

One of my favorite things about this salad is the use of hearty greens and shredded vegetables.

You can dress the salad, stick it in the fridge in an airtight container and eat it the next day (or even the next 4 days!) and it won’t go limp and slimy like dressed Romaine or another lightweight lettuce.

What’s in Sweet Kale Salad from Costco?

First, kale, obviously. You can use lacinato kale (sometimes called dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale — the kale leaves are darker green with bumpy leaves) or curly kale. Both work really well.

Broccoli slaw, shredded Brussels sprouts, and shredded cabbage make up the rest of the bulk.

Broccoli slaw is one of my favorite pre-prepped ingredients (I use it in my Paleo Pad Thai, too!) It’s an easy way to hide more veg into salads and slaws. It’s basically broccoli stems, which is hilarious to me because that’s the part we typically throw away when we prep broccoli. (Another great business model there…)

Shredded cabbage is easy to find and you can also buy pre-shredded Brussels sprouts in most grocery stores now! (Hallelujah!). If you’re old school, you can totally shred the Brussels and cabbage with a food processor. Also, if you have a food processor with a shredding/slicing blade you can whip this up so fast. (I have this one.)

The salad kit also has dried sweet cranberries and pumpkin seeds (pepitas) which are easy to find, too.

If you wanted to change up the ingredients, here are some that would go great in this salad:

• really thin slices of red onion
• sliced bell pepper
• sunflower seeds
• pine nuts
• parmesan cheese
• sharp cheddar cheese
• feta cheese
• shredded rotisserie chicken
• bacon crumbles

That Costco kale salad is great when you need a side dish or a potluck offering in a pinch. And everyone loves them. BUT.

I’m a stinker when it comes to oils.

The poppyseed dressing in the Costco cranberry kale salad kits is soybean oil-based (along with all the other salad dressings in the other kits). Vegetable oil and canola oils are no better. All of these oils are highly inflammatory and while a salad kit here or there is fine, I try not to buy them on a regular basis.

If I was going to start a new business I’d make salad kits with healthy dressings — ones with extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil as the base.

(If you’d like to steal that idea and run with it, let me know how it goes. I’d just like free salad for life, please.)

Kale Salad Dressing Recipe

I tried to mimic the dressing in the salad kit as best I could with this homemade dressing. This poppy seed dressing has a little citrus (orange juice and fresh lemon juice) and honey for sweetness. You could use pure maple syrup if you like.

I used avocado oil for a neutral flavor. Extra-virgin olive oil tends to be kind of strong in dressings sometimes.

Apple cider vinegar boosts the fruity flavors from the citrus and adds a nice, tart flavor!

Typically vinaigrette recipes have a little dijon mustard. This one doesn’t, but it would help create a more creamy dressing if that’s what you’re going for.

Don’t forget the poppy seeds! Shake it all up in a mason jar, and pour it over your greens.

And there you have it — one of the best kale salad recipes out there with lots of ways you can customize it!

More of Our Favorite Potluck Salads

We’re still in BBQ/Potluck season so here are a few of my favorite potluck salads! Some of them are paleo, some are dairy-free, but all of them are gluten-free.

Grilled Vegetable and Rotisserie Chicken Salad

Roasted Potato Salad with Dill-Scallion Vinaigrette

Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad

Avocado Bacon and Parmesan Salad with Tangy Avocado Dressing

For more of our favorite recipes with Brussels sprouts, click here: Best Brussels Sprouts Recipes.

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If you make this recipe, be sure to post it to social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

P.S. Here’s another salad that uses pre-shredded vegetables — this time with a maple-mustard dressing that’s to die for! It’s a salad I created for The Pioneer Woman’s site. You can find the recipe here: Ultimate Winter Salad.

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