This Chopped Dill Pickle Salad is creamy, crunchy, and packed with 30g of protein per serving! Made with buttery croutons, crisp veggies, feta, and a oil-free dill pickle dressing (made with Greek yogurt). Delicious, high-protein, and meal prep friendly. (Gluten-Free option).
This Chopped Dill Pickle Salad recipe takes the Costco favorite and makes it even better—with fresher flavors, extra protein, and no questionable ingredients. The result tastes like it came from a gourmet salad bar, but at a fraction of the price!
Craving more high-protein salads? My Butter Bean Salad with Feta is a reader favorite—or explore my full collection of delicious salad recipes.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Craveable: This salad is crisp, tangy, creamy, and crunchy all at once. Forget sad salads—this is one you'll genuinely crave!
- Costco Dill Pickle Salad copycat—made better: The same lip-smacking combo of creamy dill, tangy pickles, and crunchy croutons. But my upgraded take has more protein and fiber, no hard-to-digest cauliflower, extra feta (because cheese!), and fresh dill for maximum flavor. It's a healthier spin that tastes amazing!
- High protein: Packs 30 grams of protein per serving to keep you full.
- Meal prep friendly: Stays fresh for days—just add croutons and dressing before serving! I've developed lots of meal prep recipes, and this is my latest obsession. It's designed to make a big batch—so you can enjoy it for dinner and lunch the next day.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
As I wrote in my cookbook, life's too short for boring salads! This healthy Dill Pickle Salad packs a punch of flavor, crunch, and color.
Here’s what you need (with easy swaps):
- Kale: Curly kale is best. It's fluffier and makes a better Costco salad copycat. Swap lacinato kale if needed.
- Lettuce: Romaine stays crisp for days—perfect for meal prep! Butter lettuce or Iceberg could work too.
- Cabbage: Use finely chopped red or green cabbage—or a mix of both.
- Chickpeas: Not in the original, but they should be! Packed with protein and fiber, they turn this salad into a meal that keeps you full for hours. I use canned for ease, but you could cook your own.
- Bread: Sourdough works best! It's tang enhances the other dill pickle flavors. Otherwise, use baguette or similar. (For a detailed review of the best bread for croutons, check out my Air Fryer Croutons recipe).
- Radish: Add pretty color and crunch. But feel free to skip it if you want!
Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
This salad gets tossed in a creamy, oil-free ranch dressing. Here's what it's made with:
- Greek Yogurt: Since there's no added oil, I recommend using a full fat Greek yogurt. It has the best flavor and thickest, smoothest texture.
- Dill: Dill doesn't hold it's flavor very well once it's dried. So don't be tempted to swap dried dill here. Use fresh dill—in both the dressing and the salad.
- White Vinegar: Adds tang. You can substitute rice vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Just remember that lemon juice will lose some of its flavor as it sits. If meal prepping, consider squeezing a bit more lemon juice just before serving.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make Chopped Dill Pickle Salad
This delicious Dill Pickle Salad tastes fancy but is super easy to make. It makes a huge portion—perfect for dinner and meal prep!
Follow these simple steps:
1. Toss cubed bread with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Scatter on a sheet pan.
2. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
3. Add kale, cabbage, lettuce, chickpeas, cucumber, and radish to a large bowl.
4. Make the Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing with Greek yogurt, dill, and seasonings.
5. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss until evenly coated.
6. Scatter in croutons, feta cheese, and fresh dill. Toss again to mix, then serve.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- Salad spinner hack: Use your salad spinner for canned chickpeas too! No need to dirty another strainer or pat dry. Just make sure to rinse them after you're done with the greens—not at the same time.
- Crouton shortcut: These easy homemade croutons are quick to make—but store-bought works too!
- Crumble your own feta: Feta blocks "in brine" tastes better and lasts longer. Pre-crumbled feta dries out quickly and often has anti-caking agents added.
- If trying to half the recipe: Halving the dressing is tricky in a regular blender, because there's not enough liquid to blend properly. You can make the full batch of Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing—and use extras for Quesadillas, Roasted Veggie Sandwiches or Hot Tofu Sandwiches. Or use a small blender if you have.
- Meal prep: Prepping ahead? Keep dressing and croutons separate until serving. This keeps greens fresh and croutons crunchy!
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📖 Recipe
Chopped Dill Pickle Salad
This Chopped Dill Pickle Salad is creamy, crunchy, and packed with 30g of protein per serving! Made with buttery croutons, crisp veggies, feta, and a oil-free dill pickle dressing (made with Greek yogurt). Delicious, high-protein, and meal prep friendly. (Gluten-Free option).
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
Croutons
- 2 cups cubed sourdough bread (⅓ to ½-inch cubes, about 1 cm)
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- fine sea salt and pepper (to taste)
Salad
- 2 cups finely chopped kale (see note 1)
- 2 cups finely chopped cabbage (red and/or green)
- 2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce (see note 2)
- 2 (14 fl oz/398 ml) cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 chopped English cucumber
- 6 chopped radishes
- 1½ cups crumbled feta cheese (see note 3)
- ¼ cup finely chopped dill
Creamy Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped dill pickle
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice (from the pickle jar)
- 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar (see note 4)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Croutons: Preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃). Scatter 2 cups cubed sourdough bread on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with fine sea salt and pepper to taste. Bake until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Let cool.
- Prep Salad: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups finely chopped kale, 2 cups finely chopped cabbage, 2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce, 2 (14 fl oz/398 ml) cans chickpeas, 1 chopped English cucumber, and 6 chopped radishes.
- Start Dressing: Add ⅓ cup (of the 1 cup plain Greek yogurt) to a blender. (Keep remaining ⅔ cup Greek yogurt for later). To the blender, add ⅓ cup roughly chopped dill pickle, 1 tablespoon dill pickle juice, 1 tablespoon white distilled vinegar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Blend until smooth.
- Finish Dressing: Transfer the blended dressing to a medium bowl. Add the remaining ⅔ cup Greek yogurt and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill. Stir until smooth (see note 5). Season with black pepper to taste.
- Combine: Drizzle the dressing over the bowl of salad. Toss to coat. Add croutons, 1½ cups crumbled feta cheese, and ¼ cup finely chopped dill. Toss to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Notes
- Kale: Curly kale recommended, otherwise substitute lacinato.
- Lettuce: Romaine stays crisp for days so it's great for this dish—especially if you're meal prepping. You can substitute Butter lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, or similar.
- Feta: I recommend buying a block of feta in brine and crumbling it yourself. Pre-crumbled feta doesn't taste as good and it tends to dry out easily.
- White Vinegar: Delivers the classic tang of dill pickles! Swap with rice vinegar or lemon juice. If you use lemon juice, refresh leftovers with an extra squeeze of lemon before serving—because citrus flavor weakens over time.
- Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing: Blend only some of the Greek yogurt first, then stir in the rest. This keeps it creamy, not watery. Blending it all makes the dressing too thin—trust me, I've tried it!
- Gluten Free Option: Use gluten-free bread or substitute gluten-free storebought croutons.
- Storage Tips: Store salad and dressing separate, in the fridge. Croutons are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Yield: About 12 cups (assumes 4 large servings, about 3 cups each).
Nutrition
Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1248mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4319IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 494mg | Iron: 6mg
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