12 Target Good & Gather Salad Kits, Ranked

What takes a salad from good to great? For some, the lettuce makes or breaks a salad, providing that structural base and textural contrast to keep things interesting. Others yet believe that it all comes down to the dressing, one that ideally adds plenty of flavor while coating each and every piece of lettuce or other mix-in. For some, however, a good salad comes down to its convenience to prepare. 

Perhaps the easiest way to check the convenience box is by purchasing a store-bought salad kit, and there's certainly no shortage of options out there. Both Trader Joe's and Aldi are well-known salad kit purveyors, and another perhaps lesser-known option is Target, and more specifically, Target's Good & Gather brand. These salad kits not only come with lettuce (or in many cases cabbage) bases, but they all include some sort of toppings or mix-ins (often cheese, croutons, or some other textural element) and a dressing packet.

To determine the best of the best Target salad kits, I taste-tested 12 distinct flavors, ultimately landing on one that stood out above the rest. Considering that all of these kits followed a similar formula but ultimately boasted different ingredients, dressings, and mix-ins, this ranking largely came down to the texture of the lettuce and mix-ins, cohesiveness of the salad as a whole, and flavor of the dressing (because I am one of those people who thinks a good dressing truly makes or breaks a salad). 

I love a good Caesar salad (who doesn't?), but I'll be the first to admit that anything other than homemade or restaurant Caesars can be disappointing. As such, a store-bought Caesar salad kit poses the potential for perhaps the most extreme level of disappointment, and in the case of Target's Good & Gather chopped Caesar kit, the letdown was indeed quite high.

Before I delve into the negatives, I will say that I at least enjoyed the Caesar dressing more than I thought I would. It was creamier and more savory than I expected, so I have to at least acknowledge that (but it certainly had nothing on homemade). Otherwise, I was simply underwhelmed by this salad — I didn't necessarily find it downright awful or inedible, but I wasn't compelled to continue taking bites.

Perhaps the biggest and most unavoidable issue I had with this salad kit was the lettuce itself. Crisp, crunchy romaine is crucial to a good Caesar, and while the lettuce in this kit was technically romaine, it was far from crisp or crunchy. So combine a limp, lackluster lettuce base with croutons (which were fine) and Parmesan cheese (which was fine), and you've got a salad that's just fine, but not one that's worth purchasing or choosing over a homemade version.

While many of the salad kits on this list feature cabbage to some extent, none of them quite do it up like the Asian-style one, which boasts a bed of mostly cabbage (along with carrots, celery, green onion, and even cilantro, but the cabbage was most abundant). There were other goodies included in this kit as well, like wonton strips, sliced almonds, and a sesame dressing. While I do think there was potential here, especially with a sesame dressing, this Asian-style salad kit missed the mark for a couple of reasons.

To start, I do think that a smidge of lettuce might have been beneficial here. The nearly all-cabbage base felt more reminiscent of coleslaw than anything else, and I found myself getting tired of it pretty quickly. Also, I felt that the inclusions were a bit boring compared to some of the others on this list. The wonton strips and almonds came together in a little baggie, and they sort of felt more like a tacked-on afterthought than a meaningful contribution to the salad. I will say, at the very least, that I enjoyed the crunch that the wonton strips offered, but the sliced almonds got completely lost in all that cabbage.

Finally, the dressing was also a bit of a letdown, with only mild sesame notes bogged down by wateriness. So although I appreciated certain elements of this salad, it felt like more of a hodgepodge of Asian-adjacent ingredients than it did a well-thought-out, curated Asian-inspired salad.

Just when you think the everything bagel seasoning trend might be coming to an end, another product reminds you that it's actually going stronger than ever. At least, that's how I felt upon trying Target's everything seasoned salad kit, one that specifically highlights the ever-popular seasoning blend in all its glory. Unfortunately, after trying the salad, I'd say that glory should be pretty short-lived here.

Now, just to clarify, I don't hate everything seasoning, but I've never quite gotten the hype over it either, and I felt that stronger than ever when trying this salad. The biggest issue was that there wasn't anything super exciting going on here, and once all of the elements were combined (the lettuce-cabbage base, mini bagel toasts, everything seasoned ranch, and sprinkles of everything bagel seasoning), I felt like I was basically just eating a ranch salad. The everything bagel seasoning got completely lost somehow, despite how the ranch itself was supposedly infused with it, on top of there being a separate packet of it. So while I certainly don't hate a salad with ranch, I wanted something a little more exciting here.

I do have to highlight the mini bagel toasts, which were absolutely the best part of this salad. They provided a fun spin on classic croutons, and if it weren't for them, this salad might have ended up in dead last place.

Buffalo sauce and ranch go together like peanut butter and jelly (or something like that), so on paper, Target's Good & Gather buffalo ranch salad kit just makes sense. And I have to say, even in execution, the salad made sense, though there were certain factors that kept this one from being great.

Compared to some of the other salad kits' inclusions, the ones in this kit didn't exactly spark excitement or joy. Along with the lettuce, broccoli stalk, cabbage, green onion, and carrot base (yes, we're definitely seeing a tried-and-true formula here), this kit came with buffalo ranch dressing, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and allegedly buffalo-seasoned crouton crumbles. So when you really break that down, it's just a salad with croutons, cheese, and ranch. And, hey, that's a winning formula for a salad, no doubt, but I wanted that buffalo flavor to really shine through. 

The croutons merely tasted like croutons, and the ranch was almost overwhelmingly acidic (strangely) as opposed to subtly spicy and perhaps even a bit buttery. So this one wasn't terrible, but it's not a salad kit I see myself reaching for again anytime soon.

I felt torn over Target's avocado ranch salad kit. On one hand, I love avocado ranch dressing in general and was intrigued by the crispy corn that came as a topper. On the other hand, I was disappointed that there wasn't any avocado included in the kit (other than what was in the dressing), and perhaps underwhelmed by what the salad had to offer as a whole.

Since I felt torn over this salad kit flavor, it only made sense to me to place it somewhere in the middle of this ranking. I certainly didn't hate any flavors going on here, and that crispy corn did prove itself to be quite tasty. At the same time, the corn seemed a bit tacked on, and as a whole, the salad lacked focus or cohesion. I especially felt this way about the cilantro, which didn't seem to be there for any rhyme or reason other than bulking up the ingredients.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the avocado ranch dressing itself and the crispy corn, but this salad was mostly underwhelming. I think some actual avocado would have gone a long way to make this option stand out a bit more.

Mediterranean cuisine is all about fresh, bright ingredients, so I was already a bit hesitant about how such flavors might translate to a premade salad kit. But, alas, I went into Good & Gather's Mediterranean-style crunch salad with an open heart and an open mind, and for what it's worth, it was pretty tasty (albeit a bit bland).

The green base for this salad was a little different than others on this list, featuring additions like escarole, endive, cauliflower, and radicchio (but truthfully, I didn't think it tasted all that different than the other lettuce or cabbage-based salads). What did shine was the feta cheese — that salty, slightly tangy bite did some heavy lifting in this salad. I especially liked how the feta paired with the crispy flatbread strips, which weren't exactly all that flavorful or exciting on their own, but they did offer a theme-appropriate switch-up from classic croutons at the very least.

The balsamic dressing was pretty standard, though I'm not sure I was picking up on a whole lot of basil notes. A lack of fresh flavors kept this salad from living up to its true Mediterranean standard overall, but I still enjoyed it enough.

As someone who absolutely loves taco salad, I was excited for this one. Featuring a romaine, cabbage, and carrot blend as the base, cheese and tortilla chips as the toppers, and a creamy taco-style ranch for the dressing, this kit held potential for yielding a tasty, tried-and-true take on taco salad.

Overall, I really enjoyed this salad kit. There were a couple of factors that kept it from ranking higher, though. I wished that the tortilla chips boasted a little more of the chili-lime flavor they were supposed to, and I wish the dressing packed a bit more of a tangy kick. Also, there was an overwhelming amount of cabbage in this one, so I think a better romaine-cabbage balance would have given this kit a boost.

All that said, there's no denying that this was a solid take on taco salad, and one worth reaching for when you don't feel like making your own. Cook up some ground beef for serving, and you've got an easy, tasty dinner without much hassle.

Breaking into the top five, we first have the Mexican-style street corn salad kit, one that I drastically underestimated when I first bought it. In my experience with Mexican street corn (or elote or esquites for that matter), it's all about fresh, juicy, subtly sweet corn. I couldn't picture a world where this salad kit might live up to my corn standards, and to be fair, it didn't (because the corn wasn't fresh). Instead, the crispy corn in this salad impressed me in a way all its own, and combined with the creamy elote-style dressing, I was sold.

Now, this isn't the first time we've seen the crispy corn in this ranking. It was also included in the avocado ranch kit, and I enjoyed it then, too. But in this kit, the corn made total sense, and it really took the salad from something plain and forgettable to something truly delicious. I loved the subtle sweetness that the corn provided along with a unique crispiness that you wouldn't get in a crouton. The dressing was another selling point for me, one that boasted a subtle spiciness along with plenty of creaminess (reminiscent of the chili powder-topped mayo you might find on elote). I do wish that this kit sprung for cotija cheese instead of Parmesan (although the cheeses are ultimately very similar), but overall, I very much enjoyed this salad and would buy it again.

Although the other Asian-style salad on this list didn't impress me, the same cannot be said for Good & Gather's Thai-style chili mango salad kit. Right off the bat, this kit clearly took a more pinpointed approach, going for a Thai-inspired spicy-and-sweet combination that worked quite well.

As someone who absolutely loves sweet elements in a salad, I had a suspicion that I'd enjoy this one based on the mango alone. And, it's true, the dried mango chunks were a huge selling point for me, offering up just the right hit of chewy sweetness that contrasted well with the crispy veg (including bean sprouts, crumbly cauliflower, and kale for a bit of a switch-up). 

Another textural element that made this salad such a winner was the crispy quinoa, which added a truly unique crunchiness to each bite. Finally, the sweet chili vinaigrette was one of my favorite dressings on this list, offering a slightly spicy, sweet, and tangy flavor profile that just solidified this salad as an absolute winner in my book.

Remember how my biggest grievance with the avocado ranch salad kit was that it didn't have any actual avocado? Well, that certainly wasn't an issue with Good & Gather's avocado toast kit, which impressively came with avocado against all odds. If you're at all familiar with how quickly avocados turn brown, then you'll understand why it's a particularly precarious produce item to put in a pre-packaged salad kit. And, no, there weren't slices of avocado but rather a plastic tube full of mashed avocado, but no matter what form it came in, I was just happy to see it included in the kit.

Other than the mashed avocado, this kit saw the return of both avocado ranch and mini toasts — two items featured in other kits. The mini toasts made so much sense in this kit that I was sold for that reason alone, but they also happened to pair very well with the avocado ranch and the avocado itself. All things considered, this salad was rich, savory, and had quite a bit of vibrant, buttery avocado flavor, so it's definitely one of the better options in Target's lineup.

Since I can typically take or leave Nashville-style chicken, I really didn't go into Target's Nashville-style hot salad kit with high expectations. This salad also seemed simpler than others on this list, featuring just romaine and radicchio as the leafy base, along with a Nashville-style hot ranch dressing, hatch chili cornbread croutons, and dill pickle crispy cucumbers. Although not too many ingredients went into this salad, those that were included really stood out, and I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this one.

For starters, I appreciated the break from so much cabbage and liked that the base of this salad was mostly good old romaine. Next, the dressing had a really nice, spicy kick to it that felt true to Nashville-style seasoning. But the real star of the show was the combination of the croutons plus the dill pickle seasoned cucumbers, which both came packaged in a small baggie together. The croutons had actually broken down considerably, to the point where they were mostly crumbs with a few bigger chunks in there. This turned out to be a good thing because once those crumbs mixed into the salad, they were unbelievably good. Since they were packaged with the cucumbers, the croutons had a strong pickle flavor, which was both delicious and reminiscent of the pickles you'd find on a Nashville hot chicken sandwich. 

I really enjoyed the spicy, crispy, and dill pickle-forward nature of this salad, and I was truly impressed at how well it managed to capture the essence of Nashville hot chicken without any actual chicken.

I love maple, bacon, and bourbon, and that's why it only makes sense that Target's maple bacon bourbon salad kit was a winner. Maple syrup is something of a salad dressing secret ingredient, especially in vinaigrettes, adding the perfect touch of rich sweetness to offset the acidity of whatever vinegar is in the mix. But add bourbon on top of that? Now things are getting straight-up gourmet.

Aside from how much I loved the individual elements of this salad kit, I especially loved how they worked together as a whole. This salad felt incredibly cohesive, from the crisp romaine base to the crunchy honey almonds, chewy bacon bits, and maple bourbon vinaigrette to top it all off. All together, the salad was a little bit sweet, a little bit savory, and even a bit smoky from the bourbon notes. It felt different than many of the other options in G&G's salad kit lineup, and that's not always a good thing. But in this case, this kit stood out in the best way possible, earning the top spot in this ranking.

Tasting and ranking these salad kits came down largely to factors like the dressing, the mix-ins, and how good the salad tasted as a whole. I also considered how well certain elements worked together, and whether it felt like all of the ingredients really complemented each other, or if it felt more like certain things were thrown in just for the sake of bulking up the mix.

For the most part, these salad kits all featured very similar lettuce bases that were often a mix of romaine, cabbage, and other veggies, so this didn't influence the ranking too much. The only time that the lettuce base did influence the ranking was when a kit veered away from the formula (in a good or bad way), like the taco ranch kit that had too much cabbage, the Nashville-hot kit that had a nice amount of romaine, and so forth.

As for how I sampled each salad, I simply poured all of the ingredients of a given kit out into a bowl, mixed in all the toppings, and then drizzled the dressing on top. I made sure to give each salad its fair taste test, taking in all of the elements and making a fair judgment based on all the flavors (and components) that a given kit had to offer.